LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Stratford Evening Post, Volume XXXIX, Issue 14, 7 May 1914, Page 4

LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Parliament has been prorogued until June sth.

The New Zealand Shipping Company's Opawa will be the next Home steamer to load at. Waitara on or about May 14th.

Members of the Beautifying Society are reminded of the meeting to he held this evening in Mr A. D. Blick’s office.

A general meeting of supporters of the temperance cause will be held in the Methodist Hall, Regan Street, tonight at 7.30 sharp. There will ho a good musical programme.

A meeting of the committee appointed to gather data in connection with the proposed freezing works was called for yesterday afternoon, but was postponed till a- later date.

A monster pear was taken into the office of the Timaru Post last week. It was grown by Messrs _ Butcher Bros., Fairview, and -it is claimed for the pear that it constitutes a world’s recdrd, weighing 400fc., the previous best being 390 z. It is from a Bvedale s St. Germain tree, and i» of excellent shape.

Vessels arriving, from London now are not bringing so many immigrants as is usually the case, but it is noticeable (says the Wellington lost) that the proportion of “assistods is much greater. For instance, the Ruahine, duo at Wellington to-day, has only 188 third-class passengers, and of this number 126 are coming out under the Government scheme, No,fewer than 95 \yero nominated by relatives in New Zealand, which is taken as a fair indication of the department’s activities within the dominion. The passages of 31 immigrants—l 3 domestic servants and 18 farm laborers —wore arranged for by the London office.

"While the driver of the “Flying Scotsman,” from Euston to Carlisle, was driving his train at 60 miles an hour near Leighton, Cheshire, recently, the look-out window in his engine was suddenly smashed. Pieces of broken glass flew in all directions, and a portion struck and cut the driver under the eye. Lying at his feet the driver found an owl, dead.

A lady who can, clearly recall tne social life of 40 years ago tells the “Pictorial” that in looking on at a party to-day the most' striking change is the amazing 'amount of manners which people exhibit. They vie with one another in nods and becks; they permit themselves no moment’s respite from wreathed smiles; they bend their bodies into every possible contortion, and twist their features into strange, unlovely grimaces in their efforts to express serious interest or lively amuse inent. Animation is no doubt the salt of social intercourse, but if it is cultivated in the mind and allowed to shine chiefly through the natural channels of eyes, lips, and voice, with perhaps occasional pretty gestures of the hands, the effect is far more pleasing than when it makes the entire personality restless and oven occasionally grotesque.

The Hon. D. E. Denham, Prime Minister of Queensland, speaking _at tiie last St. Patrick’s Day annual dinner at the Hotel Cecil, London, said: "1 here was extraordinary home-lovo .n the Irish. Once on a long journey, high up in the tropics, unwashed for a fortnight, I, then Prime Minister for the State, had come upon a house. Being refreshed, I had a conversation with the hostess. I have,’ she said, ‘been here a long time. I have never been out oi it. 1 have eighteen children. Five of them are in Ireland, being educated, and I am going to take Home the other eight, for I have made up my mind to be in Ireland when you open Parliament in College Green.’ ” “That is the spirit,” said Mr Denham, “that I meet amongst the Irish, and you may be sure that when she starts, I will give her an introduction to Mr Redmond.”

The following new books have been added to the Stratford Public Library ‘The Cuckoo Lamb” (H. W. Newte), “The Golden Road (L. Montgomery), /“Gold” (Stewart White), “It was the Time of Roses” (Dolf Wyllarde), “The Way of these Women” (E. A. Oppenheim), “An Enemy hath done this” (Joseph Hocking), “Outside the ‘Law” A. Crawford), “Frivole” (Kate Horn), “Unto Caesar” (Baroness Orczy), “The Awakening” (R. S. Macnamarra), “The making of Bigot” (Rose Macaulay), “A Heather Mixture” (Morice Gerald), “His Great Adventure’;’ (R. Herrick), “Sunshine” (Mary Openshaw), “A Crooked Mile” (Oliver Onions), “The Day of Days” (L. Vance), “The Marriage of, Cicilia” (M. Leeson), “Handicapped” (David Lyall), “The Iron Year” (W. Bloem), “The Sheep Track” (V. H. Webster), “One Man Returns” (H. Spender), “A Lady of Leisure” (E. Sidgwick), “A Free Hand” (H. Roberts).

