THE PELORUS GUARDIAN and Miners' Advocate. FRIDAY, 2nd MARCH, 1917. LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Pelorus Guardian and Miners' Advocate., Volume 29, Issue 17, 2 March 1917, Page 4

THE PELORUS GUARDIAN and Miners' Advocate. FRIDAY, 2nd MARCH, 1917. LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Increasing Motor Traffic. Judging by the number of people passing through during the past few days the Blenheim-Nelson motor run is steadily increasing in popularity. The motor services of Messrs Newman Bros, and Cate and North are well up-to-datßi and in point of distance rank amongst the cheapest in New Zealand.

Belgium Relief Fund.— The ActingConsul for Belgium at Christchurch (Mr Cyril J. Ward) acknowledges a total of £12,127 Is 3d received by him up to the end of January. The biggest item on the January list of donations was £250, being the amount collected as the result of the special Xmas appeal in Marl-; borough, and sent through Miss Loughnan. Canterbury’s subsidy from the Government for January was £229 0a 6d. An Enterprising Kinema Man.—Almost the first man to get out to the Mararoa at Orongorongo (says the Dominion) was a camera man with a kinema-film outfit. He got on board a launch, and alter taking a dizzying film of the steamer from the launch, got alongside the steamer in a dinghy, clambered on board, and was soon busy turning tho btindlo of his machine. The result of bis efforts actually appeared on the screen in some of the Wellington theatres the same night.

Trucks of Lime Ignite.— During the height of the storm at Auckland recently, a truck laden with six tons of lime in the Onerahi station yard became ignited through the driving rain finding its way under the double tarpaulins, and setting up combustion by slaking the lime. The fire was put out by the stationmaster, Mr Mackley, assisted by Mr Russell. The material damage was inconsiderable, but both men were rather severely burned by contact with the hot lime in the process of emptying the truck,

Soldiers’ Parcels Fond.— lnterest in the euchre parties promoted by the Progressive Assembly Committee to provide funds for the purchase of soldiers’ parcels, is still being well maintained. At the 20th of the series on Tuesday evening the attendance was well up to the average, the receipts totalling £1 10s 6d. Mrs Roche was again successful in winning the ladies’ first prize, while Miss Evelyn Scott qualified for the consolation tropy, both of which were well worth winning. The corresponding prizes for gentlemen ware won by Messrs G. Pope and D. Henderson respectively. Incipient Fire.— At about 3.30 yesterday afternoon an incipient fire was discovered in Mr W. Cowling’s bakehouse by a boy named Jack Congdon. The outbreak occurred between the wall and a few bags of chaff that had been placed there during the morning. The discovery was made just in time as the fire, which had evidently been smouldering for some time, bad burst into flame and burnt through the wall and had almost reached the ceiling. With the assistance of Masters F. Scott and P. Yercoe, the bags of chaff, etc. were promptly hauled out and the flames suopressed with a few buckets of water. A couple of cases of benzine were within three or four feet of the fire. Saturday Pictures.— The experiment of changing the picture night to Monday was made in the interests of the shopkeepers, who were of opinion that the showing of pictures from eight o’clock on Saturday night drained the town and loss of business resulted. But to look at the matter from another point of view there must be compensating advantages in the fact that a firstclass picture show must draw a certain number of people into the town that would not otherwise come in. Experience has shown that the more people in town the more business done, the only difference being that the busy hour would be earlier in the evening instead of between eight and nine. The management have made a wise decision in going back to Saturday, which in three months will be the statutory halfholiday.

Valuation op Wool. —The Government wool valuers for Marlborough were in Picton for the second time on Friday, and valued the wool in store locally, reports the “Press.” The prices realised were good, and are an indication that sheep farmers of the district are certainly under no disadvantage when they submit their wool for valuation locally. In one broker s catalogue, clean fleece wool brought Is 3d and over, per. Ibi, the result being deemed highly satisfactory by the vendors. The opportunity of having their wool valued and graded locally will, in the event of present conditions being maintained, no doubt be taken full advantage of next season by the flock owners of the district, who roust be fully aware of the benefits to be derived from having their wool dealt with at the home port.

The chairman of the local Cottage Hospital (Mr W. H. Buckman) acknowledges with thanks the gift of an invalid s chair from Mrs Perry, for use in the institution.

The newspaper proprietors, at a meeting at Wellington on Tuesday night, decided to increase the price of newspapers to twopence from April next, consequent on the war expenditure.