LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Stratford Evening Post, Volume XXIX, Issue 80, 24 May 1911, Page 4

LOCAL AND GENERAL.

A grand social will be hold in the Aiaiioe Hall on Friday evening; next, the 2(3th iust., in aid of "the lial! funds. Airs Matthews, wife of Mr Reuben Matthews, died at Roll Block on Monday, in her H2nd year. Mr John Hooper passed away at Pihama on Tuesday, aged 7S years. ft was stated in tin* Magistrate’s Court at Hokitika that an offender arrested in Bevel 1 Street by Constable O'Donnell, on a charge of being drunk, bad the sum of £195 on him when taken in charge. M.asterton dairy-fanners, are beginning to recognise the value of rugging their cows, says the “Ago.” One farmer states that the extra supply of milk yielded in the early spring more than paid for the rugs in ■one season. Mr. J. 1). Murray had both his legs somewhat bady cut on the railway station last night, and he blames the had lighting for the mishap. He had just come out of a railway carriage and ran into a hand truck, which he says was standing right in the traffic line, without .sufficient light to disclose its whereabouts. This matter has been mentioned before, and it would be well if the railway authorities would—in the event of no better light being obtainable— see that obstructions are not placed upon the platform directly in the line of traffic. The Chamber of Commerce mat last evening. Present: .Messrs Masters (in the chair), James, Ward, Kirkwood, Hewitt, Young, McMillan, and Richards (secretary). The inward correspondence consisted merely of a notification from the ActingPostmaster, stating that the Chamber’s request to have the telephone exchange opened at 7 a.in. had been acceded to. Action was taken in regard to a number of minor matters of interest to the town. ‘.‘Yon have been exceedingly kind to us in 'Wellington,” said Mr Donovan, one of the Irish envoys, at their meeting in Wellington on ■Monday night ' “And in travelling throughout New Zealand under the guidance of our marshal, Mr Kennedy, we have been phenomenally successful. Wo have completely beaten the record of £SOOO collected by Mr Devlin a few years ago. Our meetings have been largely attended, not only I y Dish people, hut also by young acw /ealamtovs, in no way c'onne ted with !, eland, and they have assist Mu- in evo' v way. We are deeply 'indebted to them." Our mission is a s icu ss, and we thank especially the Irish people in this country who have enabled ns to carry on successfully this light for our liberties.” Yawn as often as possible, hut yawn well, is the new medical precept. “A good yawn is excellent foi die lungs. It is also' to ho recommended when a difficulty in swallowing is experienced, as well as in certain cases oi detective hearing,” hut ordinary, careless, unscientific, and empirical yawning is no good at all. Yawning must ho practised as breathing should be. 'I he yawn should set in action all dluv.mnscics of the ches t and throat. I t must, therefore, he as deep as possible. Scientific yawning requires that the arms ho outstretched. The air circulating in the lungs is tuns more completely renewed. The yawning cure consists of a series of six or eight successive yawns, care ho.ing taken to swallow between each. J lie worst thing in the world is to stifle a yawn when it is a good, wholesome, scientific one.

A sturdily built man named Martyn Monaghan, about 28 years of ago, was admitted to tiio Auckland Hospital last Thursday evening (says the “Star”)} suffering from serious injuries indicted, it is alleged, by an irate husband at Ellarslio lace that afternoon. Monaghan show's signs of Inlying been severely handled about the body, and is suffering from a splintered skull. Mis fare is so severely battered and swollen that lie is not recognisable; and he is quite unable to open his eye. He states that Ins assailant. the husband of a woman he (the injured man) was in company with on Thursday afternoon, caught him by the lower part of the body, and, swinging him round, banged his head several times on a boulder, ayd, sitting on his chest, generally- pummelled him.

