LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Stratford Evening Post, Volume XXXIV, Issue 94, 16 December 1912, Page 4

LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Messrs Wirth Bros.’ circus opens ii Christclnlrch to-day, and shows i. Stra.tford on February 19th. The milk cheques for the monti are: Ng aire Co-operative Dairy Co. £3751 ; Lowgarth, £2692; Cardiff £2102; and Stratford, £9OOO. To-day is the last daj on which lane tax may be paid without the addi tion of a ten per cent penalty. Tin money order office at Stratford close* at 4 p.m. Kohuratahi will be the railhead oi and after January Ist next. The Public Works Department will run i tram from the railhead to Kohuratah three times a week, connecting will the train at Pohokura. At the Salvation Army Hall to-mor row evening Mrs Major Hoare wil give a lecture on a visit to the Homeland and Canada, which should prov< interesting. Mrs Major Hoare w.w the only officer from Australasia ii England at the time of the General': death—and carried the flag of the Com monwealth at the memorial, represent ing these Southern lands at the funeral.

Yesterday the Stratford Brass Baud under the conductorship of Bandmas ter Marshall, gave an enjoyable ooa cert in the hospital grounds. There was a big attendance of the public who were shown over the new isolatin' ward, which will be furnished air available for use by the Ist of next month. A collection taken up i aid of the liospital fund realised £3 15s 24.

The passage of a foreign body through human flesh was strangely illustrated by a case which occurred quite recently in Wellington. A man war engaged in moving a roll of linoleu ' in a shop, and allowing the roll to fall against his shoulder before he lifted it, ho was alarmed to I'eH sharp pain as though a knife blade had been inserted in the front of hi: shoulder. As the pain recurred, he got someone to feel all round the spot, with the result that something in; located. A slight insertion with tinpoint of a keen-edged pocket knife was made, and about an eighth of an inch under the skin a fish hone, three quarters of an inch in length, was located and extracted. How the fish-bone got there is a mystery (says the Dominion) for the person concerned could not remember over having had trouble with one, and even if he had swallowed one. how did it find its way into his shoulder ?

Mr E. Hill, of Kohuraiahi, has received official advice that his tender lias been accepted for carrying the Whanga-Tahora mail.

Mr Henry Shaw, a member of the Auckland City Council, has presented to the city the whole of his collection of ancient books and manuscripts, valued at from £2500 to £3OOO. llio Council resolved to place the books in the Auckland Free Library.

A remarkable case is now engaging the attention of the Courts in Madras tsuys a cablegram in the where a H.ndu is suing Besant for tiie restitution of bis two young sons, who are being educated under her direction in England. The plaintiff alleges that Airs Besant reported at intervals that the boys were progressing towards their initiation into her cult. She told him that one one of the lads was going to be the Lord Christ, with the result that the boy was deilied, many people prostrating themselves before him. The defence was that the boy was not deified. Mrs Besant admits the acts of prostration, but avers that the father began them. There is a probability of serious charges of conspiracy arising out of the case.

Speaking of the appalling ignorance of some children in New Zealand with regard to the Bible, the Rev. I. -lolly, at the Bible-in-Schools demonstration in the Town Hall. Auckland, said that some cases which had come under his notice were almost unbolieveahle. Some little time ago, while v.siting a school, he asked one class who the. “Good Samaritan” was, and not. one in the class could answer him. One child had never heard of the Apostle Paul, but the most painful of all the cases was that of a boy some 12 years of age, who had never heard of the name of the Lord except ‘as a swear-word.” Such ignorance in a professedly Christian country like New Zealand said Mr Jolly, was almost inconceivable, but he could vouch for the truth of his statements. Air Ernest Wild, K.C., at a meet- , ing of the Metropolitan Nursing Association in London, related that a nurse called to one house heard yells of pain as she entered, and noticed a strong smell of boiling vinegar. Rushing upstairs she found a stalwart poLce'man in bed with pneumonia. His wife had concocted a brew of boiling vinegar and linseed, and was ladling it straight out of the pot on to his chest. The pneumonia was cured long before the burns. In another case a woman suffered from blood poisoning in the face, and when asked how it happened, said she had a “few words” with another woman, who hit her. She uent to another woman, who advised her to apply a dead mole to the wound. She could not find a dead mole, so she applied a dead rat! The offer of the Government to pay £T2,OOU -as a bonus or bonuses for improvements in connection with (1) the extraction and dressing of fibre from the New Zealand hemp plant (Pliormium teuax), or (2) the utilisation of the by-products obtained during the processes of extracting the fibre, has been extended to November 30th, 1013. Each application for the bonus must give, at his own expense, such reasonable demonstrations of the working of his machine or process as shall be demanded by a committee appointed by the New Zealand Flaxmillers’ Association-, which will report on the result of its examinations to the Government. The inventor of a machine or process which will meet with the approval of the committee would also lie in the fortunate, position of being able to obtain a substantiall sum for his patent rights, in addition to the bonus of £12,000.

