LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Stratford Evening Post, Volume XXXV, Issue 66, 26 March 1913, Page 4

LOCAL AND GENERAL.

The Fire Brigade held a very successful practice last evening. The Brigade was in full uniform, and a “wet practice” in Broadway was indulged

Evidently there was not much doing in the journalistic line in the Empire City this morning, as the Press Association agent has put on record the fact that at .a meeting last night it was decided to take steps to form a boys’ drum and fife band.

Tenders closed yesterday for the erection of the Public Works buildings in Juliet Street, but the successful tenderer will not be known for some time to come, probably well on to the middle of next month. It is to be hoped there will be no mishaps to this second contract.

A rather amusing incident, in which a well-known Welling I :an hunt face figured, occurred on St. Patrol Day (says the Times). The hotelkeeper in question had gone to son e trouble to secure a small box of growing shamrocks from “The Quid Sod.” These ho tenderly nursed until the 17th. when he cut off all the leaves to adorn the bar. As he could not find a suitable bowl to put them in he procured a soup plate, which he half-filled with water and floated the shamrocks on the top. Presently a German wharf lumper came in and demu n ded “ a pindt.” While the landlord turned his back to draw the beer the customer’s wandering gaze alighted on the soup plate. , Stretching out Ids hand he grabbed the lot, transferred them to his mouth, and ate them. Mine host soon noticed Ids loss, and in outraged tones said. “Here, I don’t mind yez havin’ wan of tldm shamrocks, but yez can’t have the lot.” “Shamrogs! was dey ?” said the astonished Teuton, “I fought dev vas vater-creeses.”

It is stated in town that the sale of Crown sections in the Whangarnomona township yesterday was not a very spirited one, and only some halfdozen lots were sold.

The following is taken from an essay on “Dunedin” by a Standard VI. pupil in a local school: “Dunedin has a very lovely garden, and this garden was presented to Dunedin by Mr Botanic, and is called after him the Botanical Garden.”

Hawera lias formed a gun club, Mr C. Goodson as President, Mr G. Mcßobbie, secretary, and Messrs C. Clements, 11. Hutchinson, Thurston, Hollard, Lash, J. Minlunnick, Garrick, Gooday, and Dunham as the committee. er~

The Prime Minister stated yesterday that Parliament was unlikely! to meet earlier than usual. The Government had much important work to do before Parliament met, and the Hon. das. Allen would not return until early in June. Mr Massey thought the House would meet for business between June 20th and 30th.’ Referring to statements that re-aggre-gation of land was proceeding nem Mangaweka, Mr Massey said the Crown Lands Ranger was now in the district inquiring into the matter, and he expected a report in a day or two. “One thing is dear,” remarked the Prime Minister, “and that is, if there has been any aggregation it took place before our time.”

In the course of an article, most complimentary to Taranaki, which appears in the Christchurch “Press,” the writer remarks:—“But the chief attraction of Taranaki from the scenic point of view is, of course, Mount Egmont, than which there is no more beautiful volcanic cone on the face of this earth, with the possible exception of Fusiyama, the pride of Japan. The people of New Plymouth are to be congratulated on the public spirit and enterprise they have shown in erecting on the flanks of the mountain, at an altitude of about 3200 feet, what is perhaps the most comfortable tourist hostelry in New Zealand.” After further reference to the grandeur of the scenery of Mount Egmont and the attractions of 1 the mountain and its surroundings the article concludes: “The people of Taranaki have good reason to bo proud of Mount Egmont. For alpine grandeur the Mount Cook district is, of course, without a rival in Australasia, but what we have written will show that Mount Egmont bus attractions peculiarly it sown.”

Writing to a friend in this district, an old Stratford boy describes ih humorous, terms a portibn of his Wariderings with a survey party! in 'the''backblocks 'of Auckland. : After commenting on the wonderful way in which the mail follows them wherever they briiiy wander, he remarked that they oven got their letters at a little Maori village, situated a few hundred miles from civilisation. The chief official if the township was an old Maori chief, who was postmaster, town clerk, mayor, and “post office clock.” The latter function he explains as follow#: “TawHeaP (that is not his true name) is very, very fat, has a wooden leg, and wears but two garments-—a singlet and a pair of trousers. The singlet is not equal to Tawheao’s generous proportions, and though in the early morning before breakfast he pulls it down very hard, it still misses bis belt by two or three inches. As the day goes on, and Tawbeao’s many meals disappear, the singlet creeps steadily upwards, until when the heat of the day is passed, the singlet has reached bis armpits. Tawheao is a better timepiece than any Waterbary I’ve yet plunged a guinea on.”

“In China woman is a nonentity,” states “A Resident in Pekin,” who was born in China and has spent twothirds of his life there, in his recentlypublished volume, “China as it Really Is.” The author proceeds: “She has little or no status whatever, and the scant ceremony with which she is treated serves as a criterion of the standard of Chinese civilisation. She is a household drudge, her education is entirely neglected, no money is spent on her, and she is married off out of the family at the first opportunity. The birth of a daughter is no signal for rejoicing; she is frankly not wanted; but it is very different in the case of a son. The explanation is that a daughter cannot worship at the eternal shrine. A man must have a son—failing a natural heir he adopts one—to'carry on the ancestral worship, which is so important to the Chinese mind. If you inquire of a Chinaman how many children he has, he will reply with the number of is sons, omitting his daughters altogether; that is, if he has five daughters and two sons he will say he has twochildren. The difficulty of obtaining an accurate census is ascribed in part to this idiosyncrasy.”

A meeting of the Stratford A. and P. Association’s executive will be held at an early date to receive the balance sheet of the Gymkhana. From a rough estimate it is calculated, as previously stated, that the profit will be in the neighbourhood of £IOO. It is generally acknowledged that the Gymkhana is a fixture capable of being made, with the inclusion of extra novelties, very popular. The manner in which the members of the management work harmoniously together can only mean success in all the Association’s undertakings. All the officials worked with a will for the Gymkhana, and none worked harder than Messrs Kelleher and Brake. These gentlemen carried out the arduous work of erecting the many jumps necessary for the Jumping competitions, and were both as busy as bees assisting on the day of the fixture. The secretary (Mr B. Fearon) is to be congratulated on the capable maimer in which he performed his many special duties.

Teachers’ Saturday classes araopening in the Stratford Technical School on Saturday, next.

A motor cyclist had a nasty experience while riding on the Upper Motitere Road, near Nelson. He carried a drill instruction book in one of his side pockets, and suddenly felt a severe concussion in that region. Upon getting off his machine to investigate, . he found that a pea-rifle bullet had struck the volume and penetrated right through to the inside cover, where --the lead had expanded and lodged. . ' A letter received from Tasmania! states that severe gales caused incalculable damage there last month. One fruit grower states that 1000 bushels of apples were blown off his trees. In another orchard a path was cut right through it. In some cases not a pear was left on some of the trees. Peaches, apricots, and plums suffered similarly. The damage is put down at thousands of pounds.

The Feikling paper, referring to the shortage of domestic labour, cites the case of the wife of a farmer in the Feilding district who found it so difficult to get help that she made a special trip to Auckland, where she met an incoming Home boat and engaged two of the girls. But when they entered a. hotel in Queen Street for refreshments, and bought a pint of ale each—instead of going next door for a cup of tea, as their mistress expected—and leaned over the bar talking to its habitues as if it was the habit of their lives, the Feilding lady fled, glad to have had an eye-opener so early in the engagement.