LOCAL & GENERAL NEWS.

Marlborough Express, Volume XLIX, Issue 249, 20 October 1915, Page 4

LOCAL & GENERAL NEWS.

Tbe opening of the Awirua Tennis Club's season will take place on Saturday next.

The Government lias decided to reimpose tbo dutv-'on wheat and flour as from November Ist.

During the night the thermometer fell to 28deg. The wind evidently prevented the frost from settling, much to the relief of gardeners. .

A reminder is rdveu to householders to be ready with silver coin for the collectors who will call on them to•moN'ow in connection with the EmDire Red Cross aprv?nl. Every collector will wear a distinctive badge;

Rc.l.ert Hut ton Spioule Meiities, vbo pleaded guilty in the 'i.wer Court to Ihe^t of insurance moneys, was sentenced by Mr Justice Sim at Dunedin to-day "to three years' imprisonment. " •■

A double shock of earthquake w:im experienced locally at about 9.55 o'clock this rooming. The first move-, ment, a slight one. wns quickly s^'eoef'dod by a mor-n forcible "shake, tho jolting motion of -which rendered its direction doubtful.

Mnori dancpra from CanvaßtoAvn nnd the Sounds district gave n- rlisplay at the Botanical 7?Asevv^ nt Nvlson". on Saturday afternoon, before a fair attendance of tho rmbKc the nroc-e<--ds being for fb<- benefit of sick ;m>\ wennded p-oldiers. Snecinl pnrcha?e of r.--';idv-te>--.^;ir goods snit-nblo fr- r ,iv-.Ql v >vv. M=iis blouses, skir^o. ;-,,-,,i ~,v ;( ,,h)-.\s. K.-.t, pricos.—.T. W. O'K.'Ul \dv».

In a- renonf l^t-t^r !,-, !h«. hi<v»r\u\ Merchant Sorvion Onrl.-1 !.-!ir-i Cliarli-'- ! Beresford. fanid; cty i y ,i; ~-,, Vs --,. (,;\\« now some 2"00 . v^« ■•■-'..u" not. rn»ri-<)f-war, «orju»ly,'' TTioT-CHTinnt ihl}^. tr.-n.v!-or.>, -drifters.' yrc-btc ,-.!,- doing mnn-of.-n-,.),. lv , M.- ]~--.7f of ihvm uncle-tnkiniT TXTtrnl-; " No cold ia ''N.AZOT,'1 j.vo-M' !--.Advt.

\t 12.30 o'clock', tc day 130 rate- \ payers had recorded their votes on the J proposal to raise a special loan of j £4000 for the purpose of acquiring a ' portion of the Wither Settlement for tho purposes of a- public park. The number of voters on the roll is 1358. The poll, which is being taken at the Council Chambers, will close at 7 o'clock, and the .result of the preliminary count will be announced later in the evening.

A t^aiu1 from the Tua Marina Ilifle Club is to pay a visit to AVellington this week to fire a re-turn match-with tho Karori Club, and also a friendly match with the Petone Rifle Club at Waiwetu, Lower Hutt. The team will consist of President R. CresswelU, Vioe-President H. C. Cheesman, J. Cheesman, T. S. Da.vies, J. Nicholas, E. Matthews, H. Soper, A. Soper, F. Sopev, W. Gane, and AY. Botham. The team will travel by the morning train to-morrow for PJcton.

The remains of the Hon. J. A/. Millar were interred in . the northern cemetery at Dunedin to-day. The cortege was completely representative. The Hon. Mr Allen represented the National Ministry, and the pallbearers were Messrs Hawthorne. Millav (a son), Walter Millar (a cousin), Oatfm (a cousin), and Tilsley'(a nephew). Tlit Rev. Canon Small, vicar of Sb. Mary's, Mornington, officiated. Wreaths \vere received from all over the Dominion, including one from the Ministry.

