PERSONAL.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LIII, Issue 251, 2 March 1911, Page 4

PERSONAL.

Messrs. T, K. Skinner, W. F. Brooking, Newton King and Truby King were passengers for Auckland last night per s.s. Rarawa.

A farewell social will be tendered to Mr. Charles Clarke at the White Hart Hotel this evening. Ilis Worship the Mayor will preside.

Messrs. Ell and Davey, M.'sl'., have replied to Sir Joseph Ward's telegram re the coronation invitation, regretting they are unable to accept. Mr. R. H. Harper has been appointed district agent for the Agricultural Department in the Taranaki and Manawatu districts, with headquarters at Wanganui.

Dr. Ward, editor of the Sydney Daily, Telegraph, was renewing acquaintance with the Waitara district yesterday. He leaves for the south to-morrow or Saturday.

Sir Geo. Clifford and Mr. A. E. Cohen, members of the Racing Commission, left for Wellington on Tuesday evening to attend* the first sitting of the commission at Wanganui on Friday. Mr. P. P. J. Amodes, who succeeds Mr. A. Addison on the staff of the local Magistrate's Court, commenced his duties yesterday. The office has been working short-handed for some time. Mr. S. P. Stevens, chief postmaster at Christchurch, whose health has been unsatisfactory for some time past, willretire from the service on pension a* from June 30. ' He is now absent on sick leave. \ ,

Miss Jackson, inspector of licensed homes for children under the Education Department, paid her annual visit of inspection to New Plymouth this week r and was shown round by the local inspector, Mrs. Kent.

Private advices received in Dunedin report the death at Alameda, a suburb' of San Francisco, of Mr. W. C. Roberts, lor many years manager of the Bank of New Zealand at Dunedin. He was killed in a street car accident.

Lieutenant-Colonel Joyce, who has retired from the military command of Nelson district, was the recipient of a gold signet ring and a purse of sovereigns at a gathering of town and country officers at Nelson the other day.

A London cable announces that the Right Hon. Gerald Balfour has relinquished his political position of £I2OO per annum. Mr. Balfour formerly held various offices in the ministries of his uncle, Lord Salisbury, and of his brother, the Right 1 Hon. A. J. Balfour. He lost his seat in 1000.

Mr. Harold Gregson, a well-known

English organist, has been appointed organist at St. Paul's Church, Auckland. Mr. Gregson gave a series of recital# at the Crystal Palace and at the JapanBritish Exhibition. He was for some time director of the Emma Willard Conservatory of Music, New York. Mr. Gregson commences his new duties next Sunday. Ex-Inspector O'Brien, who retired from the police force on January 31, was met by a minjber of tttyresentativ* citizens at Dunedin on Tuesday. The Mayor, on behalf of the citizens, presented him with an address and a purse of sovereigns for himself, als« a present for Mrs. O'Brien. Highly complimentary references were made to the manner in which Mr. O'Brien had carried out his duties as inspector, and to the esteem in which he was held by the public.

It is officially announced that Lord Dudley will resign the position of Gover-nor-General in June. Lord Pentland, Secretary of State for Scotland, is freely mentioned as his successor. Lord Dudley lias held his present position for about two years, having succeeded Lord! Northcote, Lord Pentland, his probable successor, has only been recently elevated to the peerage, and is better known as Captain John Sinclair. He is 31 years of age, and retired from the Army in 1887, after eighteen years' service, which included the Soudan campaign of 1885. He married the only daughter of the Earl of Aberdeen, and has one son and one daughter. He was A.D.C. to Lord Aberdeen when he was Lord-Lieutenant of Ireland, and private secretary to his father-in-law when he was Governor-General of Canada. A' Sydney cablegram received just after midnight states that Lord Dejinian succeeds Lord Dudley. It is reported that the pqsition was offered to Lord Carmichael before lie accepted the Governorship of Madras, but he declined for private reasons. Lord Denman, P. 0., K.C.V.0., was formerly a major in the Middlesex Imperial Yeomanry, and saw service in the Boer war. He is a Liberal peer, active for the Government in the Upper House, where he was DeputySpeaker. He married the daughter of Lord Cowdray, a prominent young Liberal hostess.