LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Stratford Evening Post, Volume XXXII, Issue 76, 26 March 1912, Page 4

LOCAL AND GENERAL.

o-Sergeant-Major Dunham and Mrs, Dunham left by the mail train this morning for Hawera, where the 2nd liegimeat of Mounted Hides will now have their headquarters. Tommy Burns, the boxer, says.—“I will return to Australia shortly and will meet Sam Lanagford. I believe the match will draw a £12,000 house in gvclncy. I consider that I have renamed my old form, and I think 1 should have a particularly good chance of beating the coloured man.” A jovial old chap appeared at the Hamilton Magistrate’s Court, on a charge of breaking his prohibition order/ He admitted having been “outwit h the boys,” and, addressing the Magistrate : “You know yourself, your Worship, when you get out with the boys ” In the laughter which f*lowcd, the Magistrate’ couldn’t help joining. The jovial one had to pay a fine of £-1 and costs, nevertheless. • After two unsuccessful attempts to launch the big Admiralty dock which has been constructed at Walls-end-on-Tyne, the structure had been , safely placed in the river. The dock, which is to be placed in the Medway, lias a lifting capacity of 32,000 tons, and when on the stocks it covered a ground area of four and a quarter acres, while the height of the side trails is 60 feet. The launching weight of the dock was 12,000 tons. During one of the chopping events at llangiwahia on Monday, one of the onlookers received a nasty gash in the leg. He was standing close to one of the blocks, when a competitor not knowing of his presence, threw his axe on one side, the blade penetrating the calf of the leg and inflicting a severe gash several inches in length. Fortunately a doctor was on .the ground who a t once attended the _ sufferer, and placed several stitches in the injured limb. ■ He was a new member of the Harbour Board in a New Zealand town, and was attending his first meeting. The Board, were discussing a proposal to place two hours' at the entrance to the harbour for the guidance of mariners. “I beg to propose an amendment,” said the new member, “that one man should be placed there instead of two boys, as the latter are too young for such a responsible position.” ■ A resident of Seddon writes to the “Pelorus Guardian” “Every morning'last week residents have been aroused from /their slumbers by screeches, as if someone were being fiercely attacked by wild beasts'. On searching for the cause it proved to be only two young persons of the'fair -sex playing tennis.” The “Guardian” comments: “Perhaps the young ladies are endeavouring to instil the ‘early to rise’ habit into the worthy Seddonians!” A large number assembled at the Foresters’; Hall last evening, and took part in ithe progressive, euchre party field under the auspices of the Loyal ; Stratford* Lqdge of- Oddfpllpws.- A, He ./resulted, for iboth gentlemen and jad- •, -ies’i firsit prizes;; and the play r off j , suited liu Miss JVatspn and Mr. ;R.. j Marreit- (takipg. the first, prices,, ..and,. . •Mrs.-Shnmhnsi and 3rd.; Jhi Yoyle- get-', ,j ting- the .second prizes. The boobies, > were annexed by Bro. Sam and Sister Thompson. After the prizes had been a warded, supper was partaken of, which was provided by Mrs. Brooking. Writes the Greymouth Star’s -Blackball correspondent.—lntense excitement prevailed here a few days ago, when it became known that a rich find had been made in the Paparoa ranges iii a claiin Adjoining Old Taffey,,?On; 1 enquiries 1 being made/iit- :was>i;-ascer- . tained that| from’a-crushing, of ,20.-tons b. of 1 -' stbne'3o oz:of-gold wa- : obtained.. The fortunate owners -are Messrs J. Mcfvor, W. Barrett/ 11. Meebhanj. the 1 well-known prospectors, Avho have been for the last three years prospecting various parts of the Paparoa ranges without any definite results. The reef in sight shows every promise of continuing for some considerable time; In connection with yesterday’s cable message that coal -supplies at Rio de Janeiro are exhausted, a Taranaki resident who witnessed the departure of the lonic last week for London via Rio and Monte Video, learned that the vessel had laid iu extraordinarily largo supplies of coal, expecting trouble iu coaling. One man said the vessel had enough in the bunkers to carry her Home and half-way out again, but this was looked on ns probably a piece of fiction. Anyhow, every available inch of space was used for the accommodation of coal and cargo.—“ News.” One of the most extraordinary sales of dairy stock ever known in-the world was perhaps that sale a few.months ago near Paeroa, when a heifer calf from a 'cow making over 600 pounds of butter a year was sold for half-a-evown. Of course, the seller, says the “Dairyman,” had not the remotest idea in the world what he was selling but equally the buyer had no more knowledge, either. If ever there was an “awful example” of “blind groping among cows,” surely this is one. It seems that in the farmers’ interests compulsory testing of dairy cows should now be insisted on, and if the yearly yield of butter-fat were fir© branded on each cow then she would always realise her true value. One more, new butter-box has made its appearance. The box is made almost entirely of galvanised iron the only wood in it consisting -of a sort of frame on two sides of the box. The I’d is of'galvanised iron, and is easily fitted or removed by means of four binged nails inserted into holes at the corners of the wooden frames. The inventor says that galvanised iron will not affect the butter in any way, but to obviate any possibility of damage, the interior of the box is covered, with paraffin wax. . The galvanised iron box we’ghs |>pst under 81bs, and Ijlbs less than the' ordinary wooden box, and can be made for:about 3d less than the wooden box costs. Another advantage claimed by the inventor is that four of the six sides -of the box are quite half an inch- thinner than the sides of the wooden box, and this will mean a considerable saving of space in stowage. The cedar tree grows on Mount Egmont to an unusual size. Mr. Petrie ex-chief inspector of schools for the Auckland district, who has just been on a visit to the mountain, states that a most remarkable thing about the flora, was that-a number of southern plants, particularly those known as cedars which in the parts of Otago where they were to be found attained an ordinary growth, grew at the mountain to an unprecedented size. In the south he had never seen cedars half the size of those in the upper portion of the forest reserve, between 2009 and 3000 feet above sca-level. To mind this was attributable to the plentitudo of rain and the more favourable temperature. A gentleman oualified to know told Mr. Petrie that lie had been interesting himself in ‘hiding out whether the cedar would :!;> for load pencils. According to him a well-known pencil-making firm had born searching the world lor suitable cedar. ,

