LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Stratford Evening Post, Volume XXXII, Issue 20, 6 January 1912, Page 4

LOCAL AND GENERAL.

One of the worst diseases to which the human creature is liable is its disease of thinking. If it would only just look at a thing instead of thinking what it must be like, or do a thing instead of thinking it cannot he done, we should all get on far better.—Ruskin. The London Observer severely criticises Canadian loans. “Canada, as a whole, not merely the Government,” declares the paper, “is overborrowing, and land and other values are all inflated. We are, however, glad to see a growing spirit of caution but some, muicipalities show something akin to bolting beyond all bounds of caution.”

Some of our industrial workers have something to learn from the primitive methods of other nations. For instance, there is no hod-carrying in Japan. The native builders have a method of transporting mortar which makes it seem more like play than work—to the onlooker. The mortar is mixed in a pile in the street. One man makes this into balls of about six pounds weight, which ho tosses to a man who ■ stands on a ladder, midway between the roof and the ground. This man deftly catches the ball and then tosses it up to a man who stands higher up.

Although the diphtheria epidemic about Sydney has now looted for about two years, it is still fairly severe in its incidence, and there are about 100 eases in tire Metroplitan Jlcspital. When the epidemic was at its height tlie patients numbered about 150. A few eases are stall being reported from the cou.ury -iisunts of .sew South Wales. The Canterbury S.P.C.A. has entered upon a new departure. It has just taken possession of its new premises, widen are devoted to the purposes of an animal hospital. It is intended to have the hospital in full operation as soon as possible, and stables and stalls are to bo erected almost immediately, and provision w ill be made for the veterinary treatment of animals. Dr. Moses Stern, candidate for Mayor Tit Philadelphia, has some eccentric planks in his platform. He •is a leader of the movement for reform in women’s dress, and as such propose to fine any woman wearing a dress with a train. He advocates the passing of a law to have all women shorn of long hair; to compel them to dress in harem skirts, and to prevent women under thirty years of ago wearing stays. This, he declares, would start a world-wide anti-race suicide movement.

On the arrival recently of tho Furness liner Durango at Halifax, Novia Scotia, from London, Captain Chambers reported a remarkable occurence which took place when the liner was in mid-ocean. The steamship was proceeding at a high rate of speed, when suddenly the engines refused to work and the vessel stopped. An examination by the engineers disclosed the fact that the circulation pumps had failed to act, and steps were taken to ascertain the cause. After some time it was found that tho “intake” of the circulation feed pipe was Lightly filled with a number- of fish, which had been drawn into the passage by the suction of the pumps. Madams de Thebes, said to be the w'orld’s greatest seeress, predicts trouble .throughout Europe during 1912, which she calls the “black-year.” Everything, sire says, points to war for France, which will'result in tho turning of Europe ups de down, and tlie disturbing of other continents especially Asila. Spain will have plots ,but King Alfonso will save the Crown. The reigning days of the Emperor of Germany are limited, and tliere will be a change in the constitution of tho German Government. Deaths an! fires are prophesied for England, arid a change of Government for the United States.

A native orator who was airing his political views at the Tauherenikau races on Monday, says the Palmerston “Standard,” remarked that he was “the friend of Jimmy Carroll,” and then went on to say that he had been asked to stand for Parliament as a supporter of Mr Massey, and he thought he would be a candidate at the next election as the “first Maori straight-out Masseyite.” If he got into Parliament the first matter ne would look into was, who was the real owner of the Tauherenikau racecourse, as he claimed that it did not belong to the Racing Club, but to some ancient Maori chief. ..... On a great speech-making tour in October and November President Taft , beat Ins own travelling record by 500 ' utiles. He - covered altogether 13,-136 miles, passed through i 26 States and made 306 speeches, speakr,. ing to more than 1,500,000 persons. The President was “on the road” 48 days, and despite the fatigue of travelling and speech-making, it is said he returned to New. York looking better than when he departed. Mr. • Taft rather likes railway travelling (says the New York correspondent of the “Daily Telegraph”), and he holds , moreover, that it his bpunden duty as ,President to see just as many of,;, bis 90,000,000 fellow-citizens as pos- , Bible.' During his record,, trip Taft kept in close touch with the , Government affairs. He received more ;i than 4,800 letters and telegrams, and" kept the telegraph wires busy perpetually. The reporters who accompanpanied Mr. Taft on his tour confirm what most people .in Washington al- j ready know, that Mr. Taft is amongst the most democratic of Presidents. He seems to have no difficulty occasionally in laying aside the great burdens ‘of State, chats affably with everyone, tells stories, and generally makes a most delightful travelling companion.

