PERSONAL

Southland Times, Issue 24229, 12 September 1940, Page 6

PERSONAL

The first visit to Gisborne in his capacity as Prime Minister will be paid by the Rt. Hon. P. Fraser next week. He will arrive on Tuesday afternoon and remain until Thursday morning.

The principal function during the visit will be the opening of the new intermediate school, which has been occupied since May, but which has not yet had the official opening ceremony. On his way south on Thursday, Mr Fraser will open another new school in Wairoa.

Mr G. R. Ritchie, of Dunedin, general manager of the National Mortgage and Agency Co. Ltd., arrived in Invercargill yesterday. The Rt. Rev. W. A. R. Fitchett, Bishop of Dunedin, visited Lumsden yesterday and conducted a confirmation service at Balfour last night. Mr P. Keller, district engineer of the Public Works Department at Dunedin, arrived at Invercargill by the express last night. Mr G. M. Broughton has returned to Invercargill from a bust’ ess visit to Wellington and Christchurch. Mr J. Cameron, Mayor of Bluff, has returned from Wellington. Mr Lloyd Woods, area recreation officer at Invercargill, will leave today for Queenstown. He will return to Invercargill on Tuesday.

Mr W. A. Croft, chief clerk in the railway district traffic engineer’s office, has returned from Canterbury where he spent his annual leave. The Rev. Father O. R. Marlow, formerly of Invercargill, hes been appointed a chaplain with the 4th Reinforcements at Purnham Camp. Mr C. D. Chainmen, formerly of the staff of the Chief Post Office, Christchurch, joined the chief postmaster’s clerical staff at Invercargill yesterday. Mr Chammen replaces Mr E. J. Jackson, who recently left to join the Air Force.

The Dominion commander of the Home Guard, Major-General Robert Young, arrived in Dunedin on Tuesday on national service business. Yesterday morning he met members of the Dunedin Returned Soldiers’ Association executive, the Mayor (Mr A. H. Allen), and members of the emergency precautions scheme. The death of Mr W. A. Diack was referred to by the president, Mr A. R. Wills, at the annual meeting of the Invercargill Defence Rifle Club. Mr Diack had been one of the oldest members of the club and he had always been actively interested in its affairs. Messrs E. C. Hatton and G. E. McKenzie, of the Invercargill Post Office staff, who leave shortly to join the Air Force, were bidden farewell yesterday afternoon by fellow officers. Before making a presentation on behalf of the staff, the' chief postmaster (Mr H. Miller) congratulated Messrs Hatton and McKenzie on the step they had taken and wished them success and a safe return. Mr Miller was supported in his remarks by Messrs C. McEachen (senior supervisor), M. Scully and C. L. Pont (supervisors) and by Mr F. Johnson (senior postman). Mr Hatton, who is a son of Mr H. E. Hatton, of the mail branch, has two brothers on active service.

The Rt. Rev. H. St. Barbe Holland, Bishop of Wellington, who recently underwent an operation, has now returned to his home from hospital. After a short stay at Bishopscourt, His Lordship will go away to continue his convalescence.

Mr George Slocombe, one of the three 8.8. C. news commentators who .is most frequently heard in New Zealand, was living in Paris at the time of France's defeat. In a recent issue of World’s Press News the journalist, Mi- Hannen Swaffer, reports that Mr Slocombe got out of Paris safely but lost his home, his pictures, his books and his money. “Now I have to start life all over again,” he had told Mr Swaffer on his arrival in London. Shortly afterwards Mr Slocombe was engaged by the 8.8. C.

Mr K. Gunji, .who was Consul-Gen-eral for Japan in Wellington until his transfer to a similar post in Honolulu at the beginning of this year, has been recalled to Tokyo. Mr T. Neilsen, managing director of the Java United Molasses Company, is a visitor to Wellington. Mr Neilsen’s company is particularly interested in the production and export of molasses from Java to Europe. Lieutenant-Colonel William A Ebbs, the new chief secretary for the Salvation Army in New Zealand, who, with Mrs Ebbs, arrived recently at Auckland, is a Londoner by birth and began Salvation Army work 32 years ago. During a career marked by distinction and devotion he has served in corps and staff appointments in Great Britain; as divisional officer for Paris; as assistant to the Territorial Commander for Belgium; and as territorial commandei' for Italy. In 1929 he was transferred to the United States, where he commanded the Metropolitan and Hudson river divisions with headquarters in New York, and later, the Western Pennsylvania division with headquarters in Pittsburgh. He was a director of the Rotary Club of Pittsburgh and the Federation of Social Agencies of Pittsburgh and Allegheny County. Mrs Ebbs, whose home was in Stirling, Scotland, was married to Colonel Ebbs in 1913.

Dr G. M. Foote and Mrs Foote have arrived at Auckland from England after an absence of two years and ahalf. Dr Foote has been engaged in postgraduate surgery work in the Great Ormond Street, Royal Northern and Royal Masonic Hospitals in London, while Mrs Foote, who also is a doctor, has been specializing in anaesthetics. Dr Foote, who is an old Onehunga boy, has returned home to enlist in the New Zealand forces.

In recognition of his work for the success of the National Eucharistic Congress held in Wellington in February, the Rev. Dr A. J. Mcßae has had bestowed upon him by the Holy See the title of Monsignor. Though Monsignor Mcßae held the position of treasurer of the committee for the organization of the congress, he was responsible for a great deal more work than the office denoted. The honour now bestowed upon him is not common in the Catholic Church ip New Zealand. Monsignor Mcßae recently relinquished the position of Administrator of the parish of St. Joseph, after holding it for 12 years, to devote his full time and energy to being secretary to Archbishop O’Shea and Chancellor of the Archdiocese.