New Zealand’s High Commissioner arrives in England: Sir James Parr, High Commissioner for New Zealand in succession to Sir James Allen with Lady Parr and their two daughters on their arrival in London. Marie Elizabeth (Betty) Parr, future mother of the late Marshall Seifert jun, of Dunedin, is at right. Photo: Otago Witness, Issue 3775, July 20, 1926, Page 42. London, July 7: Miss Betty Parr, daughter of the High Commissioner for New Zealand, Sir James Parr, is now convalescent after an operation for appendicitis at Brighton, where she was at a boarding school. Miss Parr was stricken down on the morning of the day on which departing High Commissioner Sir James and Lady Allen gave their reception to her parents in London. The news that the operation had been successfully performed was received in time to permit the function to be carried out. Lady Parr pluckily refused to permit the fact of her daughter’s illness to be revealed to the other guests. Meat season winds up The South Otago and Burnside freezing works closed down for the season during this week, so that the fat sheep business in this district is likely to be much quieter from now on. During the past six months several thousand sheep and lambs have been fattened in the district and found their way to the freezing works. Though a fair percentage has been dealt with at the local works a large number has gone to the freezing works at Canterbury, while some have also been purchased by Southland freezer buyers. In consequence of the closing down of the works from 50 to 75 men will be thrown out of employment locally. The works at Finegand will probably re-open for a short period towards the end of July. No malice involved A sinister aspect has been removed from the circumstances surrounding the finding of Robert Johnstone at the corner of King and Frederick Streets on Sunday evening by his explanation of the mishap, which resulted in injuries to his stomach. It appears that a prize Persian cat was the unwitting cause of all the trouble. On arriving at his home in the evening he was told by his wife that the prize pet had not had its evening ration. Johnstone left the house with the intention of feeding the animal, and went to the wash-house, where the cat’s meat and the heavy knife for cutting it were kept. Johnstone had some difficulty in finding it, and he was compelled to scale the fence to retrieve his pet from his neighbour’s domain. The knife was evidently still in his hand, and when he fell from the fence he was impaled on the blade, which entered the abdomen. Mrs Johnstone knew nothing of the accident until after her husband had been admitted to the hospital. The knife generally used in cat feeding operations was nowhere to be seen, but a standby instrument was in the washhouse. Mrs Johnstone’s testimony as far as it relates to her husband’s movements outside the house is surmise, but it is confirmed by the injured man’s personal statement, and by the doctor’s examination of the wound suffered by his patient. Johnstone’s first thought after the accident was to make his way to the hospital and he must have over-rated his strength, as he collapsed just before reaching it. Johnstone is an engineer, 30 years of age. Though not dangerously ill, his condition, following his operation, is unchanged. Reconditioned The eight-ton generator which fell from a lorry into the Waipori Gorge whilst being taken from the power-house recently, has now been thoroughly reconditioned, and will shortly be shipped to Lake Waikaremoana, where it will be installed in the power station there. — ODT, 13.7.1926