A Maori woman named Maata Te Ao, who died at Poverty Bay on Tuesday afternoon, was a cousin of Wx Pere and a chieftainess of the Meaitangaa Mahaki tribe. She was one of the prisoners exiled to the Chatham Islands after the rebellion in 1865 and 1866. Then she married Te Kooti. She was a woman of considerable intellectual ability, and was looked upon iii the early days as one who had occult powers. When Te Kooti seized, the schooner llileman and released his people from bondage in the Chathams, the deceased was amongst ’em, and was with Te Kooti, through all the fighting until the fight at Ngatapa, when she was taken prisoner by the Government forces, with another woman of note, a chieftaincss of the Taupo tribe. They were treated as prisoners of war and exiled to the West Coast, and afterwards to the Bay of Plenty. Subr.eouenily, upon the occasion of hostilities in the ’seventies, the deceased returned to her own home in the Gisborne district. It is stated that during the fight at Makaretu, when Te Kooti was suffering from a wounded leg, Maata carried him on her back to the retreat of Ngatapa. This place was subsequently beseiged, and •i t midnight the natives escaped to the bush, where Maata was captured.

American girl university graduates are Isays the New York correspondent of the Daily Express) more immune from divorce than are less learned women, according to result of an inquiry made by Smith College, one of the leading higher institutions for feminio learning in the United States. A statement issued by the Smith faculty declares that statistics show only one women university graduate in fifty-seven gets into the divorce court, while the average for all American women is one in twelve. Miss Angie Chapin Dean of Wellseley, another famous women’s university, commenting on the result of the investigation says: “University women usually marry late in' life. They know their own minds and they find happiness. The university course carries girl well through the childish period when mere fascination might play a large nart in her love affair. Once this period is over the girl gains poise and sense. A great many girls marry when they understand far too little* of the duties of a Avife and mother. They enter into the _ most serious contract of their lives Avithout fine consideration of its importance. Rv A\ay of contrast the Avoman avlio arrives at the age of twenty-five or more, has the course of her life pretty definitely marked out for herself. She knows Avhat she need expect from life. She Avill suffer little disillusionment if things do not turn out to bo a paradise on earth.”

Mr F. W. Wake, accompanied by Miss Wake and Miss F. Wake, intend to make a short holiday visit to Sydney, leaving Stratford about the middle of this month. A prohibition order was taken put against a local rest le.it t! 1 morning at the Magistrate’s Court. Messrs C. D. Sole and Sidney 'A an. J.l’. s were on the bench. Mr G. Hunter has a notice in another part of this issue announcing that he has disposed of his milk round to Messrs Wood Bros., for whom ho bespeaks a continuance of patronage. The new proprietors arc both young men, and can lie relied on for good and efficient service, having had previous experience in the business.

The following is a list of the winnine; jockeys ut the recent Stro/tfoid races; —W. Price (3 wins), J, Flynn and F. Coleman (2 wins each), 11. Lambess, Alt'. Oliver, A. Garment, H. Mclntosh, A. Goldfinch, A. Monk, J. Copestake, Mr Brough, and Mr Higginson (1 win each). The very centrally situated premises in Broadway recently occupied by Mr J. Simmons are being renovated for offices for Mr F. W. Wake, who has purchased the property, and is vacating his present office,'next to Mr Newton King’s. We understand that the premises now occupied- by Mr Wake arc required for further office accommodation, owing to the continued growth and advancement of Mr -Nontori King’s Stratford business. The claim for salvage services made by the owners of the German steamei Erika, which picked up and towed the German-Australian liner Varan to Boston, where she was bound with a valuable cargo of wool and general merchandise last year, has been settled at last. The Court awarded a verdict for £9850, in addition to an allowance for her time, coal consumed and repairs and disbursements. The Varan, it will be remembered, was 350 miles from her destination on January 29, 1910, when her tail shaft carried away.

