LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Stratford Evening Post, Volume XXXIX, Issue 44, 13 June 1914, Page 4

LOCAL AND GENERAL.

“There is no question about it that the outlook for the Reform party in the South Island was never so good as it is at the present moment,” says the Right Hon. W. F. Massey. “Whatever the result of the election may be, I am absolutely satisfied that we will improve our position in the South Island.”

“Fat men should never hurry,” said Mr H. W. Bishop, S.M., at an inquest at the Christchurch morgue last week, after eliciting from a witness that deceased weighed something like nineteen stone. “I am always particular about that myself,’ he said. “There is no doubt that deceased would bo alive now if he had not over-exerted himself in order to catch the train; the doctor’s evidence goes to show that.”

No definite information has yet been received with regard to the visit to New Zealand waters of the Australian Navy hut the Commonwealth Government contemplates sending some of its ships to visit New Zealand in the near future. Beyond this (states a correspondent of the jOtago Daily Times) the New Zealand I Government knows nothing about the matter. It has, however, given an indication that the ships of the Commonwealth Navy will receive a hearty welcome from New Zealanders should they make the visit.

Mrs Philip Snowden, wife of th© well-known English M.P., in an eloquent speech at the Albert-hall, London, last month, condemned the militant movement. She denounced those who have “shamed and soiled the pure name of womanhood by the crimes they have committed.”

In an interview published in the “Christian Commonwealth,” Mr Keir Hardie recalls his first entry into the House of Commons in 18S2 as member for South-West Ham, wearing a cloth cap, tweed suit, and flannel shirt. “I had always worn a tweed cap and homespun clothes,” he said, “and it never entered my head to make a change. I believe my wife thought about it and bought a soft felt/ hat, hut it had not arrived when 1 set out for the House of Commons. I received eight or ten top-hats from good-hearted people in the country afterwards, and several people sent me orders on their tailors to get a suit of clothes.”

“No sugar, thank you ” —should cease to be a formula, for a French beauty' expert has declared that we lessen our chances of dimpled cheeks by cutting down our supplies of sugar (writes a correspondent in the Ladies’ Field.) Surely, after this, it ought to be regarded as the bounden duty of every mother to see that her girls are supplied with a certain amount of sugar daily. It seems to be as necessary to their personal appearance as face creams or correct corsets. The beauty expert who has made the discovery that sugar feeds dimples declares that saccharine is also a preservative of youth. That the sugarless teacup is a thing of the past is a foregone .conclusion.

When the ill-fated tug-boat Toanui, bound from Glasgow’ to New Zealand, was wrecked off Land’s End, England, just about 12 months ago, it will be remembered that cable advice recorded the fact that, included in the wreckage that came ashore, was a box’containing personal effects. From tne description given, these undoubtedly belonged to the late Captain Sewell. The box has since been forwarded on to Gisborne, to Mrs Sewell, who, on opening it, discovered that the jewellery reported to hare been amongst the contents was missing. The case, however, contained two broken jewel boxes. The indications point to the fact (says the Hawke’s Bay Herald) that the case was rifled before it was shipped from England.

A young lady U’ho figured as defendant in a case at the Dunedin Magistrate’s Court on Tuesday had a rather embarrassing experience. The case concerned a riding habit, which she ordered, and refused to pay for, on the ground that it w’as a misfit. After a cross-examination, in which frequent allusion was made to the “trousers,” which form one of the visible portions of a divided riding skirt, she was compelled to stand in the centre of the fldor of the court for inspection by a bevy of male tailors. These twisted her around, and arranged the coat—which she had donned in the magistrate’s room— in various different ways, making liberal use of tailoring phrases of a comprehensively anatomical character.' The defendant bore it well, and had the satisfaction of securing a nonsuit in her favor.

