LOCAL & GENERAL NEWS

Marlborough Express, Volume XLIX, Issue 250, 21 October 1915, Page 4

LOCAL & GENERAL NEWS

Our Pioton oorre,spondent reports that, a sharp earthquake shock was felt at 9.55 a-ni. yesterday.1 . The retail price of meat in Dummi'ii lias been advanced, the rise J>Hn«: from id to 2d per pound. Tlie Koromiko Cricket Clu!> vill open the season on Saturd.-.-y, vlv.-n all membersi and intending in-'i;ib?rs and their friends »re coi-diallv invited. No cold is "NAZOL" proof! ,'uivt. A patriotic social and dunv will be given by the. Nortliho.uk -^.;1(-f>-at To Ron on Friday, Oololkt o'M'fi. Proceeds nre in oM of the Wmih:,!^! Soldiers Fund. The Picton Rowing Clul> i.a.-; vc*eeivexl a fhalleuo-e f» (rr! {}~. v\';mai; Club for tho McCalluni~O;n. nwl rk» race will bo rowxl at P-'ct-o': ■.■;; S.-i.tuf-day. November 20th.

Seven degrees of iro.se wero recorded on this grass during the uight.

A telegram from Capo Egmont to the Marine Department1 states that a black swan hit the lighthouse lantern, .\and shattered the glass, being instantly killed as the result. The light will be partially obscured till repairs can be effected1.

A Press Association telegram from Well ing-ton states: —The Victoria College Council has decided that Professor yon -Zedlitz's compulsoiy retirement- by Act of Parliament sliall be s\ecomipanied by a. vote, oi a year's r.alary as compensation.

A freak in the shape of a chicken with four logs was found junong a brood of White Leghorn chicks which broke through their shell prisons at Mr W. Sweeney's place, Richmond {Christchure.h), on Friday. The little stranger did not live long.

The wind force has moderated somewhat, but. otherwise the weather" prevailing throughout the Dominion this morning was very similar to that indicated by the telegraphic report issued yesterday. There Avas a southwest swell off Cape Palliser, and a heavy sea was running off Cape Campbell."

There is at the present moment in the Trentham camp, enlisted as a ]>rivate soldier, a Taraiiaki man who has an income of £1500 a year. He is as happy as a. sand boy, and does his work cheerfully, the only -"growl" that lie indulges in being a complaint concerning the lack of bath accommodation.

Responding to "the toast of "Our Boys at the Front," at the Masterton Foresters' Lodge social last week, Mr Wiliiam Dixon", of Masterton, stated .that'his'seven sons had all donned the. King's uniform, and he was sorry, he had not more sons to do the same. Some of the boys had fought in the. South African war, while the others were now at the front.

A notable example in last week's enlistments for the front- for the young men of Wellington is tho acceptance of the services of Mr T. W. ("Dorrie") Leslie, custodian of the Town Hall since it's opening. Mr Leslie has been a noted athlete in his day, having held the professional walking championship of New Zealand from the year 1892 until 1906, when he retired unbeaten from the track.

Some idea of the way in which those in high places in England are facing the war trouble is shown, in a letter from the High Commissioner for New Zealand (Hon. T. Mackenzie) to his brother, Mr James Mackenzie, 1.5.0., of Wellington. He states that Lord Plnnket's eldest son is working as nn orderly in one of the London hospitals "and the daughters are at work in the scullery."

Mr Frank Evens, registrar of births, deaths and marriages, in Ghristchurch, and registrar of electors fov. Christchurch North, has been appointed registrar of electors for the Southern Maori electorate. Tlie Maori main roll is now being compiled. In future Maoris will have to v claim on-1 rolment, the same as Europoaais. Special enrolment forms( however, will be provided.

