PERSONAL.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LI, Issue 188, 30 July 1908, Page 2

PERSONAL.

.Mr. A. Turnbull, S.M., was in Xew Plymouth yesterday. Who is the oldest person ill the Dominion? Someone lately claimed the distinction for Mr. Thomas Makay, a veteran of 103, but Mrs. Alice Burling, rf Dome Valley, Warkworth, wishes to champion the claim qf her father-in-law, Jlv. Henry Burling, sen., who is in his 108 th year, and lives at Wailcanae, on tlio Manawatu railway. Amongst the New Zealanders in London last month were Messrs. C. Ridd, S. It. Jenkins, Frank Jenkins, and Win. llyde, all from Eltliam; Mr. h>. Norman, of C'hristclmreh; Mr. James Cowper and Mr. James Campbell, of llawera; Mr. IT. Avery, of New Plymouth. Jlr. Gilrnth's appointment was the subject of congratulatory but regretful references at the Conference of the Farmers' Union on Tuesday. The president (Mr. J. G. Wilson) informed the Conference of the news, and referred to the great respect which the New Zealand farmers had for Mr. Gilruth. His loss would be very widely and keenly felt. (Hoar, hear.)" To him personally it was a great disappointment. Mr. Gilruth was the kind of man lie bad in his mind when he advocated the establishment in New Zealand of a chair of Veterinary or Agricultural Science. Ho could not imagine a more suitable mail. He was a man of great practical knowledge and great scientific attainments, and a man of the light character for such work. He had a wonderful gift of making his different subjects particularly clear to his hearers. (Hear, hear.) It was a great misfortune to New Zealand that he was going away, but as it was to his own advancement they would all be glad on that account. Some of them were aware that his position in the Department lately had not been altogether a bed of roses. In regard to a chair of Agricultural Science, Now Zealand's loss was all the greater from the fact that Mr'. Gilruth knew intimately this country's requirements, a knowledge which a man from Europe ' would take a long time to acquire.