LOCAL & GENERAL NEWS.

Marlborough Express, Volume LIII, Issue 195, 19 August 1919, Page 4

LOCAL & GENERAL NEWS.

A general meeting will'be held in the Koromiko school on Thufrsday evening to make arrangements !for-a welcome home to returajed soldiers of that, district.

The welcome home social which had been arranged to take place in the Marlboroughtown Hall on Wednesday evening lias been postponed until further notice.

The reading matter on the inside pages includes Wellington Topics, Havelock Notes, "Childbirth Expenses," "An Audit Prosecution," "Our Babies," "Railway Construction," 'Emigration," and "Education Reform."

The public is reminded of the meeting advertised for to-morrow in connection with the holding of Baby Day. In order that the Plutiket Nurse, whoso; services ar& free to all, may carry on, her rseful work, funds are necessary, and it is to be hoped thatt Baby Day will be heartily supported.

With"\the return of soldiers homewaking -'proceeds apace. The demand for residential properties has never ieen keener, and last night the Repatriation Committee dealt with over 2C applications from discharged soldiers for loans for the purchase of furniture.

The Westporfc Boxing Association has recently been revived, and an amateur tournament has been arrcrged to take place on the evening of Sept. 13th, after the Seddon Shield match between. Marlborough pid Buller. The local Rugby Union has been approached with a view to boxing members of the Marlborougli •iep." team participating in the tc urney.

In response to his representations regarding the shortage of sugar supplies locally, Mr R. McCallum, M.T?., has received a telegram from Mr Massey stating that the Colonial Sugar Company explains that the shortage is entirely due to the disruption of the steamer service. \He adds that supplies are now coming by the Mokoia and Katoa.

Commenting on the interview which took place in Christchurch on Friday between delegates representing the South Island Main.'Trunk Railway League and the Blenheim and Pieton Chambers of Commerce and the Canterbury Chamber, Saturday's Press says .-—The friendly reception which " the Canterbury Chamber of Commerce gave to the Marlborough deputation that came to ask for support in pressing the Government to complete the South Island Main Trunk line will be approved by the people of the province. There is no reason, as one of the Marlborough visitors pointed out, why the Government should not be asked to push on with the completion of this line, and of the. Otira Tunnel, without setting the- claims of one against the other. As for the proposal that 10 millions should be borrowed for the completion of the main railway lines, we do not think that suoh a loan should be raised until the development programme has been settled. Some observations by one of the speakers seem to indicate that the Chamber of Commerce has been considering the advocacy of a plan for removing public works from manipulation by the politicians. . . . Although the Chamber of Commerce is very late lin recognising the need for fundamental . reform, it better late than never.

A ■ River-lands property which was recently offered to the Government for acquisition for soldier settlement at £'-i% per acre has been cold privately, i>o it is understoodj at £35 pelr acre.

A pruning demon stratum will be given at Hillersden. on Saturday afternoon by Mr Lloyd Williams, (/•chard instructor. In the evening In; will deliver a lecture on. "Farm ■Orchards.''

It is reported that there is likely to bo a revival of the timber milling industry in the Pelorus district at an early d.a*e. The establishment of several mills is contemplated, the main idea being to clear several areas of good bush which has only been fringed in the past. The "soldier settlers in the Opouri are interesting themselves in this enterprise.

The Auckland correspondent of the Christchurch Press telegraphed at the end of last week:—Very little local chaff is coming iife and the business is restricted to Marlborough chaff just to hand. Several shipments have landed and more supplies are still to arrive, but the demand is able to absorb all arrivals. Best Blenheim is worth £13 10s ex store.

The Minister for Defence has sent the following telegram to Mr R. McCallum, M.P.: "In reply to your telegram of the 15th, the transports Cordoba and Hororata are due to call at Capetown. If smallpox is present the troops will not be allowed to land, and precautions will be taken by the- medical authorities on the arrival of the ship in New Zealand."

