LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Stratford Evening Post, Volume XXXIV, Issue 24, 21 September 1912, Page 4

LOCAL AND GENERAL.

A calculation of the orbit of 1 rofessor Gale’s comet shows that its nearest approach to the sun will he on October 4th, when it will be 63,300,000 miles distant. A Maori against whom judgment was asked for the balance of a debt at the Napier Magistrate’s Court created much amusement by stating that he had no money with which' to pay and, after judgment had been made against him to pay, by instalments, produced a pound note to settle the' first payment.

“England is not played out,” .said the Rev. Watts-Ditchfield, in referring to the recent industrial unrest at Home at his lecture on Tuesday last. “Out of the industrial strife at present raging in England therojvill arise a more peaceful England, a moro happy England, a more prosperous England, and a. more powerful England.”

At a meeting of the Temperance Reform Council at Dunedin, a protest was made against a petition from the Winegrowers’ Association presented to Parliament by Mr. Campbell a few days ago. The Council contends that the mnufacture and sale of wine in New Zealand has been unduly encouraged in the past and that in view_ of public opinion on the liquor question the proper policy would be to encourage the growth of table grapes and the manufacture of raisins, and to repeal the existing law giving privileges to wine manufacturers and sellers.

Aii early appearance of the muchbelated Commonwealth, stamp has been promised by the PostmasterGeneral. The design, as has been previously announced, has for its main feature the map of Australia, with a kangaroo in the centre. As originally prepared, however, the eifect was spoilt by the introduction of a quantity of spinifex into the design. This has now been removed, and, with an improvement in the shading, the stamp should he generally acceptable. The halfpenny stamp will, following the general custom, he green, and the penny one will lie rod.

A whale without an ounce of oil in its carcase is surely a curiosity. The crew of the New Zealand Whaling Company’s Rakiura relate that a whale 80ft. long, rather bedraggledlooking, but of fair size, was brought in by one of the company’s vessels to Russell to lie boiled down. The customary cutting-up process was gone through, and the parts put into the boilers, but not an ounce cf oil could be obtained. It turned out that the whale had marks on it which suggested that it had been shot on a previous occasion, and that it was suffering as a result from some form of blood - poisoning, which rendered it flesh and fat useless. With reference to this an old whaler, who is at present resident in Mastorton, states that this experience is by no means uncommon. He has, lie says, seen numerous oilless whales captured. The cause of the absence cf c il lie attributes to an internal disease which produces ambergris. Had the whale in question boon dissected, it would probably have been found to contain ambergris. Tonking’s Linseed Emulsion removes all the misery of sneeze and sniffle, x '

Legal advice, has boon taken, says the “Timaru Post” to tost the Mayor’s action in excluding the public from the Municipal buildings. Live boos are allowed to pass by T letter or parcels post within the United Kingdom, provided they are packed in suitable receptacles. Yvalter Brent, a young endurance pianist, completed iris self-imposed task ol playing the piano continuously for 102 hours at tiie Druids’ Hall, Nelson.

A meeting of the Stratford Borough Council will be held on Wednesday evening at 7.30 to consider applications lor the position of tracitiqjL engine driver. v

An interesting discovery of moa bones is reported from Clevedon. In a hole on the site of an old Maori settlement, on the farm of Mr. T. L;

Snutn, who lives about a mile and a half from the township, some bones and crop stones have been found, and it is believed the place would repay excavating.

. Messrs. Cooper, Ltd., of Wellington, intend making a display'd’ daffodils at tiie Horticultural Society’s Show on J mirsday next, which should prove an attraction to all interested in bulb culture. Members of the Society who have not yet received tickets can obtain same from the secretary, Mr. W. S. Cato.

Hobart was en fete when Wattle Hay was celebrated for the first time 111 , .?• , stor y of the State. Business estaohshmonts were gaily bedecked, while Miss Maggie Moore, the wellknown actress, and her company, obtained £45 _ by selling blossoms and autographs in aid of the Con sump jives’ Sanatorium, while her “wattle hat” was sold for £2 14s. Fifty businessmen each subscribed a guinea, and, in addition, the street sales were £125 15s. At the Nelson Magistrate’s Court on Saturday William Henry Coles, a ponce constable, was charged with hi calling and entering the business premises of Mr. A. Kars ton, Bridge Street, and stealing therefrom goods of the value of £lO. On the application of Sergeant Mullany, a remand for one week was granted. Bail, which was forthcoming, was allowed, accused in £2OO, and one surety of £2OO. Wo again remind our readers of the lecture to he given in the Town Hall to-morrow afternoon by Dr. Elizabeth Dunn, when children, parents and friends will, he welcome. At -4 o’clock she will deliver a special address to young women, and a health talk to linen and women , to-morrow evening, after the church services. A silver coin collection will be made at each meeting to assist tho Zenana Medical Mission Fund.

