LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Stratford Evening Post, Volume XXXI, Issue 6, 23 August 1911, Page 4

LOCAL AND GENERAL.

A South 'Canterbury centenarian passed away at Waimate a fen- days ago. His ago was one hundred and three years. , By taking advantage of cool storage at tlio freezing works, a Nelson fruitgrower obtained 150 per cent, hotter prices for his fruit than if ho had marketed it when it was harvested, says a local paper. The Dunedin butchers are finding difficulty in securing in Otago the quality of cattle they desire. One firm is securing its supplies from Hawke’s Bay. The beasts can bo bought at a cheaper rate there than in Dunedin, and are of bettor quality. An Argentine farmer who passed through New Zealand recently after a tour of the world expressed a distinct leaning towards New Zealand stock for stud purposes in the Argentine, but, ho added, the shipping charges which face the man who feels inclined to import to the Argentine from New Zealand are so high as to be almost prohibitive. As far as lie was concerned they were prohibitive."' !; " !, ;

One is accustomed to see niotor-cars in curious places, says the “Post,” but a four-cylinder machine adorning the deck of a second-class cruiser is a novelty in New Zealand. Commander Gaunt, of H.M.S. Challenger, has such a car, and is using it at present in Wellington. At the beginning of the week the vehicle was unshipped in much tiie same manner as a field gun would he landed, and as quickly. As is only fitting, the car, though not new, looks just as if it had come lately from the factory, so bright is the paint work and so clean the brass. Commander Gaunt says that a number of naval men now have their own

cars, and it is no uncommon sight to see them starting off from a European port for “steam tactics” on land. The Loudon correspondent of the “Argus” tells a good story in connection with Mr. Fisher’s visit to Troon. A curious mistake was made by the son of a peer, to whom was committed the task of proposing tho mast of the Commonwealth at tho Troon function. The proposer of tiro toast was Lord Casiliis (pronounced Cassels in Scotland), who had somehow got tiie idea into his head that New Zealand was a Commonwealth, and that Mr. Fisher was its Prime Minister. Accordingly he devoted tiio whole of his speech to eulogising New Zealand. As a consequence Mr. Fisher practically had to reply for New Zealand and also for the. Commonwealth, which lie did in such a tactful way as probably to leavq Lord Casiliis still under the impression that tho Dominion and tho Commonwealth wore one and tho same, and Mr. Fisher tho over-lord of both.

Superb horsemanship by the Malmrajah Sindhia of Gwalior averted a serious accident at a gymkhama at Hurlinkham recently. Ho was tontpegging, when, owing to his turban slipping, ho lost control of his horse. It dashed for a fence forty yards away, as if to leap the barrier, behind which men and women wore sifting eight deep. Realising the peril to their lives tho Maharajah nimbly dismounted, though the horse was in full gallop, and throwing all his weight on tho bridle, brought tho animal up ou his haunches within a yard and a half of the danger (says (lie “Daily Mail”). Great cheering and clapping of hands followed. Later Lord Haddington, in presenting to his Highness a gold cup as captain of tho Indian team, complimented the Maharajah ou Ids superb horsemanship. The Maharajah, who is thirty-live years of age, is an extra A.D.C. to the King. He served as major-general at tho relief of Pekin, 1901, when ha provided a hospital ship at his own cost.

The Stratford Racing Club bus boon quietly at work buying up a number of Stratford Exteusnn sections on the west boundary of the racecourse property, with the result that the club has acquired a nice block of some live or sin acres of native bush, which will now form part of the course freehold. The block has boon securely fenced off with a substantial barbed wire fence, and a largo number of trees and shrubs l ave been planted this season among the native hush and iti the bare patches. In a few years time tins should be a regular beauty spot, and a decided acquisition to the town. It is to bo hoped that this bush will also be ■>

sanctuary for the few pheasants and quail that still contrive to exist as close as this to civilisation, and Mr. Mackay has asked us to mention that the club is prepared to prosecute unauthorised persons who' trespass cither on tip's or any other portion of the club’s domains. For influenza take "Woods’ Cre.-r Peppermint Cure; never fads. Is Cd and 2s 6d *

Considerably over three millions sterling has been paid in old-age pensions in New Zealand since tiie Act came into operation, at a cost of administration of over £50,000. Cash is 'said to ho particularly scarce in Ohau and Manakau just now, much more so than during the past twelve months. One Levin business man informed'the local paper that .inly and the first week in August had been the worst, in regard to business, that he had known for. two years. During the course of a civil action against a medical man in Auckland a few days ago, Mr. Justice Edwards said that the patient of a medical man was clearly entitled to be told exactly what the doctor had found during his treatment of the case. Medical etiquette or no medical etiquette, it could not govern the natural rights of the people to have from doctors, lawyers, or anyone else with whom they had confidential relations, full and strictly accurate information of what had been found out during the performance of these confidential functions.

