LOCAL AND GENERAL NEWS.

Marlborough Express, Volume XXVI, Issue 309, 14 November 1890, Page 2

LOCAL AND GENERAL NEWS.

■♦ Committee Meeting.— A meeting of T. L. Buick's Committee be held at eight o'clock this evening, to co;asid«r important business. A full attendance is requested. ; Matobal Election. — The burgess roll has ' been completed by the Town Clerk. It contai#s 434 names, and will be used for the forthcoming Mayoral election. Baseball. — Tfae cy^jtplnary weekly practice of the Baseball 6£ub w;ll be held to-morrow m Seymour Square' &£ thrjee o'clock. ' | The Picton Mayoralty.— Mr A- G. Fell ; hag been returned unopposed as Mayor of : Picton. We are glad to see that the residents of Picton recognise the sterling worth and administrative abilities of one wwo^ o always does bis best for the advancement: o £ the district m which he resideSj^^^Hgk

Presbyterian. — A general meeting of the members and adherents of the Presbyterian Church is to be held this evening to decide whether or not a start will be made with the new Church. Bank of N.S.W. Report.— The annual report of the Directors of the Bank of New South Wales appears m this issue. Its figures betoken more eloquently than any words of ours could do the unbroken success attaching to its career., Nelson- street Bridge. — On the 18th inßt., Mr J. Allen* R.M., will hold an inquiry m connestion with the maintenance of the Nelson-street Bridge, regarding which there is a dispute between the Borough Council and the Omaka Road Board. Political. — The supporters of Mr Macalister, the Liberal candidate for the Wairau seat, are requested to meet to-night m the office lately occupied by Mr Mead, the object of the meeting being to take steps to secure his return. The meeting will commence at eight o'clock. Warden's Court.— At the Warden.s Court to day Mr Conolly made an applica. tion on behalf of Mr A. G. Fell and another, representing the Sounds Antimony Company, for a mineral license. The application was granted by Mr J. Allen, Warden, subject to the approval of the Minister of Mines. I Presentation Bibles.— The friends and admirers of the Revs Ensor and Marshall, have subscribed for the purchase of two handsome bibles, which are to be presented to the candidates for holy orders, to mark an event that has not previously taken place m Blenheim. The bibles are at present m the hands of Mr Hustwick, who is superintending the presentation. Prospecting. — Several parties of diggers from Mahakipawa have recently wended their way to Devil's Creek,, a tributary of the Wakamarina River, where they are engaged m prospecting tor gold. Some excellent prospects have been discovered, but nothing to warrant a rush there; still those on the creek are hopeful of being able to bottom on payable ground shortly. A. and P. Show. — The whole of the judges for this year's Agricultural and Pastoral Show have not yet been appointed, but we are informed on reliable authority that Mr Wm. Craig, of. Wanganui, has consented to act as judge of the draught horses. No better selection could have been made, Mr Craig' having owned some of the ''eat horses ever taken to the North Island, including Sir William Wallace and Sir Robert Bruce. Inquest. — Yesterday morning an inquest was held at Mr Bell's residence, Waihopai, by Mr J. Allen, Coroner, on the body of the boy Charles Bremner. The principal witness was G. Daniels, who was with deceased at the time he attempted to cross the river. Witness saw Bremner struggling m the water, and endeavoured to reach him, but failed m the attempt. A verdict of accidentally drowned was returned. Tendees. — The following tenders were received by the Omaka Road Board to-day : — Hodson's culvert— S. Phillips (accepted), £45 8s ; H. G. Daikie, £52 ; Draper and Gosling, £48 19s. Forming Renwick, Alma Street— W. Carroll,. £9 9s ; J. Waters, £5 6b. Crafar and Co £10 53, W. Tapp (accepted) £3 11s. Gravelling Alma-street, Renwick : Casey. and Maher £1 7s, Higgins and Ricketts (accepted) 13s sd, Crafar and Co 13s 9d, W. Tapp 13s lid. Raging Conference.— At the Racing Conference held m Christchuroh last week, Dr Cleghorn represented the Marlborough Racing Club, and spoke m favor of Mr Clifford's motion, that the constitution of the New Zealand Jockey Club, as drafted at the Conference held m Wellington, be adopted. The motion was, however, withdrawn, and an amendment carried m favor of delaying the question till the next Conference is held m Wellington during the sitting of Parliament. R.M. Court.