PERSONAL

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LVII, Issue 224, 1 March 1915, Page 4

PERSONAL

A Cam-town cablegram states that Sir A. Graaff has been appointed Minister of Finance. A Capetown cablegram states that Sir A. Graaff has been appointed Minister of Finance. At the Fire Brigade's Conference T)e-puty-Supt. Champion, of Hawera brigade, was among those presented with a gold star for 25 years' service. If lie continues in office till September next. Mr A. Matthews, of AV orongomai, will have been a continuous member of the Feathcrston County Council for 40 years. Mr Ernest Gillon, who has been assistant locomotive manager of South Island railways, and is to- he transferred to Wellington as district locomotive engineer in place of Mr Richardson, who lias been transferred on promotion to the South Island, will probably go to the West Coast ■on relief duty before coming to Wellington. Lieutenant C. McLean, of New Zealand, an officer of thf Ith Fusiliers, who has been awarded the Military Cross for his services at the great battle of Ypres, is a son of the late Archdeacon McLean, of Wanganui. He was educated at the Wanganui Collegiate College, and graduated into the Church from St. John's College, Auckland.

The career of Mr William Gallagher, who died in Wellington last Sunday, aged seventy-nine, was more than or dinarily interesting. In his early years lie was the engineer in charge of the condensing apparatus on various emigrant ships running between Engine! and New Zealand. He was employed on troopships employed in carrying troons to quell the Indian Mutiny, was in Mexico in 1887 when the Emperor Maximilian was shot, and made one of his first voyages in the famous Great Eastern. During his wanderings, he travelled over most of the world, and at one time stayed at Louvain Castle, Belgium. Ho was thoroughly acquainted with Egypt, and up to the time of his death took great interest in the news of the niovements of the Dominion troops there. For some time deceased was engineer of one of the torpedo boats stationed at Port .Chalmers many years ago.