PERSONAL ITEMS

Dominion, Volume 20, Issue 52, 25 November 1926, Page 10

PERSONAL ITEMS

The Acting-Prime Minister (Hon. W. D. Stewart) will return to Wellington from Dunedin on Sunday morning.

Mr. W. J. Jordan, M.P. for Manukau, is visiting Wellington. Mr. G. S. Toukinson, 0.8. E., M.C., principal of Messrs. Tomkiuson and Adam, Kidderminster, one of the largest carpet manufacturing firms in Great Britain, is at present in Wellington. Mr. Tomkinson arrived at Auckland on the Aorangi on November 7, and is making an extended tour of Canada, New Zealand, and Australia to study on the spot the conditions and requirements of the carpet trade, and hopes to visit all the principal stores from Auckland to Invercargill. His firm has perhaps a special interest at the present time, as it was the one selected by the Duke of York for inspection on his visit to Kidderminster in July of this year, and it also had the honour of being chosen 1 to weave the carpet presented to the Duke by the town as a souvenir of his visit. All the local manufacturers submitted patterns, and the design chosen by their Royal Highnesses was the one submitted by Messrs. Tomkinson and Adam. It is a copy of an old Persian hunting carpet, and is destined for the Duke’s new London house. It is a knotted seamless carpet -with nearly three million knots and measures 27ft. by 16ft. 6in. Mr. Tomkinson is a councillor of his native town, and president of his local Chamber of Commerce and Conservative Club.

Mr. William Halliwell, of Wigan, has accepted an invitation from the New Zealand Brass Bands Association to act as principal adjudicator at the Wellington contest in -February, a Press Association cable message from Rondon states.

A Press Association cablegram from Vancouver states tiiat the congregation of the Grace Presbyterian Church, Calgary, Alberta, has decided to invite the Rev. James McNeill, of Nelson,'. New Zealand, to become its pastor.

The death is reported from HongKong of Captain Hugh Hosking Williams, formerly of the Union Company. Captain Williams was well-known while in the Union Company’s service from which he resigned on June 30, 1921, and has since been in the East. Captain Williams was born at Auckland on March 27, 1878, and after serving his apprenticeship with the Shaw, Savill Company, joined the Union Company on January 8, 1902, as fourth mate of the Monowai. His first command was the Te Anau, to which he was appointed master on August 14, 1911. He then commanded in turn the Flora, Komata, Moura, Kaiapoi, Atua, Nayua, and was appointed to the Monowai on August 11, 1914, shortly before that vessel was turned into a troopship. His subsequent commands were the Wahine, Maitai, Navua and Tofua. Mr. John Coyle, secretary of the Wellington Hospital Board, has been appointed secretary-superintendent of the Newcastle Hospital Board. Mr. Coyle has been secretary to the Wellington Board for over 17 years, and during that time has shown a wide sympathy with the suffering and the needy. The death took place at Wellington on Tuesday night of. Captain W. P. Collins, formerly a senior master in the Union Steam Ship Company’s service. The deceased left the company’s employ a couple of years ago owing to ill-health, and had since been engaged in insurance work in Wellington. He was born in Melbourne on November 11, 1863, and served some time with the New Zealand Shipping Company. The late Captain Collius joined the Union Company on March 20, 1890, and his first command was the Kittawa, which vessel he took charge of on June 27, 1901. The vessels of the Union Conrpany’s fleet he subsequently commanded included the Pateena, Rotomahana, Penguin, Te Anau, Wairuna, Mararoa, Monowai, old Aorangi, Moana, Moeraki, Rotoiti, Whangape, Manuka, and finally the Mabeno. The interment will take place to-morrow.