LOCAL AND GENERAL NEWS.

Marlborough Express, Volume XXIV, Issue 139, 2 July 1888, Page 2

LOCAL AND GENERAL NEWS.

The Weather. — Capt. Edwin telegraphed at 2.40 p.m. : — West to south and south-east gale ; glass further rise."

Delay. — The delay m the completion of the Springlands Bridge contract is giving rise to a great deal of discontent m the district. It is to be hoped the Omaka Road Board will look into the matter.

Wakamarina River Claim. — Some gentlemen (among them some well known ex-politicians) interested m the Wakamarina mining district, were to have visited the place last week, but the visit is postponed for some days.

Band of Hope. — A Band of Hope meeting at Gibsontown was held on Friday night, Mr R. Harker presiding. Recitations, readings, and musical selections were given and one member was admitted. The proceedings were very successful, andnot a little of the success<(*ras due to the presence of Mr C. White, of Onamalutu. An extraordinary meeting will be held next time.

Relapse. — Mr C. Brown, Postmaster at Grove, who was just recovering from an attack of illness, had a relapse on Saturday while on his way from Mahaldpawa to Havelock. He was taken to Mr Reader's hotel, and placed under the treatment of DrDrury. His many friends wish him a speedy recovery.

Fibe. — A building m. Bridge Street leading off Grove Road was nearly burned down on Saturday evening, at eight o'clock. It was the property of Mr H. Ball and was until lately occupied by Mr Sowman. It was empty at the time of the fire. Messrs Canavan, Jollyman and Collins living close at hand were quickly on the spot and poured buckets full of water on the flames and thus averted a more serious fire. Combustion began between the lean-to and the main building No information is available as to the origin. The insurance was £150 m the Standard Office, and about £10 worth of damage was done. ' .

Cable Intebeuption. — The Telegraph Department received information on Saturday that the Banjoewangi cables failed suddenly at 10 p.m. on Friday night (Singapore time.) This interruption isolates the Australian Colonies from the rest of the world, so far as cable news goes. Banjoewangi, or Baryoewangi, is m Java and thence a cable goes to Port Darwin (Queensland.)

The Rink. — A novelty, m the shape of a candle race, is announced for to-morrow evening. This very diverting business will be viewed by the public on payment of a small charge. Over 20 entries have been received already. At the conclusion of the race the prizes will be distributed by Mr J. Kirby, at the request of the management.

Customs Duties. — The Customs duties collected at the Port of Wairau during the month of June amounted to £675 5s Id and the beer duty to £62 16s 3d. The duties collected during the quarter ended June 30 were Customs £2054 0s sd, Beer £224 8s 2d. For the corresponding quarter of last year the respective amounts were £1878 8s 8d and L 221 13s 3d*

Vital Statistics.— The vital statistics for June are as follows :- Births and deaths m the Borough of Blenheim and m the remainder of the district respectively 7,9 ; 3,4. ' There were 9 marriages, lin the Roman Catholic Church, 1 m the Church of England, 3 m the Presbyterian Church and 4 by the Registrar.

Tendebs. — Capt. Dalton, Koromiko invites tenders (up to 9th inst) for felling 58 acres of bush. —The following tenders have been received by Mr Douslin : — For " the building of Mr McLaughlan's villa : J. Aston £725 10s, R. Dixon £802, D. Wemyss £830 10s, J. Bythell £897, Brewer and Hay £898. For additions to Panama House : Brewer and Hay (accepted) £116, Aston £120, Wemyss £123 10s, Howard £126, Peddie £i 31 13s, Dixon £140. For building .the Marlborough Club, Mr Huddleston (architect) received the following tenders: — James Malcolm (accepted) £676, Brewer and Hay £698, Joseph Aston £715, Peter Conriell £748 155, Sinclair and Campbell £794, H. Honnor £812 10s, Peddie and Co £823.

