LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Stratford Evening Post, Volume XXXIV, Issue 69, 14 November 1912, Page 4

LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Te Kniti will shortly he lighted with electricity, supplied by a 135 horsepower suction gas plant. Several of the Canadian Cadets have collected pets during the course of their tour, including parrots and wallabies, and one bad a _ kangaroo but unfortunately this pet died on Suit day, much to the disappointment of its owner, who bad been look.ng forward to taking it to Canada.

Refusing to serve on juries in cases against women is the latest scheme originated by the male suffragists as a means of accomplishing their purpose. They declare that they have conscientious objections to the immorality of timing women by men under men-mado laws.

A Mangapapa resident had a narrow escape from a serious accident, while celebrating Guy Fawkes night. He laid in his possession a new fowling piece, and decided to fire off a few blank cartridges. Ho had fired off the right barrel, and on pulling the trigger of the left there was a violent explosion. a piece about two inches long being blown right out of the centre of the barrel. Except for a severe shock, the would-be participant luckily escaped injury. During the mock Parliament at the end of the session, when the Auckland Domain Model Pa Pill was being considered. Mr. Wilford, speaking on the clause interpreting “Natives,” asked if the term included a man who had a Maori pa and an Egyptian mummy! Dr To Rangihiroa proved cqu 1 to tne occasion, and replied that it did not matter if his mummy was an Egyptian or any other mummy, so long as his pa was a Maori pa.

The landlord of an hotel in Preston, Lancashire, suffered a horrible death on October 29th. After the remainder of the household had retired he rcp.iired to an adjacent hrewhonse. and while attending to the fires, f'll into a vat of boiling beer. The unlucky man managed to scramble out of the tub and to crawl back to the hotel. His cries awakened his wife, who hastened to her husband’s assistance. The victim, however, was so dreadfully scalded that ho died within a few minutes.

Stockings embroidered with life-siza figures of mice arc the latest craze in New York. They cost 24s a pair. A wild pig weighing 4051 b 'was captured a few days ago at Waimanga, West Coast.

A Marten motor-cyclist is being sued for £J os, the price of two sheep alleged to have been killed by his motoi cycle. , Thousands of acres of land in the districts of Shannon, Makerua, and Levin are under water. One of the Makerna ilaxmills has stopped work in con-

sequence. One of the rules in connection with the tour of the Canadian Cadets is that smoking is absolutely prohibAfiiL This is no hardship, however, om*grx the boys remarked, and really only ■*!> f ected * two or three members ot tie company. “Wo don’t start to smoko over in Canada as early as you do out here,” ho added. Five Bulgarian labourers at Limestone Island (says the Wimngam ‘Mail’) left on Saturday to go home and light in the war. Two Greens tnere are waiting for further advice befoio making a start for the scene ot the conflict. It seems that Limestone has a rather cosmopolitan population, but it is understood that there are no Turks there. In the past the island had representatives of almost eveiy nation under the sun, including even negroes and South Sea Islanders. The early train from Napier to Palmerston North on Saturday mo ruing clashed into a mob of about a dozen bullocks at a private railway crossing on the Napier side ol Waipawa. ine cattle were being driven across the line when the train appeared, and cnere was neither - time to get the ; beasts across or stop the engine, which i crashed into the mob, killing five ot | them. j The Opunake Racing Club, made a ; profit last year of £41)1 10s 2d. Ihe I election of officers resulted as follows: j President, •A. Good; vice-presidents, A. Clarke, M. J. Brennan, J. P. Em- ; ton, A. Lusk, R. P. Malcolm, Stewart I Forsyth, W. K. Connell; treasurer, L. E. Jackson; lion, surgeon, Ur. Rar- | ron ; committee, Messrs. D. Campj | je ll F. Julian, W. Lambic, S. lor- ! svth, A. Clarke, J. Young, J. 1. Buri ton G. Newsham, T. Corkill; thirteen j were nominated; auditor, I). Markham (re-elected).

