Personal.

Stratford Evening Post, Volume XXXVIII, Issue 7, 8 January 1914, Page 5

Personal.

The Premier of Tonga arrived at Auckland this morning by the Upolu, states a Press Association telegram.

Mr Marston .1. Hey wood, district manager in Auckland of the Government Life Insurance Department, died on Monday morning from pneumonia. He was a son of Mr J. Barnes Heywood, formerly secretary of the Treasury, but now resident in London. Mr J. Alan'Thomson, D.Sc., a member of the geological survey branch of the Mines Department, of which he is palaeontologist, has been appointed to succeed the late Mr A. Hamilton as Director of the Dominion Museum (states a Prpss Association message). Mr Thomson is a native of Otago, and a son of Mr C. M. Thomson, M.P. He was the first New Zealand Rhodes scholar, being elected in 1904.

The Rev. J. A. Kempthorne, who for the past four years has been curate in charge of the Te Henui portion of St. Mary’s parish, leaves New Plymouth to 7 day for Inglewood, where he will take up the duties of vicar. Mr Kempthorne was presented last night with a token of goodwill from a few of his friends, says the News..

Mr E. P. Bunny, Mayor of Lower Hutt, has been selected by the Reform party to contest the Hutt seat at the next elections. Mr Bunny has consented to stand, making the third to announce his candidature, Mr T. M. Wilford (the present member) and Mr Samuel (Reform) being the other two.

The Earl of Aberdeen, who succeeds Lord Rosebery as Lord Rector of St. Andrew’s University, graduated there her that it was in 1875 that Mr Marliving politicians who have been elected Lord Rector of Scottish Universities. Lord Rosebery holds the record for being Lord Rector of all four—namely, St. Andrew’s, Glasgow, Aberdeen and Edinburgh. Mr Asquith and Mr Balfour have each two Scottish Rectorships to their credit, while Mr Joseph Chamberlain, Sir John Gorst, Mr Birrell, and Lord Curzon have eacli been Lord Rector once.

The death occurred on November 7th, at Carnarvon, of Sir William Preece at the age of 79. He was known as the “father of wireless telegraphy.” He was .'engineer-in-chief and .electrician to the Post Office, author of a host of scientific works, and he won a great reputation as a lecturer. He was the inventor of all manner of things—locking signals, telephones, and the like, which are in daily use. As long ago as 1875 or 1876 he telegraphed across the Solent when the cable to the Isle of Wight was broken, and it is interesting to remember that it wa sin 1875 that Mr Marconi was born. Wireless telegraphy did not become a, practical fact niiin 1863! He is one of eight prominent carried mi with tlie Island of Mull when the cable to Oban was being repaired.

Queen Mary dislikes nothing so much as idleness, and her habit of tarrying a little work-bag about with her seizing every opportunity of doing something with her needle is growing upon her. Crochet does not appeal to her particularly? but she loves knitting, and , every evening at Balmoral, while the King - and some of his guests are- playing bridge, the Queen sits by and knits socks or stockings or petticoats for the various societies and charities in which she takes an interest. Recently she has been knitting babies’ socks, and carries her hatred of sitting with her hands in her lap to such lengths that she sometimes knits in the carriage as she is driving to pay calls.