. Mablbobough Land Boabd. — A meeting of the Board was held to-day ; present Messrs Clark (Commissioner), E. Paul, G. Dodson. The Chief Surveyor's report was read and tenders for cutting flax were received: O. O'Sullivan £10 per annum, John O'Leary £7 7s 6d, D. Thompson & Co. £5 ss. Mr O' Sullivan's tender was accepted. Correspondence of a routine character was received from Government. Adams and Folster applied for certain land m the neighbourhood of Wakamarina District. The Clerk was instructed to reply that on a petition of the miners, the land had been withdrawn from sale, pending the report of the Warden as to whether it is auriferous. A timber license was issued to Evan Jones. After transacting formal business the Board adjourned.

/ Kaituna Rifle Club. — The Kaituna Rifle Club is now fairly established, and numbers 14 members. At a general meeting, the following were elected officers for the present year : Mr J. A. Lambert President, Mr Rees Soper (Vice-President,) Mr John Malier Treasurer, Mr B. Lawson Secretary, Mr M. Maher Custodian. The Club met for their first practice on the 9th inst ; when the President and Vice-Presi-dent chose sides for a friendly match. Victory fell to the President's side by 34 j points. The respective Captains . main, tamed their positions m a proper way by heading the score on each side. At the conclusion, the President read a letter from the Hon Major Baillie forwarding receipts for rifles r ammunition etc., and expressing his best wishes for theprosperity of the Club. Mr Lambert said every member must feel deeply indebted to Major Baillie for his kindness m offering to select, purchase and forward their rifles which were undoubtedly good ones ; and the least they could do would be to pass a vote of thanks and give three hearty .cheers for the gallant Major, who had so willingly assisted them, Three cheers were given for Major Bailile. The return match was fired on the 2nd inst., m which more than usual interest was centred ; as the Vice President, who is an enthusiast m this kind of sport, announced that a silver tea set would be presented to tbe highest scorer. As was expected the average Sflpre was much higher than on the first occasion. The Vice-President's side proved victorious by 12 gqints. ajid Mr G. Barclay carried off the ' prize ef the day. .The President m presenting the pri?e to ihe winner, said h,e had much pleasure m Iwuiing pve.r sp valuable a gift; and trusted that ho would preserve it as amemento of his connection with the club and of his first day's successful competition, to be followed, he hoped by many others. Three cheers were called for £hg donor, and heartily given. Mr Sopei-| ih wply, S»id he was very glad indeed fo' hfiy.§ bjgn the means of bringing the member's 'together i}.nd affording such excellent competition. 'He was much pleased with the uniform imgroygment m the shooting. He would now &all for three pheers for Messrs Smale and Hay, who had pißs^ntet} a beautiful silk neck handkerchief i,q be shot f.qv by the young ladies. lie would cajl f p.r three cheers for the winner, Mies 13 Ar Lambert, who he remarked had nobly won It ; haying jjiiade the very respectable score of 14 m 5 shots at 2pp yds. These were given, as also were cheers for ihe respective Captains.

Laxd Nationalisation.— At the annual meeting of the Land Nationalisation Soci ety on the Bth inst., an interesting letter was read from Sir llobert Stout, cordially supporting the objects of the society.

Entertainment.— We /learn from our Havelock correspondent/ that there was a good attendance at the schoolroom, at Canvastown, on Saturday evening, to hear Mr Howard's readings. The subjects were "Dora," by Tennyson, "How we beat the favorite," "The first settler's story," "Mr Fisher's bereavement," " Major Namby," and " Curtain lecture." The entertainment given m Havelock on Friday was m aid of the children's school library, not the hospital.