The geysers at Rotorua have been unusually active of late, the climax being reached on Friday afternoon, when Pohntn gave a tine exhibition, which lasted for nearly three hours, A magnificent movement was also made by the Cauldron, which rose to a height of about 20ft. Rohutu was active about four hours, and in the afternoon it was active for about 20 minutes. Other well-known geysers have of late been more or less active.

Yet another business change I Mr. A. A. Davison, who for some months has been running a well-appointed and up-to-date motor garage in Broadway South, has sold out to Messrs. William Mudford and Son. Messrs. Mudford, sen. and jun., are well known in Stratford, the latter having for some time run a car for hire. Mr I, Davison gives up possession to-day. On leaving Stratford Mr. and Mrs. Davison will take up their residence in the Wairarapa.

One afternoon recently two “agents” saw a voung man strolling down the Champs Elysees with the rosette of the Legion of Honour in his buttonhole (writes the Paris ' correspondent of a London newspaper); The worthy policeman was surprised. To have the right to the rosette when one is neither old nor bearded is quite out of order. The guardians of the law approached the 'yo’tih'g nlfwi.'f ‘-'Nt) bite" is fin-officer of the Legion of Honour at 1 your age,” they said, with a certain menace. “Nor am I,” answered the youth, gently. “Commander, perhaps?” queried the policemen, with elaborate sarcasm. “Rather better than that,” said the suspect, with a smile. It was enough. Off he was taken, a very willing and smiling captive, to the nearest police station, “Manuel. ex-King of Portugal.” There was no smile on the faces of the over-zealous policemen then. An almost incredible story, but one the truth of which is vouched for, is told of a schoolmaster, in one of the country districts in the hackblocks of Hawke’s Bay. It appears that agricultural instruction is given to the pupils, and that it takes a practical , form. The soil in some of the garden plots was not sufficiently good to grow the desired crops, and application was made to the authorities for a supply of manure. In due time some superphosphate arrived at the school, -and to the amazement and subsequent disgust of the scholars, each one of those interested had a tiny particle of the preparation placed on the tip of his tongue! What for? The accompanying letter contained the following sentence regarding the manure : “Let the children test this,” and the only possible explanation of the guileless dominie’s action is that he misread the word “test” for “taste.”

. -A traveller on. the Oeo Road reported he saw a novel sight recently. He met a farmer driving out of his farm gate a two horse vehicle, laden with cans of milk, and followed by two men, one cavrying a plank and the other a timber jack. Hie traveller said: “Hello! Going stumping?” The reply was: “Stumping, be jiggered! No; pro-mullock-ating our milk 10 the factory.” This interested the visitor cn the Oeo Road, and ho watched the trio for about a quarter of a mile,_ and during that distance the milk vehicle on three occasions got very small on account of the wheels dropping into deep mud holes. When this happened, the man would put the plank under the cart and the “jack” into position. Thus one man would lever up the jack and one heave on a wheel, and the way horses and men lifted together showed that they had done the same thing many times. The assistance was not required for the whole length of the road, but this particular settler traversed over. Oeo Road (states the ‘Opunake Times’) is not classed as a back-blocks' road!

The “keggor” is, as a general rule, a person who commands, very little respect in the community, and he is little sought after except by those who wish to ingratiate themselves with him for a purpose quite patent (says the ‘Southland Times’). Realising their responsibility to maintain the regulations the tramway officials have come to regard-the “keggers” as irksome passengers, and, while they do not apparently go out of their way to deter them in any of their movements, they have a wholesome regard for any circumstances which deprives this primitive worshipper of Bacrhus rf Afc right of passage on the cars. “We jusv escaped another lot on this trip ” said an official the other evening. “They couldn’t get the keg out in time,” he explained, and went on to state that cars on a certain section had carried quite a number of parties during the afternoon and early evening. One party, he said had two kegs in a sack, and they proffered payment for only one, and it.was onlv after an argument that thev could be made to pay for the second. In the end they became so engrossed in the dispute that they lost their tickets, and had, on the - entry of the inspector, to pay their fares again, so that altogether their excursion ■ was expensive.