After detailing his daily duties, and declarng that his days were extended over sixteen or seventeen hours a clay, a witness before the Dairying Wages Board, in Sydney, informed the Board that lie received one Sunday a month as a holiday. He proceeded to explain how he was expected to spend it. His omplovcr’s wife expected him on his monthly day of recreation to work in the garden, mind the baby, peel potatoes, shell peas, carry water, and indugle in other harmless but useful sports. The witness drew an indignant breath. He had had twenty-eight years’ experience as a hr.”, et a yee’. he Jecla! - bd, and refused to do such things. The wives of dairy employers, however, often expected the men to do this. He objected to the boarding-in principle.

An American resident in Paris had an unpleasant experience in the casino at Enghien recently. He was playing baccarat on a system of bis own. By this system he loses only a fixed sum. When that is gone ho refuses to stake any more. He had reached his limp losses, and turning to a lady next to him, said: “There goes my last louis. I shall not play any more.” At the same* moment he took a little box out of his pocket and slipped a white lozenge into his mouth. Four attendants instantly caught him from behind, lifted him out of his chair, and carried him to the police station. The doctor in attendance there poured a strong omtoic down his throat, and the poor man became very ill indeed. It was not until too late that he was allowed to explain that the lozenge was merely quinine. The casino authorities thought ho had lost his last louis in a literal sense, and had decided to “save his life,” without allowing him time to explain that he was not taking poison. The Council of the Pharmaceutical Society of New South Wales has sent out a circular to the members of that 1 organisation which shows that the Society strongly condemns the sale of methylated spirits for drink. When it was discovered that those_ spirits were purchased by people on Sundays i.t order that they might thus satisfy their craving for liquor, the sale was, the Council states, immediately stopped. But since the accusation is revived that chemists are again deriving revenue from this source, the circular urges that members .sliould assist in stamping tho. evil out of existence, if it does exist. “The chemist alias the right, and only he has the ,right,”, says tho circular, “to supply spirits ori"Sundays for medicinal purposes ; ho has no right to sell spirits for the purposes of drink, and it is certain that his right will and must bo curtailed if ho misuses it.” The

indiscriminate supply of chlorodyne and similar narcotics to drug-drink-ers .is likewise reprobated, the Council urging members not to sell these unless satisfied that they are required for medicinal purposes. Attention is also drawn to the danger which may result from the putting of medicines • into bottles originally used for beverages, as more than one life has been lost through tho mistake of drinking from a bottle supposed to contain beer when it had really been filled with carbolic acid. That honesty is out of place in the relations between doctor and patient was the admittedly appalling confession \ made by Dr. Richard Arthur in an address on the value of suggestion in healing, delivered at the Unitarian Church in Sydney last week. Tho great thing, he said, was for the patient to have faith, which was very naturally not induced hy a doctor’s admission that ho really was not sure what was tho matter. A doctor must-be dogmatic. As a young man his eyes had boon opened to tne passionate faith most people placed in a bottle of medicine ; if they were ill, a bottle of medicine they must halve, whether it were, of any intrinsic value or not. Quito a list could bo made of infallible cures for various diseases, such, for example, as chronic rheumatism. Ho had known one old gentleman, who perpetually wore half a dozen or more iron rings on his fingers to keep off rheumatism; other people cherished a profound belief in a piece of old red worsted w n - n loundthc «aisj\vl.de plenty of otherwise thoughtful and sensible persons pinned their faith to the mystic powers of a new potato curried in the pocket. The point of all these things lay simply not in these “remedies” themselves, but in the faith behind them, the state of expectant attention, which undoubtedly had a very great influence over the body and the physical functions. WollylAtt, a umber which abounds in the forest of Eastern Gippsland, says the “Argus,” is suggested as “equally as good as, if not better, than New Zealand pine for the manufacture of butter-boxes.” The suggestion has emanated from the manager of the butler factory at Swift’s Greek, Mr. J. R. Ryan, who points out that there are tens of thousands of acres of woollybutt in Eastern Gipps land, but, unfortunately, it is loft untouched, owing to the lack of railway communication. When questioned on the utility of woollybutt for butterboxes, Mr. R. Crowe (superintendent of exports) said it was difficult to supply a definite reply. There, had been no satisfactory trials made of .Victorian timber for such a purpose. Oc« casionally a man came down from the country with a small piece of wood under his arm. Fie submitted it for inspection, and asked for an opinion as to its suitableness for butter-box making, but no opinion could be supplied. Tho only way to test timber for such a purpose was for some sawmiller to erect a plant capable of reducing logs to largo chunks, which might bo left to season. It would then lie possible to toll whether such timber would or would not warp. However, that had not been done up to the oroscnt, and he saw no reason to think it would he done immediately, as sawmillers could not', he understood, supply tho demand for timber for ordinary building purposes. It was therefore not likely that they would engage in the butter-box trade, which was not of great scope. If millers could ho induced to take tho matter up, the position in relation to Vic-*n>i-u' timber and its uses would he defined.

