LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Stratford Evening Post, Volume XXIX, Issue 105, 24 June 1911, Page 4

LOCAL AND GENERAL.

As mentioned in yesterday’s cubit's, Khijj; George’s first pu!>lici act aftei the Coronation was to lay the Inundation stone of the Fishermen's and Sailors’ Hon;o at St. John’s, \eufoundland. When the button was pressed by the King a fusion wire lowered the stone into position in Newfoundland. In a (ivii case before Mr. Kettle, S M . ai Aucldand, the defendant admitted that slu' owed plaintiff £1 Is. ‘ An I how do yon propose to pay it—i>v insiainie.nts?” asked the .Magistrate. "Yes, by instalments of Is or 2s per week.” “Very well,” said Mr Keltic, “2s a week offered, any advance on 2 s a week? No advance on 2s a week Judgment accordingly. ’ By way of illustrating tbo change of pnhlie opinion in regard to motoring. Mr. 11. M. Macdonald, at a recent gathering of the Christchurch Automobile Association ,men tinned the case of an ex-memher of Parliament who, in his political days, had boon responsible for the repressive motor regulation law now on the Statute Book. When that measure was introduced, said Mr. Macdonald, motor cars were anathema to the ’politician. Nowadays, however, the author of the Bill talked enthusiastically of making fast runs in his own car. The fact, he added, .was that no one anticipated the marvellously rapid develonmcnt of motors and motoring.

Tho Won, George Fdwlds is duo to arrive in Stratford hy Hie mail train on Tuesday evening, and he will he the guest of tho School Committee, t!io borough Council, and tlie Chamhor of Commerce until (lie following afternoon. On Tuesday evening Mr Fowlds will deliver a political address at fie Town Hall, under the auspices of the Liberal League. On Wednesday ho will he approached hy the School Committee regarding re-build-ing of the school and hy other bodies on several other matters.

Joseph Fiank Mikntee, a Croat ■\mi; mail, who is walking round the •,:orld, arrived in Wanganui the other

day. He left New York on January !till. ]{)!!, and after visiting the capital of every State (to prove which he has the seals oi each city and letters from Mr. .Roosevelt and President Taft downwards), he sailed from San Francisco to Newcastle, thence In walked to Sydney, where he joined the barquentine Alexa as a seaman.

Koas arc said to bo unusually numerous in the hack country above Ashburton, raid these destructive birds have already been for killing a large number of sheep. It is stated that the.birds attack UK'

slice)) mainly in foggy weather, and frequently drive the animals over vecipices while hunting them. Recently Mr. Edgar Stead, of Christchurch, paid a visit to the Mount Somers Fsi.l to for the purpose of studying the habits of the birds. Railway Surfaceman Miehlicli mot with a very painful accident yesterda? afternoon while coming into the sta tiou on a “jigger.” After crossin; ’lie bridge he found the points won Jo f.ako him off the track lie wished (,<■ use, and ho made an endeavour Ir stop the “jigger” by placing his fooon tho ground. In doing so, however. his foot got caught in some manner and lie was thrown oIF tho machine sustaining a badly dislocated ankle Ho was observed by other members ol the station staff, who removed him fo; medical attention.

A Kohuratahi correspondent writes:—The completion of the new snleyards at Koiuiratahi by the Loan and Mercantile will be greatly appreciated by the settlers this side o) Koiuiratahi, Tahora, and the Mangapapa, and the district will now lie aide to got stock to the yards without, as before, making a two-days’ journey through mud. The railway is tin present topic, and everyone is more or less “guessing and calculating” ar to what future there is amidst these stirring times, it is not to be marvelled at that the fortunate farmer.' make much of this link to civilisation.

Next Tuesday night the members of the Eltham Fire Brigade will take part in a novel competition, says tin “Argus.” All the competitors will bo assembled in the mooting-room at the station, and having, drawn for places, will remain there until called one by one according to the order o', the draw. No competitor will knov, what has been set for him to do un til ho has received instructions afte being called out. Superintended. Nutt all is arranging the competition. l and the firemen would, of course, like to know what he lias up his sleeve. ft is said that the competition, which will ho run by torchlight, will bo a good test of each man’s cllicienoy.