An "Auckland-telegram .states tluit the sentences in connection with the c-ourtmartiai of two Maoris have been announced. "Corporal Hopa, charged with desertion, received- thirty days' detention, and was deprived of his stripes. Hori Mori, who missed his transport, .and was charged with beina; absent without leave, was sentenced to twenty-four hours' detention, but was permitted to return to the ranks. . :

Tlie Awatere xijiit of the National Resoive hold their first rifle competition on Tuesday evening A section match was arranged, No. 3 challenging Nos. 1 and 2. Great interest was taken in the "shoot," some v 45 members participating. Tho conditions were five shots at 25 feet. The challengers secured an easy win. '■ Private Lenehan (19) Tr.ade the best individual, score. Private E. Blick won a 3-shot "shoot." No. 2 section has issued a challenge for next Tuesday. With bettor lighting arrangement^ some good scores should be made.

Regarding the Canvastown baby competition, a correspondent writes; —Contributions continue to oora'e in freely, and the competition is becoming keener thatn ever as the time of closing the poll draws nearer. Roy Rush has again established preeminence in tlie boys' contest, and Cliff Workman, who wus\ fifth last week, luis risen to second pja.ee. In the girls' competition. NormU. Josephson has established a. lead. The order to date is :is follows:—Boys: ,Roy Rush, ClifF Workman, Victor Loyell, James Wilson, Walter Drent, :y\d Rutland Hart. Girls: Norma Josephvson, Natalie Field, Ellen Wratt, Zita Stratford, Raka Webb.

A heavy hailstorm, lasting for a quarter of «n hour, was experienced at SecHon at midday yesterday. Pellets of a considerable size fell, and the countryside- was whitened. Though rain is still badly needed, the Awa-ter-e district has a much better appearance than it had at the corresponding stage of last season. The showers that fell last week revived the crops; and, given anything like the usual allowance of rain during ths^ next few weeks, a very fair agricultural output should result. The success of the oats i.s practically assured, raid the barley crops will yield by no moans unprofitably if the weather gives thorn a reasonable chance. A fair amount of feed for stock is growing.

'•The child i.s the hope of the race." —The health of the children is a matter affecting not only hene hapi-mess bub also the national welfare. There-foi-e, every mother should keep handy ?, bottle of Baxter's Lung Preserver, vhi eh gives wonderful relief in all 'ironcliial troiib'*^ Tt also fortifies the liiii£> i'ncl tiifit'.- up tlie system, j»romoting the ho.nth ond general wHll-beius of ihe -l-Ud ''Baxters ('.us been used by N»\v Zealand parents for over fifty, years. It is plpjisrnt to take and is snfe for the youngest. Is lOd bu.vs a largo bottle. -- -Advt.

(' Mr Robert Leo, ex-chairman of the ■ Wellington Education Board, and it gentleman who has always taken, a i deep interest in art, states that most ! of the more important works of art i in the Royal Academy of London and ! the British Museum have been • removed from their accustomed places and deposited in safety elsewhere, "owing -io the risk of destruction by fire or explosion during air-raids by the enemy's Zeppelins. The lake in St. James's Park", near Buckingham Palace, has also been drained, so that the sheen from its surface shall not act as a guide to aerial marauders.

Mr W. T. Young (general secretary of the Federated Seamen's Union) estimates that up to the present no less than 3000 seamen from New Zealand have enlisted in the expeditionary forces. From this cause alone he considers that a shortage of seamen for the mercantile marine is probable in the near future. The pinch is just beginning to be felt, but by Christinas he estimates that a number of vessels are likely to be laid :iusido for want of crews to man them. Even to-day the position is undoubtedly more acute than it was a month or so ago, a large number of seamen having gone into camp with the Bth Reinforcements. A great many New Zealand seamen are also picked up by Australian vessels trading to New Zealand ports, and are afterwards discharged in Australia, and join the the Australian coastal marine.

]t is stated that Swiss immigrants are- making their way steadily into the west coast of the southern portion of the North Island, and- that they have now a pretty firm foothold on the land there. "Last yeaj-," says a farmer,,. "a .'Swiss came to me, and, without any beating; about the bush, made me an offer to lease my farm at £? 5s an acre, and right off, too, he offered £15 a head for the whole of the herd, including half a dozen heifers. I refused the offer, but ho took up a good farm elsewhere in the district, ,and, judging' by the look of things, he appears to-be doing all right." "Had he any money?' someone asked. "I couldn't tell you was" the reply; "but if he hadn't, someone, else had, and somehow there's always someone that.has in& money behind. This will tea Swiss settlement around here in the course of time."