Mr A. O’Leary, of the Egmont Clothing Co., has returned \from a holiday visit to Wellington. The tender of Messrs Boon Bros., Now Plymouth, has been accepted for building the Stratford School, the price being £3550. Mr. W. H. Skinner was presented at New Plymouth yesterday with a purse of sovereigns from his comrades in the Lands Department.. The annual meeting of members of the Stratford Racing Club will be held at the Borough Council Chamber, Broadway, next Tuesday evening, at 8 o’clock. A local business man has received the following literary masterpiece from a client:—“Dear sir i Rite they few lines to let you no i have loft the District and going to the South irling so i Return the papers.” At yesterday’s meeting of the Education* Board the foreman was authorised to make the necessary alterations to the exit from the infant rooms at Stratford, as recommended in his report.

A sitting of the Juvenile Court, the first for a long time, will be hold at 1.45 p.m. on Friday. Three charges against boys at Midhirst for wilful damage to property and one against a boy for wilful damage at Ivopuatama Cemetery (breaking wreaths) will bo gone into. Yesterday Messrs. T. Kirkwood (pointer), F. Kleomaim (bull-dog), F. Lacey (Cocker spaniel), and A. H. Cahill (bull terrier) sent dogs to the Wellington Kennel Club’s show, opening to-day. The dogs are all good of their class, and are expected to show up well. i '■ The Stratford Horticultural Society will hold its spring sffow of daffodils and seasonable flowers in the Parish Hall on Thursday afternoon and evening, September 21st. Season tickets can now be obtained, from tho secretary, Mr. W. S. Cato, or members of tho committee. Tho other day a local member of the Veterans’ Association presented himself amongst tho Territorials, for medical examination, says the N<ws.’ Tho notice which brought him there , was for his son, but was insufficiently addressed. No conscientious objector about him—what? At the meeting of the Education Board yesterday the secretary, Mr. P. S. Whitcombo ; took tho chair, and asked for nominations for tho position of chairman in succession to Mr. Jas. Wade, resigned. Upon the motion of Messrs. Cargill and Young, Mr. H. Trimble was .elected, and took the

A unique test iu Paris has revealed the >voaring qualities of a new building material. A flight of stairs was made of concrete containing carborundum, which is nearly as hard as the diamond, and the surface has withstood the travel of 14,000,000 persons, with no signs of wear. Such resistance is not approached in marble or granite.

Among the judgment debtors in the Wellington Magistrate’s Court was an ex-bookmaker, who stated that since the passing of the Act he had tried hard, but had been unable to find any employment. He was at present supported bv his wife and family, and could make no offer to pay. No order was made.

Ten civil summonses and one judgment summons will be dealt with at the sitting of the Magistrate’s Court on Friday.., None of the, cases will be defended.. The following informations will also be dealt with:—Ten for breaches of the Borough by-laws, one for disobedience of a maintenance order, one for theft, and one for being on licensed promises during the currency of a prohibition order.

A meeting of the Taranaki Circular Hoad Race Committee, was held in New Plymouth on Monday evening. Appreciative reference was made to the great work done in connection with the race by the hon. secretary, Mr. J. McLeod. It was unanimously decided to present him with a large framed photograph of the committee ahd a bonus of £lO 10s, which will bo guaranteed by the members of the committee. The hon. treasurer, Mr. E. Whittle, furnished a tentative bal-ance-sheet, which indicated that, when some outstanding subscriptions aro collected, the finances will be just about “square.” Messrs. J. Clarke, J. C. Morey, sen., and W. C. Weston were appointed a sub-committee to / collect outstanding subscriptions. Appreciative reference was made to the \ assistance rendered to the committee vn the day of the race by the police. Hero is an example worthy of emulation by ratepayers who can see their way to go and do likewise when the opportunity presents itself. A main road in a portion of the Marlborough Provincial District had been cut up by heavily-laden gravel drays until it was in a highly dangerous condition. A number of the districts residents realising that it would have been unfair to ask the local authorities for repairs, at a time when their energies were being taxed to the utmost with works rendered necessary by recent floods, formed a working bee, and to the number of nine spent a coiiple of hours or so in manual labour, with the result that the particular piece of road, which was a menace to the safety of wayfarers, is now in a condition of credit to all concerned, and is an object-lesson on well applied zeal and timely consideration for pressure of work in the case of an overtaxed local body.