PERSONAL

Evening Star, Issue 22464, 8 October 1936, Page 9

PERSONAL

—Ministerial.—■ The freedom of the Borough of Kidderminster will be conferred on tho Minister of Finance (the Hon. W, Nash) when he visits England. Tho ‘ Worcester Journal ’ states that the Kidderminster Town Council has decided to confer the honour. Mr Nash was born at Kidderminster, and received his early education at St. John’s School. Tho only other living freemen of Kidderminster are Mr Stanley Baldwin. Air S. M. Bruce, and Mr J. G. Coates. Mr R. Souter, the former All Black Rugby player, left to-day on transfer to Napier in the sendee of the National Bank of New Zealand. Mr William Taylor was a passenger by the express this morning, bound for Auckland. Mr R. Gow, manager of the Railway Road Services, left for Wellington to-day. Mr S. Ritchie, conciliation commissioner, left yesterday afternoon for Invercargill. Sub-inspector John Carroll, of detective headquarters, Wellington, who is on annual leave, arrived from the north yesterday. The Rev. W. H. Howes, 8.A., of Otautau, was unanimously nominated as moderator for the General Assembly for 1937 at a meeting of the Wanganui Presbytery. Delegates to the Conference of the British Empire Chambers of Commerce, which has concluded, left Wellington last night for Lyttelton for official tours of the South Island, after which they will return north. The women attached to the party yesterday afternoon visited the Truby Kiug-Karitane Hospital. The Anglican Synod last night carried the following motion: —“ That the Synod expresses its sympathy with Mr Joseph Stewart Brooks, of Lawrence, in his recent illness, and consequent absence from Synod, and its appreciation of his long years of faithful service as a churchman of the Tuapeka parish, and more recently as a synodman.” Reference to the death of Mr Charles Gray, for many years organist of St. John’s Church, Invercargill, was made by Bishop Fitchett at the afternoon session of the Anglican Synod. The reputation of the choir built up by Mr Gray had extended far beyond Invercargill, and lus work was appreciated by the Synod. A motion of sympathy with the relatives was carried.’ The second and third prize-winners in the Percy Grainger competition for a typical New Zealand musical composition have both been taken by Dunedin players. Miss Dorothy Johnston, who took her bachelor of music degree at the Otago University, ■ has been awarded second prize, and Miss' Alice Wilson, who also took her bachelor of music degree at the Otago University, has won the third prize.

Owing to the extraordinary .vacancy created on the King Edward Technical School Board by the death of Mr L. A. Walker, Mr G. T. Baker and Mr Jarres M Patrick have been nominated for the position. An election will take place on October 17. Before the conference of the Federated Chambers of Commerce of the British Empire adjourned for lunch yesterday, Mrs Hooper, on behalf of the Brisbane Chamber of_ Commerce, presented the president, Viscount Eubank, with an attache case, a beautiful piece of inlaid work of various Queensland timbers, as a memento of the congress. Lord Elibank acknowledged' the gift gratefully, recalling a trip to the tablelands inland from Cairns, whence the timbers had come. A letter indicating his impending retirement as reporter attending the meetings as representative of the ‘ Mataura Ensign ’ after 45i years was received at a meeting of the Presbytery of Mataura from Mr Andrew Martin. Members referred to Mr Martin’s great record, and a sub-committee consisting of the Revs. W. J. Hannah, S. Nixon, and R. D. M‘Ewan was set up to arrange for suitable recognition of it. The death of Mr Frank Franklin Hocklv, the first member of Parliament for the Rotorua constituency, has occurred at Auckland; aged 71 years. Mr Hockly was elected for Rotorua when it became a constituency in 1919, and represented it until 1928. A Wellington Association message records the death of the deputy-mayor, Mr W. H. Bennett, at the age of iS years, Mr Bennett, a master builder, erected many of Wellington’s pubho and private buildings, including the Customhouse, Wellington Tramways office, and the business houses of Murray, Roberts. He had been a member of the City Council from 1915. The deceased was a keen sportsman, holding many offices in a wide variety or sports, including the presidentship of the Wellington Bowling Club tor 193030. He was president for several years of the Federation of Master Builders Associations, and president of the Wellington Employers’ Association. Latest guests at the Grand Hotel are Dr E. Cora Hind (Winnipeg, Canada), Mr N. S. M'Clumpha (London), Mr and Mrs Leslie Brown and Mrs A. White (Sydney), Mr C. C. Campbell and Captain and Mrs M. Polley (Auckland). Mr and Mrs G. Luoni (Palmerston North), Miss L. Murphv (Christchurch), Mr E. C. Govan (Te Anau), Captain F. J. Medley (Mataura), Mr Frank H. Drewitt (Timaru).