The Stratford Evening Post WITH WHICH IS INCORPORATED THE EGMONT SETTLER TUESDAY, APRIL 16, 1912. LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Stratford Evening Post, Volume XXXII, Issue 91, 16 April 1912, Page 4

The Stratford Evening Post WITH WHICH IS INCORPORATED THE EGMONT SETTLER TUESDAY, APRIL 16, 1912. LOCAL AND GENERAL.

It is to be hoped that the address to be delivered by Councillor R. McK. Morison this evening may throw some light on the possibilities of the coming Mayoral contest. .So far no one lias yet come into the open and announced his intention to stand for the generally coveted office of Mayor, and even Mr. Morison himself, has not vet announced that he is in the held, though it is shrewdly suspected that he desires to wear the municap crown —or is it the collar! At all events, we hope that quite a let of people will go to the Town Hall to-night to hear what Mr .Morison has to say. The monthly meeting of the Stratford County Council will be held tomorrow.

At last night's meeting of the Borough Council the Reserves Committee recommended that estimates be procured of cost of painting and renovating the Municipal Buildings. The matter was, however, held over.

A special general meeting of 'the Stratford Lawn Tennis Club" is to beheld on the 23rd inst. in Mr. W. H. H. Young's office at 8 p.m. The business is to consider the advisability of disposing of the Club's property in Regan Street West, and forming newcourts in Victoria Park.

Those who contend that the Borough Council's policy is one of reckless extravagance have evidence for their case in the new clock which has been placed in the Chambers. It's years, and years, and years since the old one refused to tell the Councillors when it was time to leave off talking. The St. Andrew's Tennis Club have .just concluded a keenly contested tournament amongst their'gentlemen members for a racket kindly presented by Messrs. E. Griffiths and Co.. of New Plymouth. The final was played off yesterday, when Mr. T. Marshall won the racket after a very close game with Mr. H. W. Douglas, who was runner-up. The ladies are at present competing for a trophy presented by the gentlemen of the club. Cr. Ward moved last evening at the meeting of the Stratford Borough Council that the Works Committee report on the cost of a scavenger—that ;s, a brush for cleaning the surface of the main streets. He contended that such a piece of machinery would be much cheaper than the present method of doing things. The motion was carried.

Messrs. C. and E. Jackson, the well-known land agents, of Broadway, Stratford, report having sold within the last few days, Mr. H. Richards' hue homestead and airy farm, comprising an area of 188 acres on Monmouth Road, and also Mr. F. Lacey's dairy farm of 137 acres, on Pembroke Road West, and Mr. Joseph O'Connor's 100-acre dairy farm on Toko Boad, all to local buyers. In each instance the prices obtained were satisfactory. The firm claim Unit Mr. Richards' farm is one of the best in the district, and they can speak with

some authority, having farmed the land themselves for seme five years.

At the annual meeting of the Eltham branch of the Farmers' Union on Saturday the following proposals were remitted to the Provincial Conference to be held at Hawcra on Mav 23rd:—By Mr. Swindlchorst: "That in view of the spread of noxious woods .this conference urges the Agricultural Department to take more vigorous action for the enforcement of the Noxious Weeds Act." By Mr. Swindlehurst : "That in view of recent agitation to secure the extension of the i'ranelrse, including the right to vote on loans to local bodies, this conference re-affirms plank 7 of the nlatForm of the Pnion." Bv Mr. Harrison : "Thai the (Jovernmcrd be asked to establish a cow-testing association for the Kit-ham district." By Mr. .Mannix: '•That the Provincial Executive lie informed that Mr. Duckridge, a member of this branch, : s willing and has offered his services for the purpose of organising the Union, and thai this branch recommends the executive to accept his services."

The "Wellington correspondent of tho Lyttolton T.iues states that the appeals, about five hundred in number,' wuich have gone in from the Civil Service against tho provincial classification recently gazetted, have not yet been hoard, as the procedure has not been fixed. This will be donodur- ( :ng the week, when the Public Service Classification Board will hold a meeting to decide this matter. The finest head—a seventeen-point-ev—ever secured for many years on a deer stalking expondition in New Zealand, was secured recently at Wai-nui-o-mata, by Mr. W. W. McCardle, Mayor of Paliiatua. The manner cf obtaining it was also somewhat remarkable. Mr. McCardle left Palliate.;: on a Monday for Wainui-c-mata, arrived there that night, stalked his stag, and secured the head next morning and returned to Paliiatua on Wednesday night with his trophy. The head is magnificently shaped and very handsome.

"I wish to know whether Mr. < Chard is supposed to supply me wi'Ui boulders, and if so, to blow them out of the river into my garden," said Cr. Paget .at the meeting of the Borough Council last night, amidst general laughter. The doctor had in his hand an exhibit consisting of a big lump of stone, weighing, so he said, lib. Tac Councillor further stated that there wvvv plenty mere boulders cf a similar size to'he found on the road. A regular fusilade of them had fallen on his house. One big lump had fallen near his man working in the garden, and one of his children had been near the spot at the time. .He brought the matter np that the permanent officer;. of tiie Council might take notice of it, as it was a very serious matter. The Mayor stated that directly he heard of the blasting he saw Mr. Chard, win, explained that he (Mr. Chard) had immediately stopped the blasting, _ which was not done under his instructions.