— At the R.M. Court this morning Michael Keilly was charged on the information of James O'Sullivan, of the Empire hotel, with damaging two panes of glass. He was fined £1, ordered to pay £2 5s the value of the glass, and 43 costs, or m default spend six- weeks m the Terrace gaol, Wellington. The only civil case D. O'Brien v. J. Higgins £37, claim for a horse, was adjourned till next Court day. Mr J. Allen, R M. occupied the benoh. Wakamarina Gorge. —Mr James, the Acting Manager of this claim, came into town to-day, and reports that the flood race has been cleured, and the work of lowering the bars below the tail race is now being proceeded with. When these works are completed, there is no reason, weather permitting, why active work should not be at once proceeded with. Applications for the managership of this mine are to hand, and the Legal Manager informs us that they will be placed before a meeting of directors m a few days. Maori Representative. — Mr Taiaroa, the well known footballer, a young man of 24 years, is at present canvassing amongst the Natives m this neighborhood. It was Mr Taiaroa's intention to have addressed the Maoris at the Wairau Pa on Monday last, but finding the most of these people had gone on, a planting expedition to Pelorus he went on to that place, and expects to return to Blenheim on Saturday. Mr Taiaroa stands m Liberal interests and is opposed by Mr Pratt. Humor, Pathos, and Poetry. — At the request of a number of residents, who desire to enjoy a hearty laugh, m conjunction with an elocutionary treat, Mr Thomas Bracken has consented to deliver his popular lecture on "Irish humor, pathos, and poetry," m Ewart's Hall to-morrow evening. The notice is very short, but as the hall is engaged next week, Mr Bracken was forced to make a " virtue of necessity." As an exponent of Irish humor and delineator of Irish character, Mr Bracken has no equal m the colony, while as a reciter he has earned a high reputation. Those who can make it convenient to attend his lecture to-morrow evening may expect an hour and a half's capital enjoyment. A synopsis of the lecture appears m our advertising columns. Wall Papers. — In the deoorator's art Mr Frank Paine, of Blenheim, is superior to many m the same line of business m very much larger towns. We have lately inspected several specimens of his handiwork which are without question the production of an artist, and yesterday had the opportunity of looking over one of the finest assortments of wall papers we have seen. The prices are lower than those ruling m the Empire City, where rates and rents are much higher, and Mr Paine should have no difficulty m getting quit of them. Those who are thinking of building, or re-paper< ing should pay his shop m Charles-street an early visit. . . Abt Needlework &c— Our lady readers will see from our advertising columns that Mr Pringle, of Wellington, will open- in Alfred street to-morrow, with an assortment of art needlework. The seleotion embraces a large quantify of novelties, and also various k£nds of embroidery, crewel, kaitting, agd ofcher silks. The balk of Mr Pringle' s stook will be open to-morrow for inspection, and a further instalment on arrival of first steamer from Wellington. Being a large direct importer of the above .goods, ladies will find it a pleasant task inspecting the various new styles, and also that a very considerable saving can be effected by purchasing from a wholesale .dealer. Hussar Encampment,— It is expected that some 45 or 46 members of the Marlborough Hussars will go into camp to-morrow night, on the A. and P. Show grounds, where Captain Dodson and his lieutenants have been engaged all day getting things m order. The canteen is entrusted to Mrs Tait, who will, doubtless, give satisfaction to all concerned. Mr Draper is to supply the meat, and other arrangements are .equally satisfactory. Gapt. Coleman is expected here by tho Waihi to-merrow, and I^t.-Col, Hume will, it is thought, be acroßS on Tuesday. The Church parade on Sunday will be conducted by the Rev. T. S. Grace, who holds the office of honorary chaplain to the Hussars. Farmers' Co-operative Assooation. — The Marlborough Farmers' Co-operative Association is not only an accomplished fact so far as registration of the Company goes, but jt hag commenced operations m the store formerly occupied by C. Sarp and Co., m Grove Road. Mr Meacl, the Manager for the Association Ijas laid m a stock of groceries, fencing wire, wool packs etc., and other lines are due m a few days. The Association intend to deal m most of the necessaries required by farmers, and they a#fci,cipate being able to do business on terms .equally a# advantageous as those offered 'by priVate individuals. The premises are well situated for a business of tile kind, and no doubt will prove thoroughly suitable. Mr Mead has transferred bis office to. the Coy's premises, and j may aow be found ;there.

