LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Stratford Evening Post, Volume XXXVI, Issue 14, 22 May 1913, Page 4

LOCAL AND GENERAL.

There are said to he between fifty and sixty unemployed men in Masterton at the present time. Some of these have been offered work by the Labour Department at Stratford.

Our Toko correspondent writes: — The rough boisterous weather during the past few days has been playing havoc with fences, buildings, etc. The roof of Mr I). B. Smith’s cowshed, on Waiwera Road, Toko, was completely blown off, and sheets of iron were distributed for chains around.

At the meeting of the Stratford County Council yesterday, Cr. Smith expressed his views with considerable emphasis regarding the heavy contribution which the Council is compelled to pay to the Hospital and Charitable Aid Board funds. The councillor blamed the system' of apportioning the contributions on a capital basis, and pointed out an anomaly in that the County Council, with an annual payment of nearly £IOOO, had had less than sixty patients in the hospital, while 4 the Borough Council, paying about a sixth of .that spin, had had between 60 and 70 in the same period.

Mr Henry Stead points'out' in- tlie May “Review of Reviews” that, Australia’s new flagship will probably never enter Port Phillip, unless the channel is deepened. She is 19,200 tons burden, the New Zealand is 18,000 tons, and tins is what happened to H.M.S. New Zealand when she visited ■ Melbourne ! ‘The New Zealand entered tho heads drawing 28 feet, and came safely up the channel,' but she had only a few tons of coal left in her bunkers. But onco in she coaled, and, like the wolf in the fable, who gorged too much, she could not get out again. She drew 30ft. 9in, after she had coaled in Hobson Bay. No vessel drawing as much as 30ft. said tho harbourmaster, should risk passing the heads. Tho responsibility for so doing was left to Captain Halsey. By pumping out water and in other ways he lightened his ship, and selecting the top of the tide and a calm sea, he took out his Majesty’s ship New Zealand, drawing 29ft. 9in., safely negotiated the Rip, and steered' eastwards to the Dominion whose millions had been so patriotically used in building this present to the British Navy. What if she had scraped her bottom out on the Lightning Rock in the Rip? A ghastly termination' to a triumphal visit!”

Weasels are becoming fairly common in the district, judging by the experiences .lately afforded the editorial staff of the “Evening Post.” On two occasions recently anxious women have approached the office with fear in their hearts and treffblingly handling small parcels. These, being opened, wore found to contain dead weasels. In the first case tho woman stated that a commotion among her fowls had led her to make investigations, and she discovered “a wee funu\ little animal runnin’ after the hens.” The mangled remains in the parcel was evidence complete of the fight which the weasel had put up. Yesterday, again, a resident of the borough came along with another parcel and with a half-frightened appeal as to what it was. Her experiences differed considerably from her sister in the country. She, too, had heard the hens in trouble, but did not connect their cackling with anything of the nature of an intruder into fowldom. She was going out of the back door, when tho animal ran almost across her feet, and entered tho kitchen, with the cat in hot pursuit. Shutting the door, and, woman-like, getting on the table, “a. place of safety,” as she said, she watched the unique contest on tho floor. Tho weasel was lull of pluck, but was no match for tho cat, and when there was no doubt about the savage beast being hors de combat, she climbed down from the table with murder in her eye and bravely slew tho intruder with the kitchen poker, or some such handy weapon. “How 1 Killed the Weasel,” may well bo claimed as tho title of tho story which the household listened to with awe, punctuated with murmurs of approval, as they sat at tea last night.

The skating season will bo opened in Wilkinson’s Hall, Eltharn, to-mor-row (Friday) evening. There is a splendid floor, and a band will be in attendance.

A reminder is given of the announcement in our advertising columns of a special service called ‘-Home Night” at St. Andrew’s Hall this evening. The heating of the hall will be attended to. A hearty welcome is extended to all.

