LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Stratford Evening Post, Volume XXIX, Issue 124, 18 July 1911, Page 4

LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Butter was retailing at Is Scl per lb in Taihnpe last week. To-morrow will bo observed as Arbour Day throughout the Dominion. On Saturday “Darky” Harrison was brought to the hospital suffering from somewhat severe injuries. He was engaged on Perry’s bushfelling contract at Puniwhakau, and a tree fell on his back, breaking several ribs' and injuring Jus back and one hip. He is making very satisfactory progress. Before the Borough Council went into committee last night, Cr. S. Ward mentioned the matter of the recent acts of vandalism at the Stratford Cemetery, and it was decided to place the matter in the hands of the police and offer a reward of aTTO For information leading to the conviction of the offender. The Borough Council held a short sitting in committee last night for the purpose of receiving the report of the committee set up to confer with representatives from the Electric Light Company regarding the purchase of -he works by the Borough. The meeting was adjourned for a week to enable Councillors to study tbe report, which is a somewhat lengthy document. Tim famous Poslyn "Writing Pads obtainable from local drapers and storekeepers at Gd and Is each.*

The Ngamatapouri correspondent of the Patea “Press” writes:—We had

another instance quite recently of the value of a knowledge, however slight, of the principles of “first aid.” Mr. F. Miller happened to fall on a sharp-bladed axe which severed an artery in his arm between .the elbow and wrist. No one being near with any knowledge of. “first aid” and how to stop the bleeding, the wound hied profusely for .something like three hours. 31 r. Miller was eventually admitted to the Patea Hospital,' being then in a weak state from loss of blood. One sometimes is tempted to wonder whether it would not be advisable on the part of the authorities to include a few lessons in “first aid” on the education syllabus in pi, me of, say, “brushwork,” or some other less important subject. Such a knowledge uonlu be of untold value to anvono m the back country where medical aid is often difficult to obtain in cases of emergency.

At the Hawera Magistrate’s Court yesterday morning, before Mr. Keniick, &.M., Matthew Campbell was charged, on the information of the police, with riding a bicycle on the lootpatii, contrary to the borough byi.v s. Ihe defendant did not appear and it was stated that he was a first offender. His Worship said that it appeared to him that no attempt had neon made to enforce the by-law, and it was explained by the police’ that until lately the borough foreman was left to take action, but the Borough woimcd had now asked the police "to see that the by-law was observed. The ease was brought chiefly as a warning to cyclists generally. His Worship, in inflicting a fine of os, with 7s costs, said he hoped that it would have the desired effect upon others. Ho mentioned that the last case of a similar kind that he had to deal with came before him some eighteen /months ago.

An abuse has crept up in Paris u men is making actors, actresses, singers, and all who entertain the puolic rather sore (writes the correspondent of the ‘‘Daily Express”), i ausians are very fond of getting anything they can for nothing, and many hostesses are practising tiie art ol entrapping the friendly artist to their houses and making them enter--18111 1. their friends. The artists are getting rather tired of this, and I nave heard some amusing tides during the last few days of their retaliation. But the neatest reproof ever givfeii in Paris to this kind of hostess vas given some days ago by Mme. Bertha Bady. . She had said she would recite, and her hostess said, “How kind it is of you .to work for as in this friendly manner.” The ■voi'd “friendly” was so emphasised that there was no doubt of her meaning: Mme. Bady recited, and as she stepped off the little platform which had been prepared for her she took a silver card-tray from a footnan, and as the musicians do in the ystoiitmartre cafes, walked round the drawing-room and made a collection. Her receipts were large. She handed the tray to her hostess and walked out of the house.

In the District Court in Melbourne recently, Gertrude Westbury was charged with having unlawfully sold liquor of an intoxicating nature. John Joseph Hoare, revenue detective, said he visited Westbury’s chem- . jrt’s- shoji,, § wanton street. He saw; Hrs Westbury, and asked her if methylated spirits was poisonous to Wink. She replied: “No, they drink it around here in gallons on a Sunday.” Witness said, “Well, I have been tryinf unsuccessfully to get a drink this morning. I saw some hen drinking methylated spirits, and 1 thought I would come and see if it’ were poisonous.” She asked “What do you drink?” - He told her that be drank spirits, and she said, “They “■HI me it is as good as rum to drink.” He asked her how it- was 1 drunk, and '■be replied, “Put a spoonful in a good drop of water.”, The Deputy Government Analyst said that he had analysed tho spirits bought by Hoare, and had found that it contained 02.23 per cent, alcohol. The residue vas' practically water. There was mine pyridine present. No sane nan would drink methylated spirits. Hie case was adjourned.

