LOCAL & GENERAL NEWS.

Marlborough Express, Volume XLVII, Issue 143, 19 June 1913, Page 4

LOCAL & GENERAL NEWS.

The annual social of the Marshlands Cricket Club will be held m Tua Marina Hall on Friday, July 11.

Last Tuesday was the seventieth anniversary of the Wairau Massacre. Ninety-eight years ago yesterday $he Battle of Waterloo was fought.

The Government has accepted the tender of a Wellington firnvfor the supply df night-duty coats for / the police force, at £2 12s per coat, for a period of three years.

The' annual election of members of the Marlborough Education Board will be' held on July 28. Nominations close on July 7. The retiring members (all of whom^are eligible for re-r election) axe: Messrs £7 eTg?T (eastern ward), R. McCallum (central), and J. S. Storey (western). The number of ratepayers on the borough roll is 1360, and probably about 200 were absent from town or tthvsioally unable to attend the poll taken yesterday on the water-supply and' sewerage scheme. The number or votes cast being 906, some 250 possible votes were not1 recorded.

During the course of his reply to the deputations in the Council Chambers last night the Minister for Railways was handed a written invitation to motor to Hillersden during his present stay in the district. Mr Merries said he regretted that he could not accept it. He was visiting Marlborouah on railway business purely.

\t Gisborrie a man named Robert ■■Ta°-e;-art arrested for the dosertioiTof his wife and three, children-at Dunedin. Taggarb, who is a young man of small stature, was completely astounded when lie found himself m custody. He declared with much hauteur ttoit he was a respectable man.—Press Association.

Watch, the advertising columns for the* programme of the Captain Cook memorial concert at His ■ Majesty, s Theatre on July 22nd.—Advt.

On the conclusion of the deputations which waited on him last night as Minister for Railways, the Hon. W. H. Herries was interviewed as Minister for Native Affairs by a number of Maoris from the Wairau Pa. Mr A. Rore was the principal speaker, and brought under the Minister's notice certain matters relating to the flood-protection bank at the pa.

The following notifications are made in General Orders recently issued by the Defence Department: T. C. W. "Mansford and F. Starnes, appointed second lieutenants in 12th Nelson Regiment; Captain J. Watson, transferred to the Reserve of Officers. By a recent Gazette notice, Lieutenant D. Lloyd has also been transferred to the Reserve of Officers.

A table published in a recent issue of the Gazette shows that the average yield of field crops in Nelson and Marlborough for the 1912-13 season was as follows: Bushels per acre: Wheat, 27.70; oats, 33.45; barlej', 33.35; lbs per acre: ryegrass, 304.88; cocksfoot, 170.26; red clover, 199.77; tons per acre, potatoes, 6.20; turnips, 8.57 ; mangolds, 16.83.

There was a general indication in this morning's weather report that a change in weather conditions was likely. Milder temperatures were being experienced, and overcast skies were also in evidence. There was a slight drizzle of rain locally during the. night, and at 9, o'clock rain was falling at Russell, Kaipara, Greymouth, and Manaks&i. Queenstown (36) recorded the lowest thermometer reading. i

A Press Association telegram says that the Union Steam Ship Company has decided to enter the recently acquired vessels of the Grange fleet in the Australian-New Zealand-Pacific Slope trade, owing to the greatly increased demand for refrigerating space. The vessels are the^Linaerick, Roscommon, Tyrone, and Westmeath. The date of starting the laugumented service has not yet been decided on.

A Wanganui resident, Mr John Handley, on Monday presented to Captain Halsey, of the battle-cruiser New Zealand, a cannon hall which was recovered from the wreck of the Guide, a merchant ship that traded between Australia and Nelson, and met her fate in the very early days on, Pepin Island, near the cable station at Wakapuaka. The relic was given to Mr Handley by Julia Martin, New Zealand's "Grace Darling," who wa"s born and buried on the island.

The traffic on the local section increases year by year, said the Mayor as a member of one of the cleputa.tions whiqh waited on the Minister for Railways last iiight; but, he added, the profits did not seem to increase. The trouble was that any old tinpot engine discarded elsewhere was cojisidered to be good enough for this place. These engines, with their insufficient power, were unable to deal with the traffic in businesslike fashion, and thus the cost of working was greatly increased.

