LOCAL AND GENERAL

New Zealand Mail, Issue 1744, 9 August 1905, Page 42

LOCAL AND GENERAL

The death is announced by cable message from Sydney of the Rev George Martin, Methodist minister, aged seventy years.

Mrs Travers, widow of the late W. T. L. Travers, was married at Nelson on Saturday to Colonel E. J. S. Wood, of tfie Indian army. Messrs A. G. Fell, O. Ferguson, and. W. . Parke ' ave oien re-elec ©d members of the Marlborough Education Board without opposition.

jkMr tkl Mrs F. iT. Sylvester and Miss Sylvester, of “The Camp,” Feilding, Leave for Sydney on Saturday. They sail by the Macedonia for London. Mr Jqfun Watt, cashier in the Commercial Bank, George street, Edinburgh, has retired after over fifty-six years’ service, during which he had not been absent from business one day. A correspondent informs us that the pumpkin that took the first prize at the Dowedal© (Nelson) vegetable show was six feet in circumference and weighed 1091 b. A cable message from Madrid announces the death at the age of two years of the Infanta Fernando, nephew of King Alphonse,, and brother to tfie heir presumptive to the throne of Spain.

R The Wanganui “Chronicle” reports the sudden death at Castleeliff on Sunday morning of Mr Charles Niclioils, a well-known resident, who was schoolmaster at ivlata-in.au, mawke's Bay. Deceased wag sixty-five years of age, ancj leaves a widow and grown-up faun.y.

The Anglican diocesan authorities are issuing invitations to a meeting whion is to be held at St. Terers scnoolrooffi on August 25th, to consider the matter of a memorial to Bishop Madfield. Two suggestions have been * made: First, that a theological coxitage should be erected in \Velkngton; and, second, that a scholarship should be established, to be held at one of the theological colleges in Now Zealand.

Sir William Russell is due in Wellington about the 15th inst., from London.

Mr V. G. Downes, of the Dannevirkd staff of the Bank of New South Wales, has heen transferred to Wellington. A Sydney business man who acts a® correspondent for newspapers in America, his native country, and who takes a deep interest in New Zealand, which he occasionally visits, writing to a friend in Wellington, under date 28th. July, says:—New Zealand is, as usual, to lie congratulated on its last Budget. While almost every time the news appearing in our newspapers about New Zealand is optimistic, I am afraid Australian items in your papers cannot be in the same cheerful strain, for, politically, we arc in a wretched condition.

At a meeting of the East and W'est Coast Railway Committee of the Chamber of Commerce, Christchurch (says the “Lyttelton Times”), steps were taken in the direction of maxing arrangements for a strong joint -deputation from Canterbury arid the West Coast to proceed to Wellington to urge upon the Government the necessity tor retting a contract for the construction of the Summit tunnel in one section. This would enable the work to be proceeded with simultaneously with the ordinary work of construction on each sure, and assure the speedy completion of til© whole work.

Lord Roberts is once more endeavouring to arouse public interest in the value of a national system of rifle olub<=. D« seems quite alarmed at the lukewarmness of British opinion on this subject, compared with Australia and Canada. He says that England has learned but little from the disasters and disgraces of her conflict with a people of marksmen. He appeals for £IOO,OOO to set trie proposed organisation on foot. The newspapers, and old war correspondents like Mr Bennet Burleigh, are warmly taking this question up, but the naA tionai sentiment relating to tais, as to many other of the country’s interests, is a .dead lead of apathy. >\T-he body of Edward Atkinson Ambridge, married, fifty-five years of age, who had been lhissing from his home in Rintoul street since last Thursday, Was found in the harbour on Thursday afternoon, at the temanation of Taraliaki street Extension. Tfie body, widen was recovered by Constable Ward, lay in seven feet of water. It was removed. to tne morgue. Deceased, who ha-d been in bad health of lace, leaves a widow and eight children. He had been in one employ of the Wellington darbour Board since 1890, latterly as weigixt bridge-keeper on the Queen’s Wharf. He was last seen alive by \v iiham Croxer, watciiman, leaving Jervois quay wharf at 12.20 a-m. on Thu rsda-y. Mr W. H. Walsh, writing from V eree-nig.ng, in tthe Transvaal, to his parents in .Palmerston, leiates (says the ‘ ivxanawatu Tunes ’) some' interesting experiences of mining life in Boumi Africa, iris remarks on Chinese labour are well woven quoting. "mere are terrible tunes now on the Rand,” he writes, “between white men an-d tfie Chinese.” The latter had hilled three wniie miners beiow, ana nad cuaseu several out of the mines. me ixamrs Pad had some terrible fights with, them, and. nad always proved too many for them, but xf tne Chinese got a rew ixamrs alone they set to and simply ki-cKed and knocked tfie hie out or them on tne spot. As tor tne wmtes, some of t-xiein aosoxuteiy reridea to go bexow WxO-xiouv, revolvers, ana they aiso wanted policemen to protect tnem wniie on tne surface. At one mine the Chinese iu-oacxved one men s quartexs, brone in every door and window in fifty rooms, and the whites had to flee tor tfieir ix\ _s. They escaped, wxun one exception, and that poor fellow was hicured oo deatii. Altogether on tne Rand there were over 4u,uuo Olnnese, and more were arriving.

Tfie use of the revolver, which has done good work in savage warfare, is now to be -discontinued in hostilities against civilised nations. During tfie late South. African campaign the Webley revolver was carried oy ail drivers of the Royal Artillery, drivel's of transport, farriers, and staff sergeants of other arms of the service, out tnese weapons proved more dangerous to friend than foe, owing to tne soldier® never having sumcient practice with tnem. in one of tne drivers of the artillery used tfie revolver aiter tne nrst few weens of tfie campaign, and trie consequence was it was packed away in each man's kit, tfius causing extra weight to be carried ror a Waxen Was of no naming value. mo oiacers wno serveu in oouth Africa, m t-fieir reports, are unanimous mint tne revolver is a good weapon to use against savage tribes, but are equally ag.oed miaG it is useless in civilised warrare, wnere batmes are tougut at longer ranges. I 1 or unese reasons it is proposed to abon&fi tne revolver m favour ot a very iigno caroine,. experiments on winch, axe now being carried out. Jbarixers and shoesmidas will carry a revolver, but only tor efie purpose of killing horses and cattle.