LOCAL & GENERAL NEWS.

Marlborough Express, Volume XLVII, Issue 156, 4 July 1913, Page 4

LOCAL & GENERAL NEWS.

lii pursuance of the rejection of the enterprise by the ratepayers, all work in connection with the Blenheim water and sewerage scheme has been stopped. .Mr JV Sturrock, the resident constructional engineer, has received from the Borough Council the sum of £CO7 as the amount of compensation for the termination of his engagement. He will be leaving Blenheim shortly, and will hand ovetto the Cmmcil the voluminous plans ami specifications he has. prepared. These are of considerable value, and will be stored in a fireprref safe.

Dr McArthur, S.M., gave has reserved judgment at Wellington in the case of, Crawford v. the Union Steam Ship Company, a claim for £100 damages for injuries sustained during the discharging of cargo from the Mokoia. • The Court held that the accident was not due to the company's negligence or faulty appliances, but through the negligence of a fellow servant in fixing a faulty sling. The employers therefore were liable. Judgment was entered for £50' and costs.—Press Association. When furnishing call at T. Smale's, complete house furnisher, Alfred tStreet, where you will find everything required to make home comfortable. All new goods of the best quality marked at keen cash prices.— Ad:vt. . ! During May 270 hales of hemp from the port of Blenheim were graded as follows:—Fine 71, good-fair 208. Of 418 bales from the port of Picton 175 i were graded as fine, 105 good-fair, j 125 fair, and 13 common. It is re- i marked in the Journal of Agriculture j that while Westland hemp has re- ] ceded in quality owing to unfavorable J i weather, that of Marlborough and j Hawke's Bay is still of good standard, I i the bulk of the fibre from these ■ districts , being "fine" and "goodfair." . ■ \ •

A new lot of duchess chests, washstands, wardrobes, sideboards, hallstands, chairs of all descriptions, just to hand at T. Smale's, Alfred Street. Call and inspect these goods displayed in our extensive show-rooms.—Advt. ! Particulars of the importation of fertilisers into. New Zealand for the year ended March 31st, 1913, compiled from the Customs returns, and published in the June number of the Journal of Agriculture, would make it appear that the fanners of Marl-! borough limited their demands to 11 toiiis of superphosphate from Victoria. Nelson is credited with the importation of considerable quantities of fertilisers of seven different kinds, including 214 tons of basic slag. The probabilities are, however, that in this, as in many other respects, the Customs x-etui-ns are not a reliable indications oi Marlborough's business j affairs.

The local rainfall during Wednesday was 56 points, and during yesterday 14 points. Marlboroughtown residents are reminded of the social to be held in the local hall this evening. The music is to be supplied by Miss Horgan. A Morton Press Association telegram advises that no attempt was made last night to refloat the Indrabarah. At tlie Wellington Poultry Club's show on Wednesday, Lady Liverpool won the New Zealand championship in the Pekin huff bantam cockerel class. In Orpingtons Mr W. A. Sowman won the championship for single comb black cock. An Auckland Ptress Association telegram states that the outbreak of chicken-pox is spreading amongst the Maoris at Mangere. Two deaths are reported. The house in. whidh one patient lived was found to be in a. filthy condition.

Sheep-farmers will.be interested in the following resolution, which, was passed at the half-yearly meeting of the New Zealand Woolbrokers' Association:—"That everything over a 48-inch, pack will, after the ensuing season (1913-14) be considered an outside size, and a charge of Is per bale, in addition to ordinary store charges will be made on wool in such oases.' This decision has become necessary owing to the increased amount of warehouse labour caused by a diversity of charges. A quantity of literature containing information with regard to the system under which workers' dwellings are provided has been received by Mr J. H. Morrison, who represents the Jliabor Department locally. Mr Morrison will be pleased to reply to any inquiries on tli© subject. A number of persons 'have interested themselves of late in the setting-apart of ia number of workers' sections on the Old Renwick Road, and have applied for and been furnished with application forms. All applications a.re addressed directly to the Superintendent of Workers' Homes, Wellington.

In the Magistrate's 'Court' to-day Mr F. 08. Loughnan, S.M., gave judgment by default in the following cases: Mrs B. A. Fraser v. A Thomas Callan,;.£B, with £1 3s 6d costs; F. O. Linstrom v. P. Wilkinson, £4 lls 6d, with costs 16s. The case of A. E. Hammond v. M. McMaJhon, in which £3 9s 4d was claimed for meat supplies was defended on the ground that the alleged supplies were either not received or were paid for in cash. Mr N J. Cox appeared for the plaintiff, and W. T. Churchward for the defendant. Evidence was given by the plaintiff, the defendant, and her son. His Worship said that he could not

accept the ledger book as conclusive evidence. It was ndt backed up by any cart books, and he could see no reason to doubt hte statements of the ; defendant as to her dealings with the ■plaintiff. The items sued for were not satisfactorily proved. Judgment" was confined to an amount of 14s paid into Court.

