LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Stratford Evening Post, Volume XXXII, Issue 58, 4 March 1912, Page 4

LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Two small boys living at George Island, .Jacksonville, Ilontla, guided by an old chart, have unearthed, near an ancient Spanish hut, Spanish coins worth about £3(J,OUU.

According to Whittaker’s Almanack tliere were on June 30, 1911, -Oo ves sols fitted for the consumption of liquid fuel, of which 43 were over oUUU tons and 53 under 1000 tons each.

“The Lord knows,” declared a witness in a case at the Gisborne Police Court, when asked how often the d fondant repeated certain language. “Yes, but I want to know, also, rejoined Mr. Barton, S.M.

An atmospherical phenomenon' occurred at Longbeacli (Canterbury) the other day. Two mills were at work in adjoining paddocks, when a heavy shower of rain fell in one, wetting the men through and causing them to cease their toil. In the other paddock the sun was shining, and the men continued their work .until the usual hour for retiring.

A correspondent, ’to whom we are indebted for details in connection with the Ackland Hoad School .picnic, somewhat naively ends up his account ol the proceedings with the following paragraph:—“After full justice had been meted out to an excellent tea, all hurried homo to finish up a most enjoyable day by milking their cows m the dark.”

Adam McKeown and William O’Brien, both statutory second offenders, were up before Mr. C. D. oole, J.P., this morning, on a charge of bring found drunk at Douglas. The Bench, in inflicting a fine cf 10s and costs in both cases, remarked that if came before him again they would be remanded to appear teloic the S.M., with the view to trying the effects of a period at Pakatoa. A somewhat unusual incident occurred during the hearing of a case in the Dunedin Magistrate s Court recently. A judgment debtor was bear rr examined as to his means, when the Magistrate interrupted, and asked him why he had not »paid the ■amount due. To the consternation of all the defendant placidly intimated that he could, and forthwith produced the money. Counsel for plaintiff humorously remarked that this was the first occasion on which this happened to him in the course of lids experience.

Norway has just appointed her first female policeman, who has passed the necessary qualifying tests, been fitted with an 'attractive uniform, and given a salary of £7O a year. If the camera is no more unveracious than usual .she is, for a policeman, comely; and it is easy to believe that getting “run in” has become quite a popular pastime among the Norwegian youth. Even when the salary is paic ■there is so large a profit on the fines that a large increase in the female section of the force may he expected in the immediate future. A remarkable action has been partly heard before the Melbourne Court, ■•£ lady claiming £SO damages from a well-known catering firm on account of having she alleges, found the head of a. mouse in a meat pie supplied to her at one of the company’s establishments. The firm is famous for its hot pies, and it has many branches in Sydney and Melbourne where the public are in the habit of going in large numbers for meals. The firm denier the allegation, though, of course, ever if it be true, no one imagines that lra.ee are caught for the purpose of being done up into meat pies. At tin worst, it was an accident.

Two of the staple industries of tin Bluff and Stewart Island have made their commencement —'the qy storing, and muttori-bii’ding. The oyster sea. son, which began on March 1, has for some months ■ past been the cause o; extensive overhauling of the variouf ' trawlers, and several hundreds oi pounds'have been expended in that manner. The season is one month later this year, and the first of the ' bivalves will he eagerly awaited by the over-patient public. The quality oi the oysters this season will ibe good, is always the case after one of the periodical comparatively “sick” seasons. The first of the mutton-birders got away to the Titi Islands about the end of February, and the others wit not be slow in following. Among all the boons granted in the Royal Proclamation there was one which seemed to me,” says the eelitoi of an Indian educational journal, “the most precious of all in its significance in its sweeping away of race distinctions, and recognising only man as man—it was the quiet declaration that the Victorian Cross might he won by the'officers and men of “my Indian Army.” That little bronze cross for valor, that is the guerdon most pass:onately desired, most ardently cherished by the British soldier, 'may now he pinned upon the Indian warrior’s breast. Nothing could so clearly indicate that race distinctions shall ccaso to exist among the soldiers ot the King-Flmperor. Truly royal was the heart that conceived this boon.” A resident of Opawa got a mile surprise the other evening. Wher he went home for his evening meal he found that his wife was not at home, and that ,she had not left the key of the door in the usual secret place—under the mat. Spurred on by the pangs of hunger, he managed to open a. window, and climbed inside. He liad to come out the same way shortly afterwards in order to get coal and wood from the woodshed. When he came out of the woodshed lie was surprised to find a stalwart stranger waiting for him on the verandah. The stalwart stranger turned out to 1)0 a well-known detective, who had observed the householder’s burglarious method of entering the house, and had to be satisfied of his bona tides. Needless to say, there was no difficulty in coming to a satisfactory conclu- ] sion, and the Opawa man was permitted again to climb through. Ins own window.

Replying at the annual dinner of the Ipswich Debating Society, to the toast of “The Houses of Parliament,” the Speaker (Mr. H. W. Lowther, M.P.) said he noticed that the proposer of the toast'had not al'uded to St. Stephens as “The Mother of Parliaments,” as lie had fully expected him to do. Reference, had, l;c w- ’’cr been made to the fact that she had had a great number of •mitaturs all over the world is'well as in this country. If rhe' were the Mother of Parliaments she had certainly fulfilled her duty. The duty cf mothers bras to produce children and he supposed that the Mothers cf Parliaments had produced more children than any other mother, and 'if rumour were true she was about to produce another child next year. According to the 'expectation of some, she might even produce triple.'s. ard if they ever got Home Rule all round there 'would be a verv heavy King’s bounty to bo paid. Whether the mother would survive that interesting event was more than he could say.

Mr. Newton King has received the fallowing cable from his Sydney agents re hides:—Heavies Id higher. On Thursday last Gr. Paget drove Crs. Boon, Healy, and Ward byj c.otor to Kaponga and Manaia to ■ nable them to inspect the steam rollers in use by the controlling local bodies, and the work that is being done with them. Commencing on the 9th instant, the money order and Savings Bank branch at the Stratford Post Office will close at 1 p.m. on Thursdays. The Savings Bank branch will re-open every Saturday evening from 7 to 8 o’clock for the receipt of deposits only.