PERSONAL.

Otago Witness, Issue 4028, 26 May 1931, Page 50

PERSONAL.

Mr J. A. Lee has been selected as the official Labour candidate for Grey Lynn. At a meeting of the Reform Party last night Mr Herbert N. Armstrong was selected to contest the Timaru seat at the next general election. Mr W. B. Cameron, son of Mr D. C. Cameron, of this city, was elected a city councillor for Palmerston North at the recent elections, being third on the list. There were 14 candidates. At last week’s of the committee of the Forbury Park Trotting Club, Mr W. J. L. Coughlan was nominated as the club’s candidate for a seat on the board of the New Zealand Trotting Association for the ensuing year. The Hector Medal for investigation in chemical science has been awarded to Dr W. P. Evans, whose investigations into New Zealand coals, geographical and chemical, are well known. The award was approved by the New Zealand. Institute. It carries a prize of £6O. At a meeting of the committee of the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, held last .night, Mr J. J. Hinchcliff was appointed inspector in place of Mr J. Craig, who resigned recently. There were 292 applicants for the position. Dr Basil Wilson, acting medical superintendent of the Southland Hospital, has received advice that he has been appointed medical superintendent of the Westland Hospital, Hokitika. Dr and Mrs Wilson and daughter will leave for Westland shortly, Mr E. F. Duthie, secretary of the Otago A. and P. Society, has been advised that the Minister of Agriculture (Mr A. J. Murdoch) will officially open ihe Winter Show on Tuesday, June 2, at 2.30 p.m.

A Christchurch telegram announces the appointment of Mr J. G. Polson, of Christchurch, as principal of the Normal School. The appointment was made by the Canterbury Education Board. Mr H. B. Oakey, who was appointed secretary to the Christchurch Bowling Centre at a meeting of the centre on Monday evening, has been elected president of the Dominion of New Zealand Bowling Association.

Mr G. S. M'Kenzie, of Sumner, has been chosen as the United candidate for the Waitaki seat at the general election. Mr M’Kenzie was engaged in the land agency business in Christchurch for some j ears, and he has also been connected with auctioneering firms in Timaru and Waimate. At the meeting of the Otago Education Board on lliursday the resignation of Mr leter o Ste " a ’t. headmaster of the Arthur Street School, was received. The chairman said that Mr Stewart had had a long service—entirely with the Otago Education Board. Mr Stewart was '*oiii" out on superannuation. It was decided that an appreciative resolution should be forwarded to him. Mr J. Murphy, who is retiring from the City Council’s Works Department after 29 years’ service, was presented with a divan chair and pipe at a function held by the newly-formed Social and Presentation Committee, representing the City Corporation’s employees, on Thursday evening. Mr J. M’Tigue, chairman of the committee, presided? At the annual conference of the New Zealand Technical School Teachers’ Association Mr G. G. Hancox (Palmerston North) was elected president, Mr W. G. Aldridge (Dunedin) a vice-president,* Dr R. Gardner (Dunedin) a member of the executive, and Miss H. Wilson (Dunedin) a representative to the New Zealand Federation of Teachers. Mr Hancox is

at present director of the Palmerston North Technical School. He was at one time on the staff of M'Glashan College. Mr S. G. M’Corkindale (Invercargill) has arrived in London to make special study of the most modern methods applying to his particular line of business. After serving a reasonable time in English departmental stores (says our correspondent, writing on April 24), he intends to go to Manchester to study the manufacture of the goods, and then to visit Paris. Mr M’Corkindale will return to New Zealand via New York and Canada. He came via Suez, and arrived after an exceptionally calm voyage. Mr Paul Longuet (Invercargill) arrived in London six weeks ago, via Suez (reports our correspondent, writing on April 24). He has been engaged to play juvenile lead in the coming production at St. James’s Theatre, entitled “Payment Deferred,” which has its premiere on May 4, and which includes the wellknown actor, Charles Laughton, in the cast. Mr Longuet is to pla.v the part of a young colonial from Australia. He ha? h°d eight years’ experience with J. C. Williamson in Australia, and has toured there with Irene Vanbrugh. He is hoping to do some “ talkie ” work.

At the monthly meeting of the High Schools’ Board of Governors, the chairman (Mr J. C. Stephens) referred to the death of Lady Stout, one of the original pupils of the Girls’ High School. Lady Stout had shown her interest in her old school by presenting the Anna P. LoganStout Challenge Cup. which was presented annually to the girl with three years’ attendance at the school who showed the best all-round development of mind and body. Lady Stout had also established a permanent fund, the income from which provided each year a miniature of the cup to be retained by the winner. On Mr Stephens’s motion, the following resolution was passed, the members standing in silence:—“That the board records its sincere sympathy with the relatives of Lady Stout, who was one of the original pupils of the Otago Girls’ High School and who established the Anna P. LoganStout Prize Fund.”

Dr W. P. Evans, who has been awarded the Hector medal for investigation m chemical science, was pfofessor of chemistry at Canterbury College until his retirement in 1922. He was educated at Nelson College, and matriculated at Canterbury College in 1881. He was a senior University scholar, graduated B.A. in 1884 and M.A. in 1885, with first-class honours in mathematics and mathematical physics. He took his Ph. D. degree at Giessen, and was an assistant master at Christ’s College 1892-1902, while in 1901 he was lecturer in physics at Canterbury College. In 1903 he was appointed professor of chemistry and physics, in succession to Professor Bickerton, and from 1906 occupied the chair of chemistry alone. Since his retirement he has devoted a considerable part of his time to research into the nature of New Zealand coals. He was formerly president of the Canterbury Philosophical Institute.

At the annual dance of the Kiwi Swimming Chib on Tuesday night, the opportunity was taken to present to Miss Nancy Fleming the diploma of the Royal Life Saving Society—the highest lifesaving award offered. Mr H. H. Henderson, president of the Otago Head Centre of the Royal Life Saving Society, macle the presentation, and in doing so said that be had known Miss Fleming ever since she had attended Archerfield College. She had always taken a keen interest in sport, especially swimming, and although she was now sports mistress at a girls’ college in the North island, it was to be hoped that some day she would be filling a similar position in Dunedin. The examination for the diploma was very stiff, and to pass a candidate required to be an exceptionally good swimmer as well as to have a full knowledge of the theoretical side of lifesaving to write the paper on life-saving that was included in the test. Miss Fleming had brought honour to Otago as well as to herself. Mr W. H. Buckland, president of the Kiwi Club, and Mr P. A. Mathieson, secretary of the Otago Centre of the society, al*> spoke, and Miss Fleming briefly returndfi thanks, paying a special tribute to the coaching of Mr Mathieson, who was doing valuable work at the baths, and who took a particularly keen interest in life-savim*.

Mr J, <B K. Simpson, who was appointed chairman of the Otago Power Board last week, has had a long and honourable association with local governing bodies. He has been chairman of the Tuapeka County Council five times and Mayor of the Lawrence Borough Council for the past six years. He has also been chairman of the Tuapeka Hospital Committee for 20 years. As a member of the firm of Messrs Simpson and Hart, Mr Simpson has had a long commercial association with the Tuapeka district and a portion of the South Island. As a supporter of many mining ventures, of some of which he has been chairman, Mr Simp-

son has been instrumental in helping in the development of an industry of great national importance. In many movements for the advancement of the district he has been prominent, and his latest appointment will bring him into closer touch with power problems.