LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Stratford Evening Post, Volume XXXVIII, Issue 99, 20 April 1914, Page 4

LOCAL AND GENERAL.

After the recent rains the roads in many parts of the district are much improved and the good work done by the road rollers is very noticeable.

The report of the opening of the Golf Club was .inaccurate in one particular. It was stated that Mr Stanford and Mrs A. W. Budge had gained the first prizes with the best score. The prizes, however, having been given by the President, it should have been stated, were presented to the second highest scorers for the day, as the President's wife naturally could not agcept.

The Hon. Allen left Dunedin for Wellington on Saturday morning, and will return next week and meet Sir lan Hamilton at the Bluff. He states that Captain Hall Thompson is expected to arrive in New Zealand in June, and that the H.M.S. Philomel will probably bo handed over to New Zealand as a training ship in July. Applications for the position of cadets on the vessel, both for training as officers and ordinary seamen, are being received by the Government and being filed until the Adviser comes to New Zealand, when regulations will ho drawn up.

[ The Hon. Mr Allen states that the Post Office Savings Panic made an astonishing recovery in regard to the ratio of deposits to withdrawals as compared with this time last year. There was a tremendous drop in deposits before the present Government came in. Probably the raising of interest to ;3:’J per cent, had something to do with tho recovery, but the improved state of affairs was not due to that alone. He attributed it mainly to the strike effects dying out and the general firming of the Dominion’s business, and to the undoubted tact that the people had now,more confidence in the country and in the Government that controlled the country’s affairs.

“FOR WANT OF A NOT THE WHEEL CAME OFF!” And for want of a'little attention a slight chill develops into dangerous illness. At first sign of cough, cold, influenza, etc., fly to Ton king’s Linseed Emulsion. Is fid, 2s fid, 4s fid, Chemists and Stores

A London cablegram reports th« death of “Caesar,” the lat« King Edward’s favorite dog. Street collections in Wellington on Saturday in aid of the sufferers by the Upper Hutt fire disaster realised £l2l. A good deal of rain fell last night and this morning the river is running fairly high, suggesting that Kgraont’a latest coat of snow has largely been washed off. A Press Association telegram from Wellington states that in a raid on one Chinese house in Haining Street seven cases were secured containing a ton of pak-a-poo tickets, and seventeen Chinamen were arrested. The Mayoral election contest will be opened at the Town Hall this evening, when Mr W. P. Kirkwood will address the electors. The dress circle has been reserved for ladies and their escorts. The chair will bo taken at 8 o’clock. Recently the Wellington fire brigade lias received fifteen false alarms from boxes in one locality, and on Saturday morning a man was caught red-handed in the act of giving a false alarm at a box where a watch had been kept for some time. The Press Association states that the man offered £lO to the police officer to let him go. In Court later he was fined £5, or 14 days’ imprisonment, and was ordered to pay the cost of the damage.

With a view to providing instruments for Senior Cadet drum and fife bands (states the Hawera Star), some enthusiasts have arranged to tour Taranaki with a brass hand under the condnctorship of Professor Dallohney. Sergt.-Major Dallinger, of the local permanent staff, is acting as hon. secretary. The tour will comemnce towards the end of May, and extend to July, every centre being visited, and one or more performances given in each place. The expenses of the tour on behalf of the Cadets have been provided by a wellknown Taranaki business man, so that all the proceeds will go to the cause.

The Hamilton Borough Council expressed surprise on Friday night (states the Press Association) that such a circular as. that asking advice from local quarters in regard to the enjoyment of conscientious objectors should he sent out by the Minister of Defence. The Mayor said that if loopholes were to be made in this direction, then the whole compulsory scheme would be. rendered useless. One member referred to conscientious objectors as “frauds,” and the country might as well go back to the vol- - nntecr system if wholesale exemptions: were to be granted. A resolution was passed that the Council strongly objects to finding work for those-who conscientiously object to military training, and hopes the Government will maintain the Defence system as at present established. . %)

