LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Stratford Evening Post, Volume XXXX, Issue 68, 16 November 1914, Page 4

LOCAL AND GENERAL.

As large a muster as possible is desired at the Rifle Club Parade this evening. ~ A mean act was perpetrated n a Hastings orehadist the other night (says the Hawke's Bay Tribune), 'vh«n over 50 of his gooseberry trees \v«?ic stripped of their crop. Coming on top of his serious loss by recent frost. the theft is all th« more despicable. The goossbarries were just ready for picking,

The school and Post Office flags were flown at half-mast to-day as a mark of respect to the late Earl Roberts.

The following amounts are to oe paid out this month by local dairy factories: Stratford £6884, Ngacre £2468, Lowgarth £1941, Cardiff £1546.

"At tho Court this morning, before Mr J. McCluggage, J.P., a man was fined £l, the amount of his bail, on a charge of drunkenness.

A large col, about four feet in length, which was caught in the stream in Whangaraomona township, is at present on view at Mr ,f. iJowen's premises in Broadway.

The Waimate Witness understands that the test case undertaken by the Audit Department against the Waimate West County Council for nonpublication of the county balance-sheet has been withdrawn.

"Weather forecast.—Southerly winds owderato to strong and backing by west to north then freshening. Expect dull weather with mist and fog in parts; rain probable. Barometer has a rising tendency, but falling after about' 24 hours.—Bates Wellington.

Mr W. Macßonald, manager of the Central Co-op. Store Co., of Stratford, Limited, has received a letter of thank* from the Belgian Vice-Consul at Wellington, expressing appreciation of the Company's generosity and thoughtfulness in forwarding a cheque for £lO, in aid of the Distress F,und.

A report dealing with Norfolk Island, submitted to the Federal Parliament, says the complete absence of serious crime on the island is due largely to the prohibition of the manufacture, and general sale of strong drink, and that the ordinary class of police offences • is non-existent.

There was a Tair amount of betting on the Eltham County election in the South Riding, wherein the first published account was reversed by the official return, with some amusing results (states the Argus). In one instance a person won 10s and, being a bit of a sport, promptly "liquidated" the winnings by shouting for the crowd. But when the official result was declared the result was reversed, so the money had to be returned—but the drinks were secure.-

A Press Association telegram from Gore this morning states: Three local clergymen engaged to address an odohair meeting on Saturday evening on the temperance question, but the effort was a failure. Hostility was shown by a small section in the large crowd, who continually interrupted the first two speakers in a most insulting manner. The speakers took this in goad part despite the, fact that eggs were thrown at them. The third clergym;«n closed the proceedings by leading in the singing of the National Anthem.

The following donations have been received by tin* Stratford Public Works; Office from the Whangamomona branch as follows:—For Patriotic Fund: G. •Wilson, D. Harley, J. Funnell £1 each. For the British and Gelgian Fund: H. C. Strombom £l, T. Trenberth, W Dolman, 0. Dick, J. Cuncliffe, F Frandi, T. Rowbotham, J. MeGcwan, C. Anguin, J. Cremer, P. Wal<h. W! A. Reid, M. Carmody, J. Hall, J. Sullivan, W. Reilly, and W. O'Connor 10s each, R. Hogg 9s lOd, P. Tooboy and P. Long 9s each, H. Shingles. N. Sadlier, G. Stuckbury, 5s eaoh.

The Rev. R. B. S. Hammond, Rec-| tor of St. Simon's Church of England, j Sydney, arrived in Stratford this morn, ing and will be the guest of the Rev.' C. W. Howard, vicar of Stratford, during the day. This afternoon a reception and meeting for women was held in the Parish Hall, at 3 p.m., and this evening, at 8 p.m., a public meeting will be held in the Town Hall. Admission to all meetings will be free, but a collection will be taken up and the net proceeds given to the relief funds. Mr Hammond is one of the greatest social reformers in the Southern Hemisphere.

The following extracts from recent District Orders will be of interest: — Fire per cent, monthly drafts will be required for the remaining ten months of the first year of the war, making a total of 50 per cent, still to come. Every unit, whether mounted rifles, artillery, infantry, or other technical .and departmental corps, must keep up a list of volunteers for reinforcement drafts. Age limit, 20 to 40. It is quite possible that instead of the five per cent, monthly drafts being sent, large equivalent drafts may be despatched, "and all concerned should be prepared for this contingency.

Evidently the money paid by the Acclimatisation Society [for shags' feet is well >spent, and an occurrence yesterday would seem to suggest that with profit even a greater sum could be paid for the feet. A sportsman who was out fishing yesterday surprised a shag, which was unable to rise from the water until it vomited up three trout, each about 'seven inches long. Two of the trout were in a well-digested condition and were left alone, but the third, which had only recently been swallowed, was brought to this office as ocular demonstration of the voracity and destruetiver.ess of the shag. Taking three trout as an average meal, a single shag will account for a good many fish in a week.