PERSONAL.

Wairarapa Age, Volume XXV, Issue 10713, 5 March 1913, Page 5

PERSONAL.

A Melbourne cable states that the Hon W. M. Hugnes, Federal Attor-ney-General, has been oilered the chairmanship of an Interstate Commission. He will probably accept the offer, which will mean his retirement from politics. With the object of studying the thermal action of New Zealand, Professor Percival, of the Freiburg University, Germany, arrived in Auckland on Sunday, from Sydney. Mr T. D. Taylor, late of the Fiji Times, has been appointed editor of the Ashburton Guardian.

The death of Mrs W. Brooke Taylor, which occurred in Wellington on Sunday. removes ft lin-k with the early settlement of this colony. She was the sole surviving daughter of the late Win. Smart Loxley, a merchant of Wellington in the early days. Mr Loxley arrived in Port Nicholson by the ship Wellington in 18-12, and will be remembered by many of the old identities. He resided at Kaiwarra, and his residence was known as Loxley Hall. Mrs Taylor lias been ailing for some time, and passed peacefully on Sunday morning. She leaves three sons and a daughter. Mr TLos. Gibb, linesman at the Eketahuna Post Office, sustained concussion of the brain yesterday through a spin from a. motor bicycle which lie was riding. He also received several _ , several nasty facial wounds, which necessitated medical attention.

Many South Canterbury : people heard with deep regret cf the death of Mr E. Butchers, the oldest resident of Fairview. Mr Butchers, who was 72 years of ago, had heen in ill-health for the past eight months. He was born in Kent, and as a young man went to America for a short time, after which "he came over to New Zealand in the ship Canterbury in 1864 Messrs H. H. Beetham and H. H. Beetham, were last evening unanimously elected to the y position of patron and president respectively, of the Masterton Amateur Theatrical Society.

The Masterton friends of Mrs A. Bish, of Carterton, will be pleased to hear that she i s making an excellent recovery'from a recent severe illness.

Mr James Brown, a well known resident of 'Hastings, died on Saturday last at the age of 60 years. Deceased was for many years employed on the Hastings corporation road staff, and was a familiar figure iw the streets of Hastings. He had been ailing for about six weeks. Mr E. P. Mountfort, the newlyappointed manager of the local .branch of the Bank of New South Wales, arrived in Masterton from Oamaru on Monday night. ,Mr W. H. P. Hodgkins leaves for Wellington, en route to Australia to-morrow.

The death occurred at' Wellington last week of Mrs H. Samson, sen., one of the pioneer settlers of Landon, in the Rangitikei district. The deceased was seventy-tix years of age. Mr A. C. Bruce, until recently owner of tho Glencairn estate, in the Rangitikei district, died at <Wanganui on Monday at the ago of sixtytwo years. The death is announced by cable of Dr 'Thomas Hodgkin. the well-known historian, who visited Now Zealand in 1909. Miss Vera Edwards, of Masterton, who is shortly to be married, was on Monday evening presented by the Mayoress, on behalf of a number of lady friends, with a purse of 'sovereigns, in recognition of the musical services she has so freely rendered in tho town.

The Poverty Bay Herald of Monday says:—The death of a New Zealand pioneer, Mr Thomas Barry, occurred on Saturday, at the ago of 78 years. Mr Barry was a member of the lftth Regiment, and was a general favourite.