PERSONAL.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LV, Issue 187, 27 December 1912, Page 4

PERSONAL.

Mr. A. Weller, manager of the Taihapa Times, is spending the holidays in town. A cablegram from' Paris announces tl.o death of the well-known artist Edouard Debaille. Mr. A. Alexander sails from Scotland to-morrow for New Zealand, and will spend a fortnight at Colombo on tho way out. Sir George Clifford and Mrs. Clifford spent Tuesday in visiting the oil works, and left by the Rarawa in the evening for Auckland. Mr. Robert Triggs, one of the newly, appointed Civil .Service Commissioners, is to leave Melbourne for Wellingtoa on the 30th inst. Mr. J. T. Shaw, an old New Plymouth. boy, and resident for a number of yearain Sydney, where he has prospered, is revisiting his old home, before leaving for England. " A Sydney .cablegram states that to mark the completion of sixty years' active connection with journalism, his staffs presented Sir James Fairfax with • a handsome memento. Mr. James 11. Stevens, inspector of post offices, has decided to retire from the service on March 3'l. He has,been granted three months' leave from January 1, and has arranged to take up work of a special nature for a mercantile firm. Word has been received that Mr. Robt. Stout, M.8., B.S. (London), M.R.C.S., L.R.C.P. (Eng.), who has been for some time Resident Obstetrician in Guy's Hos. pital, London, has passed his examination as M.D., London University.' Amongst tho visitors to New Plymouth are the Ven. Archdeacon Towgood (Marton), Mr. and Mrs. Horrock« (Feilding), Mr. and Mrs. W. S. G. Douglas (Dunedin), Mr. B. O'Dowd* (Gisborne) and Mr. Chas. Hioriie (Wanganui). An old resident of Wellington, in tha I person of Mrs. W. Mowbray, died at her, residence, Lower Hutt, on Sunday night, at the age of 7<5 years. The deceased arrived there from the Old Country with her husband in 1850, and for some yeara took a very keen interest in musical matters in those days. The trustees of the Beit Memorial Fellowship for Medical Research have elected Elsie Jean Dalzell, of Sydney, to a fellowship, worth £250 a year, for three years. It is proposed that Miss Dalzell should undertake research work in connection with gastroenteric diseases of infants at the Lister Institute, London. Another of the pioneer settlers of Taranaki passed away on Tuesday morn- ■ ! ing in the person of Mr. Nicholas Knuckey, who died at Waitara road at the ago of eighty years. He came out to New Plymouth with his parents and family in the barque Essex, arriving on January 23, 1843. During the intervening seventy years he has resided continuously in Taranaki, except for a few years in South Australia.

Mr. A. C. Lawrey, for some time on the staff of the Lands Transfer Office, and latterly associated with Mr. A. H. Johnstone's legal office, has received an appointment with Mr. G. F. Pullen, of Auckland. On Tuesday last Mr. Lawrey received a present of military brushes from Mr. Johnstone's staff, a walking stick from the boarders of v Chatsworfch House, and a silver shaving outfit from Mrs. Howell and family. Mrs. Walter Raynor, wife of a wellknown trainer and'jockey, died very suddenly at Wanganui on Tuesday 'while under chloroform for an operation which was considered serious. Mr. Kavnor had left early in the morning for New Plymouthywith a couple of horses, and the sa.iT flews must have come as a great shock to him. Deceased, who was widely respected, was quite a young woman, being only 29 years of a.«e. She leaves a family of three children. Mr. V. H. Hall has been appointed by the Board of (lovemors assistant master at the New Plymouth Boys' High " School. Mr. Hall was educated at the Napier Boys' High School, was dux for one year, and won a senior national scholarship in 1008. He took his B.A. degree at Victoria College in 1911, and sat for honors in French and English this year, lie represented Victoria College in the. inter-varsity tournament at Easter last. Mr. Hall will commence his duties with the first term of 1913. The death occurred at the Catholic Presbytery, Wellington, on Tuesday morning of the Eev. Father Cognet, S.M., parish priest at Otaki. The late priest, who was fifty -five years of age, came to New Zealand about twenty-five years ago from France. For some time he was stationed at Otaki. He then went to Taranaki, returning to Otaki about three years ago. He had not been in good health for some time past, and his death was not unexpected. The remains are to be interred at Otaki this (Friday) morning. During an interval between the races Mr. 0. A. Budge, for many years judge and starter at the Taranaki Jockey Club's meetings, was m»de the recipient of a presentation, in the shape of a substantial tea and coffee service, by the stewards of the club. The Hon. 0. Samuel made the presentation, and briefly reviewed the services Mr. Budge had done for the club, willingly and gratuitously, through a period of some stress of circumstances. It was, he said, in a great measure due to the efforts of Mr. Budge that the club had won its way into a forefront which it had at one time been in danger of losing. Mr. Budge had been a good and consistent sportsman, and had spared neither time nor money in the interests of the sport in Taranaki. Mr. Budge, replying, said that anything he had done had been a labor of love, and all he had wished was to see the club m a flourishing position and the sport progressing. He thanked the club very heartily for its handsome present, and hoped to be long associated with its future fortunes.