Finding himself in close proximity to the to wn bearing his surname, William Hamilton did the place the honor of paying it a call. His exuberance led him into trouble, however, and he found himself charged with having committed the folly of over-indulgence. William was very repantent (reports tire local Times), and told his Worship that this was the first occasion on which he had appeared before the Hamilton Bench, adding, later, that tne present was his first visit to the town. He pleaded to the Justice to “give Billy Hamilton a show” and lie .would leave the town immediately. He respected the value of truth, he said, and having promised., would immediately take his departure. The J.P. said ho would take the man’s word, and discharged him. “Thank you, sir. A merry Christmas and a happy New Year, sir,” ejaculated William gratefully as he scuttled from the Court.

The Taranaki Herald’s Whanga correspondent writes: I would like to draw the attention of all decent citizens to the fact that there is some one (between the railway terminus at Pohokura and Whanga) who makes it his business to sample all dainty goods that come and are transferred into the Public Works Department train. The local fruiterer is continually complaining of his fish cases being considerably lighter, and the same with cases of bananas and apples. In fact, he says that his fish will have to come by post in future. What is more contemptible and mean is what I hear from the navvies news agent. Fie is giving up the idea of selling papers. He has proved by demonstration that even men that have the word “Esq.” attached to their names have made a practice of meeting the night train at Pohokura and breaking open the paper packets and shouting papers to all their friends.

Rabbits trapped, shot, po'soned, and “dogged” were discussed at the Magistrate’s Court on Friday when a was charged with failing to destroy rabbits on his property. Defendant, says the Post, maintained that ho had lessened the number of rodents on his property. In the course of six months, he and his partner had used over a thousand cartridges, and ninety per cent of these had accounted for a kill. Moreover, he maintained that poison and traps had been laid. ( He pointed out that at this time of the year, when every doe has a small family of eight or nine, perhaps at intervals of six weeks, it was not surprising that the inspector should see a good number on the property. The presence of these young ones .moreover, rendered trapping ineffective, as they were not ‘Hravy enough to press down the trap plate, and only disturbed the earth over it, uncovering the device to their elders and betters. There was, too. he stated, too much feed for poisoning to bo successful just now. Mr W. 6. Riddell, S.M., after hearing the ev donee of four witnesses, dismissed the information. A correspondent of the Dominion puts down the fine weather we are enjoying at present to the fact that Mr Bates is taking a holiday, and breaks into verse as follows: “His name has lately disappeared From out the pub] c view. And maybe to that simple fact This lovely weather’s due. Without a Bates the wind abates, The rains no longer pour, And if we now are prophet,-hs?, We seem to profit more.”

A meeting at Te Awamutu affirmed the desirability of holding an annual show of all local products, and a provisional committee has been appointed. ' Of the 17,000 odd miles of railways in the Commonwealth of Australia over 15,000 are owned by the Government.

