PERSONA

Taranaki Daily News, 10 February 1921, Page 4

PERSONA

Mr. D. O. Bates, Government Meteorologist, is at present in New Plymouth. Dr. Home leaves New Plymouth this morning on a visit tp Dunedin in his capacity of examiner of medical students. Miss Maida Hooker, daughter of Mr. L. O. Hooker, of Hawera, left yesterday morning for Wellington to join ''-the Paparoa, which sails on Saturday for London. Miss Hooker, who is going Home to .take up a musical scholarship, expects to be absent for two years. Mr. C. L. Young, headmaster of the preparatory school at Christ’s College, is seriously ill, as the result of haemorrhage, following on gas poisoning, sustained at the front. His condition at the end of the week was very critical, but since then there has been a slight improvement. Mr. Dakers, who has managed with great success the Waimate. West demonstration farm, has tendered his resignation (says the Hawera Star). The reason for the resignation is that he is taking over the management of his father’s farm, Mr. Dakers, senr., being about to leave on a trip to the Old Country. Mr. G. Stratford, Government Orchard Instructor at Christchurch, who is at present in England on six months’ leave of absence, will remain at Home to supervise and report on shipments of fruit from the Dominion to London. The department agreed to this course as the result of representations made by the fruit growers of the Dominion interested in the export trade. The Rev. E. O. Blamires, accompanied by Mrs. Blamires and family, arrived from Suva by the Marama on Saturday. Mr. Blamires attended the Irish Methodist Conference in Dublin in June, and the English (Wesleyan Conference at Hull in' July, afterwards touring the battlefields area in Belgium and France. In Scotland and the Shetlands he assisted for six weeks in the no-license campaign. This was followed by avlecturing tour in Yorkshire and Plymouth, occupying some weeks.

The death occurred at Wanganui on Sunday morning of Mr. Norman Payne, eldest son of Mr. George Payne, formerly of Wellington and now of the Clarendon Hotel, Christchurch. The deceased, who was thirty-eight years of age, was a prominent footballer. In his youth he represented Canterbury, and was one of its most brilliant three-quarters. Later he was a member of the Marton Football Club, and was captain of the Rangitikei Club.

Mr. E. A. Shrimpton, Chief Telegraph .Engineer, who arrived at Auckland on Saturday by the Marama from abroad, reached Wellington on Tuesday. Mr. Shrimpton, who visited America, Great Britain, and Europe foi the purpose of making himself conversant with the latest developments in telegraphic and telephonic, as well as wireless installation and administration, has returned with a fund of valuable knowledge that will find its reflex in the post and telegraph services. When in Great Britain Mr. Shrimpton interviewed the various manufacturers of telegraph and telephone material with whom orders had been placed by the New Zealand Government, with the object of obtaining delivery at an early date of long delayed shipments. In this respect he met with considerable .success.

The death occurred at Lismore (Victoria), recently of Mr. A. M. Robertson, (brother of Mr. D’Arcy Robertson, of New Plymouth), as the result of an accident while driving a tractor on his farm at Treseo. The late Mr. RobeFtson, who was thirty-nine years of age, was a native of London, and was brought by his parents at a very early age to New Zealand. He married Miass A. Mack and went to Lismore, where he purchased a farm from his father-in-law, Mr. Joseph Mack. Later, he started a motor garage, which he subsequently disposed of and took up a block at« Treseo from the Australian Farms, Ltd. The late Mr. Robertson was a fine athlete, excelling in golf and cricket. He is survived by Mrs. Robertson and two children.