PERSONAL.

Taranaki Daily News, 19 July 1921, Page 4

PERSONAL.

Dame Melba has sailed from Van couver for Australia.

The Pope received Prince Hirohito, the Japanese Crown Prince, in audience. Mr. T. M. Wilford, who is at present On a visit to America, expects to return to Wellington by the Marama, due there on August 13.

Mr. Wylds, Eltham manager of the Bank of New Zealand, and Mrs. Wylds, leave next week on a six weeks’ holiday tour to Australia and Fiji. Mr. Douglas Turton, who saw much service during the war, and was captain of a convoy ship in the Mediterranean »Sea, died at Havelock North last week.

Sir Thomas Mackenzie, now on a quick trip, to England, is expected to be in New Zealand again about October. Lady Mackenzie is staying in Auckland.

The death took place at Napier last week, in his SOth year, of Mr. Thomas Edward Shirley, who was" for many years chief clerk in the Napier Post Office.

The New Plymouth High School Board of Governors, at its meeting last night, granted twelve months’ leave of absence to Miss Janet Smith, who is to leave shortly for England, to further her knowledge of the teaching profession. Major Eric F. W. McKenzie, M.C., 0.8. E., son of Dr. Wallace McKenzie, of Wellington, has been appointed Assistant Director of Hygiene and Pathology in West Africa, where he will be stationed for a year. In well-informed political circles in Canterbury it has been known for some time past that the late Mr. R. Evans was to have been included in the next appointments to be made to the Legislative Council. It is announced that Mr. J. L. Bruce, assistant director of the live stock division in the Agricultural Department at Wellington, has been appointed superintendent of Government experimental farms.

The death is announced from Wellington of Mr. James Arkle, aged 85 years, -father of Lady Findlay. The deceased was some years ago a wellknown public man. Mr. John Dobson (L.T.C.L.), of Auckland, has been appointed music master at the New Plymouth Boys’ High School. Mr. Dobson has had consider able experience in pianoforte teaching, having spent some time at the Trinity College of London. Until recently Mr. Dobson was organist at the Sacred Heart Church, Auckland. The Hon. Gilbert Carson, of Wanganui, who has just retired from the Legislative Council, and whose indifferent health prevented his re-appointment, was entertained at afternoon tea 'by about fifty -friends on Thursday, when a number of eulogistic speeches were made.

A recent arrival from the Dominion is the Hon. E. W. Alison, M.L.C. (writes a London correspondent). With Mrs. Alison and his daughter, Mrs Mair. Mr. Alison will go north to Scotland, thence to W’ales, and later to France, Belgium, and possibly to Switzerland and Italy. Altogether about three months will be spent in the Mother Country and three months on the Continent, and the return journey to New- Zealand will be begun about the end of November.

Sir William Herries found his recent trip to France full of interest (writes a London correspondent). He is looking Very much better now than when he first arrived, and he is still making his headquarters with his brother at Sevenoaks. Sir William came up to town to meet Mr. Massey, and he was at the luncheon given to the New Zealand Prime Minister by the Australian and New Zealand Luncheon Club.

The death is reported from Whakatane of Mr. Richard Joel Peltridge, aged 90 yeare, who picked up the survivors of the wrecked warship Orpheus at Manukau. He was' then master of a vessel trading betw’een the North and South Islands. Later he was for thirty-eight years signalman and Customs officer at ’Manukau. For a period he was pilot for warships at Port Waikato during thy Maori war. He was born in London, and came to the Dominion when twenty years of age. Mr. Charles John Hutchinson, a very old resident of Auckland, died there on Sunday, aged 81 years. He held a commission as ensign in the Maori war, serving -in Taranaki. In 1865 he was responsible for a plucky act at White Cliffs, the boundary line between Mokau and Taranaki, where the Maori chief Wetere had encamped his followers, in defiance of the colonial troops stationed at Ptikearuhe, his object being to plunder the ship Alexandra, which was wrecked on the sands. Ensign Hutchinson volunteered to carry a message containing terms of peace to the Maoris after two attempts had previously been jr ide, the bearer in each case having lost his life. At great risk he carried out his task. “Fifty-one,” in the Hawera Star, recalls the fact that Mr. Hutchinson married Miss Rowntree, who was engaged in the sixties by Mrs. Ross (afterwards Mrs. Powell) in her drapery establishment in Devon Street, New Plymouth.

The sitting member for Marsden, Mr. F. Mender, has decided to retire from active political life at the conclusion of the present Parliament. 'Phis announcement was made by him at a meeting held at Maungaouroto last week, when Mr. G. S. B. Morrison, of Maungatapere, was nominated to contest the seat as official Reform candidate. Mr. T. Lisle, official Reform organiser, stated that the party leaders would accept any candidate selected by the meeting. Mr. Francis Mander has been a member of the House of Representatives since the elections of November, 1902, when he was returned for his present constituency. Mr. Mander is a New Zealander by birth. He was born at Onehunga on December .1, IS4B. His parents were among the earliest settlers in New Zealand. In his political life Mr. Mander has always been a supporter of the present Government.