LOCAL & GENERAL NEWS.

Marlborough Express, Volume XLVI, Issue 115, 13 May 1912, Page 4

LOCAL & GENERAL NEWS.

We liave to acknpAvledOT receipt, from the Registrar-General's office; of a oopy of the Statistics of "New Ze.ilitnd for 1910, containing also -statis-tics-of lonfil tioverTiippt bodies, for ( the year ended 31st March, 1911. .; "Jt liiay bie interesting to you .to .l?now,M. said Mr :Ct'. W?"" Pethurick.' secretary of the "Wellington City and Suburbs, No-liecn.se League, ,at the .innual meeting of- that body on Tlmrsday nifflit, "that, there :u-e 1394 lioenses iii th^ Dominion, of wiiich 1056 aro botol licenses. 183 'accommodation licenses, and 100 ivholosalr* licenses. Wellii'^ton City ciaims 71 o-" this number."

Freezing-point was reached by the thermometer on the grass during the v night. ,

A meeting of those interested in the formation of a women's, branch of the New Zealand Political Reform League will be held in the Loloma tea, rooms to-morrow afternoon. Mrs J. Duncan will be in attendance.

There is a boom in onions, says the Dunedin Star, the wholesale price locally being £10 10s per ton. There is a big demand from Sydney, and tons of onions are being shipped to that port from Canterbury. At this time last year, the price was only a little more than half the present! rate.

The planting season is approaching, and Messrs Thomas Horton, Ltd., of the "Premier" Nurseries, Hastings and Pahiatua, have this year, as usual, large stocks of trees and shrubs of all kinds—fruit trees, shelter trees, native, trees, roses, etc. The firm recommend early planting, and invite our readers to Bend for one of their illustrated catalogues. The advantages of ordering early are apparent—"first come, first served."

It has been rumored of late, (says the' Wellington Dominion) that the conference of the Fruitgrowers' Federation, which was set down to be held in Wellington this montih, had been abandoned1. On making inquiries, however, we were informed that the conference will be- held in Wellington, but that the date has been altered from May to July in order thai? the conference will be sitting at the same time as Parliament is in session. . .

The number of nominations received for the offices on the A. and P. Association on Saturday does not exceed tihe number ..required, and consequently there will not be an election. The following are1 the officebearers .for the ensuing year:—President1, Mr J. G. Armstrong; vice-presi-dent, M W. D. Pike; treasurer,. MiH. L. Jackson; committee, Messrs J. H, Sutherland, JV Dollar, \R,.; Ham, Al C. &oßae, 3T, B::f>ick|- Ai ■McColl,' ■■G.ABbyW,' T. Mdrrin, R: McAr.tney, Donald McCallum, D. Bishell, and P. G. Williams.

Mr Hazard, president of the Auckland Acclimatisation Society.; characterised the cabled statement by MajorGleneral' Dorward, regarding New Zealand trout, as being-a gross exaggeration. He says that while perfectly true that there were some, diseased trout in New Zealand, they were only i'qund iii two places, Taupo and Ro.toma, which were botb-'under the control of tho Tourist Departinentw It was unfair and incorrect, to say that the industry was neglected. The Department was doing all ; it couldoito get at the root, of the,:.difficulty1.,: ■' ■ ■■■;•■: •■ ■'' .■' ,:'■".: '■.■■ . :

The total value of the principal products exported from the Dominion during April, amounted , to, £1,----999,808, which shows an increase of £540,477 over the return for the same month last year. The value and quantity of the principal exports from Blenheim arid Picton for the month ; are as follows■■:+-Tow 4 tons, value £38; grain and' pulse, other than wheat and oats, 30,731 bushels (£8428); skins (all kinds) .462 (£170); tallow 38 tons (£957); timber 97,036 sup. feeti (£416); wool 166.4311b5. (£6561); cheese 812 cwt. (£2274); frozen mutton, 2667 carcases, 1219 cwt: (£1423); frozen lamb 13,484 oarcases, 4165 cwt. (£6804). ■

L The first batch of prosecutions in connection with theiiew by-la\y framed to regulate the-.size of hatpins■ wiiich t'jie ladiey wear came before the Sydney Central Police Court a,, few days ago; Annie Kelly, a very tiinidJooking woman, who was wearing, a. small black', hat—or cap—through which was a. very carefully-protected; hatpin, was the first of, the four: called. When (asked how the^pleaded, she •timidly, answered, "Yes." The hatpin, ifc was;-explained, xirotrudcd 3J .in. A fi.no of 5s with 6s costs was imposed. , Three other women were similarly dealt with: /

~ Mr Thos. Harrison, Lynton Downs, writes as follows to the Kaikoura Star:—The rainfall for the month of April totalled 4.39 inches, there1 being ten wet days. / The maximum fall was 1.81 inch-as on the 23rd. The 'Average April ,rainfall for the. past twelve years is 3.lo'inches-,-arid" averago number of wet days 9 1-0. The <fiyst twenty-two days of the month wfere exceptionally dry and warm;, in tliat period only 63 points were registered, on four days. The above, total has only been exceeded* twice for April—in 1902 md 1911, when 5.'2Q and 4.41 inches respectively were recorded.

