LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Stratford Evening Post, Volume XXXVIII, Issue 15, 17 January 1914, Page 4

LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Parliament has boon further pio rogued to February 13.

As indimating the excellent condition of the track to the Mountain House inside the reserve it is stated that a Stratford motor car was run from the Post Office to the House iu thirty-five minutes.

The railway revenue for the four weeks ended December 6 totalled £201,577, and the expenditure £228,251. The North Island produced £157,736 of the revenue, and the •South Island £103,821. The North Island share of expenditure was £131.955, and the. South Island’s £96,296.

The monthly meeting of the Domain Board was held yesterday, when to ere were present:—'Messrs G. N. Curtis (chairman), T. TT. Penn, P, Thomson, R. AhK Morison, W. P; Kirkwood, and G. Hunter (secretary). There was very little business to he transacted, and the, meeting was of short duration.

Among the visitors to Kaka Point (Port Molyneux, Clutha) on : Saturday was a party including nine children from Central Otago! Although the ages of some of these ranged up to about 14 years, none of the youngsters had' hitherto seen either- the sea or a raiwav train.

Air George Graves tefls a strange story in the Christmas number ot “The Pelican.” Two actors, a comedian, and a loading man met in the Strand, the leading man wearing deep mourning. -“What’s the matter?” asked the comedian. “My father is dead,” answered the leading’ man, in a heartbroken voice. Tne comedian .expressed his sympathy. “When did he die?” he asked “Day before yesterday. W e buried him to-day; it was a nice funeral,” answered the heartbroken voice. “Large attendance?” asked the comedian, more for want of something to say than anything else. A smile of enthusiastic delight flashed over the mourner’s face. “Large attendance!' ■lie cried. “Aly hoy, we turned ’em a wav!”

. It is interesting to note the actions of different people when called upon to act at a moment’s notice says the Patea . “Press.” A cast; in point occurred at a railway station this morning not 101) miles iron; Patea. A railway bridge had by some unaccountable means cauglit lire. Hie first person to notice it spent some time trying to stamp out the flames, but not succeeding he hurried away some 500yds iron; the scone and rang up the station officials and informed them of the conflagration. Directly the magic words “Kailway Bridge or. fire” were uttered, three of these made a bee line for the fire buckets and rushed oil up the line without stopping to enquire which particular bridge it was that happened to be on fire. One of the trio whose thoughts perhaps were centred on the standing reward offered for the saving of Government property in similar cases rushed off with his bucket full ot water, though the bridge he was

milking for was about-a mile away, in their Ifhste the trio actually phased the burning structure and made for the one further away. J n the meantime another locul resident hue arrived on the scene and taking it the situation at si glance entered a nearby house .and procuring a bucket of water soon extinguished the flames. The trio of would-be fire fighters shortly aftenvarsd returned and for some time refused to he convinced that they had not been the victims of. an All Fools’ Day joke. The next time they go lire fighting they declare they will ascertain definitely beforehand the exact locality of the lire.

The Midhirst Dairy Company pay out £12,888 18s 10d to suppliers for December milk on the 20th iust. The annual provincial conference of the Taranaki branch of the New Zealand Farmers’ Union will be held at Paten on May 14th. A letter was read at yesterday’s meeting; of the Domain Board from Mr G. Bradley, secretary of the Fire Brigade, who applied for the use of Victoria Park for February 26th or thereabouts, and for permission to make a charge for admission. He explained that the Brigade intended to hold a garden fete.—The request was granted, the ma;ter of arranging details b iug left in the hands of the chairman. The secretary reported at yesterday’s meeting of the Domain Board that the Board was somewhat short of funds, though moneys due almost balanced the liabilities. Mr Thomson said he had intended to mow' that a couple of swings be erected in Victoria Park, but in view of the straitened circumstances of the Board he had decided to bring the matter forward formally at a later date, when more money might be available. Miss Alice Jacobson, of London. Ontario, recently discovered that the i men whom she was about to marry, i after a long engagement, was her ; brother, whom she had not seen or 1 heard of since childhood. Carl Jacob- ) son when a little hoy was adopted j in England by a family named Smithson, .and took their name. With them be went from England to .New York, and thence tS Ontario. In Ontario he met Alice Jacobson/ to whom he eventually became engaged, and when writing the news to her parents in England, Miss Jacobson enclosed her fiance’s photograph. Some likeness in the photograph to the little boy whom they had given up years ago, in conjunction with the name Smithson, caused them to make enquiries, and they had to break the news to their daughter that she had nearly married her own brother.