PERSONAL.

Stratford Evening Post, Volume XXXIV, Issue 92, 13 December 1912, Page 5

PERSONAL.

The new Governor (Lord Liverpool) is described in a telegram from Fre mantle to tne Sydney Sun as a smai stout man who affects a blazer bandei with his sporting colours. A folio, passenger says that Lord Liverpoo. dearly loves to talk on cricket topics and that on his Northampton estat. lie has had a pitch laid down. H< is equally fond of goll and hunting The Countess is athletic looking, wit. grey-blue Irish eyes, brown hair, am generally of a robust appearance. Sin is Irish, with all the Irish woman’t love of sport, and in addition to hunt ing, plays tennis and other games. She is thoroughly domesticated.

Mr William Ellison Macartney, dc puty-master of the Royal Mint, has been gazetted Governor of Tasmania Mr Lyons, the locomotive fireman who feiroff the train and through tht Otaio bridge, still lies in a precarious condition at the Tanaru Hospital. Colonel Robin, who has been in the Old Country for some time, arrived at Melbourne by the Malwa on Tuesday on his way to New Zealand. Mr M r . J. Poison, Chairman of the Wanganui Cojmty Council, paid ; short visit to Stratford yesterday, and is returning to Wanganui this afternoon. Mr John King, Deputy Commissioner of Taxes has been appointed Commissioner for Taxes, vice Mr G. F. C. Campbell, who is to succeed Mr J. AV. Boynton as Secretary of the Treasury. Sir George Reid (Commonwealth High Commissioner) was entertained at luncheon in London by Prince Lichnowsky, the new German Ambassador, says a cablegram. The Duke of Ar gyll, Lords Halsburg, Blyth, and Mersey and Mr Bonar Law were also present. Captain Duigan, at present attached to the training branch of the New Zealand Defence headquarters at Wellington, will leave the capital city on the 20th instant, to enter upon a two years’ course at the Military College at Quetta, India. He will be the first New Zealand officer admitted to the college. Mr Samuel Young, the oldest member of the House of Commons, who sits as Nationalist member for East Cavan, was presented to the King at a garden party at Windsor, and with Irish candour remarked: “It will be the greatest day of the century when Your Majesty comes to open the Irish Parliament.”' At this the King smiled, and the Queen, with ready tact, adroitly turned the conversation by an earnest inquiry about the veteran’s health.

Mr Frank L. Packard, of Montreal, a Canadian author of note, who has written a good deal for American magazines and other publications, arrived in Auckland on Wednesday morning by the Wakanui, accompanied by Mrs Packard. Mr Packard will remain some time in this part ot the world (states the Star), his object being to secure local colour for some future work. After doing New Zealand he will voyage among the South Sea Islands, and intends visiting Fiji, Samoa, and Hawaii, spending a month in each group. Mr Peter Coster, an old resident of the Eketahuna district, died at the Masterton Hospital on Saturday. The' deceased, who had reached the ripe age of 92 years, was a native of Frank-1 fort-on-Main, Germany, and arrived m New Zealand about 50 years ago, settling first in Akaroa, where he helped to build the lighthouse. Deceased was a man of immense physique, standing close on 7ft, and being proportionately built. In his younger days he served his full time in the German Army, and was in the FrancoPrussian war, but being of a roving disposition he migrated to England, where lie was drafted into the Royal Life Guards. For the last 40 years deceased had lived in the Wellington province.

The eighty-sixth birthday of Sir James Prendergast, K.C.M.G., formerly Chief Justice of New Zealand, was celebrated on Tuesday by a party held in his residence. It will be news to mjjny (says the Dominion) to know that Sir James is a Freeman of the City of London by birth, being the son of Judge Prendergast, of the English Bankruptcy Court. He was called to the Bar in London in 1856, and arrived in Otago by the ship Chili in 1862. The following year he became Crown Prosecutor at Dunedin, and provincial solicitor for Otago. I 1 rom 1865 to 1875 he held the non-political position of Attorney-General, with a seat in the Legislative Council, and in the latter year was appointed Chief Justice, which he retained until his retirement in 1899.

Mr J. L. Robinson, 8.A., arrived at his home in Stratford from Dunedin by Wednesday’s express. Mr Robinson has just completed his studies at Knox College and passed his final examination, taking first-class honours. Besides doing college work, Mr Robinson has acted as assistant minister to the Rev. O. H. Balfour, M.A., 8.D., at First Church, Dunedin. According to church rule, Mr Robinson must be licensed or ordained into the Presbyterian ministry in his own district, hence the object of his present- visit. The ordination will take place either at Hawera or Stratford during the coming week. Mr Robinson has completed seven years’ study at LDiversity and College, during which time he has scored many marked successes, both in debate, impromptu speeches, and in other platform efforts. Mr Robinson will conduct both services at the local Presbyterian Church on Sunday. On returning to Dunedin he takes up a three years’ appointment at First Church.

Mr 0. F. C. Campbell (Commissioner of Taxes), who has been appointed Secretary of the Treasury, in succession to Mr J. W. Poynton, was born] i n 1858, and educated at Nelson College. He entered the Public Service in 1874 as cadet in the Public Works Department, was transferred to the Justice Department in 1877, and to the Land Tax Department in 1879. In 1894 he was appointed Deputy Commissioner of ’Faxes, Deputy A alueiGeneral in 1896, Deputy Superintendent of the Advances to Settlers Office, 1896, Valuer-General and Commissioner of Taxes, 1904. fn 188/ be passed the necessary military examinations, and entered the volunteers as sub-lieiPenant of the Wellington Naval Artillery, of which he became captain in 1891, and witli which In* was intimatelv associated for several years. In 1902 he was promoted LieutenantColonel, Wellington Garrison Artillery division, and when the new defence scheme came into operation he was appointed Commander of ( oast Defences.