LOCAL & GENERAL NEWS.

Marlborough Express, Volume XXXVII, Issue 88, 16 April 1903, Page 2

LOCAL & GENERAL NEWS.

School Cadets.—Major Loveday, organising officer of the School Cadet Corps, reports that there are 8000 boys under arms as cadets in the colony.

Football. —Tho annual meeting of the Wairau Football Club will be held on Saturday evening next at the Club Hotel. ■

The Governor. —Lord and Lady Ranfurly and family are to reside in Auckland from next week until about the end of May.

W.C.T.U.—Members are reminded of the monthly meeting of the above ; which will be held in Wesley Hall tomorrow afternoon, Friday, at three o'clock.

Meteorological.—Captain Edwin wires as follows at noon: " Strong winds to gale from between north and west and south-west, glass rise, tides good."

Awatere Road Board. —In this issue the Returning Officer for_ the Awatere Boad Board makes notification concerning the annual election for that Board. Tho retiring members are Messrs S.M. Neville, E. S. Rutherford and F. H. Richmond.

The Sargood Estate. —The purchase of Rippon Lea, the residence of the lace Sir Frederick Sargood, as a State Government House, is being considered by the members of the Victorian Ministry. It is reported that Rippon Lea is valued for probate purposes at £22,500.

Mineral Waters.—A high testimonial to the virtues of the waters of Te Aroha is paid by Dr. Schwarzbach, a present visitor to the colony. He says that he considers the waters there superior to the waters of Eras or Wiesbaden, both of which he knows well from personal experience and observation.

Reported Settlement of Boers in America,—lt is asserted by the industrial agent of one of the large railroad lines (writes the Chicago correspondent of the Otago Daily Times) that 200,000 acres of land have been purchased in Southwest Texas for the Boers, a great number of whom will move there with their families. It is stated that fully 20,000 Boer families are awaiting the result of the investigations, and will leave Africa at once. The Southern Pacific road, along whose lines the. colony will be located, expect to assist the Boers in their initial efforts to raise rice and tobacco in the new country. It is possible that other colonies will be started by other roads.

Food Supplies.—The London correspondent of the Pastoralists' Review wrote recently:—" The Imperial Food Supplies Company, capital £1,000,000, has interest for Australasia. It looks like being a big thing, if floated— likely to alter existing methods of the handling of food supplies. It is intended to erect cold storage at thirty important provincial centres, and appoint Local Boards of Advice at those points. As I understand it, capital for the enterprise is sought to be secured from places where stores are to be built. Messrs Geddes, Hotson, Sandeman, and Sir Horace Tozer are spoken of as likely to be on the Board. It was difficult to get permission to use the word * Imperial,' but the difficulty was got over. I fancy there may be some obstacle in the direction of competition from existing cold stores, but the idea is obviously good and welcome to Britons."

The King at Bridge.—lv his latest London letter to the Sydney Morning Herald, Mr H. W. Lucy, commenting on the rage for bridge, says that the King is an illustrious enthusiast of the game. "On this matter a story is current on the authority of one who was present when the incident took place. It is evidently embellished and provided with a climax. As those happily innocent of the principles of the game should know, the dealer has the privilege of declaring trumps, or, if from a study of his hand, he deems it expedient, he may leave the declaration to his partner. It happened on the occasion referred to that the dealer, being the King's partner, chanced to distribute to his Majesty a splendid hand, which only required the privilege of the lead to make it triumphant all along the line. An anxious pause followed whilst the' dealer studied his own hand. Would he declare trumps, selecting a suit that would spoil the King's play ? He broke the silence by the observation, 'I think, sir, I will leave it to you.' ' Thank you,' said his Majesty; 'you have done quite right. Here, take this,' and diving into his trousers pocket he produced a medal of the Fourth Class of the Victoria Order, pressed it on his partner's acceptance, and proceeded to win nearly every trick,"

For Influenza and Cold in the Head take Woods' Great Peppermint Cure, Is 6d and 2s 6d.

