LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Stratford Evening Post, Volume XXXIV, Issue 12, 6 September 1912, Page 4

LOCAL AND GENERAL.

The following prices were realised for some Maori curios at Stevens auction rooms, Covent Garden, London . Carved bone stick, £9 19s 6d; chief s head, inlaid mother-of-pearl, 29 guineas; Maori feather box, £5 ; Mann tiki £11; carved stone god, £8; fishhook shaped pendant of jade, 3in long, £8 ss.

Included in the number of successful candidates at the examinations held at the Convent. New Plymouth, in connection with the Trinity College of Music, by Mr. Charles Schilsky, of London, on the 31st of last month, wore Grace Warner, 68 marks for pianoforte (junior), and Ashton Mainer, 83 marks, preparatory' Honours (violin), the children of Mrs. Warner, late schoolmistress at Toko Hoad School.

A convict who is undergoing a long sentence in the prison at Lenshourg. Switzerland, became tired of life recently, and he swallowed every piece of metal and glass he could find in the courtyard when the warders wore not watching him. From the convict’s stomach were extracted 147 nails of various sizes, 69 screws, 24 pieces ot glass, 9 bits of lead, 22 brass heads of nails, three collar buttons, and the broken blades of a knife and a chisel. A witness in a civil action at the Poverty Bay Court the other day was admonished by the Magistrate. The witness was first called to account for telling counsel not to try to “bamboozle” him. Later, when asked the same question twice, the witness gave the witness-box h knock with his fist. “Don’t hit the box,” said his Worship; “you are the most disrespectful witness I have had anything to do with for some time.”

American surgeons are much interested just now in the case of John Yammick, a well-known Pittsburg baseball player, who is possessed of something in the nature of an impene trahle skull. Whatever the thickness of Yamrnick’s cranium is, it is apparently bullet-proof. Recently he wa; bailed up and robbed by some highwaymen, who fired three shots at him each of which struck him on the head. To the amazement of the doctors by whom he was subsequently examined, the bullets, instead of ploughing their way through the victim’s head, had simply been flattened out against the skull. The surgeons declare that the case is the most remarkable one of the kind on record.

A rather amusing case was revealed at the monthly meeting of the Manawatu County Council. A well-known Sandon farmer, who is a member of the Council, authorised a. friend to purchase some stock for him. A few days afterwards he was very much annoyed to see a large number of cattle grazing in one of his paddocks. Ke lost no time in having the cattle imnonnded, and he was pretty forceful in Ids language about the cheek of mn-c people grazing their cattle in other people’s paddocks. The joke came in when, just shortly afterwards, bis busv friend rode up and apprised hi' l ' of the purchase and of the loca+i-m ' 1 Ihe stock. TTo then realised Mr.it hr had impounded bis own stock. He was of course, obliged to pay the impounding fees before he could secure the release of the cattle.

Edward Dunn, for riding a bicycle on the footpath, was,this morning, before Mr. A\ . G. K. Kenrick, S.M., filled os, and 7s costs.

At the Wbangamomona Police Station on August 28th, three first offenders wore fined os each for drunkenness. Mr. T. A. Bradley, J.P., presided. The Prime Minister stated in the House of Representatives that it is intended to introduce a Plumbers’ Registration Bill very shortly. At the Eltham Court on Wednesday, before Mr. W. G. K. Kenrick, S.M., Arthur Goldfinch, who was iemanded for theft of leggings and nuu> tingale, at Ngaere, was convicted, ordered to come up for sentence vfien called on, his father undertaking to pay the cost of the articles. A cow owned by Mr. T. F. Calton, of Newman, put up the individual record of those tested by the Cow-test-ing Association last season (says the “Eketahuna Express.” She produced 354 Jib of butter-fat, which, at Is 3d per lb., the average price paid, was worth £22 3s Id. I 'The milk supply for the Stratford j Co-operative’s Factory continues to 1 increase _ steadily, and thirty j boxes of butter are being made daily. It will be some time, t however, before the factory will be | tuiing out the 130 odd boxes that rei presented the maximum daily output in the middle of last season.

An interesting competition is being conducted by,Mr E. A. Drake, of the Dreadnought Store. To the person who, from September Ist to Decemnbr Ist, buys the most of that sterling article, Dreadnought tea, he will present a handsome Morris chair, finely upholstered in green tapestry. This efler should certainly appeal to the public of Stratford and the surrounding districts.