Tiie romance of'a Welshman, who named a sheikh’s daughter, is rerailed by a Pennsylvania paper. It relates that sixty years ago a young nan named Randall left Wales, and mined a band of young men for travelling in the East. One day they left Damascus for Jerusalem, and on the 'oarney they were stopped by a company of armed horsemen, who denanded that Randall should be handici over to them. The leader of the

company said that no injury would be ! one to him. Randall consented, and vas handed over. He was taken to a icdouin sheikh’s tent, where there vas a feast awaiting him. This, he '.earned, was his wedding festivity. To was to be married that day to the hrughter of the sheikh, who had seen dm and fallen in love with him. Tandall stipulated that -the family should receive his religion as well as uraself. This they agreed from the •heikh down. Randall, although guarded by night and day for years .est he should escape, grew prosperms, and was happy. The sheikh died, nd Randall’s son was made sheikh.

The entries received for the “Round .ho Mountain” cycle race up to Saturday night totalled sixty-six, of vhich one came from Melbourne, seveal from each of Aucklanl, . Christ’hurch, Wellington, Palmerston North, Masterton, Gisborne, Nelson ind Wanganui. There are entrants ro;h about thirty towns in New Zealand, and Taranaki is, of course, largely represented. Three competioi3 are practically certain to come Tom Geelong (Victoria), and a party >f live is probable from the members >f the Burwood Cycling Club (New bath Wales). The intending com-

ietitorS include all the “crack” road racers in the Dominion. Those at present entered include the fastest time men in the Christchurch-Timaru and Australian road races, and several of the scratch men in these events. The committee leaves tomorrow morning for a trip round the mountain to finally decide the course, to appoint committees in each centre and to set up committees to attend the provisioning of the competitors as they pass through. The committee has to decide between two routes. )ne is from New Plymouth to Opuuake, thence via Kaponga to ElMiam and on to New Plymouth. On iccount of the reported state of the •oad between Mangatoki and Kaoonga, an alternative route is suggested from Opunake to Eltham. ”!iis proposal is to go by way of the Main South road from Opunake to Mamiia, thence by the Manaia roai -,o Kapuni. along the Skeot road lo Vlatapu, thence to Eltham, and on o New Plymouth. The first is estimated tp be about 110 miles, and Die Manaia route about 118 miles. On he Thursday previous a race is to 'in run from Waitara to Inglewood 'ml New Plymouth, returning to Waitara. Most of the leading riders are in this race also.

' The monthly meetings of the School Committee and the Chamber of Commerce will, be held this evening. Mr. E. Fincham, Toko, was yesterday operated on in New Plymouth for appendicitis. The Taranaki County Council's new steam road roller should arrive towards the end of the month, ex the steamer Star of India.

Mr. West, of Toko, accompanied by Khe Misses West, returned to Stratford on Friday last from a visit to Australia. They visited Adelaide, Sydney, Melbourne, and Hobart, and spent a highly enjoyable six weeks' holiday.

Mr. H. P. Webber, who recently disposed of his' farm at Stratford, has bought a property at Te Puke, and intends to leave with his wife and family for his new home in the course of a week or so. The executive committee of the A. and P. Association met on Saturday night for the purpose of considering a suggestion regarding the erection of a drill shed made by the Defence Department. After considerable discussion the following resolution was passed on the motion of Mr. R. McK. Morison, seconded by Mr. Healy; “That the executive does not see its way to join with the Defence Department in erecting a combined agricultural and drill hall in Stratford.

On Saturday afternoon Mr. Newton King submitted for sale the leases of . a number of municipal reserves, the , following prices per annum (the upset in each case) being obtained: —Lot 3, section 754* £lO, Mr. H. W. Climie; section 358, £lO, Mr. S. Ward; lot 4, section 759, £5, Mr. H. Walsh; sections 376, 377, 414, and 415, £5 (for the four together), Mrs. Johnston. A couple of serious accidents occurred during' the football match, Waimate v. Kaponga, at Manaia, on Saturday. One player, A. King, of the Kaponga team, had his jaw broken, and another Kaponga player had His knee-cap badly smashed, the sound pf the crack being heard on the grandstand at tlie other end of the field. Both players were removed to the hospital. (/The railway bridge gang, which recently put up a , pier in the Patea River at Stratford, has now completed a pier at Waipuku, and are npw engaged on the work of bridging the Manawapou Gorge, near Hawera. This! will reduce the grade on the line at the point and make haulage easier. About forty men will be engaged on the , work, which is expected to take eighteen months to complete.