Upon the introduction of the Isherwood type of longitudinally framed vessels, tho Society of Lloyd s gave careful consideration to the details o. this ■ system of construction? Ihutyci'dit of these vessels*, of 10/,299 tons, have already been built to the society’s classification, while 34 others, of over 155,000 tons, are now in course of construction under the society c survey. The. scantling approved tor the Ishcrwood vessels are such as to afford the full structural strength represented by the society’s class mention standard.

An observant English visitor, who is now touring New Zealand, says he has been immensely impressed with the possibilities of Canada. Already it wao a great factor in the wheat market, and its trade was devoLpmg in a remarkable fashion. The recent change of Government, far from -laving any serious effect, seemed to be responsible for renewed energy in many of the most important Departments of the Public Service, and the settlement of land especially was going 'ahead at an- astonishing rate. Joint* stock companies can be formed at Home for almost any undertaking that can be conceived. At North .'Blytlr, -Northumberland, Engri land/ ti company has ibeen formed ana an extensive, area of ground-has been, securedi for ; tile- .purpose lof breakingup‘‘did warships or- -other,; vessels. ; A larger electrical' pq)wer) station is to be built, and local coal companies are being approached with a view cf tne company supplying electricity 7 for lighting and motive; power for _ all classes of machinery : The business of the new company, it 'is expected, will change Cambois from a quiet colliery village to a busy industrial centra :j e•• '(

A: freculiijF incident liapp'ened at the ChKitc'rihaifa ' 'sports on New "i car’s DayV'iays tlie Star. Air. R. Whisker the.’Official starter, had. been rrin~ a blaftk ‘cartridge hi a' . double-' barrelled guriy and 1 having ex haupted liis supply, of the blank;, put a, snot’ 'chrtridge in the gun for the final rae'e of the day. He ' leaned the butt of the gun on his big to pull the'trigger, and noticed sdenetning strange 1 about the sound of the explosion. ‘ Looking at the gun, he found that about six inches from the top a hole two inches wide had been blown clean out of the side of the barrel. The gun was a new one, having been in use only about 12 months. Lieutenant de Conneau, alias Leaumont, the winner of the great £lO,000 fiying contest, has had some of his most extraordinary exploits almost unrecorded. At Calais, during the Circuit, he was asked to amuse the spectators in a long interval of waiting. A 40-mile wind was blowing, hats were flying, and his Bleriot had to be firmly held down upon the ground while he made ready to start. He went up, and was whirled about like a feather in the currents and eddies of the air. The Bleriot plunged and reared, flung up her tail, bolted down wind, and turned and faced and overcame it. The aviator came down with a swift and sudden plunge, the engine running at full power, and drew up head to wind, and as calm as ever.

Recent Japanese papers give particulars of a terrible shipping disaster off the southern coast of China, in which the steamer Shinshu Maru, 40u0 tons, foundered during a typhoon. The captain and a fireman were the only survivors of a crew of nearly ’ forty hands. The ill-fated steamer had 4000 tons of 1 coal on board, and when two days out the barometer fell alarmingly, and there was every evidence of a typhoon. On the next day it seemed that the steamer had entered the centre of the depression, and there was a very heavy sea running. The lifeboats and everything on deck were washed away, and the holds were flooded. Finally the engine-room was fil’lcd. The captain,then summoned all the crew, and told them to save themselves as best they could, as the steamer was evidently doomed. At about 2 a.m. on the fourth day the steamer sank, and all on board were thrown into the angry sea. The, captain floated for fourteen hours before be was washed ashore on the island of Hainan.

Colonel A. W. Robin, who was recently created a Commander of St Michael and St. George, is at present Adjutant-General to the Now Zealand forces, is a native of Dunedin. fie was educated at the Otago Boys’ High School, and was engaged in business in Dunedin until 1899. Ho was captain of the Otago Hussars, and lie commanded the mounted troops at the Record Reign celebrations in London in 1897. Ho was in command of the First Contingent sent from New Zealand to South Africa during the Boor war. After his return from South Afrfica, Colonel Robin was appointed to the command of the Otago military district. On the formation of the Council of Defence in 1907, he was appointed as the first military member with the status of Chief_ of the General Staff. Since the appointment of General Godley as commandant. Colonel Robin has occupied the post of Adjutant-General. He was made ' C.B. in 1900.