PERSONAL.

Stratford Evening Post, Volume XXXIV, Issue 88, 9 December 1912, Page 5

PERSONAL.

Lord Islington sailed from Sydney on Saturday. The Rev. John Gardiner, Methodist Minister, fs dead, says a Sydney cablegram. Obituary: Sir George Howard Darwin, Professor of Astronomy and Experimental Philosophy at Cambridge since 1883, aged 6/ years. j Mr 1). L. A. Astbury was sufficiently, recovered from his recent illness as to enable him to pay a visit to Stratford on Saturday. Miss Struck, of Hawera, has received an appointment as assistant domestic science instructress at the Dunedin University. She will commence her new duties on January 6th, states the Star.

'-Mr E. Ireland, of East Road, who has been in somewhat indifferent health of late, was admitted to the Stratford hospital on Wednesday suffering from appendicitis. Admiral Sir F. C. B. Bridgeman has res gned his position as First Sea Lord, on account of ill-health. He will be succeeded by Vice-Admiral H. S. H. Prince Louis of Battenberg. Mr H. O’Malley, of the staff of the Grand Hotel, Wellington, has been selected out of sixty applicants for the position of assistant secretary to the Wellington Hotel Workers’ Union. Mr Stephen Gedge, of Ariel Street, died suddenly on Sunday evening. Dr Steven was summoned, but deceased had expired before he arrived. No inquest will be held as the doctor gave the necessary certificate of death, which occurred through natural causes. Deceased was 68 years of age. Mrs Jim Sullivan, who for some time past has very successfully conducted the Commercial Hotel, Stratford, returned from Wellington on Saturday, having completed negotiations for the purchase of the. freehold of the-pre-mises from the estate of the late F. S. Pollock. Mrs Sullivan’s tender, which was accepted, is understood to be the sum of £-1250.

The late Mr Henry Bloom Noble, by whose will Douglas, in the Isle of Man, has, been provided with what Lord Raglan called the best hosp'tal of its size in the world, had a romantic career. As a lad of 16, in 1837, Noble landed at Douglas from Whitehaven, and found employment at a few shillings a week. Early in l.fe he started business for himself, and was the founder of a company which provided Douglas with water, and also a founder of the Isle of Man Bank. He became chairman of many companies, and dying a few years ago, by far the richest man in the island, lie left his fortune of over a quarter of a million for charities.

The Hon. Dr Pomare, replying to the toast of “The Ministry” at the banquet at Kaitangata to his colleague, the Hon. Jas. Allen, M.P. for Bruce, and Minister of Finance, Education apd Defence; said the Ministry was in 'a way unique. It was the first time in the history of the country that seven out of nine Ministers were colonial born. Five out of seven were New Zealand born, and one out of the five vyas a Maori. This, too, was the first time in the history of the country that there had been so many university men in the Ministry. There was only one in the last Ministry, and he was a Maori, and there was only one, he thought, in the Ministry before that, and he was a Maor.. That was rather peculiar. The Ministry of to-day was composed of men who would play the game and play it through thick and thin against any odds.'

Rev. Father Costello, of St. Patrick’s Church, Palmerston, died suddenly on Saturday afternoon, aged 53 years. Death was due to heart failure following after a series of influenza attacks. He was educated at 1 the Catholic College, Innis, County Clare, under Archbishop Erington. He was ordained by the Bishop of Killaloo, and under medical advice came to New Zealand, as curate under Bishop Luck of Auckland. His first mission was at Pukekohe, and afterwards he was administrator of St. Patrick’s Cathedral, Auckland. He travelled! in South America and Ireland in aid of the church funds, and while in Ireland suffered from a violent fever, and was ordered to return to New Zea-| land. He was appointed to Gisborne, and later was assistant priest, at Wellington, also at Greymouth and Marton, and finally at Palmerston! North, where he had successfully launched a scheme to build a new St. Patrick’s Church. He was exceed-' ingly popular, especially with the young, and was famed for the sunphcity of his eloquence. The funeral will be‘on Tuesday.—Press Association.