LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Stratford Evening Post, Volume XXXIX, Issue 18, 12 May 1914, Page 4

LOCAL AND GENERAL.

The Borough Council last night decided, on the motion of Or. Fredric, to erect notices, forbidding drivers of vehicles to back their vehicles into the concrete channels.

A final reminder is given readers of the address to be delivered in the Town Hall this evening by Mr J. B. Hine, M.P. The dress circle wll be reserved for ladies and their escorts. The Mayor will take the chair at 8 p.m.

The anniversary social in connection with St. Andrew’s Church is to bo held in the Foresters’ Hall to-morrow "evening. An excellent programme has been prepared and a pleasant evening can be looked forward to.

The Mayor and Cr. King were empowered last night by the Borough Council to report on the question of having prepared a map of the Borough which would be of a handy size and could be sold to business people and others.

In the Regan Street Hall on Thursday the Methodist choir will render Root’s cantata “The Haymakers. The members of the choir have been hard at work practicing, and the orchestra will be h feature of the evening. The hall is to be specially decorated for th© occasion.

The annual concert and social under the auspices of th© Stratford branch of the Taranaki Provincial Scottish Society is to be held this year in the Town Hall on Jim© 3rd, and no effort Us being spared to make it as successful as any in th© past. Performers from pther centres are being arranged for, and a first-class programme of Scotch singing, reciting, and dancing is promised.

There arrived in Sydney recently from China, 16 Russians, who have come from Eastern Siberia to make thoir . homo in Australia. They are all young, able-bodied men from th© Harbin district. Few of them can speak English intelligently, but one of their number informed a “Daily Telegraph” reporter that they were prepared for any class of work, especially that on farms or of a laboring nature. Each paid his own passage money. The men say that if they are successful there are plenty more from Siberia who will follow in their tracks.

Cr. Fredric moved at last night’s meeting of the Borough Council that a remit be forwarded to the Municipal Association conference asking th© Government to got a report on th© question or road-making, so that instruction could be given to local bodies. At present every local body seemed to be experimenting, and a lot of money must be wasted. Or. King said the Government had mad® an excellent job of th© Hvrtt Road, but it had cost about ten times at much as if it had been don© by a local body. Cr. Richards said that if Jhe Government had a report prepared on what local bodies were doing the information could with good results be retailed to other bodies. Cr. Boon said th# conditions varied in every locality. In some places good blinding could b# taken from the sides of the roads. The motion was lost.

v . The probable date of the turning of the first sod of the Opunaks railway ia Wednesday, 20th inst.

On Wednesday evening next, at Toko Presbyterian Church, the Rev. ,J. Lilewall is to give an address on the “Bible in Schools.”

The next Cardiff school euchre tourney and social is to take place on Friday next, May 15th. These pleasant gatherings are growing in popularity.

Writes ‘•our own correspondent: “Whangamomona’s Hope—On Monday, IHh inst., the Whangamomona tug-of-war team left en route for Hawera, where they hope to annex the chief trophy in the championship competition. The team comprises Messrs Graham, -Welsh, Garlick, McGowan Robinson, and Keating (skipper). A rea l hefty team they are, and considering they' started training rather late, they at home show they can ‘go some. The luck of the draw is not in their favor, but they have left iu a good sporting spirit, aud they say, *Ma> .the best side win’, and they have the .last aim in view.”

In view of the statement published in another column by the Minister of Defence regarding the wearing of mufti at the Takapau camp, it is mteresting to read the notice sent on by the Officer Commanding to units in the Xlth Regiment as follows “You will require to bring two rugs, stout pair boots, towels, cleaning gear for boots and buttons, shaving gear, knife, fork and spoori, enamel mug and plate, soap, one change underclothing, three pairs so6ks, tooth brushy and hair brush. Kit to be made up swag fashion ; no boxes or portmanteaux allowed. * Kit can be put in an ordinary sack. Record books to be brought to camp. No plain clothes allowed in .. camp.”