“Negotiations are proceeding for the purchase of several large estate* for purposes of settlement,” states the Prime Minister. It is requested that all ladies who havejt'ollectcd subscriptions towards the Godloy Prize Fund, or anyone who is willing to contribute and has not yet done so, will at once hand subscriptions to Mrs W. J. Crawshaw. Mr H. Gedye, of Wanganui East, had the misfortune to lose a valuable draught horse on Wednesday under somewhat peculiar circumstances. The shatter fell with a load and broke his neck. The loss is a heavy one (says the Herald), as just a day or two before the accident Air Gedye gave ovci £SO for the animal. The Prime Minister informed a New Zealand Times representative that the Minister in charge of Immigration (Hon. H. D. Bell) was at pre sent working hard on the new imrnigra tion scheme, whereby it is hoped tt induce large numbers of people “ol the right class” te come to New Zea land. But at present the Govern ment had no announcement to mak< on the subject. The price of land in Otaki continue; to keep up, and frequent sales art occurring (says the correspondent oi ?he New Zealand Times). Recently £356 was given 'for an acre of lane which is some distance from the busi ness portion of the railway township The figure is a record. It may b< mentioned that there is no building within several chains of the site. “New Zealand is at present one o. the happiest countries in the work because of the enlightened tolerancwhich characterise the point, of view of the average citizen towards other: of different faiths and creeds. Canoi Garland, in coming amongst us as j stormy petrel, has done the common ity an appreciable disservice. W> (New Zealand Times) shall be glad t see the back of an otherwise very en gaging personality.” According to figures published ii the Gazette, the areas of grain, roo and other crops sown or intended tbe sown in New Zealand this seaso include: Wheat 189,869 acres, oat; 386,786, barley 37,486, maize 4683 peas 19,649, rye grass 63,031, cocks foot. 34,007, clover 13,035, potatoe; 23,400, turnips 439,740 mangolds 19, 326, rape 257,155. A farmers’ deputation from Shan non will wait on the Minister of Ag riculture to make a proposal that i would be in the best interests tin dairying industry if the State Earn stud bulls were placed in differen centres, to bo at the disposal of thos. wishing to improve their stock, fetionj objection was taken to the presen method of selling off these animals b auction to wealthy stud owners, say: the correspondent of the New Zealam Times.

The story of the pressman who, gaz ing innocently on at Oourt proceed ings, was mistaken for the accuse* and fined 5s calls to mind the tali of the evangelist and the scribe. lh< preacher had exhorted his hearers t* forsake the paths of wickedness an* was proceeding to make a persona canvass. “And have you found grace? he asked of a quiet yourig man sitting in a back seat. “I’m a reporter, wa* the reply. “Oh, I beg your pardon, exclaimed the Sky Pilot, and he hur ried away to make further enquiries A party of citizens in Shannon i finding a remedy for potato bligh made an inspection of twelve crops of these, eight were found to be badh blighted, while four were perfectly healthy and clean (states the corres pondent of the New Zealand limes) It was ascertained from the owner: of the destroyed crops that they ha* not sprayed or used any means what soever to prevent the blight. Tn owners of the four clean crops ha* used a preparation used by Mr Pam bert, a local resident, who claims m has discovered a certain remedy which if applied to the seed, will prevent th* disease.

Those people who read the local abattoir manager’s monthly report, a: published in our columns, might thins that very many animals are condemned during the year. In the Do minion last year, however, out of nearly three million sheep and a simihr. number of lambs slaughtered undei inspection the percentage totally con demned was but .53 and .05 respectively. It is interesting to note thaf pigs are not so free from disease 3.902 per cent being condemned, am 8.63 partialy condemned. Of catth 155,341 were slaughtered under in spec tion in 1911 and 3.16 per cent were condemned. A charge of interfering with the orderly conduct of a religious service in the South Malvern (Canterbury) Baptist Church on October 6th was preferred aginst five young men recently. The circumstances, as explained by the police, were that the defendants • went to the church at the commencement of the service, and from the outset they were continually laughing, talking, and whistling. “I understand that this is not the first time that this has occurred,” stated the constable in charge of the case.- The defence was a complete denial of the charge, and four of the defendants went into the witness-box and stated that there was no disturbance in the church on the night in question, while Richard Morgan stated that he made a noise with a rose leaf, and that was the only noise that was made in the church. ‘‘The /defendants will all be convicted,” stated the Magistrate. “I am satisfied that they did cause v disturbance in the church, and it if not at all creditable to them. Then are a great many people who think that a place of worship should be absolutely quiet, and disturbance cannot be allowed.” Each defendant was fined £2, and the costs will be divided amongst them.