LOCAL & GENERAL NEWS.

Marlborough Express, Volume XXXVI, Issue 84, 11 April 1902, Page 2

LOCAL & GENERAL NEWS.

Mails. —Colonial mails from Mcli bourne on March sth arrived at London on the 6tU insfc.

Tenders. —The Picton Road Board require tenders for road formation at Marshlands. Meteorological.—Captain Edwin wired at 1 p.ra. A3 follows: —'' Northeast to east and southeast gale, glares fall soon, tides high, sea heavy ; indications for heavy I'ain." Easter. Sale. —Mr J. Morris, of the Cash Boot Mart, announces the last; week of the great Easter sale at his establishment. Bargains in boots and shoes, and discounts on all purchases can only be obtained up till Saturday, 19th instant. New Goods. —Mr F. Mullen, of Nonparicl House, has an alteration to hi.s advertisement in this issue, in which he announces the arrival of his autumn and winter and sets forth 'A number of leading lines to be obtained at his establishment. Stock. Sale. —Messrs Griffiths and Son's stock salo to-morrow at the Charles Street yards includes in addition to stock previously mentioned, 50 half-bred two-tooth ewes, nearly fat, and a line four-year-old mare by Pirate. Pjen'ny Postace.—-The returns arc not yet made up .showing definitely the result of the full year's operations of the penny postage system, but it is anticipated that the loss on account of the innovation will not bo half that officially anticipated when the system was inaugurated. Coronation Contingent. — Sergt. E. Tiobiuson, who served in South Africa with the Second New Zealand Contingent, has been accepted as a member of the Coronation Contingent, He has to report at Addiugton camp, Christchurch, on Wednesday. Horticultural Society.—At a meeting of the Committee of the local Horticultural Society, held last evening, arrangements in. connection with the forthcoming Chrysanthemum Show were further advanced. Judges, stewards, and staging committee were appointed, and a subcommittee set up to arrange details in connection with the afternoon tea—at this function an additional attraction will be pianola selections. It was reported that active rehearsals for the tableaux entertainment at night were being held. Taken altogether, things look very promising for a successful show. It may be mentioned that a beautiful collection of cactus dahlias were placed on the Committee table by Mrs J. H. Aberhart. This is au innovation which might with advantage be followed at future meeting's, The Premier. —" We attended the presentation to the Premier at Christchurch on Tuesday evening," said Mr Outtrim, the Chairman of the Victorian Labor Commission, to a Wellington re porter, "and we were very much struck and delighted with his speech. There is no doubt about it that your Premier is tho first statesman of Australasia. You can't get out of that. You ought to be proud and delighted to have such a broad-minded and goahead man at the head of affairs. He iias acted throughout with promptitude and decision, and as one having an intimate understanding of the people with the administration of whose affairs he has been entrusted. Whilst others dallied and were undecided he came out boldly and said: 'We have sent you six thousand soldiers; you can iiave sixteen thousand if you like.' Wo are all of us politicians, and as politicians are public speakers, of course, but Mr Seddon is a statesman, and we are very delighted with his utterances. Therefore it gave us all the more pleasure to make his acquaintance, and to wish him all sorts of good things in connection with his visit Home." Magistrate's Court. —The business transacted this morning at the Magistrate's Court was as follows:—J. H. Hutt v. J. Blanco, claim for £oi 2s Bd. Mr McCallura appeared for plaintiff, and Mr McNab for defendant. Judgment was entered by consent for the amount claimed, with Court costs £2 ■in. plaintiff granting time for payment on being given a first mortgage over the property as security. T. and W. Young and others v. J. Youngman, Mr McCallura for plaintiffs and Mr Baillie for defendant, was adjourned for a week by arrangement between counsel to permit of the case being compromised. E. F. Thorns v. W. LitehLitchfleld, claim for £4 8s for wages for services. Mr McNab, instructed by Mr McCallum, appeared for plaintiff, and called Mrs Litchfield, wife of defendant, who said on January 13th she engaged plaintiff at 8s per week as servant and she remained until March 31st. Cross - examined : I own part of the property at Springlands, and hold a second mortgage over the balance. Mrs Thorns, mother of plaintiff, said defendant on being asked for payment referred her to Mrs Litchbeld, and Later on wrote her a letter to the effect that he did not engage the girl and was not liable for payment, and that Mrs Litchfield must be looked to for the wages. Defendant said his wife engaged the girl. He had no interest in the property, which belonged to his wife. E. F. Thorns, plaintiff, was called by defendant, and said he had spoken to her on the matter of wages and told her she must look to his wife for wages, as he was unable to pay. Mr McNab said defendant had taken no action to make it known he was not liable for debts incurred by his wife. His Worship said the case had better not have been brought to Court. If, as soon as the girl came to service, defendant had sent plaintiff's mother the letter he wrote after the girl had left the house, the case would have .stood in a different light. Under the circumstances he must give judgment for the amount claimed and Court costs Bs, witness expenses ss, and solicitor's fee £1 Is. Da mage to Crops.—The bad weather which prevailed in the South during harvest time did a great deal more damage to the crops that was at the time realised in other parts of the colony. The grain was thoroughly soddoned with rain before it could be harvested. Then followed the floods, which did further damage. The result is that the amount of wheat available for the local consumer will be smaller this year than usual, ami the quality will be below the usual average. In sympathy with the realisation of this state of things, and with tho fact that the Australian harvest is not likely to prove a very good one, prices of flour have risen rapidly. On Friday night last the pi'ice was £S 10s per ton f.o.b. in Lyttelton. On the following morning it had risen to £9, and on Wednesday it was increased to £10. Messrs D. W. Virtue, the Wellington representatives of the New Zealand Flourmillers' Association, predict a further rise in prices. Amusing.—la connection with the February frosts in England, a correspondent mentions an incident which shows how little people in England even yet know about some things. A New Zealand girl in London, who had never witnessed skating, was telling an English girl-friend how much she was interested to see it for the first time. "Bat," said the English girl, " surely you must have seen it in New Zealand?" "Oh, no," replied the New Zealand girl, "wo never have any ice there worth speaking of." "Dear me!" exclaimed tho other in amazement, " how funny! Why I thought that Now Zealand was the place where all the frozen meat comes from" ! ! ! Novfir/riES. —We have just landed, ex Gothic, from London, a good assortment of Children's Tunics and Dresses, trimmed with braids and furs, with Bonnets to match each one. Smale p»d Hay, Loncloa House,