Some amusement was caused by the Mayor of Auckland, Mr J. C. Parr, at the annual meeting of the Auckland branch of the Society for the Protection of Women and Children and the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals states the “Ndw Zealand Herald.” The society had a large scope, Mr Parr remarked, yet he sometimes wondered why it did not undertake the protection of poor ,man. “You laugh,” the Mayor added, “but a fortnight ago I received a visit and had a very doleful tale from a man who had been badly •beaten by his wife. You may not believe it, but he showed me the marks where he had been belaboured with a broom. Certainly, the man admitted he had been celebrating a friend’s birthday.” Mr Parr concluded the story by saying he had recommended his visitor to see the Society’s chief inspector.

The National Institute for the Blind is still hard at work in London sending Braille hooks to all parts of the world quantities of them to the colonies. Amongst the institute’s workers may still bo found Mr J. A. Ford, the veteran compositor, who nearly 40 years ago began his three and a half years’, task of punching out the first English Bible in Braille. That was all done by hand laboriously on metal sheets. Then came the improved frame method, and now in different parts of the room girls at machines punch out the (lotted linos at 15 times the speed possible five years ago, while Mr Ford Hits at his table and proof-reads the metal sheets—reading for errors more accurately perhaps than he did even in his sighted days when he was a compositor and printer in Holborn, for the . blind reader concentrates his whole mind on his work. The Bible, which fills 39 bulky volumes, is now the property of the British and Foreign Bible Society, and the National Institution only publishes it in separate books. Since those early days Mr Ford has printed more books than he can count. He declines to specify any favourites —they all interested him—but he mentions with special pleasnre the “Pickwick Papers,” which he printed at homo, and “David Copperfield.”

The Liberal campaign will be con- ' tinued at Toko this evening, when Mr Forb«s, M. P. for Hurunui, will deliver an address in the Coronation Hall. & At an inquest on a sandwichman who committed suicide in the Thames, ft was stated that clergymen, solicitors and university men had been known to carry sandwich-boards in the streets of London. The badly diseased beast referred to in our issue of yesterday as having been killed at the Stratford abattoirs, came from a run several miles from Stratford, and had never supplied milk to Stratford or its neighbourhood. Lord Emmott, in an address to the Hoyal Colonial Institute.on his recent Empire tour, said that while on a fl>S visit to Bundaberg, Queensland, The party was serenaded by a Salmon Army band playing "Do Not Tarrj. "That," he said, "was the only hint of the kind.we had." The stalled "divining'' rod Played a part in a case heard at the Bendigo County Court recently An agreement was made between the ptties for locating water underground L means of a "divining" rod, he H for which was to be fio, -the m onev to be refunded if the watei wa ß not located. Plaintiff found water, and a bore was put down, with the result that a pump gave » .rapply of 85 to 90 gallons per hour. A well was sunk, but defendant refused to pay as, although there was a good supply he said the water was not fit for use. For the defence, it was stated that the agreement provided that plaintiff should find a good supi ply of water suitable, for stock, growing of vegetables and" flowers, and for 'domestic purposes. Plaintiff wa? nonsuited, with costs, to be taxed. The judge, in giving his decision, said that the expression of satisfaction by defendant in the first instance was immaterial. The water might eventually turn out to be useless. In accordance with the agreement, defendant would not be required to pay for the bore, : and would also be entitled to the initial charge of £5, which had been paid to plaintiff. It was for plaintiff to prove that the water was up to the guaranteed quality. This he.had not only failed to djk but had produced condemning evidence showing that the water was not suitable for vegetables, owing \to the existencej of .chlorine, and was useless for household purposes on account of its hardne*ss. ; His Honor ordered the restoration of the £5 originally paid. ,