ITEMS OF INTEREST.

Marlborough Express, Volume XXXIX, Issue 133, 8 June 1906, Page 1

ITEMS OF INTEREST.

A good suggestion, indicating considerable foresight, was acted upon .by thy Lower Wairau River Board's last meeting. Mr A. McCallum moved that the Inspector procure 1200 ft of white pine timber, in 12in by lin boards, and stack it in two places on oil her side of the Overflew Channel; aho a supply of 2ft pegs. His idea was that, in the event of a heavy flood threatening to overtop the big artificial banks in depressed placers, these pegs and boards would serve as convenient salvators. The Inspector heartily approved cf the proposal, remarking that there were always plenty of men available in times of clangor, but timber could not be got except by going to town, while access was very often cut off. The motion was carried. - One of the second generation of "old missionaries," Mr William P. Kemp, died at his residence, Waimate North, last week (says the Auckland Herald). He was the third son of Mr James Kemp, one oJLthe band of missionaries sent to this country (it was not a colony then) by the Church Missionary Society in the early pai't of the last century. The Rev. Samuel Marsdon, on his second visit to New Zealand, in 1819, brought with him the Rev. I. Butler and Mr Kemp, and they founded .the mission settlement of Kerikeri. , Mr William Kemp was born at Kerikeri in the year 1829, and was, therefore, nearly seventy-seven years of age at the time of his death. His brothers I—Mr1—Mr James Kemp, of Kerikeri, and Mr H. T. Kempl—as well as his four sisters, had all died before him.

A case for nullification of maivriage came before the Court at Timarii' on Friday, the wife being the -applcant. The ground of the action was that she was a half-blood niece of her husband. The defence claimed a literal reading of the table of prohibitions which mentioned nieces, not half-nieces. Mr Justice Cpopsr ruled that the law of the ecclesiastical courts applied,' and these prohibited marriages of halfblood relations in that degree. A der ere nisi was granted. The peculiarity of the case was that both parties desired the application to fail, but to test the legality of the marriage.

The Maoris *expect that by the time the march round the coast to Gisborne is completed the prophet Rua will have the command of 400 armed men. A correspondent of thes East Coast Guardian says while the prophet has been dragging all the able-bodied men round the country, there have been hundreds of their women and children left to starve in the pahs, witji no chance of aid unless supplied by the Government. A very simple^ solution of the difficulty at the present stage would be fer the authorities to place the prophet in a pofi£ion where his superfluous energy could be worked off more for the benefit of the country and himself.

The Chairman of the Lower Wairau River Board asked members on Wednesday night whether it was not within the province of the Board to cut the channel through the Boulder Bank. The benefit from a flood relief point of view would be most salutary. Members did not commit themselves. MiAdams stated that the matter of utilising the next flood to good effect in this direction was well matured—in fact, the settlers in the vicinity had their horses shod and waiting. The money had been subscribed to finance the thing. The. Inspector of the Board this morning informed our reporter that the last cut was e*ffected about six years ago. About .twelve.men were employed, with several teams, and the force of the water was very counted upon to shift most of the hundreds of tons of shingle. Only the scratching of the surface to a depth sufficient t-j attraot the water over the Boulder Bank was necessary. The water did tha rest. Mr R. F. Priddle informs us that there is only about s|ft of water on the present bar, and, worse than that, there is quite a fan-like field of mud and shingle banks, spread out over hundreds of acres, across which the steamers have to be navigated ere they reach the deep waters of Cloudy Bay. When the new channel straight through from the Pilot Station was cut six years ago there was 15ft or 16ft of water—in fact, the depth was not ascertained, for a 12ft pole failed to touch the bottom. In addition to this, the bar wa§ soon crossed, and the steamer rode in deep water almost immediately it left the Wairau.

In the Invercargill Supreme Court on Friday (reports a Press Association telegram) an action of interest to property owners was heard. Last year a youth named Ackers, an apprentice to an engineer, was passing along the street carrying a circular saw to the station when the hanging door of a warehouse, game off the overhead rail and fell on him. Although the door weighed scwt, he was not apparently very seriously injured, and was discharged from the hospital after a short stay. He, has not, however, been able to work since, and medical men suspect tuberculosis. The store is owned by Messrs J. E. Watson and Co., who sublet the back portion to Messrs Raymond and oq. Both were sued for £600 damages, but counsel for plaintiff admitted there was no case against Watson, the door being operated at the timb by Raymond's men for his use. The evidence indicated that the dislocation of the door was due to dirt accumulating on the sill and freeing the sheaves from the rail by raising it when pushed. The jury feiihd for plaintiff for £25f1." Mr Justice Denniston reserved the Jaw point as to Raymond's liability, he not being the owner of the building, or responsible for its fittings.

The last number of the New Zealand Railway Review states that:—- ---" Over 2000 hours' overtime; wag worked by the Christch\\rcl) locomotive running staff in t^e four-weekly period ending April 28th, and there l»s not been the average absence through sickness. Of course the Easter holidays occurred during the period, but the overtime is always excessive, at any time, through chronic shortage of hands. It cannot possibly be in the irtt rests of economy, because this overtime is paid for at time-and-a-quarter rates. The same amount of expenditure would give employment to ten more hands, and even tlien they would get some overtime. If one applies for holidays and gets a promise qf them and makes arrangements to visit distant friends, at the very last moment one may be told that 'he cannot be spared. Tims you have to disappoint your family and friends. It is to be hoped that something will scon be done to reduce the amount of overtime worked, both in the interest of economy, and of giving men more leisure at home."