LATE LOCALS.

Marlborough Express, Volume XXXIX, Issue 61, 13 March 1906, Page 3

LATE LOCALS.

The Blenheim Defence Rifle Club's prize firing will be commenced tomorrow after'non at the. Vernon Butts, at 2 o'clock. . ,

The. Marlborough High School Board of Governors yesterday appointed Miss Allen, M.A.y to succeed Miss Jessie B. Reid on the .teaching' staff of the School. . ,

The Post and Telegraph Department has decided to release the guarantors of the Okaramio telephone from all further responsibility. The office will now be treated.as self-supporting. This development should encourage the Kaituna people to similar action..

Rewi, a Te Whiti-ite of Parihaka, whose age was anything between 100 and 127 years, died on Friday. He was, according to the "Witness," a leader of the massacre at Wairau (Oakiira). He had been at Parihaka for twelve years past. At the, tangi there was, strange to say, no liquor.

Captain A.. Miller, of the Blenheim Fire. Brigade, accompanied by .Mrs • Miller,, is. at present on a visit' to Napier. -,Captain' Miller witnessed a turn-out of > the local brigade last evening and expressed himself as highly pleased with the exhibition given ■:— ''Telegraph. 3' vV

The chief work to be carried out at the Easter encampment to be held at Blenheim will be field, firing, outpost? work, etc. It is/ the intention this year to let each battalion staff > manage its own camp and make necessary arrangements, thus giving these officers practice in -looking after their own battalions. * \~ .

At the Police Court this morning (held in the Council Chambers), before Mr T. Scott-Smith, S.M., Thos. Bartholomew Caen was charged with, on 12th inst., in Market Place, behaving in a disorderly manner, and, on the same date, using obscene language. On the first charge he was convicted and discharged, and on the second fined £1 arid costs 7s. The fine was paid.

Compartively little interest was being taken in the election of the Wairau Licensing Committee to-day. At 3 o'clock only 530 electors had recorded their votes.at.the Blenheim Courthouse booth, out of a "town" roll of 4000. The strong north-west breeze which was disagreeably raising the dust during the afternoon, doubtless deterred many of the weaker sex from exercising their franchise.

At 9 a.m. '. to-day the barometer showed a slight fall as compared with yesterday's reading, ranging from 30.19 at Cambridge to 29.67 at Balclutha, At Blenheim the glass registered 29.84. The temperature showed a greater variety than that recorded yesterday, the highest and lowest figures respectively being Tiritiri 74 and Taupo 51. Blenheim (68) was one degree cooler than yesterday's reading. ' Twenty-four places reported cloudy, overcast, or gloomy weather, while at Nuggets rain, was falling. Cape Campbell was the only station reporting a rpugh sea.

It having caught the eye of the Lands Department that holders pf s.g. runs in the Marlborough district are in increasing numbers making application for and being granted exchanges of teiiin"6 *° *ne more secure lease-in-perpetoity, the Commissioner of Crown Lands has now. received a memo, from the Under-Secretary requesting that, as the Cabinet had decided that/proposed exchanges to l.i.p. must be submitted to it, he would submit for approval, in future, all such exchanges recommended by-the Land Board prior to the exchanges being allowed. The Secretary to the Board (Mr Armstrong) said he thought the decision meant that the Government wished tp prevent the possibility of any pastoraj. lease being exchanged to the perpetual tenure iFften it might be suitable for closer settlement.

The business set down for hearing at tne next four-monthly sittings of the Supreme Court in Blenheim—to commence oil Thursday next, before Mr Justice Denniston—is as follows:— Criminal Division: Hex v. Earl Beaman (Havelock seamen's stabbing affray). Civil Division: Kirkpatrick v. A. Wiffen, claim for £210 Os 4d ; counter-claim for £55 12s 6d, the balance haying been paid into Court, Ayith costs (to be heard before a jury of four); Clouston and (/p. v. Corry and Co. (removed from" JJagjstrate's Court), and counter-claim (no jury); Seliua Lees v. the Public Trustee, claim for £3401 4s (jury of twelve).

The gazetted railway returns for the feur-weekly period endjng February 3rd show that the revenue from the Picton-Seddon line was £1625 6s lid, as against £1302 3s Id for the corresponding perior last year—an increase of £323 3s lOcl. The number of .passengers increased from $088 to 8863, and th© number' 6f tons of produce from 2346 to 4327. The number of sheep carried decreased from 10^235 to 5041. The expenditure decreased from £980 2s 7d last year to £834 18s lid. For the period lasting from April l«t last year to February 3rd this year the total revenue obtained from the Picton-Seddon line was £16,----873 17s Cd, as compared with £13,054 0s lOd—an increase of £3819 16s Bd— while the expenditure totalled £11,----278 §* XOd, as against £12,191 4s Id— a decrease uf £912 15s 3d. Thus the percentage of expfci,xliture to revenue decreased from 93.39 to <?<?.B4—a most satisfactory sign.