The Court list for to-;ncrrow’s sitting of the Magistrate’s Court includes thirty-eight civil cases, two defended, • and six judgment summonses. At the poll yesterday at Levin on rating on unimproved values in the Borough, the proposal was rejected by 243 votes to 118.—Press Association. At Tolaga (says a Gisborne message) Robert Sinclair was lined £‘2s, for supplying liquor to Maoris off licensed premises. Charles Roxburgh was fined £lO for introducing liquor into a Maoj ri pa.

■ Two first-off ending inebriates were fined at the Court this morning os and 10s respectively. Mr. Sidney Ward, J.JP., was on the Bench.

i-.-Tho stranded steamer Hawera is out of reach of the sea, and re■vqsairs can bo easily effected. She will be launched over the breakwater at Patea.

The athletic competitions in connection with the Bayly Memorial Scholarship takes place this afternoon. Stratford has five aspirants for honours New Plymouth two, and Patea two. A few days ago a line of dairy cows were sold in the sale yards in the Wairurapa, and the whole of them were condemned in Wellington as unfit for human consumption. . At a meeting, of farmers and business people at Mar ton, it was decided that a snow should lie held if it was found possible to start with a minimum of 400 members or £3OO, and a strong committee is to canvass the district for support. The Stratford Bowling Club, St. Andrew’s Tennis Club, and the local Rifle Club all open their respective seasottfi to-day. At the time of writing the weather appears to have favoured them, and good sport should be in abundance.

Commercial candour in a motor catalogue distributed by a well-known American firm“ The mere buying of a car is but the beginning of your dealings with the Motor Compahy.”' True, it’s the upkeep that costs I

A private wire from Wanganui states that Mr E. Jackson has been very successful with “Barney,” his fin*; little pony, winning at the Wanganui Show a first prize for the best harness pony, “Barney” has won quite a host of prizes,, and it was only an unfortunate accident that prevented the pony carrying off more honours at Palmerston for his popular owner. A large tangi is at being held, at Motutara (states the Kawhi i ‘Settler’), the occasion being the death of ilangiahu, wife of Mr. J. L. Gage, of 'Oparau. The deceased lady was of very high rank, and relatives are expected from all quarters. Her first husbahd, was Tawhiao, the second Maori King, two of her sons, Haunui and TetO Tawhiao, being well known in this district,

Defendant in a case under the Defence Act in Waitara yesterday afternoon, asked, when the Magistrate was about to fine him, whether being married had anything to do with the case. The: ‘Mail’ states that the Magistrate replied that having domestic ties ought to make the young man all the more anxious to be trained so that he ryould be able, if the necessity arose, to defend his home. “I take fits, your Worship—they grip me like electricity, and turn me round and round and over like anything,’ 1 ’ pleaded William Henry Dickenson, in answering a charge of drunkenness at the Carterton Police Court. “I might take one now!” he continued; and the somewhat alarmed bench. quickly convicted accused and fined him 10s, in default 24 hours’ imprisonment, before he could illustrate * .the-easiness with which,the affliction could overcome him, states the ‘News.’ The programme for the grand boxing tournament, under the auspices of the Eltham Sports and Pastimes Ciub, on Show night (Thursday, 28th inst.), is in the printer’s hands, and will shortly be issued to the public. “Without romancing,” writes Secretary Crosslcy to a Stratford enthusiast, “we are putting on the best show of its kind yet held in Taranaki. And to guarantee that the Stratford sports will not be disappointed, we are engaging. ('n one case at least) a motor car to bring along one competitor to toe the line. ThaUs Walker, of Bell Block. No doubt the boys know of him. He meets Hurrell, of Hawera, and this bout itself will be worth a pilgrimage io witness.” Among the other bouts ar’ranged are Oliver (holder of the bantam championship of Tiimtiaku v. \ Glarry, of Eltham; Foley, light-weight v champion, v. Thomas, .territorial champion; and half a dozen others, in which the competitors hail from Hawera, Manaia, Punivvhakau, Otakeho, and Eltham. Regent Cigarettes do not dry or burn' the palate. Smoke them and share in the Great Free Gift Scheme. Full particulars from all tobacconists.