The Bishop of Polynesia, who Isfi for Great Britain per R.M.S. Makura lequested the Fiji “Times” to publisl the following:—“May 1 crave the col umns of your paper for a personal ex planation? I am leaving to-day foi . England on six months’ leave in ordei to try' to enlist the interest and hell oi the Church at Homo,on behalf ol our work out here. There is absolutely no foundation for .reportf widen might be possibly damaging t< bho church that Have reached me, t: the effect (I) that I have been recall ed; (2) that the Diocese has to hi given up for lack of funds, or (-3) that 1 am not returning to Fiji. In eight months 1 hope to see Suva and ole friends/once more.” “The age of oil is only just beginning,” said - chairman of the G.M. Oil'Fields, Ltd., a company which holds a large stake in the New Zealand oilfields, in the course of his speech at a general meeting of t.u company in London. The chairman. Mr George Macdonald, went on t say that he had preached for sonu time that soon they would see, urn a few trains propelled by liquid fuel but all trains, as well as the morcan tile marine and the navies of tin world. In five years’ time he though-, it would be a' rare tiling to see v horse cab in • London. Probably it. from ten to twelve years it would b a rarity to see a steamer on the ocea-V with funnels. He bad before him aaccount of a steamer without funnel;

which hud made its first voyage sue ccssl'-.tlly with liquid fuel. It lmr.net about two tons of oil a day instead ol eight tons of- coal, and the oil was cioaner and easier to handle. At the Whangarci Magistrate’! Court the. other clay, "William Sword ctatiimmastor, in charge of the Wha ngarei-Upua railway section, was pr; scented for having failed to supply ; horse with food and water tor four days. The animal, which was the property of Messrs. Wchh and Pearson was shipped from Auckland by tin Xgapuhi on Monday, May 29, and cu the following morning was forward ec! in ;i railway truck to Whangarc. station, where it remained until dis covered the following Friday. Mr Webb stilted that when ho saw tin horse its legs were badly swollen froi long standing. The defence admittec a clerical error, due to confusing tin horse with another belonging to tin. same owners, which was shipped Iron Kawakawa to Whangarei, itiid remov ( ii (Tom the station on Thursday. Tin Magistrate (Mr. Scott-Smith) said 1. could see no reason why any hors should lie lost sight of for four day. in such a small station, but still In did not think that a prosecution wont succeed. The case was dismisses without prejudice, leaving the polio free to lake .action if such were con sidcrcd uoccssarv.

Spoil king to the members of tin women's branch of the Auckland Dis triefc .Educational Institute last week Miss Butler (headmistress of tin Girls’ Grammar School) made some interesting remarks concerning the training of senior girls in primar; seiionls. “I am strongly of opinion, she said, “that these important yeai; of a girl’s school life should be spoil' entirely under the control of womei teachers —such women as will plac*. goodness before scholarly attainment oi worldly success. The future in* liana I ideas depend upon the goodness of women of the nation, in i’utur: years it. will matter little if the pupi forget the exact position of London; it will matter infinitely whether lie training has made her true to the best, or left her slack, in dealing wit' the crises of life. It seems to nv vital that a girl’s school life shonh he spent under womanly control. T'n der a male teacher girls undoubted!' presume on their sex. Physical cut lure should receive much attontim under capable direction and in Ires! air. Mechanical teaching may tun cut walking encyclopaedias or sue rcssful scholarship candidates; Ini' the teacher’s highest prerogative is P tain out characters which shall leav the world the hotter for their exist once.”

Owing to the pressure of Coronation news our Poultry Notes column lias boon dropped this week. In referring to Hospital Saturday yesterday it was erroneously stated that the Chinamen of the town had contributed five guineas to the funds. Tlie sum mentioned was a special donation by Mr Jimmy Ah Tuck, of the Juliet Street laundry. At tiic Magistrate’s Court, at Waitara, on Wednesday, the 14th June, R. S. Sampson, a builder, sued John A'atkin, formerly of Stratford but now of Llrenui, for £lO Hs dd, balance aue on a building contract.- Plaintiff asserted that, defendant had agreed to pay £212 3s Gd for tho whole work, while defendant on the contrary said the price distinctly arranged was £202 I Os. During the case defendant said ho was 82 years of ago. had boon over 00 years in the Dominion, and Tiatl never been in Court before. After hearing evidence, His Worship (Mr TVr.iierbort) non-suited, the plaintiff with costs. Mr Grey, of New Plymouth, appeared for the plaintiff, and Mr Spence, of Stratford, for tlie defendant.

At a recent silting of the Magistrate’s Court, at Hawora before Mr vV. G. Ken rick, S .M., tho Court was occupied all day hearing a dispute ever some timber between Munaia residents. Lloyd and Mc’VTcar, builders, sued E. 11. Hastie for £23 9s 6d for timber supplied. Defendant paid portion of the amount into Court but. disputed the balance. Defendant required an addition to a house and ordered tlie timber and plaintiffs were to do the work. Subsequently plaintiffs also ordered the timber from another source alleging defendant’s authority to do so. Defendant denied this authority. The result was that two lots of timber were supplied on the ground. Defendant paid Symo uid Son for tlie first lot of timber but declined to pay plaintiffs for the soconod lot. After hearing a mass of evidence Ids Worship decided in favour of the defendant (Hastie) with costs. Mr Sellar, of Hawera, appeared for plaintiffs and Mr Spence, of Stratford, for defendant.