PERSONAL PARS.

NZ Truth, Issue 140, 22 February 1908, Page 1

PERSONAL PARS.

' It is now Miciiobey m the "Times" ] office. * • . ■ ■ Recently deceased H. A. McGregor J was a mate of- Dick Seddon m Williamstown (Vie.) Railway, Work- > shops. . * * ■♦ ■ Peter Jones/ of Akaroa, is known I locally as "The Light of the World," How he 'came to be distinguished by that appellation isn't clear,, but he certainly carries it round m his waistcoat pocket,- although it doesn't figure on official documents. .»•■*. • • •' . . Mick Keene, and there is no necessity to say who M.K. is, has been m great spirits of late, and is simply bubbling over with joy— of a domestic variety. Mick is a papa, and talks of nothing but his baby boy. Anyhow, whatever the young Ksene is to be called, "Truth" trusts he 'will be a real chip of the old block. Genial Hunter Macandrew, who has acted as District Railway Engineer at Christchurcti for the past eight and r a half years, has drifted to tho Otago district', where he will have more work to do and less time to .do it m. C. Holm Biss is Mac's - successor at Christchurch. There was the usual farewelHng and introducing, and the proceedings ended m fragrant wine and vocal remarks of the "usual rharacter, sung with much enthusiasm. *-. * • »• — Captain Stewart, * who usfed to run. the old 'Penguin across the Straits wsith unfailing accuracy and regularity before being transferred to the Pateena, was recently : the' subject of a presentation by a number of liis old friends and admirers. Everybody Who ever travelled with Captain Stewart will say "Hear hear" to all the linguistic boquets thrown at him on that occasion. He is *one of the most popular sea-dogs on the coast, and a fine Jseaman.^May bis have thebest boat m the fleet before he finr ishes. • ' *• . • Opunake is m luck; Its postmaster to be is W. R. Thompson, of Wellinston lightening-jerking staff, who has been deservedly promoted to the more responsible position at the place where they use tar and feathers. ' W.R.T. has been located m Wet arid Windy (strange as it sounds now-a-days) for the past y four years, previous to which he existed on the West .Coast. The appointment , is a popular one, particular as he,was ever m the van of any . movement . aiming at the advancement of the rank and file. . • * ■ ■ • ' ■ « ' When A. B. Thomson, of Wellington, WaS announced to give a lecture m Napier on "The Temperance Move-' faient— Past and Present," many old friends of A.8.T., who recollected him as a singularly successful headmaster of Napier District School fourteen years ago, nearly dropped dead with astonishment. Thomson was^often called to the bar, and breasted the same many times without invi-^ tation, m those days, and his 'complete renunciation of beer within the last few years is one of the few miracles experienced m this young country- •. ... . '■■ ■ • ' * . ■ * ' About to enter for the Matrimonial Stakes is local ink-slinger 1 Leo Faning,: ?of the "Post," formerly of tho reporting staff " of the "Lyttelton Times," where he graduated undtir the grand-motherly care, of : Hug-hie Mitchell. Leo takes the fatal step m a 'few weeks' time, and Editor Luk;.in,.of the "Post" is sniffling significantly. Gr. L. doesen't encourage matrimonial entanglements on the part, pf the literary staff, notwithstanding which, however, they keep _on dbing it— Geo. Browne, and Joe j Parker, f'rinstance. Leo Faning is a brother of Bernie Faning. of Canterbury and N.Z. Rugby fame, and is an ex-St. Pat's College boy. Anyhow. here's good luck to Leo and his missus .to foe. . ' I Freely stated m Australian le^al circles that Sir S. W. Griffith intends to shortly resign his seat as C.J. on the High Court bench. , If, so, the Commonwealth wall lose the services of a judge -whom it will be j practically impossible to replace. ! When Sir Sam graciously accepted from the Cabinet of which he was then ' Premier the Chief Justiceship of, Queensland, there was much criticism of the manner, but none as to the wisdom of the appointment; One of the soundest lawyers' and greatest constitutional authorities ' Au st to li a lias ever possessed. Sir Samuel also possesses the judicial temperament: m a high degree. Outside bis family circle he has only once been known to •exhibit emotion. This w?s -when Sir j Thomas Mcllwraith and B. D. Morehead (both ex-Premiers and political | foes of Griffith) with others were criminally charged with conspiring as local directors to defraud the Queensland Investment Co. After a lengthy trial the -jury returned a verdict of not guilty, and C. J. Griffith, with tears m his eyes, nublicly thanked" God that he was able to acquit his juondam opponents*