People arc asking whether it is true that a spy was arrested at Otago Heads last Sunday week, says tiie Dunedin Star. The tale arises out of

a very simple occurrence. An administrative officer in the service of one of the big public institutions is an ardent photographer, and always takes his camera when he goes about. He went to the Heads on the Maheno, and was about to step ashore when an artilleryman politely but firmly ordered the master of the vessel to stop tho cafnera from being passed over t.'ie rail. Protestations of innocent intent served no purpose, and the soldier was also immovable when told that the instrument would only be used about the beach. The orders were that .no cameras were to be landed, and that was an end of it. The incident created some amusement amongst those of th.e passengers who know what a loyal Britisher "Fred" is, but, of course, the Defence Department does not discriminate.

"Spotlessly clean but without a particle of food," was a detective's .account of the home of Henry Lockerby, thirty-three, a window cleaner, of Emerald Street, Hoi born, who was charged at Marylebone recently with stealing a basket of provisions from a truck. Lockerby said he took it because his wife and three children .were starving. This statement, said the detective, was perfectly true. There were three children at heme, aged six years, four years, and eight weeks. Mrs. Lockerby told him that her husband took off the brass from the,bedstead and sold it for a penny, with which he bought some milk for tiie sick child. The officer was so touched by what he saw and heard that he gave Mrs. Lockerby a few shillings out of Ins own wicket. He said it was a "hard sight." He was convinced Lockerby had been driven to steal through illness and sheer "hard luck," which had brought him to poverty. The. Magistrate merely hound the accused over to come up for judgment if called upon. He commended the detective.

Claiming that £6OO a year is an insufficient income for her son, aged five years, Mrs. J. Arthur Hinckley has petitioned the New York Supreme Court to increase the baby's allowance to £3OOO per annum. Mrs. Hinckley's husband, a lawyer, died 7'occntly. says a. New York correspondent, leaving a fortune in the hands cf the Central Trust Company for the benefit of his son when lie becomes of age. Tiie Trust Company has allotted £6OO a year to Mrs. Hincklev for the boy, Arthur Hinckley, but'"Mrs. Hinckley declares that it is necessary that he should have more money. "Little Arthur," she stated in Court, "always was used to a separate apartment, and a separate corps v of servants wherever he went wlien Mr. Hinckley was alive. Since my husband's- death, by selling his yacht, which cost £SOOO a year to keep up, and practising other economies, I have managed to live on £BOOO a year, hut the time has come when Arthur's allowance should be augmented." . The Court reserved its decision, to make further enquiries.

The other morning, says tho Clutha Loader, a small boy of about eleven years of age was discovered in hiding near the Balclutha Railway Station, and on being taken to tlio Doliee, told a thrilling t'ale of how his father and he bad travelled from Christchurch, and bow the father, af ter giving bim 2g for bread, bad basely deserted him, and bow he bad lived on bread for six days. The lad told a very nlaus'ble tale; he described bis borne in Christehuroh, gave ilie number of the bouse in Colombo Street, and so on, but Constable Lopdell is too wary to be caught easily, and after giving the bid "his breakfast lie proceeded to make enquiries. The boy stuck to his tale, and elaborated in a manner worthy of a De Roogemont, but the constable succeeded in bowling him out. The boy bad run away from his home down Owaka way I and walked up to Balclutha, possibly fearing some punishment from bis father. He is evidently a determined youngster with some pluck as well as other less desirable qualities, and; should develop all - right if properly trained. He has been returned to his home. As showing how bad some of the roads of the ''roadless North," really are, McMahon's circus had a very Irving experience along the Kailiu-Ta';-eke road recently. Forty-two miles was the distance to be covered, and some time over a week and two days when a much mutilated eirous emerged from the mountains and passed below to the township. ilreakagos frequent and several of the wag--' gons came in aided by skids, two of', the larger ones Inning to be lefi be-( hind until now wheels were manufactured and sent out for them. The bogs f were over belly deep in places, audi one portion of it was an almost- an- 1 interrupted bog for seven :eilcs. On one day the rate of progress wa> bareIv two miles, notwit ('standing the fael that Mr. John R. Sullen the tourim: manager sent out from Tahoko la; nulling horses and two teams of b;:ll-l oeks to help th<>m in. The breakages) and hire of cattle and horses unloaded. the circus exchequer something above m) besides losing a fortnight's b'llod engagements. On Mr. MeMahor, | making representations to the County I Council the road was immediateh closed to Ira flic. I

O.ving to tho gymkhana on 'Thursday next, shops in Stratford will close at' 1 I a.m. Th:o moct'ng of the Stratford School Committee called for this evening will not fake place until Friday evening next. l'\;r the convenience of visitors to the gymkhana on Thursday, two special trains arc bring run on the Toko line. A train will leave Te Wera at 8.15 a.m., reaching Stratford at 10 a.m.. and the other train will leave Stratford'at 10.15 a.m., reaching To Were, at 12.'20 p.m. Mr. A. E. Sykes. the well-known manufacturing chemist, will, in a few days, make bis annual trip to Australia. Mr. Sykes has formed a company in Australia for the purpose of manufacturing his veterinary preparations. The sales of these proprietary articles have so increased as to necessitate this step. Mr. Sykes will first visit Sydney and organise the company's factory there. He will place himself ill touch with all the principal dairying districts, and will be absent from New Zealand for nearly three months.