In support of a contention that tae prices obtained at auction sales ot land do not usually represent, tne actual value of the land, a witness in a case at the Condensation Court m Christcln rch last week stated that no knew a iron w'.io bad attended tee 'auction' sale of the lease of an area.of land and had obtained it for £400 a year' when he was quite prepared to £o as high as £1000 a year. The man was a keen sheep-farmer, with f.ooa business abih'ty? and knew tuat vho value of the land was easily £lpQun year, but he eagerly snapped it up >rhen h> w:t[s .i')le to obl;nn it f'.-r less than half the amount. That was only one case, but-he knew of others of a similar, hati.re.: •

That it is by no meani an easy matter t<i join the Australian Navy is the expedience of a joi-ng New Zealaiide>r, who has r&turned to the Donn'iium niter a futile effort to srnin admittance to that body. At.the outbienkof hostilities he tndeavored to joir. the New Zealand Expeditionary Force, but was rejected. solely owing to defective <te.tlh. lie thereupon had his teith attended to,, and left for Australia wiih thri intention of joining the /jiutralian Navy. In company with six young Australians bo ropoi ted himself for examination, but though otherwise perfectly fit wns rejected owing to h\& false, teeth. Of the other hx, only one was passed, the others suffering from bad eyesight, defective teeth, etc., and in one oas'e the recruit was rejected because he was flatfooted! The would-be tar declares that, fron piesont indications, the authorities will poon be compelled to accept men Such as i hese.

The shortage of fully-qualijiecl teachers, owing to the demands of recruiting has Resulted in -an increase of half-time schools in the Auckland military district. The system adopted is to group two schools together, aaid appoint one teacher to hold classes three days at one school :md three days at the other. Recently the Mareretu and Marerel-u Noi th schools were combined under this system, and tho . action of the Board was strenuously opposed by the parents of scholars at both schools. In some cases parents refused to send their children to .school at all, and to the warnings of the truant officer replied, "Will send ~— to school when fulltime school is recorded." The result was the institution of Police Court proceedings, and a special sitting of the Court was held before Mr E. Page, S.M., at Maungstnrntn, when severa.l defendants wore oaoh fined 19s and ooste

"He's a regular 'sundowner,' :> was the description Senior Sergeant Oo.s--sl.-ils3.-2a.vc* of a mar. named Jaok Harrison,' who appeared before the Hamilton Court on a charge of .wandering abroad to beg. It appears that the accused, 0 short man, with a sfc'rck head and 1 ii?hy beard, callo'l at 0, Ei.ieka settler's house on Morday. and on being provided with lunch informed his host that New Zealand was in for a bad time. Asked his l'eason for such a statement, Harrison replied, with a secretive air, "Why all the iniirdors that f:re going on are I on the East Coast." The settler re-( marked that he had nothing about them in ihe papers, whereupon the accused stated that they vere being kept secret -.md f.sked the settler to st.\ nothing to the police \ abont his presence in the district. : Harrison's strange iinperuim-e and : eccoT-tri-j manner, ;<v.d fact that he -as carrying roun-i vith him ;; j .".mall tent., witn n toionhuwk strapped • to tho side gave the vi-«, :->r some'Tris-

givings as to his meiKul condition. : and ho ran;:; up the ;■ !!fv\ L.tter the same day accused , :*s arrested : When charged uith w.irn>. rin.i abronil t to bep;. Harrison dvcia" ■?■ i-'hnt ho w.i:; | one of tho ?nost '»>«»-.■. ■ : : i;is in th.<» .' country Tlio lVm'li -. ;: n'i-od !n"ir to ! <no month's iniT>rivo;-. .■.•■••>-;. in rrdor! that his cns'> n->iu:!i+ : >;■ -ruiivtl ip.to by tho gaol j?hys''-iar >