LOCAL & GENERAL NEWS.

Marlborough Express, Volume XLV, Issue 65, 17 March 1911, Page 4

LOCAL & GENERAL NEWS.

It is notified by advertisement in this issue that the annual meeting of the Awatere Football Club will be held on Tuesday evening next.

" I hope that we will be able to brin^ the college into much closer touch with the commercial community than has hitherto, been the case," observed Mr H. F. yon Haast (chairman of the Victoria College Council) at the council meeting on Wednesday evening, apropos of the council's decision to make provision for examinations in accountancy.

Hector Burk, the half-mile runner, who has lately come back to form, and who was to be Otago's "star" representative at tho Nt-w Zealand championship meeting at Christchurch tomorrow, has decided1 not to fulfil his engagement.

A Napier telegram says that the Arbitration Court this morning suggested that the parties in the shearers' dispute should hold a conference whilst the Court was sitting at Palmerston with a view to an arrangement. The Court intended making an award.

Big Blouse Bargains ! We have just secured a warehouse stock of ladies' flannelette blouses, all smart goods. We'll "fire" them out at Is 6d each.— Auckland Clothing and Drapery Com-

pany

A procession of members of the Blenheim Hibernian Society, headed by the band, marched through town this morning preparatory to proceeding to the A. and P. Grounds. The band played a number of popular airs, which reminded the populace of the fact that it was St. Patrick's Day.

They aro smart in appearance and they wear Well! A big "swag" of boys' 'Varsity suits arrived to-day. They comprise green and brown striped designs, grey and navy. All to go at 10s 6d and 12s 6d. —Auckland Clothing and Drapery Company.

A Wellington telegram says that the police yesterday arrested John Aloysius Campbell, teller in the Bank of Australasia at Otaki, to which place he recently had been transferred from Dunedin, who will be charged' with" thefts totalling £360 Is 7d comprising three amounts—£l37 25'10d,.£146 13s sd, and £76 5s 4d. A later message states that accused came before the Court to-day and was remanded till March 20th, bail being fixed at £400, and also two sureties of £200. each.

An interesting book made its1 appearance on the 2nd inst. (according to a cablegram in Sydney Sun) in the autobiography of the late General Sir William Butler. The work contains some startling allegations regarding the events leading up to the Boer War, in which the author figured so conspicuously. General Butler declares that he repeatedly warned th& Government that war was imminent, but that his warnings' were disregarded. Adverting to the experience he underwent of being recalled, Sir William attributed this action to his refusal to co-operate in provoking war. He further asserts that prominent Englishmen in South Africa brought the tension to breaking point, and then asked him to send home fals* reports. It is expected that some of the statements in the book will evoke replies from Lord Milner and Mr Joseph Chamberlain.

The distinction of conveying the largest number of immigrants ever eariodby one vessel to the Southern Seas belongs to the Rangatira, which arrived, in Dunedin on Tuesday from London via Australia. A week before leaving London orders were received to provide accommodation for 1000 immigrants, and when the week was up the steamer sailed with 1026 men, women and children on board, eighty additional stewards and twenty-seven extra d«ck-hands having been employed for the voyage to Australia, where they were afterwards paid off. The ship carried twenty-two additional" lifeboats. Captain Lowden was called on, says the Dunedin Star, to dispense some of the more pleasant functions of priest as well as attend to tho duties of ruler of hi& floating community. One extremely young lady in the hustle of emigrating had left, the land of her birth without being christened, so the captain, with due ceremony, baptised her Daisy Lowden Rangatira Watson. Shortly afterwards two parents on the ship were rejoiced at the arrival of a little queen, and upon her Captain Lowden conferred the name of Indiana Lowden Argyll-Beckworth, the • first name indicating her birth when crossing the Indian Ocean. The captain was so popular in his priestly capacity that a love-sick couple of immigrants besought him to heal them with the holy rite of matrimony, but the law prevented the amiable captain from exercising his obliging disposition in that direction, so the aspirants had perrorce to remain twain.

