LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Stratford Evening Post, Volume XXV, Issue 306, 24 December 1914, Page 4

LOCAL AND GENERAL.

The “Stratford Evening Post” will not be published on Christmas Day or Boxing Day.

Hot water, tea, milk, and sugar are provided free and in plenty at the West End beach picnic at New Plymouth on Boxing Day.

Good pictures are always a treasure. In Messrs Bellringers’ window is to be seen a picture of a lion and lioness which are seen behind the bars of a cage. At a distance the picture looks particularly striking in its reality.

Mr E. Jackson, President of the A. and P. Association, is busy paying out the balance of the prize-money in connection with the recent Show. Prize-winners who have not yet received their money should call as early as possible.

The N.Z. Observer Christmas number, just to hand, is a particularly bright and cleverly got up annual. Matters topical are smartly dealt with in verse, many “Christmas cards” for leading citizens being presented. As it always is, the Observer annual is well worth obtaining.

Despite hard times, local dealers in Christmas goods are doing very good business, and they have been busy, especially during the last few days. Those who have left the business of getting presents till to-day are reminded that the shops will remain open till 11 o’clock to-night.

Thirty-two years is a long life for a Hawera publication. That is the age of the Star Almanack just,issued by the publishers, W. A. Parkinson and Co., Ltd., of the Hawera Star Office. Special care has, as usual, been taken to revise and bring up-to-date each section of the Almanack, which ought to find a ready place in Home or office.

At the Stratford Co-operative Building Society meeting held last evening, no tender being received for the £3OO appropriation (Ist group), a ballot was taken, Mr T. E. Wilson, of Taihape, being successful, and in respect,of the second group for £4OO, Mr A. Rogers, of Eltham, was, the successful tenderer.

. Root crops in the district as the result of the recent rains, are looking remarkably well, mangolds being particularly promising. One farmer boasts of an excellent crop of mangolds now eleven inches above ground. There has been more land cultivated for crops tijis season, both wheat and oats being sown with much success. With warmer weather, the yields should he promising.

Stratford Bowling Club will bo represented by three teams at the Bowling Tournament at Wanganui on Boxing Day, as follows(1) Messrs N. J. King, J. Masters, G. Smart, and P. Skqgluud (skip); (2) R. Masters, C. Jackson, R. McK. Morison, and E, Jackson (skip); (3) T. C. Fookcs, T. A. W. Nicholson, W. J. Reeve, and Stan Sharp (skip). The tournament will take place on the Wanganui, St. John’s, and Gonville greens.

The following nominations have so far been received for the position of representative of the employers on the Arbitration Court, vice Mr Wm. Scott, whose resignation takes effect from January 31st:—Messrs E. F. Dothil (Dunedin), __ Frank Hobbs (Christchurch), F. Piraui (Feilding), J. if. Johnston (Palmerston North), and S. J. Clarke and Miller (Auckland). Those entitled to vote for the election of the representative are the individual employers’ unions registered under the Act.

To lose £2OO in bank notes in the course of a walk from a city restaur ant to the railway station was the unfortunate experience of an Auckland blacksmith the other day. The man had just sold his business, and the notes—one for £IOO, and several others for large amounts—were carelessly placed in his hip-pocket. The police state that there are undoubtedly pickpockets operating in the city, but consider that in this instance the blacksmith must have dropped the notes on the pavement. The fact remains, however, that the £IOO note was changed at a bank twenty minutes after the man discovered his loss.

There are many attractions v for Boxing Day for those who are not travelling out of the province. Chiefly, there are the races at New Plymouth on the 26th and 28th which will draw many sports to that city, and the West End beach will provide an excellent holiday for both young and old. The Axemen’s Carnival at Eltham on the 26th and 28th will suit those who want to see the big chopping event of the year. Others who appreciate more the" seclusion of “the mountain and the flood” will find themselves well catered for at the Stratford Mountain House, whore a great many visitors from all parts are now staying.