Dealing editorially with the Mfc. Egmont line, from which so much was expected and so little gained,. the “Patea Press” laments the great delay that has occurred in completing the work, and concludes ; Certain ,it is that in a country like New Zealand, where the climatic conditions are ideal when compared with those of other countries —Canada for example —railways should be constructed at a greater rate than five miles a year, which would appear to be the greatest rate capable of being accomplished by our Public Works Department just now. The authorities cannot claim that their attention has not been called to the present unsatisfactory state of affairs, for the whole of the Taranaki members of Parliament have again and again called attention to the lack of progress made with the Mt. Egmont line, the Member for Patea in particular complaining of its uncompleted state. Under the circumstances perhaps the best thing that could happen would be for the Minister himself to visit the line, vhen perhaps he would agree with his predecessor in office that it ought to be ‘ended or mended’ straight away.”

At the meeting of the New Plymouth Harbor Board (states the Her> aid), Mr F. P. Corkill wrote with reference to the official announcement as to the progress of the harbor works and fixing a definite period within which accommodation for the large ocean steamers will he provided. It seemed to him important that this information should be circulated as widely as possible and in somewhat more definite form. The corporation of Lloyds was about to assume the sole responsibility of “Lloyds’ List” and “Lloyds’ Weekly Index,” which had for many years past been published under a joint arrangement, and he would ho pleased to secure publicity in these journals for the facilities provided at this port if the Board would provide him with full particulars. It was desirable that this should set forth the state of affairs existing—(a) as at June 30 next, (b) on the completion of the scheme showing clearly the provisions for approach and berthage and the area in which large vessels may be swung with the respective draughts of water. It was decided to thank Mr Corkill for the offer and the information will be supplied.

Mrs Coff, is an old-age pensioner. An aged dame who has seen brighter days; She grants me permission to mention her, And to publish her quota of praise. A hacking, dry cough was the bane of her, Which made the nights hard to endure; But she bids m# to say that she charmed it away With Woods’ Great Peppermint Cura*

Close upon 200 teachers of both

sexes are attending Mr Royd Garlick’s physical training camp, which started at Feildiug to-day (says the Press Association). A civic welcome was extended by Mayor Ongley. The camp lasts for a fortnight. The teachers come from the southern end of the Wanganui Education District. The men camp on the racecourse and the ladies are mostly billeted by residents. ' Several entertainments have been arranged by the residents for the teachers.

An. unfortunate accident towards the close of a performance by a conjurer in Timaru the other night brought the performance to a premature ending. He announced that he would offer his body as a target, and anyone selected from the audience could shoot at him. The gun was loaded with powder and ball and fired at the human target, but the gun exploded and injured the manipulator of the old weapon more than the entertainer, for he suffered laceration of both hands and face.

A Press Association telegram from Dunedin this afternoon reads: Johu Crisp, the solicitor who was arrested at Hokitika last week, was charged at the Dunedin Police Police Court this morning with foi'ging a signature to a deed of mortgage. Mr Fraser, for the Crown, applied for a remand till Friday, and asked that if bail were granted it should be for a substantial amount. Accused is alleged to have misappropriated £3OOO. Mr Macgregor, for accused, offered no objection, and said Crisp was anxious to assist the assignee in straightening out ! his affairs. Bail was fixed at accused for £SOO and two sureties of £250 each on condition that accused report himself at the police station at 10 a.m. daily.

A question was asked at the annual meeting of the Hamilton branch of the Farmers’ Union (states the Press Association) as to who had to foot the bill in connection with the mobilisation of specials during the strike period. The secretary pointed out that a large number of people were looking to the -Hamilton branch as the body responsible for accounts. Prior to the mobilisation, the secretary of the Auckland branch of the Union told the Hamilton branch to spare no expense, for if Hamilton failed Auckland would also fail. The Mayor of Auckland also said the citizens of > Auckland would be responsible, ■: and he would' pledge the credit of the city to that effect. Accounts amounting to nearly £4OO yet remained to be paid. i I \ ' ’ '

aA woman -with a penchant for. telling stories about herself, as a reason why she- was in Stratford and why she should* be provided with a bed at one of the public or private hostelries in town, eventually fell into the arms of the police on Saturday night. The woman made herself as comfortable- as possible for the night in the doorway of business premises in Broadway, and on explaining to the police that she was unable to obtain

a bed anywhere-, she was accommodat- • ©d "with a"* ‘shake-down,” at the police station. During the evening she had picked'up a male partner, and at one hotel' she protested in terms that it was 'hard luck they couldn’t get a bed 1 on the first night of their married life- Last night, again, she was no nearer a solution of her difficulty, and the comfort'of the cells once mom was he^s.