J.he Gazette contains a notification amandins; the regulations.for tho Cjvil . Service junior examination'1 In the optional subjects h.aine scicnce.;;,arid elemeni&rv dairy science have, been ' added... ' Before^ the date of tho. ex- • agination candidates will be rrquired to io:rsvar,d c<M-tificates sliowing i that they hayo carried out.'■■satisfac--1 vnily a ,oo r 'U'sb of i)vactical";\vork■ha:\,'ch\ on the syliabns proscribed. The Civil Service junior examinations will : commence about ISth November, and h lie other examinations will be held at subsequent intervals, ;md completed before the end ol: January.

J.t is understood that the cii.se of Mrs Mansford v. the Union Steamship Comj any, in which a claim was made for £104, for injuries sustained in a fall through a lazaretto on one of tho Company's steamers, has been compromised, the Company agreeing to pay £55.

A typographical error occurred in the telegram ' referring to the "Exchange of compliments" between Mr Massey and the Prime Minister, published in Saturday's issue. Instead of reading "a Mackenzie could' always be bought'," the sentence was made to read "Mr A. Mackenzie could always be bought." The Queen's Diamond Jubilee Lodge held its weekly meeting- on Friday last, Bro. Smith, C.T., presiding. The Concert Committee reported that a good programme was being prepared for the public concert to be held in the Orange Hall, on Friday, Hist inst. Those who visited the Renwick Lodge last Tuesday reported liaving h&d a most enjoyable time. After the business was concluded the remainder of the session was devoted to sacred music. In advocating at the Mayoral function on Friday, night that the headworks of the water-supply and drainage sehemo for Blenheim should be established in the .Waihopai district, Mr J. J. White said that it would not be1 wise to stick at a few thousand pounds extra to secure a supply that would be absolutely reliable for all time. It would be most regrettable to iind out in later years, when the population of the town had increased, that the municipality had been committed to an inadequate source of supply. Even if the Waihopai connection cost £20,000 more than the Taylor scheme its premanent certainty would be worth the difference. But it would not be likely to cost that much additional. . The- distance from the probable source of supply in the Taylor to town was seven miles approximately. The Waihopai bridge was eleven miles away, and all the route from that point to Spriuglands was a straight one. It was probable,' though, .thai ;if the Waihopai l were, selected, the . water, would be ..taken j from a place about a mile beyond .-'the | bridge. Say the distance, would ■■! be', twelves miles-—although by taking the pipes at an angle less than an extra mile would suffice—-the extra cost as between the: Waihopai .arid Taylor schemes,r taking Mr Dobson'sestriiaic of £2000 n. mile, would be about £10,----000. This, he.was convinced, would l:o money, well spent, more especially, ms there was a prospect of deriving, considerable revenue from the sale of. water along the route from Waihopai. A special despatch to the New York Times of 11th April—the day after the Titanic i eft London on "her. illfated voyage—mentions that as the huge vessel Avas leaving Sbuthamption a disaster was narrowly averted, and dramatic proof of the correctness of the much debated theory of suction was given. As the. Titanic passed from her- berth but to the open 'stream she' sucked the water between herself and the quay to such an extent that the strain broke the Hawsers with which another ' liner (the New York) was incored. The New }ork commenced to drift, and a collision seemed likely. The crowd watched with breathless, excitement. ..However j the , Titanic's engines were ye-, versed, and the tugs Neptune. and V ulcan steamed to the New York' and towed her back to safety at the quayside, where* she was safely moored.

According to medical opinion offered at an inquiry at the Auckland Hospital on Thursday morning the _ hidden dangers of tetanus are considerable. Five per cent, of adult persons walk about with the tetanus germ in their intestines, and this accounts for the fact that people sometimes die from this terrible disease without their bodies showing even a "microscopic scratch." One doctor declared that the volcanic soil round Auklarid teemed with tetanus bacilli, and there was always a risk in gardening with a cut or scratched finger. The consumption of uncooked vegetables, and even the . sucking of.a straw j had been "known sources .o.f .infection. ; ' Lockjaw in hofses bad'also been .traced 'to the "smallest scratch in the mouth, a-nd the consumption ;of chaff which contained th<£ tetanus germ.; Tetanus'in children, as. the result of using powders mainly consisting of earth, were also citedl.

It is ari* old standing style of joke (says.the Woodville paper), to draw away a person's chair just as he is about to sit down, and to watch the tumble that results.; But sometimes the tumble/ and the fun are -not the only result. A friend in Palmersttoh— who is likely to prove, a very; expenf ; sive friend indeed—played this joke ! on Miss Grace Brightwell. of Woodville, with the result that she fell on the floor," striking the end,of her spine. Following on that she has had to be taken to the hospital, and is lying there in a very serious condition, with a possibility of being a permanent invalid. The poor girl is only eighteen, and was a great, favorite among her school mates and friends here, and we very much regret that such a cloud should have fallen upon her.