“What the origin of blinkers may have been we-do not know for certain,” says the “Animals’ Friend.” “It has boon said that certain loaders of society stalled them because they made a convenient and conspicuous field on which to.display the family crest. Other people say that they are used because they prevent a horse from shying, but this is not borne out by the facts, and is certainly not a reason, but an excuse, invented to justify an old prejudice. There is no reason why horses should wear blinkers, as is -shown by the fact that there are tens of thousands of horses at the present time working quite satisfactorily without them, not only in private carriages, but in cabs, vans, and omnibuses, and that in towns wliero the traffic is tJiick.es t. No riding horse is ever seen with blinkers; they Mould be considered to look ridiculous with them ; the draught horses in the army do not wear them; and the large brewers and the chief railway companies have long ago dis- '.) an red with them.

Nowadays (says the “Hospital”) it is a commonplace to assort that anaesthetics have, for the most part, discounted the necessity for speed, dexterity, ami soreness of touch in the modern surgeon; that the days of the “ehirnrgeon,” the man of his hands, are over; and that anyone with training can acquire sufficient manipulative dexterity for any ordinary form of operative procedure. The lightning dexterity of pro-anaesthetic days is no longer required; it is unnecessary now to he ahie to amputate the thigh in twelve seconds, the time credited to ih rguson. There is a water-colour drav iag extant of Surgeon Macuamnra. “primus et optiimis.” as the inwi iption has it. amputating the lower third oi the thigh of a writhing sailor. who. is 'being held down hv six fieriv, blood-bespattered so; let.inrs. This little piefure conveys, in a manner nutranslatahlc in words,, tic' nerv'*. I'nmijjl it nde, and almost antmaatie dexterity required in the (lays when neither anaesthetics nor hacmoeic.i ie accessories were known. rlapuilv, ran ii extreme rapiddv is no long.. - iv<inired; hut that tlx.' nerve necessary to nmlartil;.- anything innna.'.ly pessjhle is si ill with ns. am! that prompiitmle in an. cmcrg mev is. as great an casimlia.l as « ver, ao oar acquainted with tin' recant trend o ! ' moilciji surgery can for a moment doubt.

I'm shows are to be banned in. DAonc. Tho Onnin k • railway oner,lion wan informally discus# d b the Chamber of Comnu n hi: i night, tire action necessary in the future being gone into. Mr NTwton King specially advises piir -Im.-ers of slag,' ox Lauderdale from Liverpool, that, owing to the steam > r trying arrived at New Plymouth ;■ week earlier tin a anticipated, delivery will be given this week, and purchaser.; are requested to arrange ac'-ordingiy. Tim recent enlargement of the “Stratford Evening Post” was recognised at the meeting of t.lm Chamber of Commerce last night, a motion, moved by Mr Richard): being carried congratulating the proprietors on their en.terpi iso. YVo have to thank many of our contemporaries for the very generous notice taken of the “Stratford Evening Post’s” appearance in an enlarged, form. Y7e have also to acknowledge many much-appreciated congratulations from friends arid subscribers on the forward stop taken. A curious point of law has arisen before tbe Fourth Civil Court, Paris. A jouurcyman printer has brought an auction against his employers because during his hours of labour ho received a kick from his father, who is the overseer of the works. The defence contends that the father’s action was provoked by paternal anger and that he did not kick in his capacity as overseer. An inquiry lias been ordered. The matter oi' providing lights at the railway gates was brought up at last night’s meeting of the Chamber of Commerce by Mr Ward, who said that it was positively dangerous in the approaches on a dark night. The Department should do something in trie matter, because the station was different to others in being some distance off’ the street.. It was decided to write to the Department on the matter. At ihe last monthly meeting of the Chamber of Commerce, mention was made of the difficulty sometimes encountered in ringing up the Police Station. At last night’s meeting of the Chamber the secretary reported that ho had approached Sergeant Cullen on the matter. The Sergeant, said ho could not do anything, hut advised that the Commissioner of Police he asked to authririse an extension of the telephone into his house. The Chamber decided to take this action. “What are we going to do for the Coi on,ation P” asked the Mayor of Potnne of his councillors the other evening in meeting assembled. “Nothing,” said one member. “Everybody will go to town to sec the big show,” said another. “Let’s have a mock coronation and crown somebody King of Potone,” suggested a third. Obviously, the council was not disposed to give tiic great occasion much serious consideration, and the Mayor contented himself by hoping that councillors would give their patronage to any lo?al function that might ho hold in the borough, says tiio “Dominion.”