Visits of ball lightning to the earth are. of comparatively rare occurrence, and one which made its appearance during the recent storm at Levin and Company’s chemical works, North Fitzroy, Melbourne, had remarkable features (says the Age). It was about 12.10 p.m., and the employees, to the number of 20, were having lunch in the large workroom, when the ball came in through an open door at the back. The visitor was of the size of an arc lamp, and hovered about the room like an evil spirit, grazed the foot of one of the employees, and gave him a severe electric shock. It then seemed to come in contact with an incandescent lamp hanging from the ceiling, and burst with a loud explosion. An offshoot from the ball passed through a window into the front office, where Mr F. Levin and his sister were seated. The meteor burst over Mr Levin’s head and almost blinded him. It was remarkable that the explosion of the ball caused not the slightest damage to the building, the only result being that pungent, sulphurous fumes permeated the place for some time afterwards. Mr Macalister, postmaster at Mangorei, had a thrilling experience in connection with the flood last week, states the News. He is employed at the Mangorei factory, and for the past two or three years has slept in a tent situated in a pretty piece of bush close to the banks of the TTaiwakaiho and apparently in a secure position. On Tuesday night, about 11 o’clock, he was awakened by what he thought was thunder, but which he afterwards ascertained to bo the roar of the torrential volume of water in tlffe Waiwakaiho, for the time being transformed into a huge . river.

This had overflowed its banks, carrying timber and destruction before it. A huge teg pounding against a tree near the tent no' doubt helped to wake the occupant. At any rate, Mr Mcalister found that the water was swirling round his bed. He hurriedly made his exit, but owing to depressions in the track, the water at times came up to his neck, and he had trouble to make headway against it, on one occasion almost having to swim. However, after a struggle of some minutes, he reached the factory and safety. The flood was estimated to have been th« highest in the last ten years.

An unusual case was heard at the Dunedin Police Court this morning (states the Press Association), in which Henry C. Matthews was charged on separate informations with failing to pay full wages to two employees. The charge was laid under the Factories Act. 1908. An official of the Labor Department prosecuted and stated that accused had cleared out, but endeavours were being made to trace him. The Magistrate imposed a fine of £2 and costs 14s on each information.

At a largely-attended meeting of Taihape district farmers on Wednesday last the committee appburtod at, a previous meeting reported that satisfactory support had been guaranteed in connection with the proposal to establish freezing works in the vicinity of Taihape. The committee had secured an option over 82 acres of land near Winiata, which could be purchased for £3OO, and recommended that a company be formed with a capital of £IOO,OOO, in 20,000 shares of £5 each; that the killing capacity of the works he 1000 sheep per day, with a storage capacity for 30,000 carcases; and that the site near Winiata be purchased. Mr H. D. Bennett said that five men had already promised to take up £2OO worth of shares each. Mr R. T. Batley said there was a general feeling that the works were a vital necessity, and that local farmers wanted full value for their stock. Thy should he up and doing, as they had the land —as good as any in the south or anywhere else—and they must develop it. He moved : “That this meeting agrees to support the proposal to establish freezing works; that the recommendations of the committee bo endorsed and adopted; and that the provisional directors be instructed to go on with the Proposal.” The motion was seconded by Mr J. F. Studholmo, and was carried amidst applause. The provisional directors are Messrs Marmaduke Dixon, R. T. Batley, W. J. Poison, J. F. Studholmo, W. Doola, H. D. Bennett, W. Seth-Smith, T. Duncan, and Dr. E, C. Barnett.