Appointments to the Legislative Council

New Zealand Tablet, Volume XXXV, Issue 5, 31 January 1907, Page 24

Appointments to the Legislative Council

At a public gathering in Wellington on Thursday night _ the Prenfier announced that the Governor acting on the advice of the Executive, had made ' fourteen appointments to tile Legislative Council, among these being Mr. J. B. Callan, barrister, Dunedin, and ' Mr. R. A. Loughnau, journalist, Wellington. The Hon. J. B. Callan' is the second son of the late Dr. J. B. Callan, of Dublin, and was born -in 1844. He left Ireland for Melbourne in 1859, and entered the Victorian Civil Service" in 1862. During the time he was in the Civil Service he went to the Melbourne University, and took the degrees of B.A. and LL.B. He was admitted to the Bar of the Victorian Supreme Court in 1876, aud resigned from the Civil Service the same year. He came to Dunedin in January, 1877, and entered the law offices of the late firm of Macassey and Kettle. He started business as solicitor in Dunedin in June, 1877, and entered into partnership with Mr. J. M. "Gallaway in 1883,' under the style of Callan and Gallaway, and retired from business in December last year in favor of his son. During the Russian scare of 1885 he raised a corps of Irish Rifles, and was promoted to the rank of major in 1887, and to the rank of lieutenant-col-onel and commander of the Otago Infantry Battalion in 1895, being placed on the retired list at his own request in 1896. He was* elected to a seat on. ihe Dunedin Licensing Bench in 1889 and again in 1890, and during the latter year, was elected chairman ' of the bench. lie has taken an active part in the various parliamentary unions established in Dunedin from, time to lime, filled the position of Speaker of two of them, his strict impartiality having been universally recognised. Very few men in the Colony haye ' a sounder acquaintance with parliamentary procedure and the Standing Orders' than himself. It may interest our readers 1o know that the Hon. Mr. Callan's father was a personal friend and physician of -• Daniel O'Connell in Dublin, and that Mr." Callan. 'himself was closely connected with the late iSir Charles Gavati Duffy. The Hon. Mr. Callan has looked after the commercial interests of the ' N.Z. Tablet ' Company as chairman of directors, for a period of 28 years. Since his appointment the Hon. Mr. Callan has been the recipient of a large number of congratulatory, messages from all parts of the Colony, and even irom the Commonwealth. The Hon. Robert A; Loughnan was born in Dacca, Bengal province, and- educated 'in France, at Stonyhurst College, England, and at. the Catholic University of Dublin. His earlier years in the colonies were spent in pastoral pursuits on the Murrumbidgee, New South Wales. He came to New Zealand in December 1865, and bought Mount Pisa Station,-- near Cromwell' in Central Otago, where he remained as partner' and manager for several years. Subsequently he took the management of the" Green Island Meat Preserving Works. In 1874 Mr. Loughnan began to write for the ' Otago Daily Times,' of which he became "musical critic. His works attracted the attention of the proprietors of the * Lyttelton Times,' who on -the first opportunity appointed him editor of their paper. This was in January, .1875. He -retained this 'position un*til 1889. He then accepted the editorship ot-the ' Catholic Times,' Wellington. In 1890, ..when Captain Baldwin acquired the ' New- Zealand Times,' Mr. Loughnan joined him as .editor.' "Mr. Loughnan has acornprehensive knowledge of public affairs, and wields a facile pen, L<is journalistic work being distinguished for its polish and high literary style. .

"A gentleman of -no small experience in agricultural affairs assures the ' Oamaru Mail.' that the yield of wheat over the whole Canterbury province will exceed 30 bushels to the acre, as there are some very fine crops to be found here and there. The oats " are much poorer, and .will probably average little 'more lhan the- wheat. .. "