The Marlborough Express. PUBLISHED EVERY EVENING. Wednesday, December 18,1899. LOCAL & GENERAL NEWS.

Marlborough Express, Volume XXXIV, Issue 292, 13 December 1899, Page 2

The Marlborough Express. PUBLISHED EVERY EVENING. Wednesday, December 18, 1899. LOCAL & GENERAL NEWS.

Eddoational.— The Eduoation Board requires teaobers for tbe Deep Creek, Okaramio, and Wairau Valley schools. Meteorological.— Capt Edwin wires as follows :— " North-eait to north and west gale; glaes fall: sea heavy outside; tides high, and strong ebb tides m the Straits." Road Board Election.— An eleotion for a member of tbe Awatere Road Board, to fill au extraordinary vacancy for tbe Flaxbourne district, is to be held on the 4th January, 1890. Nominations must be made with tbe Returning Officer, (MrC J. W. Gr filths) on or before noon of the 22nd Deoember. GnßisTMts Season. — The well-known establishment of Mr G. M. MoEay is at present replete with a magnificent display of goods speoially imported for the Christmas B9BBon. Attention ib drawn to an advertisement m whioh Mr MoEay seta out speoial lines which are being sod obeap for caeb. The Bioqbaphe Comply.— Oar Eaikoura correspondent wires as follows :— " Huston Bros* Biographe Company showed here very successfully for two nights, patrons being thoroughly satisfied with the entertainments. Mr Foley is very olever and versatile.*' The Company appear m Blenheim on Friday evening. The Benwiok School.— Our Renwiok correspondent writes :— On aooount of the very dry season, pea pulling commenced earlier this year. The Bohool Committee, therefore, on the master's suggestion, dosed tbe school on Monday for six weeks' sum-* mer holidays. Cricket.— The following will represent the Wairau Club m its matob against Pioton on Saturday next:— Seniors (at Blenheim)— Griffiths, Prebblp, Gane, Eooles, Dunn, We'd, Bottrell, Fisb, Bimson, Miller, and Lusk. Juniors (at Pioton)— Connolly, Gibson, Griffiths, Rayner, G. MoShane, MoKay, Franoe, Green, Bull, Humphreys, and Fisher. Emergeaoiea : Men and Bartlett. A drag will loave for Pioton at 11 a.m. Bharp. White Bone - Handle RiveJ6d Desert Knives, 9d eaoh ; worth Is 6d.— U. Allan. Operatic. — The Operalio Society ocr tainly deserve a full honae for their performanoe on Thursday evening, if only because they leave no stone unturned to make their entertainment enjoyable to their patrons. The progrimme appears m another oolumD, and ib sufficient guarantee of a pleasant evenjngj but we may say that certain items will be especially interesting owing to theiy novelty, notably the glee " Dootor I'aul was a rare M.D," and the sixtette " Moonlight,' 1 wbiob ib assisted by an aooompaniment of castanets, triangle, and tambourine. White Bone • Handle Riveted Table Knives, lOJd eaobj worth 23 6d,—B, Allan.

