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Free Lance, Volume II, Issue 65, 28 September 1901, Page 4

Mr. John Kays, J.P., who severs his connection with Sharland and Co. this week, and leaves next week for the purposo of entering into business in Melbourne, had a \ery cordial send-6ff from Jus brother justices of the peace on Monday afternoon. They assembled in the Court-room, and Mi. Haselden, on their behalf, presented Mr. Kays with a handsome framed testimonial bearing the signature of thirty-three justices headed by the Stipendiary Magistrate's own sign-manual, and, as further tokens of goodwill, there was a stylish Malacca cane, with inscribed gold band, to he!p the departing citizen to "do" Collins-street in some style, and also a pipe in which he may bury the carking cares of life and draw solace from its fragrant bowl.

Mr. Hase'dcn made a very neat little speech in making the presentation. He was highly complimentary to "the unpaid justiciary" of Wellington, and lie gave choice expression to the feelings of esteem in which Mr. Kays is held by his brother Js.P., who, he said would watch with interest the development of a career in Australia which in Wellington had been honourable to Mr. Kays himself and useful to his fellow-men.

Mr. Kays replied briefly aad sensibly In doing so, he took occasion to urge the necessity of a new gaol for Wellington, condemning the existing "old rookery" on the Terrace, and the obsolete and objectionable practice of confining two or three prisoners in a cell, which its inadequate room necessitated. These remarks must carry some weight, for the man who made them knows what he is talking about. He has been a visiting justice of the gaol for some years, and carried out the duties of that position with great diligence.

He has led a pretty active life in New Zealand He was appointed to the Commission of the Peace at the early age of 21, and both in Auckland and Wellington he has been acting-coroner at various times, and has regularly acted as visitm" justice at the gaol. Down here in Wellington a'so he put in some good service on the Mount Cook School Committee, and has been an enthusiastic chairman of the Marist Brothers' Old Boys' Association, whose debates he frequently presided over. Mr. Kays goes to Australia to join in partnership Mr. W. J. Donegan, the well-known chemist and dentist, of Bendigo, and will establish and control a branch of the business in Melbourne. He takes with him the cordial good wishes of hosts of friends on this side of the Tasman Sea. By the way, it may not be generally known that had Mr. Kays remained in New Zealand he had made up his mind to be a sure starter against the "field" for the Otaki seat at the next election. He has strong predilections for a political career, and it will not surprise us a bit to find him out on the hustings, and wooing some section of the Victorian electors next time Parliament over there "goes to the country."

Death the Reaper has been very busy of late among our best-known colonists, and in the "gathering" of Archdeacon Stock a distinct gap has been caused in city life. For he was indeed a venerable Arcffdeacon in every sense of the phrase, and looked the full measure of bis seventy-nine years. His bent, patriarchal figure, nearly always having a Maori kit in hand, was one of the most familiar of city sights for a generation past, and no people will miss his figure more than tlie residents about Sussex Square, where lie resided. The liobbv of his life was the study of astionomv, and he was a star-gazer of the most

pronounced kind. He was very fond of dropping letters to the press on passing topics, and there is a story told of him how, on one occasion, he was testing a new telescope, and he then observed that" young men were breaking the rules of decency by bathing in tho harbour on the "altogether." Thereupon, he began an agitation in the press, which attained some prominence, and since those days young males who go down into the waters of Port Nicholson for a dip have had to clothe themselves. • • *

Some twenty-five years ago, before the public school system was introduced, there was a day school conducted in the schoolroom which is still in its old position behind St. Peter's Church. Archdeacon Stock took great interest in that school, and every morning was in attendance to lead devotional exercises. He also conducted a Bible class every Wednesday afternoon for the senior boys, and there are some of our business men about the city who still have a memory of those classes One of those "old boys" has never forgotten a little incident that occurred one afternoon whilst the Archdeacon was giving a lesson concerning Simon the Tanner. "What is a tanner, boys?" asked the gentle churchman. It seemed as though the whole class with one voice eried —"Sixpence"' "Oh, no, boys," came in tones of astonishment and remonstrance , "that is not the kind of tanner I meant —I mean, that is not the reference here!"

Failing health made Archdeacon Stock give up his charge of St. Peter's away back in 1888, after over thirty years' service. It is remarkable that, after his retirement from the Willis-street pulpit, St. Peter's became devoted to the High Church Party, the very extreme of the Archdeacon's policy. It was then that he attached himself to Mr. Coffey's congregation at St. Mark's, and gave that parish much assistance whenever health permitted. The illness which had its sad termination last Monday began seriously just a month previously. The press told his many friends almost daily how the patriarch's life fluctuated. At 10 o'clock last Sunday morning the medical man in attendance told the family that his patient could not live beyond another

twenty-four hours —and, as the sands of that limit ran to their dregs, the beloved Archdeacon passed quietly away. Word immediately went round town, "The Archdeacon has passed away," and everyone knew who w£s meant in that affectionate phrase.

Mr. Davis, the keen and 'cute manager ot Gordon and Gotch's advertising uepartment, has just taken his departure tor his Australian headquarters after engineering the New Zealand exploitation ot the ' International Library of Jb'amous Literature," which nearly every journal ni the colony brought so conspicuously under the notice ot readers during not a tew weeks just past. The advertising bill for the bringing of this _0-volume work before New Zealanders totahed over tour figures. We are assured that the result of the campaign, closed last week, exceeded the publishers' most sanguine anticipations by a goodly margin. Supposing that 1000 sets were placed in iiew Zealand —and that, we believe, is a fair estimate, under rather than over the total—that would mean that over £8000 will have been gathered in by the Anglo-Ameri-can syndicate.

The "Dannevirke "Advocate" (lately converted into a daily) has changed hands, Mr. D. Curie having disposed of the property to Messrs. H. Nash and J. Coombe. Mr. Nash worked as a compositor on the Wellington "Evening Press" (defunct) and Foxton "Herald." For nearly twenty years he has been connected with the printing trade and journalism in the Manawatu district, and for a considerable time past has occupied the position of sub-editor on the Palmerston "Dady Times." As secretary of the Palmerston Fire Brigade, and his association with several local bodies and societies in the town, he has made himself a popular man with all classes. Before his departure for Dannevirke, Mr. Nash was the recipient of presentations from the "Daily Times" staff and the Fire Brigade Society. Mr. Coombe has also had a good journalistic training, and resigned the editorship of the "Feilding Star" in order to enter into partnership with Mr. Nash. Both the new proprietors are smart and progressive young men, and should do well in their new venture.