A most successful fair-, held'in the Kekerangi'i woolshed - last 'Saturday resulted in the sum of £21 10s being added to the Marlbovough East Coast Red Cross Material Fund. Dancing, games, gnessing competitions^ nvA a. bran-tub helped to amuse the large crowd, and good -business was done in produce, -sweets,■"and flowei-s. The promoters wish to thank all who donated produce, cakes, and sweets,1 Mr nnd Mrs Andrews, of Ward, who siipplied free music, and Mr Beainett fdr the use of the shed. -

Wind from the west arid south, rising at places to th* fqrde of a gale, is indicated by .this morning's weather report as prevailing throughout- the Dominion. Heavy peas were running off the North, Island coasts, and a moderate sea at. Cape Campbell. The. Grey mouth- and Westport bars were rough. Farewell Spit reported a. snowfall, and New Plymouth rain. Several stations had skies partially clouded. Thennorretbr readings were: Auckland 56, Wellington 55/ Bl<?n: heim 52, Christchurch 40, Dunedin 43. Smart dresser, and costun.es for the Show, at Thomas's—Advt.

At the; inquest legnrding the death of Mr Henry N. Rutland, of Canvastown, 'vhose body was found ir. a lagoon close to bis house, it v/as stated in evidence th«".t the deceased was subject to< fainting fits.. I>r. Williams expressed tho opinion ibat ■death was not due.tc drowning. The jury brought in ihe following verdict: ■'■That it is tho opinion of the jury that the deceased met his death

thrcvigh natural causes, and that death took place r«rior to his falling into the water. No blame is attachable to anyone." Marvellous vjluo in colored iruderskirts i\t-3s od, at .Thomas's.—Advt;.

First .and foremost in the Windsor Magazine" for October is an eye-open-ing illustrated aiticle entitled "The Equipment of the Forces." To read it is to understand the positive j evolution which has taken place in the industrial life of .the Old Counirv. "The Effects of the War on Textile* ."Manufactures" is on similar lines, while "Civilian War Service" gives ■ details of the valuable work which is being done by those who cannot to the.front. "General Botha" "and "Serbia md the Serbians" are two well-written and timely articles, and there'is in addition the usual budget of fiction, rjiost of it possessing a war flat or. Boys' Kitchener suits with caps, to match, at. Thomas's.—Advt.

An unexpected contingency lies arisen, which will probably" affect the shearing industry in New Zealand to 52™,- extont .-this season (states the Wellington Post). Several months ago Mr M. Laracy, the secretaj-y of the Shearers' Association, ordered trbni England over .-€IOO worth of biade shears, which have Arrived in such a rusty condition that tliey arc practically- not fit for use. Tb© trouble has "arisen through moisture penetrating the "waterproof" packing in which tho shears were wrapped. Somo of .the blades were sent out by Mr Laracy, who has received ' several complaints about them, and has decided not to distribute; any more of them. The difficulty arises that it is impossible to communicate- with all th<? hand shearers in New Zealand and many of them will be annoyed that their blades have not arrived. Shears which arrived two years ago properly packed are still in* an excellent condition, and free from the slightest suspicion of rust.

. Plenty of Wellington ladies, states tin ox-West Coaster now in Wellington, have their names on the register to art as letter-carriers and tranT con- \ ductors. Women are beins; talcon into :: tho banks mid post offices now, and old nion who have been pensioned off ai-o being asked to go back". Tho same j is luippouinji with school teachers, i Afarried womon, who were teaching ■ boforo thoy _wo;v niarricd, luivo rc^ j s-unml toacliing, many acting as re- ] lifving teachers. j "A good nair^ is hotter ti-tin f riches." -Ct-rrantfis. :

The increased stamp duties, one penny extra- on receipts and cheque forms, come into operation oh Ist November.

Police Superintendent O'Donovan, of Dunedin, has been appointed to succeed Supt. Ellison, who is retiring. Inspector Wright, of Hamilton, has been promoted to superintendent, and transferred to Dunedin in succession to Superintendent O'Donovan.

Potato blight of a serious nature has made its appearance in the Taranaki district. Many gardeners express the opinion that the blight is more prevalent this year than it has ever been. In many cases healthylooking foliage has been blackened m the course of a. few hours.

The supply of insulated shipping space has fully overtaken requirements, reports.the N.Z. Times. It appears, in fact, that there is barely enough meat in the hands of exporters to load the vessels that are available. Fortunately butter and. cheese are1 m good supply. The freezing companies will face the new season with empty stores. Miss Walton, teacher of scientific dressmaking, has re-openod classes at the Technical School, and will be pleased to meet intending pupils.— Adtt. . .v*

Some time ago a cablegram re-, ported a fight between the British steamer Ping Suey . and a Gem an submarine. Th;> action took Place, m the Channel and was of a lnostv determined■'■chavafitQi-.-' The Ping Suey carded a 4.7 aim- at the siel-n, but it was some time before the gunners got the range, and in the meantime the vessel suffered considerably from the submarine's ,fire, the poop deck very much resembling a ploughed field. When, however, the range was seemed the submarine altered its course and submerged.

