PERSONAL

Evening Star, Issue 20139, 2 April 1929, Page 8

PERSONAL

—Ministerial. — The Hon. "W. B. Taverner (Minister of Railways and Customs) was engaged to-day in hearing deputations and in transacting departmental business. Tomorrow morning the Minister will leave by the second express for Wellington, lie will shortly return to Dunedin in connection with his municipal duties; Mr Taverner took advantage of Ids stay hero to inspect the northern end of ‘the town affected by the flood, and also the upper reaches of the Leith.

Air Edmund Auscombe went off by motor for Christchurch this afternoon, cn route to Wellington. Mr Edgar C. Smith (son of Air C. Stanley Smith), who lias just completed his engineering course at Canterbury College, is appointed to tho Wellington City engineer’s staff, and said goodbye to Dunedin relations this morning. The ‘Welwyn Times’ of February 7 records a presentation to the Dev. J. Burns (who has arrived in Dunedin to fill the pulpit of Knox Church in tho ensuing few months) in recognition ol the services rendered by him as temporary minister, for fifteen months, of tho Welwyn Garden City Free ’Church. In an appreciative reference lo his pastorate the paper says ot Mr Burns : “ He has seen the local church through the difficult period following upon tho decision to adopt tho Presbyterian form of church government. His work here has been remarkably successful, for within a very short space of time he lias seen the plans for the building of tho church reach fruition. A recognised authority on religious art, Mr Burns has written a number of books, the most widely-known being ‘ The Christ Face in Art.’ In company with Mrs Burns, who.is an accomplished linguist, he has travelled all over Europe on his art studies, and from time to time Welwyn Garden City audiences have shared these experiences with him.”