The Stratford Brass Baud will commence playing carols in Broadway at 12.15 to-morrow morning.

In future (states the Press Association). Palmerston will have two sergeants of police. Sergeant Willis, who has been five years there, has been transferred to Feilding. Sergeant Henry becomes, senior sergeant, and Sergeant Quin (Christchurch) junior.

A Wellington Press Association telegram states: A further promotion m the police force is that of DetectiveSergeant Boddam, of New Plymouth, who will be transferred to Wellington as Chief Detective and lake the place of Chief Detective Broberg, who goes to Dunedin as sub-inspector. Saveral promotions of constables to the rank of sergeant, it is understood, have been decided upon, but until these members have passed the medical examination their names will not be available.

\Miile on the one hand the Australian taxpayer has to provide a lot of money for the killing business of war he has also to pay for births (remarks Die Sydney correspondent of the Otago Daily Times). Under the Cpmmauwealth law the parents of every newlyarrived baby can claim a grant of £5. These grants of £5 amount to a lot in the aggregate. Since the Maternity Allowances Act came into force a couple of. years ago no fewer than 2/9,304 claims for the baby bonus have been granted, and this at £5 a head means that £1,383,285 has been paid out. New South Wales parents have got a substantial proportion of this money, as they were responsible for 106,609 claims.

Tire Oamarn correspondent of the Otago Daily Times telegraphs, as follows;—The end of another week finds no improvement in the outlook so far as the cereal crops are concerned. Indeed, speaking in general terms, the prospect is not equal to what was reported a week ago, and there was nothing encouraging about it then. A refreshing and serviceable rain fell on Sunday, with further showers on Monday, hut since then persistently strong drying winds have been eexperienced, and these have licked up all the moisture. ■ It has been the strong wind more than the small rainfall that has worked the mischief among the crops, and completely dissipated all hope of a good harvest. With nearly forty years’ experience in North Otago I cannot recall a year in which such persistent windy weather was experienced as we have had for the past four or five months.

After putting up the remarkable record of saving no fewer tljan nineteen lives, Mr C. Lansdown, a Wellington wharf labourer, has added another, completing the score. He was working on a coal hulk at the wool wharf, at about 6.30 p.m. on Friday, December 11, when a man named Guthrie, in attempting to board the Kahu close by missed his footing and fell, between that vessel and the Wharf. Mr Lansdown promptly jumped to the man’s assistance and rescued him, despite the fact that the man struggled violently. Mr Lansdown is the holder of two Royal Humane certificates and a medal with four clasps for service during the South African campaign. Of the twenty lives, he has now to his credit, he saved sixteen while residing on the Surrey canal in England, one in America, and two in New Zealand (including that of the man Guthrie). His previous life-saving exploit in'New Zealand occurred some three months ago, when he rescued a man who fell

overboard from the troopship Moetaki in Wellington harbor.

The Wanganui Garrison Band, which has been engaged by the Stratford Racing Club to .play at its race meeting on the Ist arid 2nd of January, has, at the request of the Club, very kindly consented to play on Sunday, the 3rd January, at the Stratford racecourse, in aid pf the Belgian Relief Fund. . The Band has submitted a very high class programme for this open-air concert, and, quite apart from the very deserving cause for which they and the Club are working, the performance should be largely attended by lovers of music in the district, as opportunities of hearing a first-class musical organisation of the calibre of the Wanganui Garrison Band, are few and far between. The Racing Club is donating the whole of the proceeds of the concert to the Relief Fund, and, as appears in our advertising columns, convenes a meeting of citizens who are willing to assist in the matter, in order that the detail arrangements for the day of the performance may be carried out efficiently and with the least possible cost. The concert will probably commence at 2.30 p.m. and finish at 4,30. The action of the Band, which will have had two very heavy days’ performances on the Ist and 2nd, ifi vso readily consenting to give their services "graftiitously cannot be too highly commended, and it is hoped that the people of Stratford will do their s'hare in this most deserving charity also.