An Auckland grocer, when asked for a reason for the advance in the price of tea which has been going on lately, informed a “Star”'reporter'that he attributed it a good deal to'the fact that some of the Customs restrictions in Russia had been lifted, ‘with the result that the poor classes in "the land of the Czar were buying'tea biore extensively. As the sequel, far larger quantities' of the. article were being poured into Russia than was the case previously, and . the other markets were suffering in consequence. ’The Magistrate’s Cqui-t at "New Plymouth 'Was occiipiod ! yesterday in hearing a case of alleged breaking and enteringl at' Mokau, add the theft of a bottle-of whiskyi One of. the witnesses stated in evidence, that it was customary in Mokau, when a-person had liquor, to share it with friends, and there was nothing unusual in drinking whisky neat qut of a bottle ; “in Mokau.” 'Without calling on;the evidence for the defence, the Magistrate dismissed the information, stating that there was no evidence to connect the accused with the theft of the whisky and the breaking and .entering of the -shed. 1 V/i I ."'iV

That Taranaki is, not,the only province in New Zo,aland .where high prices for stock are obtaSiled is evidenced by a sale recently made by Mr E. Walters, late a well-known settler of the Stratford district, and who pitched his camp at Waitba, Waikato. In a letter to his brothel- '(Mr. A. J. Walters) Mr. F. Walters touches on

stock prospects generally in the north, and goes on to say: “Last week I sold a thousand fat Avethers in one line to the Auckland Meat Copany at 28s 6d per head in.the paddock. This price is supposed to be a record for the Waikato.” Mr. Walters is to be congratulated, for, avg believe this price to be the biggest for such a large line, not only for Waikato, but for Noav Zealand. Incidentally it also slioavs the Auckland Meat Company to be enterprising people, out for the best. A solution of the mystery surrounding the Avreckage Avashed up at lluakaka beach has been provided by the master of the cutter Mana, which it will he remembered. Avas sunk off Hook’s Bay some weeks ago during a heavy galo. The mast snapped off close at,the deck, and carrying a portion of tho timbers from the side of the vessel, Avas Avashed overboard just before the vessel sank. The description of tho Avreckage picked up tallies with that supplied by tho captain of the Mana, and what appears to he fairly conclusive proof is that tAvo neAV blocks, such as are specially mention* ed in the telegraphed details, Avere fitted to the Mana just previous to tho mishap. The homo kinematograph is the latest invention of Rathe Freres, of ’Vincennes, Paris, one of Avhich was

secured by Mr. T. M. Wilford, M.P., during his visit to Paris earlier in tho present year (says the “Dominion”). Tho apparatus is said to be of the simplest character, and can he manipulated Avith ease by a child. The films used are non-inflammable, and therefore all risk of fire is eliminated, and the simple turning of the handle Avliich acts on the reel generates sufficient electricity to light up the metallic filament lamp Avhich throws tho picture. Mr. Wilford was all through the Avorks of Pathe Freres, and had the privilege of seeing a play acted before the camera, with Mr. Max Linder, the noted Parisian comedian, in the leading role. Four thousand avomen are employed in the film factory.'

The local Courthouse u ill be closed on Monday (.Dominion Day). The truant inspector has issued aimmoiises to the number of twenty-live against parents in and around Stratford for failing to send their children to school. Football is the chief Territorial attraction just at present. On Thursday Stratford and Elthain drew in a maten at Elthaxn, scoring six points each. A match at Hawera is on for next week, but the “star” item comes off m about a fortnight’s time, when the Mounteds are matched against the Infantry. It is understood on good authority ..that both sides are scouring the coun- '* try far and wide for good hefty mater- . ial, and that the meeting at Stratford will be the football event of the year. Owing to the exceptionally heavy sea on at New Plymouth last night, Captain Stephenson, of the Ngapuiu, deemed it unsafe to ship the Taranaki horses that are competing at the Avondale races next week. Consequently they were entrained by the 7.40 tram this morning. The contingent consist of Marconi, Tied Lupin, and Karaleh. At the Cohrt yesterday afternoon, before Mr. W. G. K. Kenrick, S.M., in the case of B. McMasters JMr. Stanford) v. S. Medcalf (Mr. Dull’;, .claim £3O 4s, judgment debtor was ordered to pay the amount in monthly instalments of £l. In the case W. L. Raby (Mr. Wright) v. W. Hayward, claim £6 14s Bd, an order was made to pay the amount forthwith, in default seven days’ imprisonment in New Plymouth prison. A resident of Hunter Hoad, near Matapu, writes to the Hawera “Star” to say that a passing motor car caused the horse in her trap to shy, and that this led to her little girl being thrown out so violently that the child had her arm broken. She states that the persons in the motor never even stopped to pick the child up, but scorched along as though nothing had happened. The writer adds, and most people will agreopvith her, that, in her opinion, this conduct was inhuman in the extreme, and should be put a stop to by combination on the part of motorists who observe in a civilised way the rules of the road, with due consideration for all others who use the highways. In the report of yesterday’s Court episode it appears tho position was not made quite clear, as the impression may be gathered that Mr. Spence also Toft the Court as well as Mr. Malone. Mr. Spence did not leave the Court, and was, in fact subsequently engaged in another case. What really happened was that when Mr. Malone rose to make a further protest on the case being called, Mr. Spence was outside the Courthouse interviewing some witnesses in another case. Mr. Spence walked into Court, remained standing, and when his Worship made it plain, that he would not ask Mr Spence anything more, the latter walked out of Court again to continue his interview, with the witnesses outside. As above stated, Mr. Spence appeared a . little later for tho licensee of tho Empire, Hotel.