LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Stratford Evening Post, Volume XXV, Issue 309, 30 December 1914, Page 4

LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Tho “Stratford Evening Post” will not be published on Friday next, New Year’s Day.

A dance will be held in the Midhirst Town Hall on the night of January Ist. Arrangements have been made as completely as usual.

In consequence of the advance in the price of oats, the Dunedin millers have raised the price of oatmeal by £1 per ton. The current quotation is £ls 10s per ton for 251 b bags.

Among the many, attractions at the •Dawson Falls Mountain House the tourists now staying there' are arranging some children’s sports for New Year’s Day, and it is anticipated there will be a good attendance.

Several old members of the Stratford Swimming Club will be missing from the baths this season owing to absence from the district. This should prove an incentive to the younger and more ambitious swimmers. The committee will hold a meeting early in the New Year.

The manager of the Stratford Mourn, tain House reports a large number of visitors at his house during the holidays, many of whom have made arrangements to stay there over the New Year. The land slip at the Manganui Gorge has now been re,stored, and the track is in first-class order.

“In the early days, sea rovers fought furiously for the ownership of Heligoland, as it made a fine base for piratical expeditions.”—After reading of the raids on the east coast of England, one feels that the same business is still carried on by the island’s present owners, despite the flight of time.

A Thames Press Association message reports:—A gold find is reported from Whangamata. There is said to be a new reef, which assays up to £2O to the ton. Wellington and Nelson people are said to be interested. The reef is near where a poor coal deposit was found some, time back.

Here is a story from a London paper about a War Office clerk :—An officer was reported missing, and then killed. He got back to England by a roundabout route, went to Whitehall, and personally assured the War Office that he was alive. The official gravely informed him that his statement would be inquired into!

A challenge has been sent by P. Hannan, of Wellington, to William Webb, of Wanganui, to row him for the sculling championship of New Zealand and £2OO a-side, on the Wanganui River, between now and the end of April next. Prior to the issue of the challenge Hannan received a letter from Webb’s hacker (Mr W. R. Tuck) stating that it would be impossible for his man to meet Hannan before May or June, and suggesting that the latter should for preference accept a challenge matte to him by a New South Wales sculler.

The steamer Aldenham, from Japan and the Far East, brought to Australia a party of Russians from Siberia and Manchuria. In the party were five women. All will remain in Sydney except one woman, .who is going on to Melbourne to join her husband, who is already there. These immigrants had much of interest to tell regarding Siberia and the side-lights on the present war in that far corner of the Russian Empire’ They state that whole districts have been emptied of their young men, who have eagerly volunteered to join the colors. The district of Yakhoust has been almost depopulated owing to the fact that it is largely composed of men of military age. These men are not conscripts, but volunteers in the true sense of the word. They enlist with enthusiasm as to a great hunting expedition.

The Secretary of the Belgian Relief Fund acknowledges with thanks the

receipt of the following amounts:— Stratford Hospital Staff £o, York Road School Concert £2 18s 3d, J. Pattinson £l, Tug-of-war team 10s.

The Stratford Boy Scouts leave at S o’clock on Saturday morning for their camp. They will spend a week or two under canvas at Mr Ewen Jackson s farm at Douglas, where examinations will lie held in the various branches of scout craft.

A. case peculiarly interesting to newspaper men is reported from Melbourne. George Cochrane, known in journalistic circles as “Grant Hervey,” was arrested recently at Casterton, on a charge of conspiring to de. fraud E. D. Gazzard, proprietor of the “Castertoh News.” On November 9, Gazzard received a telegram, alleged to have been signed by “M. Livingston” at Sydney. The message intimated that Cochrane had filed his schedule for a large sum. Gazzard published this intimation in his newspaper, as Cochrane, having been locally employed, was well-known in that district. Subsequently Cochrane issued a writ, claiming £2OOO damages for alleged libel, contained in the intimation, as he (Cochrane) had not filed his schedule. Gazzard reported the matter to the police, and after inquiries had been made Cochrane was arrested. He has been admitted to bail in two sureties of £SOO each.

In an unpretentious building in Paris there is being forged a. weapon which may well prove decisive in the present campaign. The weapon is not a still more mighty siege gun, but anti-chol-era vaccine, and the unpretentious building is the Pasteur Institute. “We have not a single case of either cholera or typhus fever in the Allied army,” a visitor was told, “and we are not likely to have. But Austrian troops, which are suffering severely, have been moved to the West, and we must be ready. During the late Balkan war anti-cholera vaccine was tried in the case of the Greek army, and the disease by this means was stamped out in 15 days. That is our working basis of experience. Now we are about to secure protection for the Serbian army, which is working in close contact with the infected area. We have a supply ready, too, for immediate use near at home should such use be demanded.” Cholera is a water-borne infection, but contamination may be brought to the water in many ways. Every measure of precaution—and these measures include inspection of water and camping grounds; and efficient washing of dishes and utensils—is being taken hy the medical men in charge of the health of our soldiery So far the record is clean and tho prospects bright. The lesson of South Africa lias been learned—and also the wonderful lesson in efficient health organisation which Japan taught all Europe during her great war. But it is a matter of comfort to realise that should sanitary precautions prove insufficient* an effective weapon remains.