PERSONAL ITEMS

Dominion, Volume 8, Issue 2406, 11 March 1915, Page 5

PERSONAL ITEMS

, The Prime Minister (the Right Hon. Massey) returned to Wellington froSr4he north yesterday maming.

At a large gathering of Ohristchurch officers.'of the Post and Telegraph Department, held in the. mail-room on Monday afternoon, a presentation was .made to Mr. R. B. Morris, late Chief Postmaster, who has been transferred to Wellington. .Mr. J. 6. Rule, Act-ing-Chief Postmaster, made the.presentation, which consisted "of a suit-case, 'a liqueur-stand,.; and a cigarette-case. Speeches wore also made by Messrs. A. VJ. Talbot, telegraph superintendent; F. 'J. Collins; acting-assistant-postmaster; C. A. Newman, money-order staff; B. '!J. Finnegan, parcels staff ; and S. G. •tDaniel, letter-carriers.

The Rev. D. Dutton, - F.R.A.S., (F.G.S., who holds the rank of chap-lain-major in the New Zealand forces, has taken up his duties at Trentham as permanent Presbyterian chaplain. Mr. •Dutton is well known aud .highly es- . "teemed as the minister- of Cavorsham, in the presbytery of Dunedin, and i 5 'equally known as an expert in the [science of ■astronomy, wnich he has yono much to popularise iu.Otago by Jiis lectures and addresses. Mr. Dutton has also had a large military experience. He accompanied oue of;'the contingents to Solith Africa, and ever since has been indefatigable iii' promoting the welfare of the men in the training camps and .other, .military gatherings. ,It is; confidently., anticipated that his work at Trentham will be of great value to all' concerned. 1

The Wellington ;Provihcfal Industrial Association haa decided to nominate Mr. iW. J. Thompson (a member, of the City: Council) as a candidate'to represent the ''(Sty on. the Harbour Board at next month's election.'

Mr. J. D. Bell, president: of the Brisbane Merchants' ' Association,: . is leaving Wellington by to-morrow's Sydr .Jiey steamer'. Mr! Bell arrived -in 'Auckland by the Makura last ' voyage, and, after 'spending, a holiday ;in <• the .thermal- regions,' came on to. Welling-, ton: to spend a iveek with_ his relatives here. . He was ! greatly impressed by; iiis visit to Rotorua, .and has already .planned another trip to the Dominion. ,

Mr. G. M. -Kebbell, of Wellington, i Vill leave bj the Runhine.for; London to-day

At the'annual'meetmg~~of.'iiie'-'Wel-lington College ( Old Boys' ' 'Association last night feeling reference was made to the deatli of Mr. Stanley Bro\vii ( ;an indefatigable worker in the interests.''of the association. The chairman, Mr. W; : Bethune, said that the deceased was;'-a most sincere and'eariiest worker,:and an honest and solid friend. A suitable'nio-'. tion was carried'.by'-tha meeting)- in recognition of deceased's work; " >

Messrs. G. W. and*V. Ward, of Wei-, 'lington, will be passengers by the Rualiilie for London.

The, many friends of Lieut. S. P. Melsomo, R.N.R. (late second officer of the New Zealand. Shipping Company's will regret to-hear of which occurred on January 15 last. Lieut. Melsome 'n as boarding officer.of tho Admirajty tug, Char, .which was lost with' all hands off Ramsgate during a. gale on the'-night of January 10. Lieutenant ; Melsomo's" father received a message'of. sympathy'from the King- ■ ■

• ...Mr. 0. M. Lute^who;has. Been' attending the ■ Methodist Conference--"J a,t , Christchurch, returned to -BVellingtou ' yesterday. •<". ~, •; : , ■> Mr. C. 6. E. Harkerj of , - Dannev virke, was yesterday admitted a solicitor of the Supreme Court by the . Chief • .Justice, Sir Robert Stout, ;at.'Napier(C

•Mr.' E. J. Harvey, of Blenheim, is'at., present in Wellington, attending .-.the council meeting of the New Zealand So-, ciety of Accountants. .

Mr. and Mrs. R. E. Bannister;': of Sydney, who have been visiting friends in Hawke's Bay, leave for; Sydney .tomorrow. ' *:: ." ■ The death occurred at a late hour last . night at his residence, Victoria Street, : I'etorie, after a long illness, of a very old identity, Mr. William Blake. The late Mr. Blake was a veteran of the . Maori War, and had been in action at I'arihaka. Mr. Blake had resided . at Petono for about 33 years, and was in "the early days the first foreman black- ' smith in the Government, Railway, Workshops. By a singular coincidence Mr. Blake die'd on the anniversary of his hirt'hday, at the age of 74 years. • Mr. John Studholrae, of Coldstream, Hinds, Canterbury, has been given a commission in the Sixth Reinforcements. An old and widely-respected resident .._ of Auckland, Mrs. Anna Maria Somer- '• .field. wife of the lato Mr. Frederick

James Somerfield, died on Sunday. . The deceased arrived in Auckland by Z 1 the ship Zcalandia on February 14, ' 1861, and both she and her husband were ell-known in the Thames dis-' trict during tho'earlv days of the goldfields. For a 'number of. years they resided at Devonport, the late Mf. Som-.

erfield being ono of the originators of the, ferry service, having been a partner 'in the old paddle-steamer Devonport. the last thirty yeaTS Mrs. Somerfield lived at Ellerslie and Remucra, and was a great worker in connection with the Church' of England. She ■ leaves five sons and one daughter. Mr. W. Jameson, manager of the Wanganui Municipal Theatre, is a visitor to .Wellington. Mr. John W. Kershaw, a well-known business man of Martinborough, returned to Wellington yesterday from an eventful and not altogether pleasant trip to the South Island. Towards the end of January ho set out, with a friend, on a motor cycle tour to the glacial district of the West Coast. They rode from Blenheim to Nelson and on to O revmouth, where Sir. Kershaw was seized with a sudden illness. At the Greymouth Hospital he was operated npon for peritonitis, and after a .critical time managed to pull through. Mr. Kershaw is a son of Mr. John Kershaw, of Wellington.

~>.News»has.been received by cable of the in the. Convent of the Assumption, Kensington Square, London, on Sunday, March 7. of' Bertha, fourth daughter of Mr. and Mrs. H. D. Vavasour, Ugbrooke,; Marlborough.