LOCAL & GENERAL NEWS

Marlborough Express, Volume LI, Issue 154, 2 July 1917, Page 4

LOCAL & GENERAL NEWS

The 'Colonial Siigav Company ahnounces an increase of £1 per ton in the price of sugar. ;

Srurgeof--Genera.: -ilehdersoh ■ stated oh Fddav that there had been three .suicide? among, soldiers, in camp during 1916, and to date this year there had been four cases.

A further big batch of petitions was presented to the House of Representatives on Friday in favor of the earlier closing of hotels.. -The signatures numbered nearly 20,000.

The Plimbers Registration Amendment Bill which Mr R. McCallum, M.P., is introducing in Parliament was read a first time on Fr'day..: It seeks to remedy anomalies in the existing legislation. ft.■'■

A social evening will be. held in th« Kapaura, Hall on Wednesday evening, the proceeds from which will be .devoted to. the nurchase of soldiers' comforts. PJain supper will oe provided.

_At the Bwearing-ih ceremony at Parliament House on Tlrursdaya lady who was in the crowd fainted, bhe was taken nome in a motor-ear belonging; to a citken.' On the wav an incident happened which, although not unexpected, had not been provided for, and had the effect of S^- 5 ie lad^ family by a

wn??R? l' nfsi * at*edfl°n last month days L6sT£ heS 1 ' dlsfcrib4 ed over nine days The heaviest fall was 40 t °mr n t]f 24tlV I The rainfall at bpring Creek was l.Slin., rain falling inftl^ dP S/ For th* correspond T&TI l 1 U. s* 35f"-tkeT_Jl was .98. ?*?* ?.?• 'f nfall for tJle six months is 13.59 inches, recorded on 44 days ™J^4s£ftHLy° »™d *

tW n ,Y ]tI?out previous notice gianted tc-.Mr P. C. Webb, M.P. for Grey, on the ground of unavoidable absence,' saw Mr 11. Fletcher in the House of Representatives on Friday afternoon. The House accepted the motion m the spirit, in which it was moved, and gave Mr Webb the necessary permission to remain in Lyttelton Gaol until his term expire.^with-npnnW-irnng„, tlle Parliamentary penalty imposable on absentees.

The reasonableness of giving both sides of ..he House representation on committees was referred to by Dr Thacker in the House of Representatives on inday afternoon. • He was quickly answered by the Rt. Hon. W. *. Massey, who said lie was under the impression that Parliament was one large family. "That is not so," said a Member. "The country is certainly under the impression,"'said Mr Massey, "that we are here to do our best to enable New Zealand to do its full share in the war in which we are engaged."

The death is announced from Melbourne of Mr Charles MacMahon, the well-known theatrical entrepreneur.

Captain G. P. Rogers, military re-present-tive on the Second Auckland ■Military Service Board, is .pending a few days' leave in Blenheim.

During the week ended on June 26th the following produce was exported from the district of Wairau (including Picton): Frozen lamb £/850, frozen mutton £638, other frozen meat. £250, grain and pulse £617. wool £2822.

The Plunket Society's baby week was instituted at Christchurch to-day to raise £10,000 for a babies' hospital. The sum of £5000 i s already in hand. Dr. Truby King i» assisting the campaign with a series of lectures.

Demonstrations in fruit-tree pruning will be given by Mr W. R. Lloyd Williams at Mr F. Nosworthy's orchard, Springlands, on Wednesday afternoon; at Messrs Loe Bros.', Ward, on Thursday morning, and at Mr H. Fuller's, Seddon, on Thursday afternoon.

A total eclipse of the moon will occur, on Thursday morning.. As the moon will be setting at the time, only a part of the ejclipse will be visible here. The moon enters the earth's shadow at 7hr. 19min. Tiie total eclipse begins t at Bhr. 18min., and ends at 9hr, 54min., by-which time the moon will have set. ■ •

.The revenue earned on the Picton section, of railways during the fourweekly period ended on May 26th amounted to £2266 7s Bd, compared with £2136 lis Id for the corresponding period of last year. The main items, with the comparative returns '~ in parentheses, were: Passengers £552 18s 6d (£712 14s Id): goods, £1398 7s 9d (£1072 13s lOd).

Mr Ken. Willis, who, for some years was a resident of Marlborough, and who is now at the front, has just received a commission, being promoted -nth. field. After leaving this district Mr Willis went to Canada, taking up land in the vicinity of Victoria. British Columbia.: On the outbreak of war he disposed of his farm and enlisted in the Western Scottish Canadian contingent. He has been at the front for a considerable tmif • Ec is thp second brother out of five «_n active service who has been ".warded a commission, while the Other three (two of whore have lately been wounded) are non-commissioned othcers

12 dozen men's wool socks at Is pair, at Thomas's sale.—Advt.

in the House on Friday Sir Joseph Ward took occasion to refer to what he called an inspired suggestion in a, Southern paper that \ie was not likely to return. "None of us ' said.Sir Joseph, "know what the. future has in store for us, but Im not going to'leave New Zealand without giving my friends, and doubtless my, enemies, timely warning, so chat I may receive the high encomiums of those who wish to throw sprays my way." (Laughter.)