Some amusement was occasioned at Ilia last meeting of the Otamatoa (North Auckland) County Council when the County engineer pleaded in eloquent and moving terms for the expenditure of some money on the Pahi-Paparoa road—lie lives on that read. Cr. Haines, member for the Paparoa jading, supported the engineer’s recommendation. When he was asked where the money was to come from, he said he did not mind in the least where it came from; he left that to the Council, he had none himself. Jt was resolved to conciliate both the engineer and Cr. Haines by (Spending £'si :- ,a ■ r The president of the Chamber of Commerce (Mr -i. Masters) was asked, at the last meeting, to interview the siationmaster in, reference to a complaint that the clecric lights on the railway, station wore not put on long enough before a train arrived, and wi re put out too soon after a train loft. Mr Masters reported to last night’s meeting of the Chamber that the siationmaster, when interviewed, said the light was put no a quarter of an hour before a train < came in and was- left on ten minutes after a train loft. Pcyond those times lie COIIISI riot go. He had never, he said, hoard iof the light being put - off too soon ; but he would try to see that it did not occur in future.

For some time flic Chamber of Commerce has been in communication with the colonial representative of Pathe Frercs, the well-known cinematograph firm, regarding an operator being sent-to the district to take pictures of the dairying industry, the present position being that Hie operator is still ton busy to come to the district. At last night’s meeting of the Chamber, Mr Kirkwood said that the Hon. T. .Mackenzie had stated during his recent visit that a cinematograph operator belonging to the Tourist Department would be sent to Taranaki to take pictures of Mount Egmont, and on his motion it was decided to request the Department to have pictures taken at the same time illustrating the, dairying industry.

At the annual mooting of the parishioners of Holy '! rinity Church a discussion took place on the- question of providing a parish hall, and a committee was set up to look into the matter. The committee has met on several occasions, much enthusiasm being displayed, and last night a iinal meeting was hold, at wnich a report was prepared for submission to the parishioners, and over £IOO was colk cted in the room towards the cost of the hall. The committee’s report will bo brought before a. meeting of parishioners to be hold in the Forest, rs’ Hall to-morrow evening at half-past seven; and as £IOO hois already been subscribed towards the estiauitod cost (£100) no difficulty should be experienced in gathering the residue <if the money.

At a mot - lin;'.; of the- Eahiatua Chanilior of Commerce .Vli’ Evans road an extract from a Tasmanian paper concerning 'a “stop tire leak ’ campaign in that country, in which the inhabitants were urged to he loyal to their own tradespeople. Mr Evans pointed out that the subject was one of interest to Pahiatua, and something might Ik; done hero to “stop she leak.” The president (Mr W. WakomaiD s’ it I if they made the town a.itractive, then it remained with the tradespeople to “stop the leak.” Mr Evans said that what might not ix> done individually could he effected by combination. The matter then dropped. Old residents in the district will regret to hear ol the (loath ol Mr I). Proudfoot. which took place at his residence in M ana in on Sundey, says the “Witness.” Mr Proudfoot was a verv old colonist, having arrived in Dunedin from Perthshire, Scotland, in |S!)l. IP' spent some time on the Otago goldfields and suhseiinent!v on the Whakamarina diggings and eventually came io Manaia. where ho has since resided. Dining the long period of Iris residence here Mr Proacli’oot was highly esteemed sad respected as a good colonist cd a man ~(■ jodnshv and character. lie leaves, widow and two sons and one daughter.