Mb Bmcic'a Meetings.— On Wednesday evening Mr T. L. Buick addressed a ver\ successful meeting of electors at Tua Marina, the chair being occupied by Mi Burroughs. He explained at considerable length his views upon some of the, most important questions of the day, particular!; on taxation, and was listened to with evident approval. Mr Meighan proposed that the candidate be accorded a hearty vote of thanks and confidence, which, being duly seconded, was carried unanimously. Mr Buick also met the electors at Grovetown last evening, where he was received with every attention, his remarks being frequently applauded, especially when m advocating ballot reform, he condemned the present system of declaring the poll at country polling booths. In moving the vote of thanks to the candidate, Mr Bansom 3aid that everyone should feel proud of a young Hew Zealander who could acquit himself ao well. The motion having been seconded by Mr Gates, was put and carried amidst applause. A vote of thanks to the chair brought the meeting to a close. Comrades m Asms.— This is the title of the lecture the delivery of which by the Rev. F. Whitmore Isitt, the talented and popular orator, aroused such wide-spread enthusiasm m Nelson. On that occasion the theatre was packed by a delighted throng, while the local journals spoke m glowing terms of the lecturer's oratorical effort. Mr Isitt will re deliver his oration m Ewart's Hall on Tuesday, the 25th inst. A striking feature of the entertainment will be the rendering by local vocalists of ths famous battle songs of the Bepublio, the singing of which at the time exerted such a mighty influence on the results of the great civil war, which eventuated m. the preservation of the Union of the States, and the freedom of 4,000,000 slaves, which was declared by a stroke of old Abe's pen. Arrangements have been made with the proprietors of this journal for the issue of the songs and syllabus with the Express of Saturday the 22nd. These should be brought to the hall on the following Tuesday. The New Rival to Flax.— The London correspondent of the Argus writes: — "The marvellous development of sisal cultivation m the Bahamas has greatly impressed the United States Consul at Nassau. He predicts that the new industry which has been so earnestly fostered by His Excellency Sir Ambrose Shea, will prove the salvation of the islands. Already 6000 acres have been planted, and capitalists from Great Britain, Canada, Newfoundland and America are investing large sums of money. It is singular that the poorer and more sterile the soil the better the result, and the plants will flourish where ordinary vegetation seems impossible. It can be cultivated at little expense, while its value is substantial." A New Zealandxr's Adtentcbtss. — Melbourne Table Talk says :— " Mr Walter Palmer, who was robbed of a credit note for £200 on board the Union Steamship Company's Monowai about five weeks ago, has recovered the document. It was discovered m another passenger's berth, having been evidently placed there by the thief, who doubtless found a difficulty m negotiating it on account of Mr Palmer stopping payment by telegraphing from Williamstown to his bankers m Melbourne. Mr Palmer is a draper of South Dunedin, New Zealand, at present on a visit to Melbourne, after a residence of 29 years m Maoriland since the gold disoovery at tbe Gabriel's Gully goldfields. It was he who unearthed M'lntyre's nugget, m the year 1887, near Moliagul, Victoria. A Potato Famine m Ireland. — A correspondent of the Pall Mall Gazette has been travelling through Mayo gleaning som9 interesting particulars regarding the potato famine. As regards the condition of the tubers, the result pf his investigations is briefly summed up as follows : — Firstly, they are everywhere small— very often infinitesimal ; they are almost always soft and watery to the taste; m some places four, fifths, others two-thirds, and m others onehalf are quite rotten and useless ; and last, but not least, the blight is rapidly spreading over the rest. As an illustration of the first point, the correspondent mentions, the yield of a furrow m the most favourable land, which last year gave seven stone, and this year two stone, and the price has m consequence gone np from twopence to fiyepence. Indian meal has gone up proportionately. As to the cause of the blight there are inflicting opinions. One theory is that it is due