The Defence Department has asked that the date of the first competitive examination should be made clear. Home papers having published it as 1914, whereas the date fixed by the authorities is July.—Wellington P.A.

The Druids’ dance held in the Foresters’ Hall last night was a success in spite of the bad weather. About twenty couples were present, and an enjoyable time was spent. Music was supplied by Mr Rogers’ orchestra, and Messrs Reader and Jones were M.C.’s.

A man commenced to sell post cards on the New Zealand at Lyttelton on Wednesday, but he was promptly informed that to sell goods on one of the King’s ships was forbidden. He was inclined to argue about the matter, but when a sergeant and two marines were ordered he very quickly and quickly effaced himself and disappeared down the wharf.

A Wellington Press Association message states that the grand total of all exports for the year ending 31st March, 1913, is £23,043,589, included in which is butter, 369,1330 wt, valued at £2,056,615; cheese, 634,183 cwt., valued at £1,859,179; mutton, 1,061,417 cwt, valued at £1,500,728; lamb, 901,140 cwt, valued at £1,825,342; wool 195,782,5431b5, valued at £8,065,945; skins, valued at £860,702, and gold 332,359 ounces, valued at £1,305,217

A surer indication of bad weather that even the Rev. Mr Bates’ prog-/ nostications was to have been seen in Stratford last week in the presence of three sea-gulls. The birds took up their quarters in a paddock on the Pembroke road, and about 300yds from Broadway and remained there for two or three days. Needless to say, such visitors are exceedingly rare in these parts, and their invasion would seem to indicate very stormy weather along the coast.

The billeting of twelve hundred Dunedin school children in Christchurch (says the “Lyttelton Ti me ? ) should suggest to the educational authorities the adoption of a system of. school visits such as has been applied in some parts of America and Why should 1 not : a band of Christ-; church children go to Dunedin,; not to see a'warship, but to' make ; the aoH i of the. sAuthern. town and enlarge their knowledge of their owncountry ? A welcome would not be lacking. A scheme of this kind might .bo extended very widely with advantage to the young people of New Zealand.

“Liquid air,” according to a letter received from England by a Welling-, ton resident, is to be the motive power for motor cars; in tile future. According to the writer a car ban ' be: driven for a thousand miles at a cost: of Is 3d.' The-beatings can never get over-boated—as a matter of fact, if a car was climbing a hill for hours snow would form on top of the radiator. A firm in England, the writer adds, is putting liquid-air driven machines on the market at £IOO each. Nothing is said, however, as to any decrease in the cost of tyres under the new system.

The debate held at the Egmont Club last evening proved a very enjoyable one. Mr N. J. King, tho president, was in the chair. The committee recommended a list of rules for the Literary and Debating Society, which will hold meetings every Wednesday. Mr R. McK. Morison, who has for a number of years acted as speaker for the Parliamentary Union, was asked to again take the chair. There was considerable discussion on the main clause in regard to the style of conducting the debates, the Parliamentary style being strongly opposed in some quarters on account of tho narty feeling it might engender at election time. Mr Morison then took tho chair, and several impromptu debates were held, the best being on the subject, “Is War Justifiable.” A committee was 'set up to draft the syllabus.

Half a dozen of the officers of the battleship New Zealand were out with tho Pakuranga hounds on Wednesday of last week at Pigeon Mountain, in the Pakuranga country, and they ail got mounts and enjoyed the sport, though not one was a finished horseman by any means. One of the number got knocked off his mount by coming into collision with the limbs of a tree, and received a scalp wound which bled profusely for a time. Nothing daunted, he persisted in going on with tho game, and at each obstacle that camo in line of country “jet go everything” in contra-distinction to his fellow officers, who made good use of tho pommels of their saddles and hung on bravely, though some had hair-breadth escapes before the return to the city was made. Tho young sailor was thrown six times altogether, and, though he treated his injury lightly like a good sportsman, it is feared that he will always carry a scar to remind him probably of the first hare and hound run that lie was ever engaged in.

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