Ladies' smart shoes for-evening or afternoon w ear indoors. A' nice selection, most sizes; various kinds,' usually 7s 6d'to 16s 6d; now in lots to choose fiont at 3s 6d,'3^ lid, 4s lid, 5s lid, 7s lid, 9s lid. See them at Hannah's salo-eAdvt. The' Education Department has written to the local education office giving particulars of the recent jde-striK-tion by iiro of tv public school building■'■ *I;t is stated thai; during the holidays twi boys, aged 13 and J4. were set to clean the schoolroom, ;nd by permission .uwkV a kerosene heater. TTie heaier way damaged and unsteady ;! it became tipset, and the burning oil fired t)ie building. The boys wore under no supervision. The Minister for Education hopes that till authorities concerned with the (.oiv of public school buildings \vjli take particular note of *his incident. You may go further, but you crm!t get better all-round values than H. F, Hall's.—Advt. •"

A hitherto unpublished story of the capture, of two German merchantmen by « British pilot is contained in the

Guild Gazette, the journal of the Imperial Merchant, Service Guild. On August 8, 1914. four days after the outbreak of war between Britain and .Germany, the Hansa liner Lindenfels 'appeared off Perim harbor and signal-led-for a pilot. . Oaptain W. J. Chellew went aboard, and was immediately surrounded by the officers of the ship. He managed, to put off giving a direct answer to the question whether Brit-; "^ain. and. Germany were at wu* until the vessel was inside the harbor- and tlie anchor had been let go, whenhe turned to the captain and said: "Yes, captain, Britain is in it, and you are a .prisoner." The German became very abusive, and an attempt was made to heave up the anchor and gel; th« ship ©way; but Captain Ohellew's movements had been closely .watched from the shore, and a guard was'immediately place! on board.the ship, and she was finally declared a prize of war- A few days afterwards Captain Chollew captured the steamer Vargin under almost exactly similar circumstances.

RHVning to the paragraph published recently regarding the dryingup of Lake Elterwnter, Mr F. H. Richmond tolls the Nelson Mail that it seems incredil lo that this tine body of water should have disappeared. The lake was several miles in length, with a varying breadth, and of considerable depth, and •Mr Richmond has had boi-ting on it. It was a veritable sanctuary for vikl fowl; as back swans and ducks of all descriptions were to be seen on the water in hundreds, whilst pukel-o were numerous round the shores. The original owners of Flaxbourne, Messrs Clifford and Weld, strictly prohibited shooting in this lake, tlie lesult being that-the game\ increased lapidly nnd wore Unusually tame. Unfortunately, with the advance of settlement they wore quickly disappearing, and now the drying up of Uu- l-iko lias deprived what remained to all this wild fowl of their home. Mr Richmond s:ij*s it seems extvnrrdinarv to think all this

water should have- disappeared, and that rape v. as being sown where water used to he, as tit-.' piaa^iaph in question mentioned, ami it uues seme idea of the severity of tlv dry weather experienced in Mail'.oroiip.r during the lost two year?., cspc ciaily m the Flaxbourne oistrioi.

Referring to the scarcity of butted on the London market, the Prime* Minister stated on Friday that it was the shortage at Home that had causetH the recent rise in New Zealand prices^ The Germans were buying the Danish* output, and Siberian butter was nott coming forward in full supply- Prices! consequently rose in London, ami agents received instructions to buy afc increased prices in New Zealand. Mn Massey added that he was glad to notice the season was proving a goodl one in the dairying districts. Butter and cheese were coming forward in! good supply.

In commenting upon the-.position,of the money market,- the Trade Review} shows that the excess of deposits in! the hands of tho banks at the end ofi September was an increase of £584,----445 on the.previous quarter, and practically eleven times what it was at year ago. "This is, of course, tho result of the splendid returns receivedl for our exports, coupled w%th somewhat reduced importations" (says thel Review), "and it gives the banks an; ample supply of funds to meet anyl calls that may bo made on them. The £2,000,000 Government loan about to be raised locally will absorb «• fair amount of these- funds, and ordinary business requirements "w^ll utilise some also, but it would appear thafc there will be ample margin to work on. Our export season which is justl starting gives promise of excellent returns, owing to the high prices thate our principal products command, and if appears unlikely that importations will be very heavy for- a--time-,-so that. the balance of trade will apparently; continue well in our favor for some time to come, and thus, keep up ai coed supply of money generally- .