A Palmerston North Press Association telegram states that a representative meeting of dairymen resolved that, in view of the very unsatisfactory results regarding the handling and marketing of dairy produce through. London, this meeting recommends dairy factories to utilise the proposed Bristol and Dominion Producers' Association for receiving and marketing their produce in England, on the lines suggested, and this meeting pledges itself to give it practical support by each individual factory taking a few shares in the Association,

The amount already expended by the Blenheim Borough Council in connection with the water-supply and sewerage scheme is about £1600. This includes the salaries of the resident constructional engineer and staff to date1. Mr J. Sturrock was engaged in September last at a salary of £550, for a term of three years. Under an agreement the Council has to pay the engineer compensation at the rate of half the salary for the .remainder of the ainexpired term in the event..of the, engagement being terminated1 at any time within that period. II the Council decide to bring the engagement to an end forthwith this allowance will amount to about £690. The Council has,, however, something of considerable value to show for its expenditure in the shape of the levels, plans, reports, the reticulation system, etc., all of Which will be of service whenever the project is revived. The result of the poll, -which was not a statiHory one, is not legally binding; but the understanding is that it will be accepted'by the Council without question. It remains for the Council to say whether it will retain the services of. the engineer for a time to enable him to'complete plans of th« scheme, or wholly abandon the enterprise at its present .stage.

Lieutenant J. Bishop, who has been promoted to Napier from Gisborae, recently appeared before the Gisborne magistrate on a charge of (assaulting a cadet by striking him with a- cane. According to the evidence gi\Ten some cadets were engaged in horse play in the Gisborne drillshed, and, amongst other tricks, were kicking; a tin round the room, an awful din •resulting. Lieutenant Bishop stooped to pick up the improvised but very noisy ball, when the lad, Stanley Dudsou, kicked it away from his reach. Ono or more strokes, variously estimated from a tap to a severe blow by the different witnesses, -followed, and young Dudson, evidently smarting in more ways than one, devoted his attention ito kicking another tin round tlw> room. Another of the Dudson family was summoned for breaches of the Defence Act, and then followed the information against the officer. Aftor hoaring the evidence the magistrate «iid he felt sorry that the lieutenant had not inflicted a good sound thrashing. The magistrate" held that a technical •assault had been committed, but lie dismissed the case as one of a trivial nature. ''■-~ ' N

A prohibition order was granted by Mr F. 08. Loughnan, S.M., yesterday, the application being unopposed. He also granted one this morning; against a Blenheim resident, who consented.

District orders recently issued by Colonel V. S. Smyth, 0.C.D.., state in the District Shield competition forMounted Rifles, the 10th Nelson Regiment was placed second to the--Ist Canterbury Yeomanry Cavahyv

The Postmaster-General (Hon. R. H. Rhodes) writes as follows to Mr R. MeGallum, M.P.:—"I have the honor to refer to your letter of the 6th inst. urging the erection of a post office building at Seddon, and in-reply to inform you that plans have been prepared and are,/ now under consideration."

A painful accident occurred to a young man named Stanley Hull at Carlisle and Cos plumbing works on Monday afternoon (reports the Nelson Colonist). Hull was repairing the benzine tank of a motor-car, and; placing a lighted match at the inlefe for the purpose of inspecting the interior, an explosion occurred. The rush of flame caught the unfortunate young man full in the face, and he was severely burned. It is believed, however, that his sight will be unimpaired. J& doctor was promptly pi attendance, and when Hull's injuries had been attended to temporarily he was removed to the hospital. The tank, which was empty, fortunately withstood the force of the explosion, otherwise the consequences might have been more serious.

In the Warden's Court at Blenheim to-day, Mr"F. 08. Loughnan heard the application of George Morton for. an alluvial license over one acre, five chains from, the Alice Fell shaft, at CuHensville and following the Government Toad for a distance of^en chains in a northerly direction. * Mr ■T. Scott-iSmith appeared for the applicant, and Mr W. T. Churchward for the^objectors, who were interested in the King Solomon mine. The objection was that the proposed work would interfere with the road leading to the mine. The application was granted on condition that the applicant secured the free and full use of the road1 to the objectors and subject to the con.sent of the Road Board. Costs amounting to £4 7s as against the objectors were allowed.