Awatebe Road Boaed. — An ordinary meeting of the Board was held to-day ; present Messrs Vavasour (chairman), Hall and Taylor. The action of Messrs Vavasour and Hall m passing vouchers and signing cheques was approved and confirmed. The next meeting of the Board was adjourned to August 13, tenders for keeping the road lines to be received by then. The Inspector was instructed to repair the bridge from Willie- wa point to the Flag at a convenient time, also metal the Richmond Brook cutting. The Board regretted being unable (owing to want of funds) to assist Mr Low's m making cuttings to his out-stations, the Guide Dillon, &o. Tenders for lowering the reserve cutting were opened as follows : — E. Maddock £50 ; J. Mitchell £46, D. Ryan £45, H. Ellis £44, T. Wright and J. Booth £43 18s, J. O'Leary £43 10s. The tender of Mr J. O'Leary was accepted. It was resolved to strike a rate of f d m the £ at next meeting, to be m force from April Ist, 1888, to March 31st, 1889. Accounts were passed for payment as follows : — J. Falvey, £13 2s 6d ; O. Martin, £5 3s, £13 ss, and £6 16s ; J. McGovern, £6 3s ; J. Lyford, £5 ; W. Newport, £5 16s ; J. Riley 6s; Arnold, 6s ; Andrellßros.,£lo ; A. MoMaster, £13 ; printing and advertising, £1 14s ; A. Rogers, £1 4s ; Fell Bros., 10s sd ; sundries, 16s ; Returning Officer, £2 2s; Hospital rate, £61 10s lOd; Licensing expenses, £5 4s 3d. The Board then rose. Mr John Cawte, jun., is the member newly "elected for the Upper Awatere riding of this road district. •

Swell Deessmakebs. — The Augustus Loftus's seem likely to do well as dressmakers. The society papers are unanimous that the two prettiest dresses at Wednesday's Drawing Room were from " Madame Victoire's."

The Peopebty Tax.— Mr Stevens laid on tbe table of the Legislative Council, on Friday, the following return, asked for by Mr Miller: — Estimate of increased property tax revenue, which would have been receivable during the past financial year, if exemption had only excluded from the tax persons owning £100 worth of propriety, L 89,000 ; estimate of private income, for the same period, not arising from property tax, excluding all incomes under £150, £2,800,000.

A Failube. — Miss Menk-Meyer, the ambitious young Australian lady who recently gave a pianoforte recital at the Prince's Hall (London) came to sad grief. The audience were rightly indignant at being inveigled into paying 5s for an immature school-girlish exhibition, and most people left the hall after the first two pieces. Miss Meyer seems a pretty intelligent girl, but her playing is not even up to drawing room level. A severe critic observes that the fact of Miss Meyer| having been thought ,a phenomenon m the colonies does not give one a particularly lofty notion of Antipodean culture m musical matters.

A Habd Case. — At the RM. Court Timaru the other day a young man William Waters by name who has been bound over to appear as a witness m a criminal case at the next Supreme Court sessions at Oamaru, was charged with attempting to leave the colony. He had shipped at Oamaru as assistant steward on the Fifeshire and was arrested here, on an urgent telegram. He admitted he was the person referred to, but asked what he was to do. He could get no work m Oamaru or Dunedin, and it was three months yet to the session. The bench told him they could not help it ; he could not leave, the .colony, and must be sent back to Oamaru. He was remanded accordingly, and his things ordered to be got off the steamer. ■

The Ideal Society.— The following are the Closing sentences of Mr Matthew Arnold's last published article, a review m the Nineteenth Century of some features of American civilisation :— " I have mentioned evangelical Protestantism. There is a text which evangelical Protestantism — for that matter Catholicism too — translates wrong and takes m sense too narrow. The text is that well-known one — ■ f Except a man be born again he cannot see the kingdom of God." Instead of again, we ought to translate from above ; and instead of taking the kingdom of God m the sense of a life m heaven above, we ought to take it, as its speaker meant it, m the sense of the reign of saints, a renovated and perfected human society on earth, the ideal society of the future. In the life of such a society, m the life from above, the life born of inspiration or the spirit — m that I feel elevation and beauty are not everything ; but they are much, and they are indispensible. Humanity cannot reach its ideal while it lacks them — ' Except a man be born from above, he cannot have part m the society of the future.' "

Profit $1,200. — "To sum it up, six long years of bed-ridden sickness, costing $200 per yesar, total $1,200. All of this expense was stopped by three bottles of Dr Soule's American Hop Bitters, taken by my wife. She has done her own housework for a year since, without the loss of a day 1 , and I want everybody to know its for their benefit." "N. E. Farmer."