LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Stratford Evening Post, Volume XXXIX, Issue 96, 13 August 1914, Page 4

LOCAL AND GENERAL.

The membership and income of the National Provident Fund increased ' considerably during 1913. There are •5791 members, and the animal rate af contribution payable is £22,719. The total enrolments to hand, up to March 31, 1914, were 7538.. One of the German Reservists who arrested in Otago on Sunday is understood fco have stated (reports the Times) that the present war was contemplated by Germany in 1912, and that was why he left in order to avoid taking part. His opinion is that Germany lias such,immense resources that the war may Inst for years. 1 * Tt is with regret that we (Kawlii't Settler) have to record the death oil Mr H anion Kilmers, of Te Anga, ler most distressing circumstances. It appears that the deceased bad been out pig hunting, and when leaning on his :un it accidentally went off, Mr Elh mers receiving the full charge in his ivrist. On his removal to the hospital. in amputation was found, necessary, but the loss of blood and nerve shock proved too severe, and death resulted.

Yesterday, Lieut. Furby handed in his resignation as commander of the local platoon of Territorials.

At a meeting of members of the Stratford Racing Club held last night, the new rules adopted on July 28th were confirmed.

The estimated area under what in New South Wales is 4,188,615 acres, which is a record, and an increase of 315,599 over last season, states a Sydney cablegram.

Full arrangements have been made for the bachelors'' dance to be given in the Toko Coronation Hall this evening, and a pleasant time is promised all who attend.

There were several torrential showers of rain during last night, and 'the school recorder this morning showed that during the twenty-four hours preceding 9 a.m. a total of If inches of rain had fallen.

The local auctioneers, Messrs Newton King, Webster, Dobson and Co., and the New Zealand Loan and Mercantile Agency Co., Ltd, notify that they will hold a Special Gift Sale of stock on Saturday, the 22nd August, the proceeds of which are to be devoted to the Stratford War Fund. Supporters are asked to notify to the auctioneers promptly the nature of their contributions,

Another step in the movement to establish railway connection between Kawhia and Frankton was made this week (states Friday's Kawhia Settler), when the honorary surveyor of the league promoting the scheme arrived in Kawhia and immediately commenced reconnaissance work. Until Wednesday night, Mr Farrer was engaged in exploring the country between Kawhia and Oparau, leaving yesterday for Moerangi. He is very favourably impressed with the comparatively easy gradient Which may be obtained as far as a point opposite Oparau landing, only 4J miles of construction being required on an alignment which is nearly a straight line while the highest point reached is only 160 feet above sea level. Equally satisfactory are the prospects from Frankton in this direction, where a distance of about 14 miles brought the..trial grade to the Moerangi boundary?, the highest altitude being .240 feet. : ; Of course, the .intervening country is.the piece de resistance, . difficulty being presented in- negotiating the watershed I between the Waitetuna and Oparau basin. However, the ease of the terminal 'sections, M. Mr Eraser remarked,, will leave t a large" sum for the more complicated problem of piercing the divide. Mr Farrer' left yesterday to complete the junction of his Kawhia work with that terminating at Waitetuna.

Stratford was not', of course, the only place where feeling reached a climax on Saturday night. At Dunedin an impromptu patriotic meeting comprising the more boisterous element of the [community,''held, at the fountain, culminated in an unseemly disturbance about half-past 10. i'Different speakers harangued, the crowd.in turn, and so worked- it up that feeling ran very high, i At this juncture an indiscreet individual with pro-German views, ventured to express his opinions somewhat too freely, with the result that he immediately became the centre of an excited and struggling mass. The temper of the mob was distinctly ugly (states the Times), and it appeared as if the man would receive a severe knocking about, but the police were fortunately able to extricate him and take him to a back street, where he was released. In the meantime the mob invaded' a fruit shop in Rattray street, and some of the more unruly individuals commenced pelthig one another with potatoes. The crowd of spectators completely blocked the street, and the pressure was so great that the windows of a draper's shop were in danger of being smashed in. The police eventually persuaded the larger part of the crowd to disperse, but many of the participants in the disturbance returned to neighbourhood of the fountain, where they "demonstrated" until after midnight. The police did not consider it necessary to make many arrests,hut it may be pointed out that displays of feeling such as took place on Saturday night reflect very little credit on those taking part.