A somewhat ■ -remarkable recollection in connection with the/icebergs in the neighborhood of Newfoundland is that of Mr Raymond Maltby, of Masterton. Mr Maltby was a seaman on the ship Notting Hill which left London in 1.88,4 for.; Now-York. Wheik-three clays / fi-om- the Scilly Isles tho vessel caught fire. .This was got under, but the vessel encountered an ice-field. At about midnight the .vessel jagged alongside a bei'g. and its side-was' ripi>ed'. open,, There were thirtycowboys aboard the vessel,' and' these took charge of the boats. Three hundred icebergs were encountered in tho neighborhood. Singularly enough, the vessel's com-' pan^- of 150 was rescued by the White S+ar liner State of Nebraska. Mr. Maltby was one of the survivors. j

A meeting called in Wellington Post Office Square by the antimilitarists yesterday ended in a Tiproar. .Cheers were given for Gene-.\ii Godley, and the meeting terminated with a. .large proportion singing th-3 National Anthem. The best restorative is brandy, and the best brandy is MartelPs.—Advt. An authoritative statement from Geneva (states a cable message to the Sydney Sun) says that the Swiss National Bank, anticipating the possibility of an outbreak of war in Europe, has just . finished printing ,£1,200,000 worth v of 20-franc war notes. The action taken is in accordance with the Swiss Federal law, which permits ;such an emergency circulation in extraordinary circumstances, and was also, the result of a report from one of the bank's directors who recently made a careful investigation of the relations existing among the great Powers. .The notes are not to be issued- unless war is declared.

The members of the Mothers' Club at the University Settlement are going in for calisthenics and dancing this year, says a Sydney paper. Lady Chelmsford, at the Settlement's annual meeting, remarked that this was a very good thing. "We have passed the age," said she, "in which a little after thirty-five women used to put on caps and. spectacles and were almost old. Now, after that age, we' dance and play tennis, .and do all sorts of other things: Nothing can: be better for these settlement mothers, whose lives are full of business, than to be persuaded to do the same thing. Further, it would be a good thing if they could be persuaded to go out; with their girls to their dances and places of amusement. A great deal of difficulty might be overcome sometimes by their joining together with them in harmless amusement." '. ' . •■■...■;". .. ;') •

' Welcome the. .coming—speed , the parting guest with MartellV Brandy. '■.T-rAdvt.'". .■'.'. '■ ■ ."■;;..■ •".'; .'■:■'";'"' ■■■■'.'• • P'l'obably, as a Earning toothers, the quarantine authorities on a Sunday recently vaccinated a , party of boaters who had sought shelter within: j the prohibited • area* at Quarantine j Head (says- a Sydney paper); The party, comprising a number :of residents of Balmaiii, having been caught in the squalls off the Heads, had put' into Greeh Point for shelter. After | bailing but their boat, and getting her, I into sailing trim, they were preparing to depart, when they were ordeFed to land by the quarantine officials, owing to their being inside the buoys, and consequently . . breaking the quarantine regulations. After land-, ing; they were informed they had= been trespassing, and, as a safeguard, owing to quarantined passengers being detained at the station, it \fas desirable that they .should be vaccinated. This haying been done they were allowed to degart, , determined in future to keep strictly without the prescribed area. V :

Gunsmiths and hardware dealers in Sydney report a very brisk sale of firearms to A -£ilarmed.citizens. WJiat is not -inaptly desisribed' as: a- wave of crime seems Yto have come over the whole of ) the metropolitan .area., with. its population of 650;000; beings, -and. an admittedly very small number of police (writes The Post's Sydney. cor--respondent). Burglaries by masked >and armed men are the most sensational and continually-occurring incidents. Uncertainty exists as to whether a black mask. or a, white mask is the more fashionable for an up-to-date burglar, but a: mask of some, sort is "the thing." ; There is now awaiting trial a young man, described as a recent arrival, from America,* against whom a long series of burglaries .under ar,ms is alleged. ,The polio© were";pleased/indeed■Wnenthey seifcedv him.-' , But masked men with revolvers, stilt break; into dwellings ; and terrify and : rob, men and wonieii*withJ a f requericy " that 'has brought\oiV many \; bad attacks v of. ' 'nerves.'' •■'.'.•. Then v jfcher-e;':, are /many ■o|it-door! robberies with violence." The Sydney reports for one week embrace one robbery by three masked or armed men, three separate entries by two masked and armed burglars, two cases of bi-eaking into warehouses and; opening of the safes,' and three cases of persons garrotted and robbed on. roadwaj's. An inebriate fumbling ■about, in the dark near a house has an. excellent chance of being shot. All the time, the list of burglaries and robberies for which no one has been; apprehended grows rapidly, and more and-'more residents of the city and suburbs buy revolvers and cartridges. Sydney will soon be an armed camp.