A persistent rumor was in circulation in Greymouth on Sunday week (says the Grey River Argus) that a murder had been committed at Nelson' Creek^ Ahaura. The story was that two ChiKamen had quarrelled, and that one had cut,the other's head off with an axe. Upon inquiry, however it was ascertained that a Chinaman went out to Nelson Creek on Friday and slept there by himself that night. On Saturday morning the Chinaman (who is alleged to be mentally afflicted) in a state of great excitement, met a.party or four men and told them an incoherent story, from which the only sense they could gather was something about chopping a head off with "an axe. Assuming that a murder had taken place, the Ahaura police were wa^ mnS ate<l f ith ' and * ~i«rtabk t ff n aß m 7% sen* up from Greymouth to make investigations, which, howfoundation. The Chinaman came on into Greymouth, and is now under arrest on a charge of lunacy. It was subsequently elicited that the Chinaman on y had a dream that someone was trying to kill him. ■ hOin~one

Keeping the cradle regularly occupied means, to the average artisan and tradesman at least, an overstrain of the elastic purse-strmg. A suburban bootmaker with . a laige quiver-full and a small business was the defendant in a judgment summons case at. the Magistrate's Court (saj* the Wellington Post). When he informed the magistrate (Dr. McArthur S.M.), that he was the fathei oi twelve children, and at present had to keep eight of them—the youngest a few months old—and, further, that his weekly earnings averaged between £2 5s and £2 10s, the magistrate made no order.

The trawling industry at Lyttelton shows signs of expansion. For a considerable time the only vessel trawling out of the port was the famous old Mullogh. Then the Napier trawler Pilot was acquired by Mr F. Lufaro, and a few months ago the Dunedin trawler Napier came up from the South .and started operations. A fourth vessel—the Napier-owned trawler Muriel; a comparatively new vessel; has now arrived on the scene. The Muriel, which left Napier last Wednesday, bad to shelter in Clifford Bay next day owing to heavy seas, but she reached Lyttelton safely early on Sunday morning, and will start trawling out of the port this week. She is a compact little wooden vessel and is well fitted out. . .

The fire at the shop in Alfred Street was a; good opportunity for bargains in damaged goods, but now they are all gone, and there is nothing in,*P c shop but new and fresh goods. There are, however, still bargains to be had from 300 ,"Best"' high-grade Englishbuilt cycles at £6 10s, £8 10s, £10 10s, £15 10s. Second-hand cycles can be had at £1 10s to £5 10s, all in first-class order. All accessories at lowest prices in Blenheim. I buy direct, and can. afford to sell at. a minimum of profit. I have also roller skates, fishing tackle, guns and am-munition—-E. H. Best Alfred Street.

The exceptionally large shipments of oil that constantly arrive in the dominion are an illustration of the strides that are being made by the motor industry (says the Lyttelton Times). A short time ago the steamers that conveyed the cargo to New Zealand always made calls at Melbourne and Sydney before proceeding to these shores; but the growing demands of the country are evidenced by the fact that one of the largest oil companies in New York has lately chartered several vessels to load for New Zealand direct. The Strathendrick, now at Lyttelton, arrived in Auckland a fortnight ago with a cargo of about 160,000 cases of assorted oils for the four main ports. Auckland, being suitable for motor launches, is a large consumer of benzine: Wellington demands a mixed supply of benzine and petrol; and Christchurch, being the principal centre for motor vehicles, requires heavy stocks of petrol. . During the next three months it is estimated that nearly half a million cases of oil will be landed in the Dominion from the American oil fields.

"We-have board a lot of talk recently about the professional game but I am convinced' that it will never prosper in New Zealand," said Mr N. Galbraith, member of the management committee of the New Zealand Rugby Union, in a brief address to members of the Wellington Football Club on Friday evening (states The Post). Continuing, the speaker said that he was quite certain that 75 per cent of the players who had, on the impulse of the moment, seceded from the amateur ranks would come back if given the opportunity. A large, number of them had recently applied to the New Zealand Union for reinstatement, but the rules forbade the applications being granted. He had been given to understand by Mr Rand, an ex-official of the New South, Wales Rugby Uion, that the position was the same m New South; Wales. Mr Rand firmly^ believed that it was only a '.nutter of time when the amateur game would be rehabilitated in public favor in that State. In conclusion, Mr Galbraith exhorted Wellington ' Club members to preserve their amateur status, and .always play the game for the game's sake.