\ Chabok3 on Flax.— AboUl four jears ago ' 'he Wellington Harbor board materially reduoed the wharfs ge and labor obargea on flu and tow, bat it finda that the oonoeaaion made was too great, and it has deoided to revert to rates at per bale instead of at per too, and to fix them between the present rates and those wbioh were m force ap to November, 1895. Thb Dbocoht— Tbe present Btrawberry season m Auokland is likely to prove one of the worst known. There has never before been so large an aoreage under berry as this year, and favorable weather wonld have made a difference of some thousands of poondß to the Birkenhead and Noriboote districts. Many plantations are already withering. Bain is urgently needed. Ir the Briiidh troops had been riding Raleigh ojoles at Ktormberg they would never have been taken prisoners.— Advt. Majob Scott- Tdrnbb. — The work of Mnjor Scott - Turner, who was mortally wounded m ihe oapture of a Boer laager at Kimberley a few days ago, had principally been m the native uprising? m Matabeleland, Maabonaland, and Bbodeeia. He was a Captain and Brevet Major m the " Boyal Highlanders (Black W:toh). but at the time of his death was employed by the B itish Sonth Afrioa Company Early m the siege of Eimberley he was mentioned as having galantly oonduoted a Buooessful sortie m conjunction wi'h Col. Robert H. Murray. Be was only 82 yeara old. SCO Bathing Trunk?, boys' and men's at 6d pair. — B. Ailan. Solid Nickel Silver T»« Spoonp, 3 J each ; worth 9d eaob.— R. Allan. A PoLiTiOAL Prophboy According to the Wellington correspondent of the Dunedin Star, Mr A. B. Atkinson, who pHpr^d into the House m the Prohibition in'erest, rose m bia wrath and prophesied that thrv will be soon another bye-eleotion. This is understood to refer, to Mr George Fisher, who is bitterly bated by the financial wolves of Wellington owing to bia having introduoed and strongly supported a Bill to abolish the private debt o >l!eatt d *ml extortionate squeezing agencies wbioh infest the Empire City. At the same time, this attempt to ruin Mr Fisher will, so far as I can learn, recoil on his mercenary, insatiable persecutors. Solid Niokel Silver Desert Spoons, 9d eaob ; worth Is 6d. — B. Allan. Solid Nickel Silver Table Spoons, Is eaoh ; worth 2a 61— R. Allan. A BiMiBKiBCiK Swim. — A remarkable swimming feat is reported from Samoa, While the s.s. Manapouri waß collecting oargo among the group one of the native laborers oarried by the vessel fell overboard. The natives sleep on deck, and it is supposed that he was rolled off into the sea early m tbe morning. The ocoarrenoe was not noticed till daylight, and it was then supposed that tbe man bad been drowned. However, when tbe s.s. Hauroto was off Manono Island her offioera were informed thai the man had reaohed tbe island after two days' swimming, and that his leg and arm were " siok," having been effeoted by oramp. Soli>i Niokel Silver Desert Forks, 10 Jl eaoh ; worth Is 91— B. Allan. Solid Niokel Silver Table Forks, Is 8d eaob ; worth 2 i 6d.— B. Allan. My Wifb's Maid.— This farce to be performed at Ewari's Hall on Thursday evening by tbe members of the Wairau Operatio Society oalls for more than ordinary mention. It is by that eminent author Thomas J. Williams, and was first produoed at tbe Boyal New Adelpbi Theatre, London, under the management of Mr Benjamin Webster. Later tbe world renowned " Toole " took up the part of Lyaimaobua Tootles, and played oontinnoaa'y for /a season of over one hundred nights. The plot is simple, but induoes the most absurd and laughable j situations possible. Mr Tootles, senr., father of Eyeimaohua, arranges with a Mrs Whiffhton that his son shall marry her daughter Luoinda* Neither are consulted, and they meet at a dinner party at Mrß Whiffleton's bouse. In order that the party shall go off m the best style, the hostess has borrowed her neighbor, Captain Crunober'e " Wife's Maid " Barbara. The latter is m the b»bit of wearing her miatresß'd beat dresßea. and so enoased had previously met Lyßimaohns at Battersea Park, where both, enohanted by tbe get up of the others, fell over bead and ears m love. Lysimaohus mistakes Barbara for a lady, descended from a long line of Norman ancestors, while she takes him for a member of Parlia. ment. Complications begin when they meet at Mrs Whiffl 'ton's house, the one as the acknowledged suitor of Luoinda, the other as tbe housemaid. The fun is increased by the fact of Tootles oonfiding his meeting with the lady at Batteraea Park to Captain Crunoher, and tbe latter believing her to ba his wife. Jealousy is followed by promises of vengeance, and while Tootles is endeavoring to make bis esoape Orunoher disoovers he has mistaken his wife's miid m her mistress's dress for Mrs Crunoher, and everything conoludea satisfactory. Tbe piece bristles with funny situations, and as it has been "well rehearsed and is really m good hands, the audience have no end of a good time m store for them on Thursday evening, Reserved seats may be obtained at Mrs Buabell's.