The New Plymouth milk supply is said to be one of the best in New Zealand, says the “News.” Many of the largest dairies are almost model dairies, .in which fault Is difficult to find! At the same time, it is worth while, to mention that the dairies arc supervised- by the Stock Department, and the distribution of the milk and the quality of the milk supplied to the consumer are the care of the Health Department. Jfo samples of milk for analysis have been taken in New Plymouth for ia long time.

Captain P. Thompson, formerly in the service of the P. and O. Company, has been appointed to the combined position of harbourmaster and secretary under the Waitara Harbour Board. Captain Thompson joined the Royal Navy in 1898, and attained the rank of lieutenant, resigned from the service, and entered that of the P. and O. Company, as fourth officer, and received a Board of Trade certificate as master of a foreign-going ship. He later joined the pursers’ department, and was thus engaged until January of .this year. He is 28 J years of age. Presbyterians seem to form a very small part of the population of Hi? Majesty’s prisons. The Rev. Dr. Gibb, reporting on social work dpne by the church in Wellington, assured a large audience at St. John’s that the proportion of Presbyterians in gaol wa? a s ,very small one, but in other institutions there is found a goodly number. During last year 200 Presbyterians, were admitted to the hospital Only 20 per cent, of them, however had church connection, the remainder in , nearly every instance, having not entered a church of any kind what ever for years. Dr. Gibb emphasised the need of much work being done tobling the stray sheep back to the fold

No serious difficulty is anticipated by the Australian Defence Department in manning the small arras factory at Lithgow. The plant for the factory is on its way from America, and it has been ascertained that the six Australian artisans sent to Pratt and Whitney’s factory to watch its construction, are all coming back to Adstralia. 1 They will be available as trained supervisors in the new Commonwealth factory, and will assist ir the setting-up of the plant. Other men will have to be trained before the factory assumes the full programme of w,ofks mapped out for it, but the bulk of, the labour will be unskilled, ahjountino’ to little more than thr feeding of automatic machinery. Thr plaint will arrive this month, and thr factory will be opened about the end of September. On Sunday it was found that nc lefts, than five glass wreath covers at the Kopuatama Cemetery had been brbkbn, and investigation disclosed i, fitbhe in the vicinity of each, so that it' seems fairly plain that they wen tiplfilily broken, and were not broken by .frost or any other agency. A fhatjble dove surmounting one of tin tpidbstones was also found broken in the broken piece lying on the gtate below. If there had been a crick in the marble when the stone waft erected, the break would have shown yellow, but in this case the break is a clean one, showing that the marble has been broken. These acts: may have been committed by thoughtless youngsters, but people litirtg in the vicinity of the cemetery fthOUld warn their children against throwing stones, as the law is particularly severe on people who commit daihago in a cemetery. i> Claris have now been prepared for building which the Egmont Club "htends to build in Broadway North. jSfatfaUce is obtained through a highly, ornamental porch, the main door leading into a hall 28ft by 10ft. On the right is a card room 15ft by 12ft and a readingroom 23ft by 15ft. On tile left is a cardroom 18ft by 15ft, and lavatory accommodation. The bil-liard-room, which is 41ft by 35ft, is situated at the bottom of the main hall} and provision is made for three tables. The extreme back of the biiilding is occupied by a room 32ft 6ih by 10ft. There is a chimney and rdtige in this room, which will he ufted aft a supper room. In a basement at the back of the building is Situated the boiler for providing hot Water by which the whole of the building<>is heated. The building is built on concrete piles, and will have StCei ceilings. The work of erection will he commenced in the course of a few days.

For influenza take Woods’ Grea’ -Peppermint Cure ;j never falls. Is 6f aba 2s 6d *

The boys at the Stratford School were indulging in a game of football at lunch time to-day, when Robert Fryday, of Ngaire, was unfortunate enough to dislocate his elbow. The accident occurred in a very simple manner. The lad fell, two or three others coming on top of him, but there was no roughness. Young Fryday is particularly unfortunate, this being the second or third dime he has been disabled. Dr. Menzies attended the sufferer.