to exhaustion of seed. The correspondent, however, met two farmers who imported entirely new eeed this year and yet lost all their crop. . He heard the blight attributed to various other causes— such as the indolence of the people, exhaustion of the soil, over-population, and the hand of Providence. The correspondent declares that he had never seen a peasantry work with more patience and perseverance on a more hopeless soil. His own opinion is that the visitation has been caused by a year of unceasing rain and early frost. This seems a common-sense view to take of the matter. Meanwhile all , who desire the welfare of the " most distressful country" m question will wish for the hastening of the day when her people will depend less upon the success or failure of one partiau. lar crop. The Wobld's Highest Spibe.-— The Cathedral of Ulm, m Germany, has just been completed, and with it the highest spire m the world. It has not been the work of a year, of a lifetime, or even of a century. Like the Duomo of Florence and the Cathedral of Cologne the Ulm Minster remained m an unfinished condition for hundreds of years. The first stone was laid m 1377, and the main building was finished m 1494. It was reserved, however, for the present year to witness the completion of the crown and glory of the work, m the shape of the magnificent spire, 530 feet high— lß feet above the Cologne towers, and the loftiest Cathedral spire m the world. The Cathedral takes range among the six finest Gothic Minsters of Germany, and is, after Cologne, the largest, being 485 ft long and 200 ft broad. There are a large number of bells m the tower, including the " wine bell," once rung nightly at 10 o'olock, for the purpose of calling the male population home from the taverns. The practice, we believe, has been discontinued, but whether because the male population have ceased to frequent the tayens, or because the cathedral bell has been found ineffectual to call them away from their potations, we are unable to say. Be this as it may the people of Ulm are very proud of their cathedral, and the completion of the spire has been celebrated with great rejoicings. Salvationists and Politics.— Among the [Regulations issued to the Salvation Army by General Booth, is one to the effect that they are not to take any part m politics, not even so far as voting. A contemporary hopes the members of the Army will not allow their allegiance to General Booth to override their patriotism and interfere with their social and national duties. When it becomes the duty of Christians, just because they are Christians, to refrain from taking part m politics, m the public management of affairs, the country will be m a pretty fix. The votes of all the best men are urgently required, i and if religion, even of the Army type, does not make a man better than he otherwise would be it is not worth a brass farthing. Rebellious Guards.— The Guards m Bermuda seem m every sense of the word to be exiles. According to a private letter of a correspondent m the service, the greatest discontent prevails among the, men at the way they are tteated, and there is every probability of a serious revolt. The correspondent, writing from Bermuda on August 20, says the authorities are very strict with the Guards. They are not permitted to leave Bowling Island, and consequently were confined within an area of half a square mile. There only recreation had been fishing. They are already tired of this, snd had "nothing m the world else to do." Already eight of the men were m the guard room for insubordination, and another " kick-out" was not at all unlikely. Another and later account, however, says the men are quite contented. The well-known firm of Hallenstein Bros and Co, known as the New Zealand Clothing Factory, have for years pushed the Colonial products, and fostered our New Zealand industries; they are still doing their best to place before the public good sound woollen tweeds, They pan boast of part success, and hope to still surpass previous efforts. Their special measuring business has obtained the highest praise, through giving a perfect fit, workmanship seldom equalled, and any style to suit the customer. New patterns fresh m every week. They give or cjevqte their whqle attention to the glo.thing business, alone. — AdvtTo Overcome Weakness. — Pepper's Quinine and Iron Tonio gives New Life, Appetitei Health, Strength. .Aftd-Energy.