100 YEARS AGO

Increase, not counting Maori

In the Government statistician’s returns for July the population of New Zealand is estimated at 1,248,216 (exclusive of Maoris, who numbered 52,571 at the 1921 census), against 1,217,722 in the same month last year.

Kindly, genial woman dies

Mrs James Logan, an old resident of Dunedin, passed away at Palmerston a few days ago.

She was a typical Scotswoman, largehearted and of a genial disposition, whose kindly manner had won for her many friends.

She died at the ripe age of 86 years. Her husband, who predeceased her by several years, was related to the

Logan family, prominent in this city some 40 years ago.

Iwi sends taonga to bride

Before leaving New Zealand, Sir Francis Dillon Bell bad occasion to open a new meeting house of the Arawa tribe, near Rotorua. It was the day after the wedding of Princess Mary to Viscount Lascelles, and the Arawas requested the Attorneygeneral to convoy a present to the Princess.

This was a beautiful greenstone earring, a very precious tribal heirloom.

Sir Francis said he would see that the gift was duly presented to her Royal Highness.

The Arawas wrote to the Princess and this week (writes our London correspondent on July 7), Sir Francis Bell received a command to attend at Chesterfield House.

The precious trinket is contained in a handsome box, and a roll of parchment which occupies the greater portion of the case sets out the history of the heirloom.

Princess Mary, who with Lady Joan Mulholland received Sir Francis, displayed very great interest in the present, and requested the bearer to convey her thanks to the Maori donors. In the meantime she is addressing a letter to the New Zealand Prime Minister to be forwarded to the Arawa people.

Presbyterian minister defrocked

A special meeting of the Dunedin Presbytery was held at First Church, the Moderator (the Rev W. Fairlie Evans) presiding. The presbytery considered in private the case of Edward Andrew Axelsen and unanimously adopted the following resolution: “Whereas E.A. Axelsen, having acknowledged by letter to the presbytery that he was guilty of indecent acts of conduct, and having

plead guilty of the indecent acts with which he was charged in the Supreme Court, and being now in prison under sentence of the said court, the presbytery, without citation, resolves to depose him from the ministry, and to suspend him from the sealing ordinances of the Church, in accordance with the Word of God and with the rules of the Church.”

The following additional motion was then adopted unanimously: “This stop the presbytery takes in sorrow under a compelling sense of duty to our Lord Jesus Christ. The members of presbytery commend their brother to the infinite mercy of God. They pray that in true penitence he may receive the forgiveness of his sins and that ere long he may be restored to Christian fellowship.”

Revs Dr Cameron and Tulloch Yuille were appointed specially to keep in touch with the deposed minister and to care for him with a view to his restoration to church fellowship.— ODT, 15.8.1922