PERSONAL

Wairarapa Times-Age, 12 April 1939, Page 4

PERSONAL

The many friends of Mr A. Latimer, stationmaster at. Masterton. will be pleased to hear that his condition shows an improvement. Mr A. W. Hearle is acting as stationmaster at Masterton during the absence of Mr A. Latimer, who is at present a patient in Masterton Hospital. Mr C. C. Ruby, who has been on furlough and extended sick leave, resumed charge of the Masterton Branch of the Bank of Australasia today. The Hon R. Semple, Minister of Public Works, will officially open the Whirokino trestle bridge on the main west coast highway just south of Foxton on Saturday. It was announced at a meeting last night of the Presbytery of Wellington, that a call has been given from St Giles’ Church, Kilbirnie, to the Rev A. W. Armstrong, Green Island, Dunedin, who will be inducted into his new charge on May 17. A call has been given from St David’s, Upper Hutt, to the Rev J. C. McCaw, Te Puke, Bay of Plenty. He will be inducted- into the charge on May 10. The resignation of the Rev D. F. Hercus, Brooklyn, was received. He has accepted an invitation from the Seddon charge, Marlborough, and will be farewelled by his congregation in Brooklyn on April 19. For the third successive ’year Mr James Roberts, Wellington, secretary of the New Zealand Waterside Workers’ Federation was elected national president of the New Zealand Labour Party at the conference of the party in Wellington yesterday. There were eight candidates for the office. This is the first occasion for many years on which one man has been elected national president for three successive years. Divisional area representatives on the national executive of the party were elected as follow: North Auckland area, Mr Boswell, M.P.; Auckland; Mr T. P. McCready; Bay of Plenty, Mr Hulquist, M.P.; Waikato. Mr R. Coulter, former M.P.; Taranaki, Mr W. J. Rogers; Wairarapa and Manawatu, Mr G. A. Hansen; Wellington and Hutt, Mr A. W. Croskery; West Coast (South Island), Mr A. H. McKane; North Canterbury, Mr John Roberts; MidCanterbury, Mr D. Barnes, former M.P.; Dunedin, Mr Neilson, M.P.; Southland, Mr W. K. Cameron.

News of the death of Dr. O. L. Eaton, of the Presbyterian missionJn Kongchuen, was received with deep regret in New Zealand. His passing is regarded as a severe blow to church work in China. Dr. Eaton, who was fatally shot by Chinese bandits, was 29 years of age. He was the elder son of the’ Rev. Clarence Eaton, of the Methodist Church, at present living in Palmerston North and formerly of Wellington and Christchurch.’ Dr Eaton was educated at Wellington Boys’ College, of which he was dux, and he secured' the highest marks in the University entrance examinations of his year. Alter an exceptionally successful career at the Medical School of the Otago University and two years as a resident house surgeon in- Dunedin hospital, Dr. Eaton volunteered for service with the New Zealand Presbyterian Church Mission in China and he went to that country two and a half years ago. He quickly mastered the language and was appointed to take charge of the Presbyterian hospital in Kongchuen, about 13 miles north of Canton, where he did excellent work. Toward the end of last year Miss Mary Mandeno, of Te Awamutu, who also attended Otago Universit/, went to China and she and Dr. Eaton were married there in December.