A large quantity of spurious wine is made in. London and designated “port,” although it has never been near Portugal (writes a London correspondent). The words port or port wine, when used by themselves, denote a fortified wine of a particular type and having particular characteristics as to sweetness, color, and bouquet, made from fresh grapes grown in Portugal and shipped from Oporto. The cheap “ports” are nearly all made in London from dried currants and raisins, together with a certain amount of real port wine. By so doing the manufacturers avoid the payment of import duties. The of genuine port win© claim that this competition is a hardship, especially when the British wine is sold in bottles bearing labels such as “port,” or “fine old port.” It is admitted that N the British product is wine, and in some cases good wine, but it is not “port wine,” and the importers of the latter state that they are determined to put an end to the sale of substitutes as genuine port.

The monthly meeting of the Domain Board was held yesterday afternoon, when there were present: Messrs R. McK. Morison (in the chair), T. H. Penn and P. Thomson. The secretary (Mr G. D. Hunter) reported that satisfactory arrangements had been made to enable the schoolboys to play football on Victoria Park. Two sets of sockets had been made, so that Association or Rugby Football could he played as desired. The Stratford Municipal Band forwarded a donation of a guinea, part of the proceeds

of the band’s last concert in King Edward Park. A vote of thanks was passed to the band. Mr Cecil Arden was granted a lease of the King Edward Park reserve on the north side >

of the river. Mr Penn said it would be necessary soon to make a tour of King Edward Park for the purpose of pruning and culling trees. It would also be desirable to select a new spot for the nursery. The present nursery seemed something in the style of a baby farm—a place for the speedy and convenient death of the occupants. Leave of absence for three months was granted to the chairman, Mr G. N. Curtis.

A notification appears in another column that there will be no electric current supply to-morrow (Sunday), from 8 o’clock till 3.

A Gisborne-'business man had the misfortune to lose £G the other morning, under peculiar circumstances. The Tuatea was moving off from the wharf to take the outward passengers, to the Auckland steamer, when the gentleman in question came hurrying down. Bolling up a sovereign in a £5 note, he essayed to throw it to a friend who was proceedings to Auckland. Unfornately, the aim fell short, the money landing in the river!

“Never has there been among the feminine young more scientific talk about sex, and never among the feminine young such a scientific distrust of it,” says Katherine Fullerton Gould in the Atlantic Monthly. “Before a young woman suspects that she wants to marry a young m'an, she has probably discussed with him, exhaustively, the penal code, white slavery, eugenics, and race-suicide. The miracle — the everlasting miracle of Nature—is that she should want, in these circumstances, to marry him at all. She probably does not, unless his views have been wholly to her satisfaction.”

Mr J, D. Healy is at present engaged on plans for a four-storied building which is to be built in Broadway’ for the firm of Messrs Hunter apd Lyons, dentists. The building will be of reinforced concrete a and will be situated between Mr T. C. Fookes’ office and Mr Nicholson’s pharmacy. It will rise 65 feet, above the pavement, with a frontage of 33 feet and a depth of 100 feet. The basement will be devoted to dining rooms 60ft by 30ft. There -will bo two -large shops on the ground floor, apd the second and third floors will be arranged as offices, Mesesrs Hunter and Lyons using the bulk of the third floor for theif business. In addition to a fine central staircase , an electric lift will also be provided and the appointments throughout are to be of the most up-to-date order.

The executive committee of the A. and P. Association met last j night, there being present: Messrs E, Jackson (president), W. P. Kirkwood, D. J.. Malone, F. Dobson, W. H. H. Young, J. Shotter, and E.'Kelleher. It was decided, to invite the Poultry Society to , send a committee to . next meeting of the executive to discuss the matter of r jthe Association taking over* control of tlie Society’s Show. It was reported that considerable damage had- been done to buildings on the Showgrounds, and it,was decided to remind the Football Club that-they had the use of the ground on condition that they repaired any damage done and drawing attention to the damage in question. It was also decided to erect a warning notice inside the gate, stating that anybody found damaging the .property; would be prosecuted. Mr D. Watkin, Huiroa, wrote, resigning membership, hpt the letter was held.over'till next meeting.