LOCAL & GENERAL NEWS

Marlborough Express, Volume LIII, Issue 272, 19 November 1919, Page 4

LOCAL & GENERAL NEWS

Electors of Koromiko are asked by advertisement to be at the school tomorrow evening at 8 o'clock.

A social evening and welcome to Sergeant G. Barnes will be held in the Ward Town Hall on Friday evening.

A reminder is given of the social to be held in the Seddon Town Hall to-morrow evening in aid of Miss Ivy Stretch's candidature in the Schools Queen Carnival.

"As an example of the automobile position," writes Mr M. C. Henderson, Dunedin city electrical engineer, from San Francisco, "I may say that I do not suppose I have seen 100 horses in five days, while I must have seen 2000 cars in the first fewhours."

The reading-matter on the inside pages includes "Sounds Farmers' Union," "Acclimatisation Society," "The Sugar Industry," "Sports and Pastimes," "An Engineering Feat," "Grip of the Drought," "Australian Soldiers' Gratuity," "Pot-Pourri," and "Theatre Gossip."

The prevailing wind at 9 a.m. was westerly. Cloudy skies were fairly general. The rainfall at Westport was 169 points and at Greymouth 218 points. „ The sea on the average was smooth", and the tides were moderate. The sea at Cape Palliser and Cape Campbell was smooth. The thermometer readings were: Auckland 63, Wellington 60, Christchurch 61, and Dunedin 55. The highest temperature was 73 at Gisborne.

The revenue earned on the Picton section of railways during the fourweekly period ended on October 11th amounted to £2847 18s, as against £2134 2s for the corresponding period of last year. The goods traffic returned £1715 17s Id, as against £1149 3s 4d, and the passenger traffic £681 11s lid, compared with £599 19s.

It has been decided by the Petone Borough Council to make a charge ot one shilling to people seeking information which necessitated turning up the rates and valuation books. The Town Clerk pointed out that a good deal of the office staff's time was spent in this way, and it was for this rt ason the charge was decided on.

The annual report of the Westport Ccal Company states that the'-profit for the year was £40,863, which added to £12,236 brought forward, makes a total of £53,099. An interim dividend of 6d per shara for the halfyear ended March 31st absorbed £31,250. The directors propose to pay a dividend of Is 3d per share for the half-year ended September 30th, absorbing £28,12"), and to place £2000 in the employees' provident fund and to v cairy forward £11,724.

The Labor Department has completed the purchase of 70 sections at Miramar for the erection of workers' dwellings, and a contract has been let for the erection of 40 in concrete. Negotiations are proceeding for the erection of 51 more at Miramar and 15 at P'etone. Other contracts, let are for 8 at Masterton, 12 at-Auck-land, 4 at Nelson, and 3 at Timaru. With,the exception of Nelson all will be in concrete.

Mr George Matthewson, stationmaster at Addington, has been appointed by1 the New Zealand Railway Officers' Institute to sit as the Institute's representative on the Wages Board the Government is setting up toVeport on questions affecting, the wages and working conditions of railway servants. Mr R. C.Morgan, of Duendin, general secretary of the Institute, will be the organisation's representative before the Board. ,

A record worthy of notice is that of Mr Jack Potter, a familiar figure in the north end of Dunedin. For 45 years he has conducted a milk run in the North-East Valley district, and during that unusually lengthy period he has never failed to carry out his daily round which commenced at halfpast three each morning. It is a remarkable testimony to his faithfulness and to his physique, and it is doubtful whether another such record could be pointed to in the Dominion.

" There are now 523 motor-cars and raotor-cycles registered in the Awatere County.

A local paper publishes a report that Westporb is to be made an Admiralty harbor without delay, and that, as a corollary, the WestportReefton Railway is to receive the utmost consideration.

Mr J. W. Davies, licensee of the Manakau Hotel, died suddenly on Saturday. Davies, who was a South African veteran, had several heart attacks since last- Sunday, when the hotel was burned and a woman lost her life. A heart seizure this morning proved fatal.

At a meeting of the Otago Patrioti© Association it was reported that £7100 which had been collected for the Belgians was still in hand, having been reserved in accordance with the request of the King and Queen of the Belgians. It, was decided to devote the money to the Belgian Orphans' Fund.

Canadian apples are finding a ready sale in New Zealand. It is hoped to find a market for New Zealand apples in Canada, so that there will be reciprocity in the off season. It is also hoped to revive the lost apple trade with the Argentine, and some New Zealand growers are again making inquiries into the possibilities of trade.

Next week there should be a plentiful supply of Island fruit in the market. The Talune was. due at Auckland from Fiji on Monday with 420 bunches and) 10,4Q0 eases of bananas,, and 1250 cases of pineapples. The fruit should be in good condition, as the season is at its height in the South Seas. The Flora, was due at the northern port yesterday from the Cook islands with supplies of oranges. ,

A committee has been foimed at Wellington to solicit funds for the relief of the Tirnmins family. On Monday! about £100 had been subscribed. The family with ten "children had. recently'to take shelter' in a dressing-rioom at Athletic. Park, and the children were committed by tha Magistrate to a receiving home. Through the efforts of Mr J. Dineen, Probation Officer) a position has -been found for the husband and rooms obtained for the family. ,

There were some anxious citizens in Masterton the other afternoon (says an exchange). A rumor got abroad that tied to some broken jars of beer, distributed by a runaway cart, were labels giving the names of those who had ordered the beverages. Prominent residents whose friends would never suspect them of ordering beer soon appeared upon the scene to n:ake sure their labels were not exnosed to the view of the shocked pubHe.

Mr G. B. Shaw, a. Oalifornian pastoralist, in conversation with a Ohristtehurch reporter, predicted that during the next three years there would be most active. business relations between American breeders and those of New Zealand. ■■■Americans,' he said, are fully alive to* the necessity of increasing tiheir sheep flocks considerably, and' they are setting about the business by securing the very best stud sheep procurable. New Zealand had a great name- throughout tihe United States for its mutton and wool, and Australia, also, in certain breeds.

"The thing that strikes me most about this is the: absolutely criminal way in which storekeepers cash cheques/' 5 said Mi- Justice Stringer in. the Auckland1 Supreme Court, wheri sentencing William John l>avidstcn, wild pleaded. guilty to five charges of forgery and . iitjtering. This man steals a cheque book, and seems able to cash cheques fox* very considerable amounts, and no one makes the slightest inquiry. Such negligence is a direct incitement to crime, and people who are so lax richly deserve tto\ lose." Davidson, who had previously been declared an habitual criminal, was reinstated to that rank, and sentenced formally to two years' imprisonment on all charges concurrently. ■ • "■'

There aro two things ihat the world cannot understand: The way of a mian with a maidi and the way of a man with a car. A new car runs well for the first few months without any particular attention,: then something goes wrong. It may be only a little tiling, and the owner attempts to tinker it' himself. Unless he has mechanical knowledge he only makes matters worse, and ijti the end that car is going to cost him a lot of money. It is cheaper and much better for the car to tal«* it to an expert immediately the engine shows signs in sickness. If your car indicates trouble tiake it to C; Tunnicliffe and Son in Grove Road. Tho expert there will at once locate the trouble and mend it. Your car will havo a double life if you care for it in this way.—Advt.