A member of a reinforcement draft writing from Sling Camp to a friend m Nelson says: "We had a good trip Home. The last night was exciting. We saw a destroyer having a smack at a submarine right in front of us. The third shot' struck it and knocked it upside down, and we saw it floating away." The writer was charmed with the rural1 spenery of England, and added: "You get a great reception going through the country. Everyone waves and cheers as you go by."

Sergeant K. Walker, of Nelson, who left New Zealand with the Main Body and saw service in Egypt and Gallipoli, is now in hospital in Italy. After a long period of convalescence jr.. England, during which he was on duty at one of the hospitals, he was returning to Egypt, when the vessel ho was travelling by was torpedoed In jumping overboard Sergeant Walter uijured his back, but was saved and taken to an Italian hospital, where he wa? splendidly treated. The hospital was attached to amonastery and the nuns controlled the wards and tho nursing, with military doctors and orderlies in attendance. The Enghsn folk, although few in numbers, were doing wonders, and the Italians .gavp the boys absolutely anything they possessed-money, iood, blankets, clothes, etc.

A London cablegram states that Lord Liverpool, Governor-General of New Zealand, has been made a Privy Councillor.

Owing to the.stoppage of football and tbe absence of most of the players, tho Wellington Rugby Union cannot find the money to keep up its payments for Athletic Park. Nearly £3000 is owing. The yearly cost for rent and rates is £600, while the Union's income is nil. An appeal is now boing made to all supporters of Rugby to come forward and save the giound by investing in a ticket scheme to raise funds. The Park was originally the property of a.private company, but some years ago it was taken over by the Wellington Rugby Union.

New Zealand! s performance in taking Mcssines was mentioned by the Prima Minister during his speech at the civic puncheon in Wellington on Wednesday afternoon. Mr Massey stated that while he and Sir Joseph Ward were in .London they were told .hat the New Zealanders were to take the town. They were not told that they were to attack it, but that they were to "take-" it.. He did not get •my information on the way out what the result wan, but he had learned 'since what had taken place. He was delighted—although.' we had had our share" o. losses.—that the credit for the cap'-.urc of Messines lay with the New Zealanders. (Applause.)

Some incidents, which it has been hitherto inadvisable j. to niake public were made known by the Right Hon., W. F. Massey at the civic luncheon in Wellington on Wednesday, Mr Massey stated that a vessel on which he tv as voyaging struck some object. The passengers' obtained the impression that it was a submarine* and there was a good deal of excitement! The obstacle turned out to be a whale, howevar* and the steamer-had to gd astern before the whale dropped from the -.'bows. ' '"I hope before the war/s finished," added Mr Massey*;, "Germar.y will be as limp and powerless as the whale that'dropped off the bows of the ;•' (Applause^

The one and only reason for the huge success of Hall's sale is the genuiness of the bargains.—Advt.

London Truth has the following, interesting paragraph concerning a distinguished New Zealand officer: — Among the ;hew brigadiers, recently appointed is Lieutenant-Colonel B. C. Freybcrg, V.C., D.5.0., the hero of the Ancre fighting, who was lately in command of the Hood battalion of the Naval Division. The case of this distinguished officer must be unique, for he has riser, in less than three years from the rank of sub-lieutenant in the R.N.V.R. to that of brigadiergeneral in the army. G.H.Q. told the army commander who applied for him, that Colonel Freyberg had no administrative ; experience, which was, of course, true, but the, reply was: "Damn administration; I want a leader for my young battalions.""' And he certainly got one. ft\ft

A sentence of twelve .months' imprisonment was taken very, philosophi tally by a Native at the Supreme Court, Gisborne, last weekj his sole reg.-ird, apparentlyj being as to how he would fare in regard to "kai" vheh in gaol (says the Gisborna Times). He asked his Honor, through an interpreter, how many' meals he .would get in prison, and was assured that he would be provided with three meals every day. Prisoner said that he only received two a day at the small country lockup where lie was kept for a time, and having teen assured that rations in the Auckland prison} which would be his home during his incarceration, were served three times a day, prisoner left the dock, apparently quite satisfied

For grinding a small American flag unde^ his heel, Joseph Glabasria, a German-American, was fined 25 dollars, in New York, and sentenced to wear tha American flag on his coat until tho. termination of the war. This is making the punishment fit the crime with a vengeance.