Mr. Robert W. Hood, Proprietor of Jollie's Pass Hotel, and Hanmer Lodge, was born in County Tyrone, Ireland, in 1853. At the age of three years he was brought to New Zealand by his parents, who settled in Auckland, until going to Adelaide in 1859. After four years in Australia they removed to Tasmania, where Mr. Hood received his education, and engaged in gold digging and farmwork. Mr. Hood was for four years at Ballarat, where he was very successful. In 1875 he came to Dunedin, and worked as a carrier between that city and Queens-town for two years, and subsequently started hotelkeeping at Pigroot. He has since had hotels at Timaru and Gerardine. In 1895 Mr. Hood took over Jollie's Past Hotel, and three years later bad the Hanmer Lodge built. He also has a farm of 1000 acres, which carries a flock of crossbreds. Mr. Hood has been prominent in racing circles, particularly in trotting races at Timaru and Geraldine, where he owned a number of valuable horses. At Geraldine he had charge of the construction of the cycling track, which was yerv successfully finished under has supervision. Mr. Hood was married, in 1897, to a daughter of Mr. George Currie, of Naseby, Otago, and has two sons and four daughters.