PERSONAL ITEMS

Dominion, Volume 10, Issue 2938, 25 November 1916, Page 8

PERSONAL ITEMS

The Hon. .J. Allen, Acting-Prime Minister, is due. back in Wellington this afternoon. The Hon. Dr. M'Nab, Minister of Marine, has gone to Auckland. Mr. J. A. Young, M.S. for Waikato, is at.present on a,visit to Wellington for.the purpose of interviewing- Cabinet Ministers on public business.: - - ■ Mr. W. Rout, of- Nelson, has been advised that his soil, Lieut. Alan, Rout, who .was wounded in France; losing the sight of one eye, is' returning to New.: Zealand by the Navua. Lieut. Bout was also wounded at Gallipoli. The promotion, of Superintendent ,o'Donoyan to the position of Commissioner of Police (says .-the Dunedin "Star") will necessitate tL<o promotion pf an 'inspector tortile*-rank' "of 'superintendent- and the transfer of ;s"otii6 of--the-heads of the Department.'. Inspector Norwood, of Invercargill, is nexton' the list for promotion, and it is likely, that he will be transferred to' Dunedin, and that Superintendent "Wright, lh charge hero, will fill the:vacancy left' in Wellington by the promotion of Mr. O'Donovan. At a' representative meeting of journalists, yesterday afternoon, a presentation was made to Mr. F. J. Earle in recognition of his lengthy and useful ■ service as president ,of the New Zealand Institute 'of Journalists and chairman of the local branch of that body: ■ Besides being branch chairman for six years, Mr. Earle recently completed his fourth annual term'as president of the institute, and so established a record of long' service. . "Mr. • W. Guerin, president of the institute, and several other members, spoke gratefully of Mr. Earle's long and untiring labours in the interests pf the profession. Particular reference was made to his efforts-to establish the "New Zealand Journalist;" Before they separated, members heartily congratulated Mr.- Gueriri, their' new president,' upon his restoration-to "•■"health: after a protracted illness, and tl!e toast of his health was heartily honoured. Acknowledgmeent was also made of the unfailing industry and enterprice of the institute secretary, Mr. J. R. Smith. Mr. E. W. Rudman, of the money order office of the Nelson Post Office, has notice 'of his transfer' to Wellington. .'■' Professor Gilray," of Dunedin, has been advised by the War Office that his son, 2nd iiieut. Colin M. Gilray, was admitted to the General Hospital at' Etretat on November 15; suffering from gunshot wounds on the head and left side. Lieut. Gilray is the wellknown Rhodes scholar <and the New Zealand and Scottish international footballer. ■ Mr. James Rattray, of the' Manse, Jlamaku, Rotorua, lias been advised by cablegram that his youngest son, Victor, has been discharged from hospital convalescent, and drafted to Hornchurch Depot. In letters received, last mail, both Mr. Rattray's sons give a graphic narrative of their experiences in 'the advance on the Somme front.

Mr. W. Gr. Duthie, head of the firm of Messrs. John Duthie and Co., will leave Auckland for Vancouver and England early next month. Yesterday afternoon he was farewelled by members of the Wellington Commercial Travellers' Club, of which lie is. a vice-presi-dent, and presented with a mark of esteem as a parting gift. The presentation was made by the president of tho club (Mr. W. Bridson), who, with Messrs. G. Pirio and J. M'Lellan, .wished him, on behalf of the members, a pleasant voyage and a safe return. Mr. Duthie, whose health was drunk with enthusiasm, said ho was making the trip purely for business purposes.' It might have been possible to put it pff,> but when business came along it. had to be attended to. "Britain still commanded the seas—(applause)—and he thought it was wrong for any British subject who had. business to do to do otherwise than simply carry it through. To put off one's business because tilings were troublesome seemed to- him to be getting on -towards the action of a shirker, and Britishers don't like those chaps." Mr. Duthie expects to be away from New Zealand for about four months. > ■ '

"Of our two honorary medical officers, (states the report of the Wellington Presbyterian Social Service Association), one, Dr. Begg, has been on active service at the front since tho war began, and in recognition of his eminent services has received the distinction of C.M.G.; the other, Dr.' Ejliott, discharged single-handed the duties of medical officer to the institution 'until his .departure some . months ago in charge of the hospital ship'. Maheno.','

Mr. James Gi.bbSj.of Turnbull Street'y has received cable advice that. Sis son,-" Q.M.S. Edward Gibbs, who was wound-' cd in France. on October 28, is pro-* gressing favourably. It was decided unanimously at yesterday's meeting of the Society for the' Protection of Women arid Children, that the following • letter. be sent to-i Police Commissioner O'Donovan: "The. committee of the Society for the Pro- - tectioil of Women and Children wislt ; to thank you most 'sincerely: for the ' courteous :and sympathetic assistance that you havo always given our society, and they offer you their hearty con-'., gratulations on your appointment as-". Commissioner of Police. They wish you many years of successful labour in yournew position of • great responsibility and usefulness."- • The Presbyterian Church of England has suffered a heavy loss by the death at Edinburgh on Septomhcr .23 of the .Rev.' \Y. M. Macphail, M.A. Ho . was • born in Newcastle 59 years ago, and ' was educated' in Scotland, taking his M.A. degree with honours at Edin- . burgh', and his theological course .with much distinction at the Glasgow Free Church College. After, a. short pastorate at Maybole; Ayrshire, he accepted a call to Trinity Church; Streatham. His'ability and sound views brought him to the front in ecclesiastical affairs, .and.his reputation led the Synod in 1895 to choose him as colleagueclerk, an office which he held until the' resignation of the Rev. Dr. M'Caw, "when he; became sole clerk. He was the unanimous choice of the: Synod when in 1907- the. election of a general secretary became necessary in. consequence of the death of Dr. Joseph Thoburn M'Gaw. .His election to the ~oueratorship of last Synod was unanimous aiid hearty., He was a recognised authority 011 Presbyterianism, and had published "The. Presbyterian Church:. Its Doctrine, Polity, and Worship."

Aii: account of the circumstances under -which Second-Lieutenant llonald D. M'Lean, son of Mr. Murdoch M'Leaii, of Auckland, met his death recently in France is" contained in a letter received by Mr. M'Lean from an officer in the New Zealand forces'."The: writer; after describing' how Lieutenant M'Lean ivas killed by a' sSeit uuririg' the advance towards; Flers, says :rr''l cannot grieve for any - man' killed in action, • because I feel that no man could wish for a. better death, than', to fall in battle ' defending'a righteous' cause. It,is for you, his'father, his mother, anil his family that I feel so ' sorry; y6ur family has paid the full bitter price or Empire. in giving your sons. To show you'the regard in which ' he was held by those who knew'him, I cannot do better than tellljou what.' Captain Grainger had to say about, him. He said he was one of'the bravest men' he had ever known; his courage was of .the V.C. standard. His fellow-officers had ..the very hijghest respect for his work as an officer and. for his general bearing, and the men of the company '•' absolutely worshipped him. Captain Grainger, is not the man to praise anyone unless the praise has been well . earned," and I can assure you: from'.my. own observation of your son's'work and: bearing inf the trenches that I can' con- . firm in the fullest degree the'' tribute' that Captain Grainger paid him."- Mr.;' Murdoch M'Lean has lost two eons in , the war—one at Gallipoli" arid the" other ". under the circumstances described : above. A third' son, - Neil,' was serving in Franco as a private in, the Signalling Corps, but.was recently selected, with 20 others, from the New Zealand Force . in France for promotion to commissioned rank. He is now training at' Oxford before returning to the front.