LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Stratford Evening Post, Volume XXXVIII, Issue 27, 2 February 1914, Page 4

LOCAL AND GENERAL.

The Hospital Board moots to-mon'ovr! morning. Only one marriage took place in during January, and the deaths were only eight in number, but the births averaged one a day—the number being thirtv-one. i The Customs duty collected in New 'Zealand last year was £3,425,427, as compared with £3,335,719 in 1912. The excise duty in the Dominion amounted to £132,219 last year, as against £128,895 in 1912. ' From enquiries that we have made we learn that there is A very noticeable improvement in tps general health of the pigs that are now being reared in Taranaki. says the Kit ham Argus. Tuberculosis is not so common as it was, and there are no so many rejects as there used to he. The only criminal matter from the I Stratford district to he dealt with at ! the Supreme Court to-morrow is the ! charge of murder against David Warren'. In bankruptcy applications iur discharge will he made in respect of George Henry Derby and William Derby and John Savage. The directors of the Manning River (X.S.W.) Co-operative Dairy Company have resolved to ask the Minister for Agriculture to introduce legislation making it compulsory for butter factories to publish the difference between the butter-fat and commercial butter from month to month.

Following is a copy of an apology, signed by a creamery manager, and appearing in a Taranaki paper:—"l, the undersigned, beg to apologise to Mr -——, of ——, for having made public that he had delivered to the Creamery, on the 28th inst., milk containing 30 per cent, ot water. I admit having made a mistake in calculation."

The Borough Council office start' had a busy time on Saturday receiving rates, a ten per cent, penalty being in- . curved by failure to pay before the end of January. A good amount was received, but a certain number of ratepayers elected to pay the penalty. In passing, it is worthy of note that the opinion held by certain people, that ' tins penalty is not legally leviable, is quite erroneous. ■| Two local youths recently put up good walking time in the Mountain district. Arriving at the Stratford Mountain House at 9 a.m., they paid a visit to the Curtis Falls, and on I [ their return to the House found that ' a party had left for Dawson's Falls, so tliey set off on the trail. Until their arrival hack home in Stratford, | the time occupied was thirty-eight hours. The Kaimata tragedy is recalled' by the following ease which is set j down for hearing at the Supreme I Court sitting opening at New Plymouth to-morrow:—Eva Julian (Mr i .1. H. Quilliam) v. The Public Trus- ;' tee (Mr C. H. Weston', executor of I the will of Frederick John Virgin

ideceased); a claim for £B2O 14s the , value of a house and furniture 1 , allegIcd to he destroyed by tiro by the ' wrongful act of Virgin. | The following clause appears in the battalion orders recently issued h~\ ! Lieut.-Colonel \Y. (i. Malone, commanding 11th Regiment iTaranaki Rifles): —"Tt seems to he the habit of certain company commanders to give leave of absence from attending! parados at different periods verbally; and afterwards forgetting that they gave them leave and to send their! names in for prosecution. The consequence is that time is wr.stod in attending court, and no conviction results. !H future when leave is given from attending a drill, the company commander will issue, a certificate from the books provided and keep tile duplicate."

A match. Ea.«t r. West, is being arranged by the committee of l the Stratford Bowling Club for Thur>; J ;>y a fieri 100 u. A Press Association telegram fro;: Core states that a meeting of the Libera! Party there asked Mr Robert McXab, formerly member for Ma-ta-ura, to contest the seat again, and Mr McXab promised to announce his inteu'iion within one month. The secretary reports that already seven decorated motor cars have "been promised for the Five Brigade Fete. The general committee in charge of the Fete will meet a; tee Borough Council Chamber to-morrow evening, when reports of sub-committees will be received and ttie matter of arranging the programme will be gone into. Despite the threatening weather yesterday morning, there were about fifty visitors to the Stratford Mountain House at midday. The special at-

traction was the presence of a contingent of the Stratford Brass Band, and their programme during the day added greatly to the enjoyment of the outing It was rather unfortunate that the only wet Sunday for months past should have been picked out for the innovation in, popularising the House, as it is certain over 100 visitors would have made the trip under more favourable auspices. However, the afternoon broke into sunshine, and .several visited Curtis Falls. The whole party was loud in its praise of the management of the House and of the kindness and attention paid by the manager (Mr Williams) and Mrs Williams. At the Foresters' Hal] last night, Mr W. C. Nation, of Levin, delivered an address on "The Spirit "World: [ Where it is, and what about it! J " I There was a good audience, and the speaker was listened to with atten- | tion. At the outset. Mr Nation said I he wanted to speak on this great j subject, which was exciting so much ! interest among the leading minds of I the day, in as simple a way as pos--1 sible, so that his hearers could get J a clear understanding of the claims ! and teaching of those who had spent I years in investigation. Those who ; were exploring in this direction were j misrepresented through ignorance, j prejudice, and superstition. The cry j that it was "all of the devil" was ! a childish assumption, for which no proof could be given, and it was the j religious people of Chijist's day who, I in their blindness, ascribed his teaching and works to Beelzebub, the prince of devils. The lecturer appeared to be well versed in the Scriptures, which he quoted .freely, to show how the spirit work infringed on this, and the denizens of thatworld encompassed us as a great cloud of witnesses. It was a lengthy address, full of interesting matter, and at the request of several, Mr Nation has promised to return to Stratford and deliver another address next Sunday night.