LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Stratford Evening Post, Volume XXXII, Issue 6, 16 December 1911, Page 4

LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Mr J. Christensen, caretaker of the Past Mountain House, has been pointed ranger to the Egmont Na tional Park Board.

Divine worsldp will he conducted by the Rev. B. Metson at the Primitive Methodist Church, Broadway, to-morrow morning and evening. All are heartily invited.

The Egmont National Park Board intends to proceed with work on tns Dawson’s Palls and Stratford -Mountain tracks, votes of £IOO being available for the purpose.

Mr. F. Gooch has again made an addition to his stables, several commodious loose-boxes having been erected on the south side. Several farmers who had tethered their horses in Gloton Road, near Mr. Newton King’s Haymavket, received something of a surprise to-day, the Borough Ranger accommodating several, horses with places in the pound. The Government grant to the ‘Egmont National Park Board has been allocated as follows North House £7O, South House £6O, East House £5, the remaining £2O to go into the Board’s funds.

The opening or the Stratford Swimming Club’s season will be held next Thursday in conjunction with the local School Committee, the programme containing several events open to children only. The Executive Committee of the Stratford A. and P. Association met last evening, when a motion was passed authorising the Secretary to pay all accounts certified to. The committee desire to express to the public the absolute necessity for all outstanding accounts to he forwarded to the Secretary without delay.

In connection with Thursday night’s school concert, the best thanks of the School Committe and Operatic Society are due to Mr. Geo. Bond for his yeoman services in undertaking the preparation and management or the stage arrangements, and in addition practically dealing single-handed with the making-up of the ladies of the society. At the Magistrate’s Court yesterday judgment by default was given ■in the following cases:—P. W. Wake (Mr. Wake) v. A. A. Smith, claim' £1 3s, costs os; Kemp and Sawle (Mr. Anderson) v. M. Kennington, claim £77 Bs, and costs, £o 13s 6d; McMillan and Fredric (Mr. Fookes) v. T. Dodunski, claim 12s Gd, costs os; F. Waite (Mr. Wake) v. W. Bowman, claim £6 14s Sd, costs £1 17s 6d. Captain W. J. Newton forwarded his resignation as harbourmaster, to take effect from ; February. 28, 1912, to the' Harbour Board yesterday. The resignation was accepted, the members of the Board expressing regret at the resignation, which, the Chair-

man explained, was not due to any dissatisfaction, hut to purely personal reasons. It was resolved to call fresh applications for the position of harbourmaster, at a salary of £3OO per year. Captain Newton intends to settle in Auckland.

At yesterday’s meeting of the Harbour Board, Captain W. J. Newton, harbourmaster, reported that for the four weeks ending December 9, 21 vessels had worked the port, inwards and outwards, of an aggregate tonnage of 21,083 tons. The total imports amounted to 3541 tons, of which 1621 tons were coal (615 tons for the railway and 1000 for private use). The exports amounted to 1307 tons, consisting of produce and sundries.— “News.”

Early in the new year the dredge Paritutn has to go to Wellington to he placed on the patent slip for overhaul, says the “News.” The Harbour Board accordingly wrote to various insurance companies asking for insurance rates to cover the trip, and ascertained that it would cost up to £SOO to insure the vessel for the sum of £25,000 . The Board therefore decided not to effect the insurance, as it was considered that the risk was not great enough to warrant the expenditure.

A party of motorists near Douglas last evening had a rather exciting experience, and but for the fact that the car was in the capable hands of Mr. H. Prebble, whose skilful driving many Stratford people can bear testimony, serious consequences might have resulted. The car was travelling at a fair rate of speed through the dusk when the occupants discovered a riderless horse, fully saddled and bridled, galloping towards them. A collision was inevitable, and Mr Prehhle applied the brakes promptly, bringing the car almost to a standstill before the two met. The force of the impact turned the car half round, smashing one of the side lamps, while the horse was considerably injured. The occunants of the car, among whom was Dr. Carbery, consider themselves very fortunate in escaping with only a slight shaking.