Th. W. E. Redman has been appointed by the Governor-Genei-al a member of the Marlborough 'College Board of Governors for the unexpired •iosiduo of the term of office of Mr R. J. Bell, expiring on July 31st!, 1920. Mr W. H. Ma'coy has been reappointed1 a Government representative on the Board for tho usual period of two\ years. Mr R.. McCallum, M.P., has been leappointed as ia repre«entativie <of tthfe Wellington Educ-atiion Board.

Mr R. McCallum, M.P., is leaving Blenheim to-day for Wellington in readiness for the opening of Parliament »>u the 28th insi. _ Asked what he thought of the political situation, Mr McCaJjum sa id that it was in the clouds, and he had nothing to say about it* except to express the opinion that the-party truce would last until necessary matters wore disposed of. He <i!id not think that the general election would take place any earlier than Deeembcir the 10th: If a disruption between the parties happened in the early-pairt of tho r-^ssion there might be an election and :vi early sesIsion following \c)n it ■ before Clhjristmas, but that was an improbable course of ©vents.

The Blenheim ■Repatriation Committee met lasti night, the attendance being as follows: Messrs J. J. Carry, (chairman), H. J. Mitchell, It. HodV son. T. Taplin, R. Brewer, J. M. Lightfcot, W. J. Girling, E. Sv Parker, J. Fawcetlt. J. B. Dick, and A. M. Thomson (Repatriation Officer). As the committee had not met for five weeks there was a large volume of business. Altogether there were 35 applications: for various forms of assistance, a-nd several applications for business wssistanee held the committee-" s attention until a late hour. The repatriation officer reported that several men were out of employment, and that the demand for lahoir had slackened very much of late.

Our Rai Valley correspondent writes: While a wedding ceremony wa. s in progress at the church last week about fifty vehicles of all descriptions weir© in the vicinity, and a number of the horses connected ■with them were somewhat .excited. Matters came to a. climax, however, when a- tract ion-engif.ie appeared on the scene, and the owners of the steedS had to do . battle- with their ■Dick-or Dobbin for some minutes-. It looked at ono time as if something ■serious ivas going to eventuate, as one hreaivwav would have caused a «erious «.mash. Fortunately this did not happen, and. on all sides people wn\> to be. heard congratulating each 'other on the escape. It is some years since such a. demo" of terror n'a«ped this way, and curiously enough thi* was also on the occasion of a roccrd crowd for the district.

A mission is bein,? eond>".f:ef? n.fc Tfemvicktown this week by the Yen. Archdeacon York and the lav-readers nnd members of the Church of the Nativity, The mission was opened l:ist nicht by a very hearty service at the Church of the Aiimmria.tion. About 12 members of the church went out from # Blenheim, including .° strong choir, and a bright musical service was the result. Before the. sen ice commenced the mission party s.ing "Leid Kindly Light" in the church grounds. Well-known mission hymns were sung heartily during the f.orvic-:\ winch wps well tended. Miss Draper sfricr the sol« "There is si O-reen Hill Far~Aw.iv." ami Mr Collier sane; the solo. "Lead Kindly Light-." One of the lay-raiders read tbe lesson on the Crucifixion from Matthew xxvi. rind Ts.niah r-iii., nnd pf-ve jt. short address on the w^do?*ful )ove and compiesion of Chrfpfc for the whole world* Archdeacon York also addrep^ed the cono-regatio^ on the -jbiect of the mission, and the need for wider sympathies, in church work. During the service a memorial toblet was un-yiW- in lT.ep^ory of the late Mr E. M. Eraser, of Remvicktowr,. who jnid th« sun'em» saf-ific^ in the . fJre.-tt Tv. The Ker. Mr Crossing vi^-ar rf l{onwicktow^i, snoke of tlie invful no+p hf the ChriotiaTt's hone for the f;n'Wi. fnl f^nnrtod. Th^ service closed with tho hyniii. "Qo- 1 be w'th you f;TT "- A j niipe+. :->o:"in." Tli^ missions will be I cc"ductrd every night until Friday, j

