LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Stratford Evening Post, Volume XXXI, Issue 40, 2 October 1911, Page 4

LOCAL AND GENERAL.

The dance to have been held in the Douglas Hail next Friday has been postponed for a week. Liverpool’s skyscraper, the Royal Livery Building, widen has just keen opened, is of' seventeen .storeys, -iOOft nigh, and weighs 80,060 tens, «.t lias a clock bigger than Dig Bsn ; eacn dial is 25ft in diameter, the minute hand 14ft long, and at one point Oft aide. The clock never needs winding, bpt is propelled by electncLy, being connected with Greenwich uy post ohice wire. Special meciiam.ni prevents the hands being interfered with by wind, snow ■ i - ram. The Sydney “Telegraph’s ” correspondent reports:—hue surf claimed two victims at Thirroul on the 1 1 th inst., two brothers losing their lives. William Nicol, 40 years of age, a married man, and George .Nicol, single, 25, had been surf-bathing, and were on their way out of the water when they were noticed to suddenly disappear hy William Nicol’s two litao daughters. As they did not appear again, tiie two little girls became alarmed, and ran for assistance. A

number of persons searched up to lark, blit no trace of the missing • notners could be found. It is presumed that the current must nave carried the bodies to the north, as it ,vas running in that direction. Both .mothers Jiad been on a week-end visit to Thirroul.

An interesting discovery lias recently been made uy Mr. C. T. Burlitt, secretary of the Sydney Historical Society. it is a matter of history that Nelson possessed six sea chests, of which five have already been found in England, while the sixth has long balded all attempts at discovery. Mr. Burlitt declares that lie lias found the chest in Sydney, and will shortly exhibit it to the public. The chest, whose history can he traced from the Nelson family to the present owner, was originally fitted with shelves and sliding trays; but these, unfortunately, have been removed and lost. Jt 3 till, however, bears a silver plate on cne side, inscribed, “Viscount Nelson, Duke of Bronte,” etc., etc. The chest .s not for sale.

Plow much the Ivclly gang cost flic Government is probably not on record 'says the “Age”), but a few small items which no taxpayer will begrudge are still paid out. Constable Mclntyre, who was rendered unfit for duty through exposure at the time of, the Wombat Ranges murders, receives an allowance of £52 per annum. Mr. Michael Reardon, for injuries received in the attack on the outlaws at Glen rowan, lias a like allowance, and tiie widow of Sergeant Kennedy, who was murdered in the Wombat Ranges, is allowed £49 per innum. Constable Mclntyre and Mrs Kennedy are also in receipt of pensions under the Police Regulation Act.

No subject has been more rigorously preached by medical men and health reformers tor the'past gdnhfh-' bion than that of fresh air. At the Medical Congress, sitting at tho Sydney Medical School, the value of exygen as a curative agent has been wrought prominently forward every day, so that really if any section. of bne community should be convinced of tho value of the open window it should be the doctors (writes the “Telegraph”). However, one of the speakers in the section of public lealth poked a good deal of fun at his bellow-members of the profession because of the difference between practice and precept on their part. “I Same up to the congress,” he declared with some degree of scorn, “and found not a single window about the place open; I came into this particular room and found the atmosphere thick enough to knock you down. Wc Jon’t seem able to convince even doctors of the value of fresh air,” he added, with the observation that it seamed to him that until they, got a second generation of doctors who vere taught automatically to live in the open air during the first seven years of their lives, medical men would not he persuaded to rigorously practice the health-giving doctrines that they preached. “The other day while taking a six oil in Centennial Park,” writes a correspondent to the “Sydney Morning Herald,” “I saw two men in a motorcar. They were travelling at a high rate of speed, and, in my opinion, tc the danger of pedestrians on the route. When the tooting of the car was heard in the distance I observed i corps of cadets, near to where I was line up and stand to attention. They had scarcely done so when the . car dashed past tlieir lines at forty miles an hour. As soon as it was out of sight, the. cadets were dismissed. 1 noticed nothing extraordinary about the occupants of the car except that one long-haired gentleman was making notes in a pocket-book as he whizzed past the line of cadets. Later on 1 inquired from a policeman why ho had made no attempt to interfere with the iccupants of the car for such flagrantly reckless driving, and also asked him what object, the long-haired man could have in taking notes in a pocketoook under such remarkable circumstances. The policeman replied thai ho understood tho man with tho long hair and the pocket-book was tho Federal Government tailor, and that he was measuring the cadets for their next year’s uniforms.”

