LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Stratford Evening Post, Volume XXXI, Issue 18, 6 September 1911, Page 4

LOCAL AND GENERAL.

There were a few amusing incidents during the Territorial medical examination, says the ITonui correspondent of the Waitara “Mail,” one especially of a youth who had a glass eye. The d-ietoi obscured the glass eye first and asked him to road the test. He was successful there, and then it was repeated v. ith the etnor eye. The youth molested, saying it was “no goad,” iii: iin- doctor tried to persuade him. This continued for some time until someone came to the rescue.

At Dunedin on Friday last Norman dnnel Findlay was commit ted to the '.uprcme Court for sentence on two Jii.rges of uttering valueless cheques. H. 'l ocker injured I’is shoulder widle laving for Taranaki against Auckn d in tiic Northern t nion football uaicli at Auckland last Saturday. Mr. Cohen was re-elected chairman if directors, .Mr. Mounsey was iv-ap-pointed to tlie directorate, and Mr. i. M. Thompson was re-appointed and.tor at the annual meeting of sharoaiders of the Mahahu !)iry Co., hold ,t the end of last week. . At tiie annual meeting of sliaroaoldcrs of the Huiakama Dairy Co., acid recently it was decided to amalgamate with tiie Stratford Company, .uid the latter will probably open a creamery at Huiakama in a short lime. iiie sitting of the Magistrate’s Court on Friday should bo short. None of the eignt civil actions listed ivilT be defended, and the only other •natters to come before the Court arc two judgment summonses and an information regarding a maintenance order. A good programme lias been arranged for the entertainment to bo given in the Salvation Army Hall on Friday next by the Stanley Hoad Sunbeamers. In addition to the usual items the programme will include physical exercises by children and a milliner of tableaux. Mr. Harry Bannister, manager of the Stratford branch of the New Zealand Clothing Factory, returned last night from a very pleasant trip to the South Island. While in Dunedin Mr. Bannister had -the pleasure of witnessing the match Taranaki v. Otago, in which the North Island men put up such a famous score. Spring is not usually a season of settled weather,- and the conditions have been very changeable of late in Stratford. Yostciday morning was warm, but at 11 a.in. there was a sharp hail shower, and the afternoon and evening were somewhat cool. This morning there was a slight frost, which would probably nip potatoes not well sheltered. To-day, however, is again beautifully fine. Says the Christchurch “Press” : To use a phrase which seems .to liars a familiar ring, “it may not be generally known” that Taranaki enjoys the benefit of what resembles on . a very small scale a Rhodes scholarship foundation. The memory of a fine footballer is preserved by the “Alt'. .Bayley Memorial Scholarship,” supported by a fund raised by the Taranaki Rugby Union. The death occurred at New Plymouth on Monday of a well-known figure in the seaport town in tiie person of Mr. Fred George Henry Stockman, at the ripe age ot 82 years. In the early boating days “Stocky” was one of that gallant band that tendered steamers in all weathers, and ho only relinquished this occupation when the Moturoa breakwater did away with the necessity of surfhoats. The late inStockman was a charter member (in fact, he is the last) of Loyal Egmont Lodge, 1.0.0. F., M.U., and took a keen interest in iris lodge until overtaken by illness a few years ago. Another of those who helped build up Taranaki has gone on that journey from whence no traveller returns.

Tiie friends of Mr. L. Ravell, the well-known Stratford carrier, will regret to learn that on Sunday last he .met with a very serious accident. He was, by special request, taking a heavy load of furniture to Opnnako, starting from Stratford at about 6.30 a.m. When some two miles from Opnnako the scat tilted forward and Mr. Revell was thrown out with such violence that lie broke his log and fractured his knee. He was taken to Opunakc and dressed by DrR. D. Barron, and afterwards brought in to the Stratford Hospital, where Dr. Steven attended to his injuries. It is thought that it will he quite six months liefore Mr Revell is able to* he about again.

The tobacco industry in Victoria apparently lias a good future before it (says the “Argus”), for it has been proved that the leaf can be profitably grown in those districts wiiere experiments have keen made. Possibly the most successful grower oftobacco leaf in Victoria is Mr Temple smith, one of the agricultural experts of the State. Ho has convinced many of the wisdom of adopting tobacco cultivation, as is apparent from the fact that within the last few Jays the Agricultural Department has received SO applications from settlers for seed, which lias duly been supplied. The cultivation has recently boon tried at Mount Gambior, where excellent results were obtained. Some of the recent arrivals who have taken up lard in the northern areas are among those who propose developing the industry.

At a dinner given in Sydney last week by Madame Melba and Mr Hugh J. Ward (managing director in Sydney of Messrs J. C. Williamson, Limited) to the visiting artists of the Grand Opera Company, the diva’s health was proposed in nine languages. Mr John Lemraone spoke in English, Countess de Cisneros ia Americanised English, Madame Koro-lewioz-Wayda- in Polish, Mdlle Axarine in Russian, M. Quesncl in French, Signors Ciccolini and Scandiana in Italian, Count Cisneros in Spanish, Mdlle Volnntas-Ranzenburg in German, and Mr. Edmund Burke in Irish. “Can anyone speak Esperanto?” asked the Irish basso. “Yes,” promptly replied Mr Hugh Ward, and he, as nobody seemed to lie able to understand him, had the floor uninterrupted for five minutes. When the company caught “la diva. Mrsmadamasignora Melba,” the admirable piece of “spoof” was recognised, and there were cheers and great laughter. Horse-breeders visiting Edinburgh recently, says “The North British Agriculturist,” were gratified to see that both the King and the Queen, in their various goings and comings, adhered, for the most part, to tne good old-fashioned horse as a medium of locomotion. They had a couple of motors in the town, hut they were act much used. The carriage in which the central figures of the various days’ proceedings rode was horsed by four magnificent browns of the Cleveland bay type. Highly-bred horses, they stepped out in truly regal style and were justly admired. The other carriages were mainly horsed by bays, also of a very superior type. So far as his visit to Eduiburyji, at any rate, is concerned, King George can lie acquitted of the charge which was recently levelled by Sir Walter Gi]bey at the heads of certain—-it is to ho feared the majority—-of the moneyed classes for neglecting horses and taking entirely to motoring.