Not generally ' known m New -Zea-< land that Kaid Sir Harry McLean* whose capture by Raisuli and subse* quent ransom m Morocco, is a cqus* mof Dr Napier-McLean, of Welling* • ton. Indeed, if ■■ the Doc. is m they humor, he can be prevailed upon -to spin same interesting tit-bits con-: cerning the career of his much-mis*' understood cousin. • , New Zealand' -hasn't got its Gauct Mayors yet, though, as if m anticipation there is going to bean indecent rush for the Mayorships m a lewr months' time. Auckland, however, has' got- its lady Mayoress, and is officially styled so by the ! Auckland I . Town Clerk. This' {sort of guff,, anyhow, pleases the perky Myers push.The Lord Mayor .! Gosh, doesn't it sound grovelsdme ? • \ «._..■. * , • . •■ Captain Hugo, of the Wellington Fire Brigade, is regarded as a moral for the position of Inspector of -Fire Brigades for the Dominion i A Should the tip he realised^' the. appointment will he a popular one, as Hugo thoroughly understaiids his business. Any * how, they're a lot of old; fogeys, ex* fire' brigade superintendents, who. are after the gee-gaw, but that's, about the end of it, as far as they ai'e concerned. „ i *•■ ■ ■ It is seldom that "Truth", makes a miistake or causes anybody pain, but it has to confess that last weekit was m error concerning the latest and strange addition ttoßert Royle's menagerie of wild insects. The al^,most extinct "bird" spoken^, of-wds spelled "wheirta," wher&as it should 1 have been weta. We accordingly apologise to the weta,. and trust l-ha^it will increase and multiply* aud do sundry strange things. They are beginning to turn up now., One of the mates of. King Dick Seddon, when.iie .worked a,t .the Willikmstown railway Woi'kshopsi • has grand army of old pals one iota. .In our. own Domain (says Sydney "Truth") of a fine Sunday afternoon, hundreds of veterans can be picked out wha played marbles with Richard the Fourth when m knickers. Qn-e has to take their word for it, and who'd be so unkind as to disbelieve them ? * * • • Lawyer Christopher Sdott,, another "disgrace to an honorable profession," was brought down this v.cck from Raetihi, on the Main Dimifc: Line, to answer charges of , forging the name of the assistant Land Registrar upon a duplicate certificate of title, ami of forging a duplicate, certificate of title. He pleaded guilty m Wellington S.M. Court, and • wad remanded, by Magistrate Riddell . ti the Supreme Court for. sentence. What about "dishonorable prdfes*. sion" for a change ? - As it has .tifeeh^published : m jr. blessed paper , ~Tn . the Ppminioh, "Truth," better :iate .than .never* wishes to inform its countless; readers that, foi" capturing Mr. Hare Matenga, the daily press made Maori bushranger, Detective Broberg received a reward of £40 from the Police department and Constable Skinner received £15 for his share <6f, the brilliant, but bloodless, - manhunt. Let's see, what was it Detective Cassells got for. the capture of the ' dynamiting burglars ? He got tho thanks of the community and the stony stare from Dinnie. Ernie Blundell, of the 1 "Evening Post" proprietary,' isi the latest to turn dog on the ranks of bachelordom. Ernest proposes to take unto himself a wife m tho person of Miss McLean, daughter of Mr Neil McLean, the well-known contractor of that name. ;The date of this interesting event is : fixed for Mareli j 14. Ernest's bachelor boy friends ! will probably give him a warm sendoff. Ernie is connected with the local pug association^ m fact, being one of the founders of the W.B.A. The prospective bride's pater is an oldtime athlrvte, having m his earlier years ronresentod Auckland on the R'ugbv" field. Nowadays, he seelcs solace or sport m tho, .strenuous Kame of howls, and is also a steward of the W.R.Q. * * .* . . William Howard Booth, owner of Carring>ton estate, Car'terton, recently acquired by the Government, is • a son of the late William, Booth, •who used to be a "reverend" until he saw the advantages of sordid com** mercialism and started making Wa pile with, sawmills and sheep. The ■ Rev. Bill got m early, .and' as Billy junr. inherits pa's ttorift-iness,- the great Booth family should he «i power m the land presently. Thcparsaiiical founder of the family's fortune?; gave early signs of ln-teUier&nc.o m T thp. elderV country, and the squir.? ' of his district had him educated for the I church. However. William .' preferred the riches of a sinful world and ?mT>ed acre to acre m reckless disro* . gard of the- scriptural inunction, f Carfington Estate has" 16ft£ Tilockfi/*^ the expansion of Carterton. '^p®*^ close settlement should . se'ij£*r along at the rate of 10 r hour, or less. */:■'■■