In English newspapers a correspondence has boon started on the question, Should Wives be Salaried r One writer says:—“Every married woman ought to have money of her own to do what she likes with. There are thousands of women who never have a penny that they can call their own. It is a galling position for any human being with a .spark of independent spirit. Women have been inured to the ignominy of living on the charity of their husbands. They take it fo: granted. But it is time to insist npoi; the elimination of sentiment from the work done hy the wife and mother, ft ought to lie paid for. When a girl marries she ought to he guaranteed i fixed proportion of her husband’s income. This would give her economic independence. It would also give hei a definite status in the State. She would l)o a co-partner in the home and not a kind of helot. She wonlc not bo at the mercy of her husband's caprices. She would not be subjected to the menace of desertion without any provision for her future or for the future of her children. If every mar ried man wore forced to pay a fixec proportion of his wages to his wife there is no doubt that the burden of marriage would not he so heavy.”

The Railway Department has made a start with work at the Mount Egmont quarry, twenty thousand yards of metal being required for the railway deviation works at Mokoia, near Haw era.

The social committee of the Ancient Order of Foresters will hold their wind-up social in tiie Town Hall on Thursday next, the sth inst., at 8 o’clock Invitation-holders are asked to note the alteration in date. A fisherman who was out yesterday plying tnc rod reports that on the

bank of the Patea River, near the Cemetery, he saw an immense dead ocl, which lie says, was about six feet long and a foot through. On Saturday evening the Rev. T. Fee, who for the past week has been delivering addresses in the district on No-Liconsc, spoke for some time to a fair audience in Broadway, dealing with a large number of aspects of the No-License question.

The Wanganui Museum, it is claimed possesses the most perfect skeleton of a moa in the world. As far as can be ascertained not even the minutest bone is missing. The Museum has also other skeletons of the giant bird, but they are not so comnlete.

The fishing season opened yesterday, find a good number of the'votaries of Isaac Walton took advantage of the fine day to whip the streams in the vicinity of Stratford. Sotno good bags are reported, and it is stated that trout are plentiful and in good condition.

The question as to what extent white pine timber was used in the Poverty Bay district for building purposes was a matter of enquiry by his Honour at the Supreme Court at Gisborne. A'witness replied that it was used to a fairly large extent. His Honor: Yes, when nobody is looking. (Laughter.)

The use of bad language by young men lias frequently been commented upon by Mr. E. C. Cut ten, S.M., and at the Auckland Police Court the other day ho remarked that “young men get so used to using bad language that they never know when, they use it.” A youth who was charged with the offence and which he emphatically denied, was fined £2.

The hearing of the Webster -claim, which is being made by tlie descendants of the late William Webster, will probably take place at Washington some time next year. The claim, which is being made under the Pecuniary Claims Convention (an international convention between Great Britain and America), as previously stated, has reference to certain lands in the Auckland province which the late Mr. Webster, an American citizen, ,is alleged to have acquired from the Maoris in the early days of the colony. The latest statement of the claim is £1,250,000. \

A very interesting souvenir of the famous Battle of Trafalgar—namely, an old pewter flask, is on exhibition at tlie “Wairoa Bell” office at Dargaville, and is attracting a lot of attention. This flask was, carried through tlie famous battle by the late Admiral Sir ' William liargood, G.C.8., G.C.H., who served on that historic occasion as commander of the jßelleisle, ip Lord Nelson's fleet. A book 74. years old, a memoir of the life and service of’ the Admiral, which was printed for private circulation, is also on view. They are the property of Mrs. E. Montgomery, daughter of Mr Harcourt-Hargood, of Wellington, who is a descendant of the gallant old Admiral.

Achaeological researches made at. a spot some twenty miles from Kars xbave -brought, to-light -a completely intact stone fortress of prehistoric'date. The masonry of the primitively - designed forts and bastions is somewhat roughly but extremely well laid. Among the many and various objects found are quite a number of yell-pre-served figures of heathen gods", mostly in animal forms and in a kind of hardbaked potter’s clay. According to the description of these figures given in the Kars despatch they appear to bear a. close resemblance to similiar objects found in ancient Scythian tumuli in the Taurida. Tlie other interesting finds will be described in a report to the Archaeological Society of St. Petersburg.

