PERSONAL.

Taranaki Daily News, 25 July 1921, Page 4

PERSONAL.

Mr. T. Harle Giles, Conciliation Commissioner, accompanied by Miss Giles, arrived iu New Plymouth on Saturday. The death took place at the Hawera Hospital on .Saturday of Miss Elsie •Scott, fourth daughter of Mr. Duncan Scott, the well-known settler of Kapuni.

An Auckland telegram reports the deatli of the Rev. G. B. Munro, aged 73, for forty years minister of St. Lukes Presbyterian Church, Remuera, prior to 1918, when he retired.

Mr. St. Clair Jounneaux, formerly of Palmerston North, who contested " the Bay of Islands seat at the last general election, has .announced himself an independent candidate for the Marsden seat at the next general election.

After the Premiers’ Conference closes Mr. W. F. Massey makes a round of provincial visits (says a cable from London). At Bradford he will consults wool interests, at Sheffield he will be» the guest of the master cutlers, atj Newcastle and Cardiff he will be the guest of the Chambers of and at -Bristol he makes inquiries about! direct trade with New Zealand. He! embarks for homo on August 25, pro-, ceeding via Vancouver.

The deatli took on Friday at Urenui of one of the earlv identities of the Cardiff district in {he person of Mr. John Watkin. After farming for many years in Shropshire, England he

emigrated to New Zealand and took up a farm on the Waingongoro Road about the year 1880 and curved out a home in the bush. He was also one of the founders of the Cardiff factory, and one of the directors for many years. He sold out in 1900 and spent the remaining years of his life with his sons-in-law at Urenui. His wife predeceased him, 24 years ago. He leaves one son (Mr. A. E. Watkin, of Takanui, late of Okai-t awa), and four daughters, Mrs. H. J< Taylor (Inglewood), Mrs, Sheard nui), Miss Z. Watkin, Miss M. Watkin, also several grandchildren and greatgrandchildren.

A number of changes in the staffing of the Jjvnds, Deeds and Stamps Department are announced, consequent upon retirements uf three highly-placed officials. Mr. W. Wynks, RegistrarGeneral of Lands, retires, and will be succeeded by Mr. C. E. Nalder, District Land Registrar at Christchurch, whose present position will be taken by Mr. A. V r . Sturtevant, the registrar at Dunedin. Other changes involved include the promotion of Mr. E. G. Falconer, stamp clerk at New Plymouth, to Auckland as fourth Assistant Land Registrar, he being succeeded at New Plymouth by Mr. F. Laurie, of the Auckland* office. Mr. R. F. Baird, Assistant Land Registrar at New Plymouth, is promoted to the position of. District Land Registrar at Gisborne, to fill the vacancy caused by the retirement on superannuation of Mr. R. Stone-Flur-ance. -Mr. Baird will be succeeded by Mr. W. E. Brown, of Auckland. Another series of promotions results from the resignation of Mr. R. H. Bourke, Deputy Commissioner of Stamps at Dunedin. Mr. John Morrison goes from Wellington to fill that position, Mr. W. 11. Fletcher goes from Gisborne to Wellington as Second Registrar of Companies, and Mr. C. \ . Mead goes to Gisborne as Assistant Land Registrar. The death occurred on Saturday of Mr. W. E. Percival, a well-known Inglewood resident, after an illness of some weeks’ duration. He was formerly Mayor of Inglewood for some years, and was first elected to that office in 1965, and was intimately associated with the town’s afl'airs in other capacities, having been chairman of the Chamber of Commerce. At one time he was clerk to the then Moa Road Board. He also took a keen interest in all sports’ bods ies in the district, having held office in the Athletic Club, and was a wellknown figure in bowling circles. The late Mr. Percival was very prominently known in connection with the dairying industry, and in addition to being secretary to the Tarata, Tariki, Lepperton and Maketawa companies, designed plans for the construction of numerous factories in Taranaki and other parts of New Zealand. Mr. Percival was born in Richmond, Virginia, America, in the year 1856, but was educated in the North of England, and was

1 for some years connected with the management of estates. In 1888 h< came to New Zealand and joined Mn Alfred Perry, after having had some farming experience and considerably insight into colonial life. The firm of i Messrs. Perry and Percival, Inglewood, afterwards became that of Messrs, Percival and Messenger. The late Mr. Aid worth, who died at the residence of his daughter (Mrs. Chomeley, Bell Block),. on Friday, wae born in 1836 at Trilford, Arlington, Berkshire, England. He was a member of a sporting family, and began hunting on a Shetland pony before going to Marlborough College in 1847., There he played all the games, and was in the eleven, won the mile race, high jump, and 440 yards hurdlo race, and was generally selected as one of the foxes in the annual paper chases, and ran with Ashton Smith’s hounds from Care Hill When be left school he began hunting regularly with the Old Berks hounds, and he kept it up till he left England in 1882 for New Zealand. On arrival in New Zealand he settled at Silverhope, and his home there was one of the best-known trysts in one of the best New Zealand hunting districts, where the country takes a lot of doing, and where the settlers breed the right class of horses for long, strong and trying tasks, auch as are met with at average meets of the Rangitikei hounds (says the Wanganui Chronicle). With the settlers general* ly and with hunting and racing people in particular, the late Mr. Aidworth has been an established friend from his first introduction to the district, and to say that he was an ornament in any branch of sport to which he belonged is quite unnecessary. For a numbed of years he managed the Silverhope es< tate of 6400 acres, which at one time was all bush. A number of acres have now been cleared and grassed, and the reserves form quite a picturesque scene when travelling over the main road to Huntcrville, The late Mr. Aidworth was the first Justice of the Peace appointed in the district, and he has filled the office of president of the Marton Jockey Club and vice-president of the Rangitikei Hunt Club for quite « number of years, and his well-known figure was always a pleasant acquisition to any race meeting or hunt meet in the district. He leaves two sons and a daughter—Mr. Robert H. Aidworth, tho well-known judge of race meetings. Mr. William Aidworth, and Mrs. Cholme'A’, of New Plymouth—to mourn their loss. The interment took place at the Tutu Totara Cemetery on Saturday afternoon