NEWS & NOTES.

Marlborough Express, Volume XXXII, Issue 68, 22 March 1897, Page 1

NEWS & NOTES.

The Choral Sociefy propose to repiocluce "lolantbe" on the night of April the lar, the 6econd day of the racPß. On Saturday the Oommittee ofjjthe Marlborough Racing Club accepted the tender of Mr D. Draper, £17 10a for the inside publican's booth, with dining room, at the races ; and that of Mr J. Main, £10, foi the outside booth. At the meeting on Saturday the Picton Road Board received a letter from the Department of Lands and Survey, ashing what sums of money, to be plaoed on the Estimates, were required for roads and bridges for 1897-98. The B">ard resolved to reply as follows ;— To raise low lying portions of main road round the swamp £100, also the hollow wear Mrs Morrin's and Flax HoJlow £150; Kaituna-Tua Marina road £150 ; Waikakaho £200 ; Wairau Reserve to Pilot Station, formation and bridge £250 ; Massacre Hill to railway crossing, raising, £iOO ; Percber's road, formation and metalling £300 : Speed's Valley, opening up.for settlement £lfio. All the members of the Picfcon Road Board wore present at ih? monthly meeting held on Saturday. A letter was received from the Mines Depert* ment m answer to the application of the Board for authority to expend £100 voted for the bridge on the KaitunaTua Murina road to the improvement of tbe icad between the Tua Marina road and thet at Waikikabo. The Department Btated that the application could not be granted, as it would not be right to divert a specific vote for a bridge to any other purpose ; and that if tbe road lequired repairing a subsidy of £50 would be authorised by the Minister on 'an fquil amount being provided by the Board. Consideration of tbe letter was deferred till next meetJng. JEL C. Campbell was granted a renewal of his slaughtering license. Mr Robinson was given permission to dig a drain alongside the road near bis house, the metal to be thrown on the rocd. The Lands Department notified that there was due to tho Board the sum of £8 13* 3d, tbe total amount of "thirds" accrued from the various runs m the Board's district. It was resolved that tbe amount from run 4 be expended on the Bridle Track ; that from run 52 on the main road at the Elevation : run 23, at Para ; run 41, on the main road near Randall's ; run 81, as near to the run as possible. Mr Burnett was appointed rate collector from tbe date of Mr Baillie's resignation. Messrs Nesl and Thomas wrote ia reference to the drain pipeß across tbe railway m Pine Hollow, fronting their lands, which they wished to have lowered. It was resolved to forward the letter to the Manager of the local railway, with a recommendation for favorable consideration. Tbe question of exchanging roads leading to Speed's Valley was deferred till next meeting. Tbe Inspsctor was empowered to employ a man for two days on the Waikakaho road ; and instructed to put metal, instead of rocks, m the ruts along the new metalling. It was resolved to pay Mr C. White 15s for the timber on the White's Bay Road. Aocounts amounting to .£47 were passed for payment. The following motion by the delegate J of the Port Chalmers Rowing Club will come before the meeting of the New Zealand Amateur Rowing Association to be held at Ficton on the Saturday before Easter i — '• With the view of encouraging intercolonial rowing, a discussion be taken with the object of sending a crew over to Australia at a date to be decided and agreed upon by the various associations ; or for the purpose of getting Australians to visit us at our annual regatta." It is the iutention of the delegate of the Chrißtchurch Union Rowing Club to move at the same meeting that the Championship Regatta should be held not later than March 17th. Messrs B. Provo, of Dunedin, and R. A. Palamountain, of Petone, will agaio. apply for reinstatement as amateurs. The Hon J. G. Ward writes as follows to the Hawke's Bay Herald of Thursday — "Sir, — l very much regret that there Bhould be any necessity for me to refer to private matters through the pres^ but as an attack has been looally made upon my mother and myself, and also telegraped by the representative of the evening paper here throughout the colony, this course is rendered imperative, and I dosire to say that I was not aware until after 1 p.m. yesterday that tbe Mrßarron alleged to be my stepfather was, and had been, the recipient of charitable aid m tbe local Refuge. Upon learning of the matter I at once decided to come here and personally investigate it, and I arrived with that object to-night. I little contemplated, and I venture to say that tbe strongest Parliamentary foes I have m the country did not either, that it would have ever become necessary to publicly discuss anyone's mother's private and family nutters m the press. If the Mr Barrou referred to should prove to be my step-father I will do what is right, but I should like to say that for upwurds of 30 years neither my mother uor myself knew or heard anything of his whereabouts, and as a matter of fact, for a great many years past we have reason to believe him dead. I do uot couaider it at present uecsssary to enter turther upon this private matter beyond saying that there are fortunately many families still liviug m the South who know the circumstances of more than 30 years ago better than J, who was then but a chid, &nd they will bear me out iv saying that no blemish ever rested on my mother m counection \\ ith her domestic life, and the only regret I'have is that owing to the actiou of some cowardly iuffiau here 1 am called upon to bring her domestic affairs before the public to defend a position of wbich neither she nor I was aware, aud which, ,ev<?ry ftiiruiinded persou will admit, should have been brought to our notica iv a very different manner. The unnecessary dragging of my mother's name into print on this matter makes me feel more embittered iuu&uiuch as she has for the last eigbt months been m delioato and declining health."