In the Auckland Police Court last week John Fletcher denied that on September 12 when his dray got stuck in soft ground, he pelted the shaft horse with bricks to make it pull. Sergeant Ramsay stated that he and Ser-geant-Detective Hawke saw the man who had a load of old bricks on tho cart, deliberately pick up a sevenpound bricks and’ fire them at the shatter, hitting it on the head and body. There were about twenty bricks thrown, and when witness was able to catch upon accused, he saw that the horse was bleeding at the hip, where a bit of skin had been knocked off it, while the shaft was littered with bits of broken brick. Accused said ho only threw the bricks at the front of tho dray to frighten the horse, and that the sore was caused by the animal knocking itself in the stall. Ho was lined £2 and 14s. costs.

It is stated that a curious position has arisen in regard to the insurance on a house which was recently destroyed by fire says the “Lytteloii Times.” The policy in one office expired on the day of the fire, and a fresh policy starting on the day of the fire, had been taken out in another office. The fire occurred at 2.30 p.m., and the first office states that its cover expired at noon, while the second office states that its cover did not commence till I p.m. There is a difference of opinion at present, as to which office wifi bear tho loss, or whether either office will have to bear it, but it is confidently stated that the matter will be amicably adjusted. The position is said to be quite unique in Christchurch experience. Tho owner of the house was naturally under the impression that his risk was securely covered, and the period during which there could bo any possible doubt was extremely brief. .As luck would have it, however, tho fire occured during that brief period.

The value of the Morse code in signalling to vessels was demonstrated recently, says the “New Zealand Herald.” The Rosamond was inward hound from New Plymouth to Onehunga, and as it was desirable that corain instructions should be given to the master (Captain A. Wallis), the signalman at the Manakau Heads was instructed to communicate with the steamer by means of the Morse signal lamp. The intructions were to the effect that Captain Wallis had been promoted to the command of the Union Company’s large steamer Waihora, then in Auckland Harbour, and that no must prepare to leave the Rosamond at once. The Union Company deep itched a launch from Onehunga on Saturday evening to the Manukau Heads to meet the Rosamond. Caplain Wallis was transferred to the launch, and a motor-car was in waiting at the Onehunga wharf to convoy him to Auckland. The car reached the city shortly after midnight, where mother launch was waiting to take the captain out to the Waihora, which was swinging at anchor in the stream. : to \\ ainnra w eighed anchor shortly iftcr 2 a.m. and proceeded on her voyage to Fiji.

The Toko branch of tho Farmers’ Union meets this evening.

During September nineteen births, two marriages, and two deaths were registered in Stratford.

The monthly meeting of the Hospital Board will bo held to-morrow morning.

At the Magistrate’s Court this morning, before Mr. C. D. Sole, a first-offending drunkard was fined os. Tho annual meeting of tile W.Y. M.I. Tennis Club will be held in the A. and P. Association’s rooms this evening.

The annual meeting of the Stratford Tennis Club will bo held in tlie i Borough Council Chamber to-morrow evening.

At the Town Hall to-morrow evening an address will be given by Colonel Birkeushaw, of the Salvation Army, on “The Life of General Booth.” The attendance in the infant room of tho Stratford District High School this morning was 240, which constitutes an easy record for the province. The Whangamomona County Council has established a Public Pound at Hniakama, and has appointed Mr. W. Holtz as poundkeeper. Tho management of tho local branch of the N.Z. Loan and Mercantile Agency Co., Ltd., has been advised that all the members of his staff: have been granted increases in their salaries. This is pleasing nows, and will no doubt bo appreciated.

One fisherman who was operating yesterday landed a bag of twelve, and of those every one boro a mark which could only have been made by a spear. The fish were all taken from one of tho district streams, and the Acclimatisation Society, who have been informed of the circumstances, will now have an indication where the activities of the ranger would bear most fruit. If a culprit is detected lie may bo somewhat surprised by tho fine tho court will deem fitting to tho offence.

Mr. W. Rowe, who has been in the employment of Mr. Newton King for the past nine years, has decided to strike out on his own account, making stump extracting, with explosives, a specialty. On Saturday the employees gathered together for the purpose of bidding farewell to Mr. Rowe, and ot> behalf of the staff Mr. F. W. Webster, '.manager, presented him with a cheque. On behalf of Mr. King, Mr. Webster also presented Mr. Rowe with a battery and cable as part equipment of Ills future business.