The property of the late Mr Allan; Cameron, at Martinborough, comprising 104 acres, was sold under the hammer this week for £62 per acre. A Wellington school teacher whocould not obtain a permit to travel by train walked over the Himutaka.Hill to Masterton. The journey occupied two days. The citizens' ball at Christchurch during tlio visit of H.M.S. New Zealand is to be a gigantic affair, and it is estimated that 1000 couples will be present. The function is to be ; held in the Colosseum; the vacant section between this building and. Manchester Street is to be floored, and covered in so as to serve as a. supper-room, buffet, eic. Influenza in a mild form is fairly prevalent in Masterton just now. There is an acute shortage of butter and bacon along the West Coast of the North Island and up the Main Trunk line. A number of families in AVanganui have been obliged to go without butter, and matters are not likely to improve until the new season's make comeson the market. ! A striking instance of the increased value of timber when made into veneers is reported - from England. An English walnut tree, grown in Nuneham Park, was sold for £200. The log eventually found its way toAmerica, after changing hands several times. Its American purchasers cut it up into 60,000 feet of veneers, which were sold for £1500.

It is finally decided that the New" Zealand! will not come to Otago, SiiJames Allen having telegraphed:— "Regret exceedingly to find that, owing to the coal trouble and the difficulty of entering the harbor, it is not possible to arrange for the New Zealand to visit Otago. Viscount Jellicoe will, however, pay a visit personally to Dunedin, travelling by motor from Christchurch. I understand it will be between: the--Ist and 12th September."

The practical cessation of price 4 fixing Having played into the hands of the profiteer, the cost of living naturally is on the up grade (says the Melbourne Age). According to' statistics furnished by Mr Ivnibbs r the price of commodities in June last showed an increase of 0.6 per cent, over those of the previous month. All the States show increases, except Queensland, where prices remained1 stationary. In South Australia theincrease was 1.3 per cent., and in the other States less than 1 per cent. Compared with June, 1518, the cost of living in June last increased in aIF the States. The greatest advance was 21.9 per cent, in West Australia, followed by 15.2 per cent, in Queensland, 14 per cent, in South Australia, 5.5 per cent, in Victoria, and 3.7 per cent, in Tasmania. The averageincrease for the Commonwealth was 10.7 per cent, for the year. Since^ the beginning of the war prices have risen in Queensland 60.6 per cent., New -South'' Wales 52.8 per cent., Victoria 41.7 per cent v Tasmania, 41.3 per cent., West Australia, 38.7 per cent., and South Australia 37, iT per cent. The average'increase for the Commonwealth from Ju1y,^1914,. to June, 1914, was 46.6 per Cent.

! The Public Health Department (says the New Zealand Journal). ha& notified in passing reimbursing claimsfrom Hospital Boards for allowances made in regard to influenaz epidemic widows that tfhsre is a great difference in the manner in. which the relief is being administered. Some of the boards, in cases where a widow has no moans, are allowing the full 10s 6d for, each child! and £1 -5s tor", the moth©?-, less, of eomse,^ the widows" pension drawn by the widow; a few boards, however, are 'only granting the 10s 6d for tilie children and nothing for the mother, whereasin one or twoi instances it appears' that the full' amount is not being, allowed for tihe children. The Minister lias expressed the desire- thatthese- pensions should be adminis--teredi generously and with full apptt-e--ciation, of all the facts. The board must, of course, uso its own discretion and deal witjh each case era its merits.' 'Whore it is ascertained! that; the children will' otherwise suffer,, th^ full amount should be granted." The relief does not extend tlo widowswho lost their husbands snbsequen ii < to Ja.nuswy.3lst, oii which diate' the epidemic was oonsidlered to have ruit' its couirse.