In conformity with a promise made during the recent Mayoral election campaign, the Mayor submitted to last night’s meeting of the Borough Council a resolution urging on the Government the necessity for increasing the present post office accommodation in Stratford. Mr Kirkwood said the district had been fully developed and the town was being developed as quickly as possible. If the Government refused to give the accommodation asked for they would be denying residents a rudimentary necessity and would be doing a great injustice. Cr. Thompson seconded, and said that if the present agita-tion-had no effect the matter should be urged again and again. The motion was carried, and it was decided also to sand a oopy to- the member, for "the district. > -

■I- . ■ i *• • • • *'*i Notwithstanding the very rough , weather -experienced by the Temtoriali , while] in the. big camp- at iTakapau, it would seem that they got put just in ■ time, as, according to one of the rear guard, Sunday was absolutely one of 1 the wildest day he had ever witnessed. “Saturday night’s rain and Sunday night’sgale, combined and doubled in force,” he said, “were let loose over the camp ground and in the morning rivers were cutting out their courses.” Round one of the cook, houses on Monday morning was a sheet of water.up to a horse’s knees. The gale played havoc with the marquees, and the quarter master’s store ’ ' was blown down. (The casuals who left yesterday for Takapau would reach i there about 3 this morning, and their’s would* be a fine picnic. The weather undoubtedly seems to kave been general, but the “Terry,” whom it most concerns, has one persistent question which he always asks: * ‘Why a camp so late?” and in his opinion he is entitled to consideration. Despite its comparatively limited population, Fiji is the murder spot of the Pacific (states a Suva correspondent). * Maiming, wounding, and murder are the special weakness of the eoolie. Long terms of imprisonment, floggings, and hangings are freely resorted to, but there seems to be no diminution in the crime list. The Supreme Court has again begun its criminal sessions, and is faced with a * formidable calender, which includes no fewer then six cases of murder, two of the accused, however, on this occasion being Fijians. Indian murders are practically all of the one type. Sexual jealousy is invariably the cause, and high-caste Hindus assert that whilst the present disproportion of the sexes continues, there is no hope of any improvement. Attention was directed to the subject? some time ago in the House of Commons, but so far it does not appear that any steps are being taken to recruit men and women laborers in equal numbers. “M, Jaures is one of the most remarkable intellects in Europe,” writes the Paris correspondent of the Pall Mall. “But none can dispute his integrity, his talent, his amazing oratorical ability. Jaures is no common man. Destined for the professoriate, he was a student at the Ecole Normale Superieure. Then he went to Toulouse as Lecturer in Philosophy at the University, and achieved great disfcinction*there. His eloquence stood him in great stead at the Palais Bourbon, where that impressionable audience was astounded by the wealt h of big metaphor, by the torrent of his imagery, and his flow of reason, inspired by idealism and tempered by erudition. TJnaristocratic in feature, Jaures belongs none the less to an excellent family, and includes an admiral among his ancestors. His brother, singularly resembling him in physique, being broad-shouldered and somewhat ungainly, is captain of a cruise ■ He is editor as well as orator, directing the Socialist newspaper L’Humamte. It is no secret that it is not particularly successful. Its brilliant director is a poor administrator: he sees everything in the largo, and nocaing in detail. It is said that Hie publication o#sts a dsal of money without bringing ja much return,”

| Tt was reported to the Borough Council last night that Mv G. B. King hud relinquished his tenancy of the Town Hall. It was decided that the lease of the Town Hall be ottered to Mr W. Diamond at £7 IPs per week and that failing his acceptance of the offer the Council consider the question of running its own pictures.

During the election of the Library Committee at the Borough Council last evening, Cr. Morison made some trenchant remarks concerning a certain class of books that were to be found on the shelves. Cr Morison said that though not a great deal had been done by the last committee, there was much that could he done in the way of keeping the library up-to-date. “There is a lot of trash,” said the speaker, “some of which is enough to make us blush to read aloud at "'our tables. I have thrown one or two in the fire”—(A voice! “Did vou pay lev them I ) C-.i. Morison went on to suggest that the services of one dr two leisured gentlemen in the town he obtained to help the committee of the Council. A remark from the Clerk that such an arrangement had been tried before, closed the subject.

A reply to the Hon. J. Allen’s remark in reference to the row at the Takapau Camp over the extra two days’ pay was contained in a paragraph appearing in our local columns yesterday, and which distinctly stated that the men signed for nine days’ pay some days before the Sunday protest was made. In face of this, how can the Minister reconcile his statement that “the question was settled long before,” and that “the disturbance had nothing whatever to do with the question of payment for extra days in camp.” Evidently the Minister is not in such close touch with the working of his Department as he should be, or else he was talking without the hook. Perhaps Red Tape has had something 'to do with this amusing state of affairs.