"Would it not strike you as peoujiarf that a wharf laborer, working Vweatily amonp;stj bales, cases, and bags should be weaving silk stockings?" asks the Wellington Post's Australian correspondent. And wearing three pairs'at a xime! It certainly interested .; "some Custom's officials ivb Melbourne when they.* learned that a ' 'wharfie'' toiling at ship's side was thus luxuriously; attired as regarded his knotty limos. Thej- investigated, and found that, apart 'from the man nvith the tliree pairs of silk stockings, other men. working in connection with the same ship had about them large quantities of choice ladies' siJk.nhder.wear. (no- • details given), rjidthat one of them had padded oxit'his trousers.with no fewer than seventeen pairs of hi^Wy fashionable stockings, packed m to prevent his, legs from being chafed ' by the edges' of cases, so he said! As v the result, six wharf laborers < have been arrest«d on the charge of liavinsc been in possession' of un-Custo:i;*»<i foods, being part of the cargo of the '. and 0. liner Kliyber

What it seems like to come suddenly upon a howitzer battery is described in a letter written by Corporal WJ j. Hill, of Wellington. After treat!ing of tho lajidirig at some length, Corporal Hill says: "In the crusls and, I may as well say it, the confusion, a fellow named Scott and myself got separated from the rest', but we struggled on, and eventually came out oh to an open space, when I received the fright of my life. Inadvertently, 7 we had "stumbled on to a howitzer battery, and just as we reached it one of the guns was Yired^-as it seemed, almost in my face. Of course, thero m«'»s no danger, owing tn the angle of the gun. but vhen the rush of air blew my;hat off, and the, hellish report well nigh deafened me, well, to tell the truth, it scared blue blazes out of me. Soon however, we caught up with the others. . . ..''*

''War is dreadful, but yet it •■joes good," says Capt. A. J. Cross in a letter received in Wellington « few days ago. "It certainly brings out what is best in a man. The selfish become unselfish, and I could write you looks on the' noble deeds I have seen done. Tbese non are just the men wh-uii 3'ou see every day in the streets of Wellington—farmers, laborers, clerks, shop assistants, school-masters (quite a number) —all sorts, rich and poor. Yet daily I see them sharing a last cigarttte (and cigarettes here are worth their weight in gold), or putting aside *he best of "their rations for a sick chum. I have seen a" wounded man wait patiently on one side till another's wound had been, dressed, and heard a last cheery .nessage to his choins from a lad who knew he war. being taken away t» die."

"J'h^ president of the "Wellington District Society, Jl'r []. V \x-:r Haast, lias addressed a circular rr. rhes members of tlie legal profes-io.; in. Wellington, in which h«* sny«: -"'Thw Defence 'Department i-t.-qiii.-vs- .. --idy of fro:n 20 to 30 volunteers to give it frratuit-ous assist<i-nee in the compilation <jT its iHjcords, and to wor!;-!- .'rft from 2to 5 p.m. evt'iy ;:!:,: .•■/. .i.oept .Saturday, for ao-^- :::-■. \- Vj;. Other bodies tire .firrr.u-rin^ ; v -;;-,> moriuus^ and night -'m?';^. A-, i.:•-.•■;■.:-dent of the Law >Socioiy. ' lu,vm -»;.-.',-i-u----taken to {live my ,scrv.i:v-v ;:«> .. \ : . ~r--visor and to find fron. ;'■• :;•:;■:• ..f the profession oncl tiioir -'Vi, Ul I-. .".■„> requisite number of ;ielj>-»---. '<"... ture of the work is u.-s; ,; ;<. i~. .. ■ .. <k . eluinging of tho rocunl -.y-i , : . • ' -, : Defence DepartnieaT \.-iih ■; v ',■ ■-.- the spwdior notifies', a-.u ~f : ;; ., i; ,:i > so ,ihat in doing t-h;.-? voii \. ih j. , ....•' deriug practical wr\:r;- -, ;!, .. .". try, and in p«:rtic'u;:'f ,/■■ ; '■~....'"■• ~-. a . have n>latn-es iightii;-; ['..-, i, s ."