Referring to the voluntary contributions to the Stratford Hospital, some figures concerning which we published a few days ago, a Stratford genv lonian mentioned to us that there was a, time when as much as £3OO was raised locally for the Hospital funds. Last year, through the agency of Madi;ne Bernard, who very, generously gave a “benefit” picture performance, some £6O odd was handed over to the Hospital; this year the donations to date total 6s. What is going to bo done about helping the Hospital P At the Magistrate’s Court this morning, before Mr. W. G. K. Kenrick, S.M., judgment by default was entered for plaintiffs in the following civil cases:—H. Towler (Mr. Anddraon) v. W. F. Dowman, claim £1 17« i id, costs £1; P. Lennon (Mr. ihornson) v. Chas. Lovett, claim £1 12s, costs ss; J. B. Murray (Mr. Stanford) v. Chas. Lovett, claim £1 10s, costs ss; W. Forman (Mr. Thomson) v. J. J. Flower, costs only, 6s; R. D. Liow.ers (Mr. Fookes) v. C. H. Lovett, claim £1 2s 6d, costs ss. An inquest was held on Wednesday last at Wliangamomona, before Mr. T. A. Bradley, acting-Coroner, touching the death on ’September 3rd, (if joim Gerald Fitzgerald, aged 57, supposed to bo a widower with a daughter in Turakiua. Deceased, who. was a. Public Works labourer, Had been drinking heavily at ins camp, l and was found dead in his bunk on the Mangere Road. Dr. T. L. Paget, performud- a post-mortem examination,,, and a verdict was returned of death from, alcoholic poisoning and congestion of the lungs, the latter produced by,neglect. The Egraont Club’s debating team, Consisting of the Rev. A. Reader, and Messrs. R. Masters, J. Staples, and Jo Boon, journeyed to New Plymouth yesterday, whcnf at the homo of the New Plymouth Brotherhood, they supported a motion that all remaining (frown lands should be disposed of on 66 year leases, with renewal at revaluation. The lley. J. W. Burton, president of the New Plymouth Brotherhood, presided, and Mr. J. B. Roy was the judge. Points were given for argument, order and delivery, the totals for the different speakers scoring as follows :—Stratford; Rev. Reader 75, Messrs. Boon 45, Masters ’45, and Staples 45; total, 210. New Plymouth: Messrs. Dolby 50, Forbes 70, Read 55, Hartnell 65; total 240.'Replies : Rev. Reader 20, Mr. Dolby 20'; making the grand totals 260 and 230. The debate produced some very fine speeches, and it is expected that a return debate will be arranged to be held in Stratford shortly. For some months past a well-known prospector has been securing options over properties to tho east and northwards of Stratford, including Mr. G. C. Knox’s property at Ahuroa Road, off Stanley Road, and several properties in that vicinity, and also over land in the neighbourhood of Toko. Mr Tom Nicholls, of Inglewood,’ left some weeks ago for Christchurch, and the

direct result of his visit has been ttie dotation in that city of the Consdidated Oilfields of Taranaki, Ltd., with a capital of £40,000. Before lus departure, Mr. Nioholls, in conversation with a representative of the ‘Stratford Evening Post,” expressed irasolf as extremely sanguine as to the success of the company, the operations so far having been based on a highly satisfactory report by Mr, Lvcbirt Speight, M.Sc., and also on a -e----port by a member of the Australian institute of Mining Engineers. At the time, however, Mr. Nicholls was extremely reticent as to “talkbig for publication,” as he considered that the Lime was not then ripe for publicity. The importers of frozen and chilled meat have gained heavily through the outbreak of foot and mouth disease in England. The advantage is especially marked in the case of the \rgentino trade, and this to the English and Scotch breeders is the most serious part of their misfortune. They have been feeling the competition from Smith America increasingly during the last two or three years, and now their Argentine rivals have an opportunity to get into markets which nave hitherto been supplied almost .■nlively with Home produce. “Many mople,” says a Southfield dealer, “upon finding that English and Scotch .neat has gone up bv 20 to 25 per cent, will buy the chilled article, and ■ontinue its use after the present dif-

acuity passes away.” All meat has been getting dearer for some time in the English markets, largely owing <) a decline of about 50 per cent, in ..he supply of United States cattle imported for slaughtering at Deptford. The wholesale Smithfield prices show in all-round increase of 25 per cent, m the average for July, 1911. Itfhe Board of Agriculture is severely »i----icised by the Home trade for wmit ippearsito be an unnecessary stringency in its measures against the foot nul mouth disease, but past experience of the remarkable ease with vliich the malady can be spread over Mrge areas is held by the officials themselves to justify extreme measures. The retail meat sellers are naking the most of tho position to put ip their prices, but little is heard from he majority of the public, as there s a natural decline in the use of meat luring the summer months.

It requires greater wisdom to know a lien to take advice than when to give it, hut when advised to try “Perfection” Whisky take the advice—it, like the whisky, is good. $

The Stratford Licensing Com nut too met at noon to-day, when there were present:—The Chairman, Mr W. 0. Kenrick, S.M., and Messrs A. Meredith, W. Morison, and J. Thurklesson. Applications were granted for the permanent transfer of the licenses m the Junction Hotel, Toko, from v\ illiam Abbott to Robert Morrison, and, of the Stratford Hotel, from r raw v Rhodes to William Abbott. Mr '• D. Anderson appeared m support or . both applications. At the Licensing Committee’s meet-1 ing to-day, Sergeant McNeely stated that a certain licensee had not erected a fence, which his solicitor had pi°j iv mised would bo done before the next meeting. “The CommitISjfee” said Mr Kenrick, “does-not dosire to put licensees to trouble. Lbe mistake was that no license should have boon granted until what was wanted had been done. This ®ort M thing only compels the committee to act strictly. We will make a note of,this matter now, with the view to future action.” A telegram from Christchurch coveying the terms of settlement ui die libel action Booth v. Inad, Limited, stated that the apology to ho published included an admission, that the statements complained of were based on information which was whol y erroneous.” This, however, it is stated only applied to personal reflections to which exception was taken. Ihe apology States; “Wo do not however, withdraw one word of our criticism upon the pictures themselves, or upon their arrangement on the walls. Regaidmg these two topics, we repeat ■ our reier ences in the article in question. People do not try to impose upon the man they knew can’t be imposed upon, consequently you never hear a man who asks for “Perfection” Whisky ottered any other—he knows the best, x