Rain Production. —Mr Thomas Horao, during the course of an address on astronomical anbjects at Hellensburgh, New South Wales, suggested that balloon experiments might be tried on the clouds witk^a view to producing rain. He said it appeared to be an established fact that raindrops were seldom formed without a nucleus of cosmic dust. This dust—One and impalpable—was frequently falling in intermittent quantities, and if rain clouds were in the sky at the time the particles of vapor which were kept apart by the repulsive force of heat were attracted by the partiole of dnst, and so a raindrop was formed, which gravitation Tery quickly compelled to descend to the earth. Experience also told us that a rush of cold air through th© clouds would counteract the expansive force of heat, causing a condensation of particles into raindrops, and copious showers should follow. These facts before us, should it not be practicable on any cloudy day to send a balloon above the clouds aud distribute large quantities of the finest dust, which, falling through the clouds, should start the process of condensation going on, and cause rain to fall, or, in like manner cold currents could be produced amongst the clouds by a distribution of liquid air, which is intensely cold, and so start tho process of condensation going. For Bronchial Cough, take Woods' Great Peppermint Cure, Is Gd and 2s Gd everywhere. Maori Councils.—lt is statod by the Waimats Witness (Taranaki) that so far as that district is concerned tho Maori Councils Act is a dead lettor. "Very little interest is taken in tho Council, and any mandate uttered by it is contemptuously ignored. A short time ago, for example, the Council holding sway in the northern portion of the province was unable to enforce payment of the dog tax, or to stop drunkenness at the pahs, or to prevent sly-grog selling among the natives themselves. The Council is equally powerless in this district. The fact is patent to anyone who has witnessed the ' tangis' recently held along the coast. Debauchery was a marked feature, childron and women, as well as the men, taking part in the demoralising proceedings." " STOP THE LEAK"—In tho Blue bag. Empire Company's Royal Blue can do its work, but it must have a sound Blue bag.

Maoriland.—The following loiter, in which certain English tourists -who have just travelled through New Zealand speaks in high terms of the hospitality they have enjoyed in this colony, has been received by Sir Joseph Ward:—"Auckland, March 26th, 1903. Dear Sir Joseph,—Although we had not the pleasure of meeting you in Wellington, having brought out an introduction to you frem Mr Pease, of Manchester, my sister and I feel we cannot leave New Zealand without telling you how very much we have enjoyed our visit to your beautiful colony. We are starting for Home, via San Francisco, to-morrow, and feel vary sad at the thought of leaving New Zealand, but shall carry away pleasant memories of the exquisite and wonderful scenery, aud also of the great kindness we have received on every sic I©—New Zealanders are a delightful people to travel amongst. Indeed, the whole colony has such a home fesling ! We think the Government tourist agencies are splendid institutions, and all the superintendents are such obliging, well-informed men. Mr Donne, in Wellington, was very kind in giving us every assistance. Indeed, I think it would be difficult for a traveller to lose himself in New Zealand ! And I feel sure that each year more and more English people will come out to ace such wonderful and varied scenery. They only require to be told a little about it to make them I anxious to see all its beauties for themselves. We shall certainly hope to return one future day." Sir Joseph Ward states that this letter is only one of hundreds of communications of a similar kind now reaching the colony.

For Children's Hacking Cough at night take Woods' Great Peppermint Cure, Is 6d and 2s 6d.

Riele Shooting. — There is good reason to believe that the proposal to send a New Zealand team to Bisley this year will not bo carried out. Writing on the subject, the Christohurch Press says :—"lf the Government really want to encourage good shooting they might spend the money in providing good ranges in the colony. The Auokland range is described as a disgrace to the Defence Department, and there are other centres where the volunteers are greatly handicapped. Increased assistance to the Trentham meeting to be devoted to the matches under service conditions would also do more to increase the efficieacy of the volunteers than would (he annual despatch of a Bisley team for a generation. We are training now, as we have done for fifty yeara, a race of * range marksmen ' —men who can do wonders with a riflo if they have at command a whole list of accessories. What we want is for our riflemen to depend less on wind guages and flags, aud more on their brains and eyes, and their unaided skill with the rifle. The Commander -in - Chief's match, the Colonial Ammunition Company's Cup, and the teams' match, as conducted at Trentham, approach more nearly to tb© conditions of active service than any others, Instead of these matches being left to the last day of the meeting we would have them and others like them made the most prominent events of the week. We would have them count for the belt, and the champion rifle shot of New Zealand should be the man whose fire would be the most deadly in war, not as now, the most accurate shot under conditions that have never occurred in war since gun-powder was invented."

Blankets.—Fresh and clean, direct from the mills, and purchased before the advance in wool at a special discount, the full benefit of which we are giving to the purchaser. We have over*3oo pairs, and confidently recommend them as being the best value ever offered in Mariborougb. An inspection solicited.~SMALE & Hay, London House.

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