PERSONAL ITEMS

Dominion, Volume 7, Issue 2177, 17 June 1914, Page 7

PERSONAL ITEMS

The Right Hon. W. F. Massey (Prime Minister) leavos'this morning for Palmorston and will proceed afterwards to Auckland, returning to Wellington on Monday next. The Hon. W. Fraser leaves to-day for l'icton. The Hon. Jas. Allen is expected to return from the south to-morrow. The Hon.'W. H. Herries is at Rotorua, and the Hon. F. M. B. Fisher is on routo to tho Thames. The bthor Cabinet Ministers, except Dr. Pomare, are in Wellington. While Mr. W. R. Morris (Secretary to tho Post and Telegraph Department) is away attending the Postal Congress at Madrid, his place as head of the Department will be temporarily filled by Mr. F. V. Waters' (Assistant-Secre-tary). Mr. J. C. Williamson (Chief Clerk) will act as an Assistant* Secretary.'and Mr. A..T. Markmann (Principal Staff Clerk) will act as Chief Clerk. | Mr. R.' Fletcher was taken suddenly ill about midday yesterday, and it will bo Some days before he will be able to leavo his room. Ho came to .his office as usual in the morning, but was then seriously ill, and when ho went homo to lilnch at midday his condition was so much worse that he . called ih a medical ' man, and lie is now confined to bed.

Mr, R. T. Bailey,'lnspector of Factories aiid Awards, Wellington, who lias been transferred to Christchurch as second inspector in the Labour Department, leaves Wollington at the end_ of this month. Mr. Bailey came to Wellington from Napier, and he has been ■ here'a year and ten months.. ■Prior to leaving for Dunedin to (takeup tlie position of assistant-postmaster tliorc > Mr. H.'D. Grocott,. second clerk of the Goneral Post Office at Wellington,; was yesterday presented by tho secrotary of the Department, Mr. •W. R. Morris, on.behalt of his fellow officers, • with a handsome gold watch and chain. Ih tnaking tile presentation, Mr. Morris referred to the esteem in which Mr. Grocott was held by all with whom he came in contact, and to the faithful service'tthicli lio liad rendered to tho De- , partinent. He was sure that Mr. Grocott was proud of tho fact'that ho was returning to .Dunedin to talco up the position of assistant-postmaster, at all oflico Where, thirty years ago, ho.joihed i tho Service as a telegraph message boy. Mr. Grocott was selected for tho Gen-

eral Post' Office staff in'lß93, as ho had becoino an efficient stenographer by.de- \ voting his sparo i time, to shorthand ithile a telegraphist at Oamaru. At that time tliere were only eight officers in the secretary's officoj noil' there were sixty-five. Mr. A. S. Diss has been appointed owners' arbitrator in the assessment cases arising out of tho taking of land for street widening at the corner of Manners Street and Willis Street. ■ Mr. Fred.'Foley, who has been manager of tho Star Theatre, Newtown, has beon transferred to Auckland, where he will manage tho King's Theatre, in Pitt Street. Mr. Foley leaves for NAuckland on Friday. t ■ 'Mr. Godrgo Henry Davies, .who died at K&rori on Monday, was born at the Bay of Islands ill 1844, and was educated at the Chnrch : of England Grammar School, Auckland. He joined the Government Service as an interpreter in .Wellington in 1872. and later on became .translator. When Sir Donald Mac Lean was Native. Minister, Mr. Da- • vies frequently accompanied him on iouriteys in a confidential capacity. Illhealth compelled him to rotire from tho Civil; Service, in 1906. He had been feSldent m Karori for about tliirtv

years, wfts a member of St. Mary's Anglican Church, and had served on the veait)'.';For:.;rna'ny '-j'eara, 'Mrt "Davies was''ft mehib6r "bf tlie KUmi' School Committee and took a keen interest iii, local affairs generally: As a cheSs f)lay6r ho was one of the original members of the. Wellington Chess Club, Was also a member of The Karori Chess Club, arid had beeh selected to take part in interprovincial matches. Tho late Mr. Davies is survived.by a widow and a faiiiily of three sons.