An incident occurred at Hope (Nelson) last week which, in the interests of other stock owners, should have publicity. Mrs. Vincent (Jlayden, after pruning shrubs in her flower garden, threw the cuttings into the paddock adjoining, where in due course they were to oo burned. Three cows in the paddock,,, however, ate the rhododendron cuttings with avibty. Jhe cows were afterwards discovered to bo suffering severely, the symptoms being similar to those of tutu poisoning. The cows were eventually saved. A former resident of India states that it is ivell known in that country that cattle must not be allowed to eat rhododendron foliage. At the conclusion of a lecture in Christchurch on “Whales,” Mr. E. R. Waite, curator of the Canterbury Museum, stated that he had received a letter from Rev. D. C. Bates, Government Meteorologist, urging that greater protection should be afforded to “Pelorus Jack.” At present the cetacean is protected for a period of three years by an Order-in-Councii, which is renewed from time to time, and it is suggested that there should be a special Act protecting him for the whole of his life, and fixing a heavier penalty for attempting to injure him. The present penalty is not less than £5 and not more than £IOO, and, the former, it is considered, is ridiculously small. On the motion of Mr. J. C. Adams, the meeting unanimously resolved to urge that greater protection should be given to the famous fish.

The Taranaki County Council is asked to support the following resolution, passed Dy the Kiwitea County Council at Kimbolton: “That in the opinion of this Council the present cumbersome, expensive, and unfair method of electing representatives for combined listricts on harbour boards is quite against the interests of ratepayers in counties and road board districts. The electors in boroughs are unduly favoured, owing to tlie, wide qualification as compared with the qualification of electors in county districts; the date of the election being the date fixed for the borough council elections again gives the borough electors an altogether unfair advantage, while the results cannot he expected to justify either the large expense or the departure from the old system, which, in the opinion of this council, should be reverted to.’’ The dauntlessness of the Australian, even when maimed by the loss of a member, was strikingly illustrated by ,v personal matter which came before the Australasian Cycling Council recently. The Council had before it the ippoal of a one-legged cyclist from the decision of the New South Wales controlling body that he should not compete in races. Mr. .O’Brien, the New South Wales delegate, said the man’s entry was at first accepted from a country district, in ignorance of the fact that he was minus a leg. When it was discovered that he was really one’egged it was thought, in the man’s nvn interest’ best to disqualify him. The man himself, like Mr. Joseph Chamberlain in another connection, declined to “take it lying down.” A petition, signed by some seventy or iighty friends, was prepared, showing cause why the New South Wales lecision should be overruled. It was moved that the man was a careful, practised cyclist, anl well able to take ’are of himself. The Australasian Council was impressed, and it gave L ,he one-legged rider permission to compete.

While of late years the Supreme Court Judges have swept away certain forms of procedure which are relics if the past, says the “Sydney Morling Herald,” some remain which have long reached the fossilised slage. One 's the practice which was followed •hree times in one day recently of solunnly swearing a jury to iry a cause ind then informing them that their verdict was not required, us a settlenent had been arrived at. The piocess Followed is to administer the usual >ath to . the jurors, who aie then informed that the case has been settled, -he fact having already been announced to the Judge. Thereupon a uror is requested to leave the box, md render no response wiien he is igain called. Occasionally, at the psychological moment, however, he 'orgets the injunction, and answers to iis name. This occurred once on the lay mentioned, and not only raised a bough, hut set the learned genthmen iresent pondering as to the legal et“ect of the mistake. The practice may have some reasonable foundation for : ts retention, but to the lay mind the 'fficacy of empannelling a jury for nothing is hard to appreciate. Sir John Kirk, Secretary of the Flagged School Union, who was knighted by King Edward in recognition of his services to the poor of London and to the Empire, began life is a clerk in the Pure Literature Mo-rn-ty, and was induoid to assist in -bo evenings in a local ragged school. H.s work attracted ;ur-uit;«*u ami he Wets asked to accept the position of i-distant sn.;!< i cary The Union Tins V did, and entered the gl •••my

■ the U • "ft at h.voter Ha! 1 .-ao.e.-d-Ing in 1867 to the position of secretary. In comparing the lot of the poor children of to-day with that of ihildren of forty years ago, Sir John describes the change as “marvellous.” This work brought Sir John Kirk in-' to touch with the late Lord Shaftesbury and the Ashley family, Mr S. Vforley, and other well-known philanthropists, and he speaks in warm terms of what these men did for the cause, influencing everyone by their vhole-hearted enthusiasm. Sir John’s itrong point is contained in some vords uttered by Professor Leone bievi, who said, “Every man put on the paths of sobriety and work is worth £IOOO to the State.” Ho -claims that rescued children are made useful citizens of the Empire, and that the Ragged School Union has done national work in this respect, being, in fact, the first organised society to deal with slum children and waifs. The first batch of hoy emi•rrants was sent to the colonies in 4845, and since then many batches have been sent out to various parts, members of which have turned up in a quite unexpected manner to testify to the debt 'they owe to the Union and its Secretary.