"I often, pay a shilling to sit in a hotel diningroom and watch some of the diners eat!" said the Queensland Commissioner for Public Health (DaMoore) last week. "I have noticed some of the workmen who dine in the country hotels bolting large pieces of steak one after another without attempting thorough mastication. , As some of these men take such an indigestible meal three times. a day, I often reflect as .1 watch them now much indigestion. they are laying up for themselves.'.' Continuing, he said he believed in the two meals a day '■plan, as many people suffered quite as much from over eating as others suffered as the result of an under supply. His advocacy was based on the prao tical experience of several years of the two meals a day system of dieting. As an illustration of how unreasonably many persons insist upon eating things unsuited to then* digestive organs, he mentioned the case of a leper in the lazaret, near Brisbane, j who1, although a sufferer from acute ; indigestion, insisted on having sent to i him at his own cost a choice pate de ' fois gras each week.

j An interesting incident was related to a Sydney interviewer last week by ; ! Captain Webb, of Huddart, Parker, Limited, who has just returned to ! Australia from a trip to Japan. A vessel was discharging' cargo at a Japanese port, the captain of which j was dining with <& Japanese gentle- j man who spoke excellent English and was well educated. During conversation the Japanese gentleman asked ' the captain where he intenled to sail to from Japan. "Probably to Austra- ■ lia," replied the captain. "Ah," said the other, "they are funny people down there. In the course of time j you may come back, and we will parade ycur customers on the deck, f jlf you ha.'/e an Australian on board, ! jwe will say, 'No, we don't want you; i 1 you must go back.' The Australian | might say, 'I am not a working man, but a reputable merchant; I only want to visit your city as a tourist.' Then the Japanese underling of the Customs Department will say, 'Very well, if you wish to do that, you must! be photographed twice, your finger ' prints taken, and you must lodge a deposit of £100 that you will leave the country within three months.' "

| To the information contained in the Farmers' Column yesterday as- to ! the prospects of the dairying industry in Southern Marlborough, it may be ' added that Mr C. F, Murray, of Wharanui, is among the many settlers devoting attention to the resources of the district in .this respect. He is now engaged in establishing a heird of ICO cows and installing a milking machine, and m all probability the number of milkers will be increased later on. Among the cattle being imported into South Marlborough. are recognised Shorthorn strains from Australia. The importers consider the | Shorthorn to be the best investment in their cases, as this breed serves the double > purpose, and the stock that is by the process of selection eliminated from the dairying depax*tment may with profit be turned on to the back country for fattening. The Jersey strlain is not suitable for butchers' requirements. Mr J. Rae, of th» firm of Messrs Hill and Barton, found during his recent visit to the South that there ; was every likelihood of large quantities of the cream produced along the East Coast being sent

into Blenheim as the central collecting station, while at the same time the factories at Hapuka and Kaikoura were increasingly supported^ The home separation principle, in - conjunction ■ with the collecting system, appeals with special force to the outlying farmers. The better theconditions of transport, of course, the more popular will the dairying in-, dustry become, aaid in this connection it is interesting to learn that there is an agitation for the expeditious bridging of the risers between Kaikoura and Ward, with a view to the' establishment; of a motor service to connect with the Blenheim railway. The Flaxbourne country, by the way, has been found to be more suitable than the Starborough settlement ' for dairying, and already there is a considerable output of butter-fat there. Further south still the country is of an ideal nature for milk-production r much of it being equal to the best portions of Taranaki. It is through this country that the - South Island Main Trunk Railway would pass.

: Reports appearing in the June number of the Journal of Agriculture describe the condition of live stock in the various districts of New Zealand during the season from April Ist, 1912, to March 31st, 1913. For some reason that will hardly be appreciated locally, the Blenheim and Nelson districts are grouped in these returns. The sheep of this combined area maantained good health, th© mortality, percentages being 4$ among theadujts and 7i among the hoggets. The number of breeding ewes on hand intended to be bred from was 649,214, out of a total of 1,197,071. The estimated lambing percentage, 71, was the lowest, and th© estimated mortality percentage among] lambs up to weaning, 13, was the highest in the Dominion; It is estimated that 401,019 lambs were reared. The wool clip was good in Nelson, but so heavy nor so good as usual in Blenheim The nodes were fairly free from lice, but ticks were very prevalent. The dipping was performed in a fairly satisfactory manner. The number of cattle in the' Nelson-Bleniheini district in April, 1911, was 39,636, including 14,929 dairy cows. ; ' mortality among dairy cattle duriri/g the . spring' months was estimated, iat 2, per cent.—being; one of < the lowest percentages in the I>ominioii. Itife' calculated that 56, per cent, of calves were kept, being fed mainly on skimmilk. The estimated mortality among: calves due mainly to insufficient • feeding is 1\ per cent. ; and it is set down that about 8111 calves were reared. A little provision was made in the dairying localities for winter feed, but none elsewhere: The cattle were mainj tairied in .poor condition .in Nelson and in good condition in Blenheim. In April, 1911, there were 14,198 horses: in i>he Nelson-Blenheim area, and 7 ' their health and condition werfe very I good. The breeding methods are de- | scribed as not progressive. In thesame' district there were 12,675 pigsin April, 1911; their health and condition being good, and fairly progressive methods of breeding being pursued. Grains and root- crops' formed the bulk of the diet, the feedinS-off: being done largely on pollard or grain, and the store pigs being as a general rule allowed to run in smalt" paddocks and yards. '