Tho fixture between the Eltham and Stratford Cricket Clubs which was to have played this Thursday will take place on the following Thursday. A further meeting of those interested in the formation of a branch of the Taranaki Hunt Club at Stratford is to be held at Jackson Bros.’ office, this evening, at 8 p.m. Mr Fred Gooch’s little boy who was / run over by a trap on Sunday is, his friends will be pleased to learn, progressing satisfactorily, and Dr. Menf z:es finds tha.t .his injuries are not so serious as at first thought possible.

The Stratford A. and P. Association has decided to make a visit to the Moumohaki State Farm, the date to ibe fixed later. All those members wishing to make the journey are 1 requested to leave their names at the Association’s office, Broadway. Mr J. B. Hine, M.P., has .presented to the Egmont Club an enlarged framed photograph of the Taranaki Representative football team of L ll> which had such a fine record, and made such a v name for itself in its southern tour. At the Egmont Sheep Dog Trial Club’s meeting, through an unfortunate mistake; the special prize in Class I. for maiden dog making best head, was awarded to the wrong dog, Mr. i . Coate’s “Don,” of Te Wera, being the right 'winner, and the value ct tno prize has been forwarded to him. An enjoyable garden party is to be held at MrVH. Sander’s residence; Warwick Road on Thursday afternoon. Games and amusements, with afternoon tea, will he provided. The effort is on behalf of the Primitive Methodist Church choir funds, and will commence at 1.30 p.m., admission being adults is children 6d. Two golf stories from Taihape.— The first hole on Taihape’s course is over a steep high hill, and laihape s crack player in company with a visiting .professional went out for a i ound. The “pros”'shot was first rate, but the Taihapian’s struck the hillside and rolled down. He tried again and the ball rolled back to his feet, in all ho tried’ sixteen times, each unsuccessful. Then he went home go a spade, and buried the ball where it lay at the foot 1 of the lull! The same player was playing a brother raihaofan who was equally as good as himselt On this occassion he played beyond himself till doing the home hole, t hen ho failed lamentably. He had a lead of 21 strokes and he sliced into a close handy fowl yard. He recovered the ball and sliced the shot again and continued to slice it. The fowl yard had an overpowering influence on the ball, and it flew that way every time, ■till his credit of 21 points was liquidated and he lost the match. His “bag was one rooster, three pullets and a chicken.