LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Stratford Evening Post, Volume XXXVIII, Issue 10, 3 December 1918, Page 4

LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Demobilisation is proceeding briskly at Trentham and the other camps.

The Press Congress of the world will open in Sydney on November 11 of next year.

All the telegraph restrictions hue to influenza have been removed, but the curtailed war conditions continue. '—Press Assn.

A Gazette extraordinary proclaims that all wool clipped in New Zealand not later than one year from Juno, 30, 1919, is requisitioned on behalf of his Majesty .the King.

A extraordinary general meeting of members of the Stratford A. and P. Association will he held in the down Hall on Saturday, 7th December, to discuss the advisability of holding the Show.

The New Plymouth Harbour Board is moving in connection with the Empowering Bill, which is to come before Parliament this week, and tin# members of the Board who have this matter in hand are now in Welling-

Work on the various Public Works in the Dominion is stated to be in. readiness for about lb,ooo men, and it is hoped that many returned sol-, diers will thus find immediate employment.

Another probable candidate tor the Waimarino electorate is Mr, A. Reid, of Tanmaranui, who, i't is stated, intends t° come out as an advanced Labour candidate, lids is the fifth.au-, nouncemcnt of “probables” lor the election.

In connection with the cleaning and disinfecting of railway carriages, the 'Public Health Committee at New Plymouth has received a reply to their telegram from the Minister of Pailways stating that the instructions for a daily disinfection of the carriages were being fully carried out.

In reply to a telegram from the New Plymouth Citizen’s Committee re the Government grant of £IOOO for

the rebuilding of the New Plymouth

Boy’s High School Sir James Allan stated that Cabinet had decided the subsidy to be paid and he did not think |t could he reconsidered. The •Committee asked for a subsidy on a £ for £ basis up to £OOOO.

Last week 10,500 boxes of butter wore dispatched from the Taranaki Producers’ Freezing Works for shipment at Wellingt>n on the Remueia. Owing to the Comma, which usually takes the dairy produce from Now Plymouth to Wellington, not being available, the butter was sent by rail, the main portion being taken on Saturday’s trains. Advice has been received by the company that 0000 crates of cheese will he taken Iromj the New Plymouth works to be shipped on the Arawa about the middle of this month.

Mr Wesley Sprngg has made a gift to the people of Auckland of Kaiteraki Park, of 721 acres, on the Manukau Harbor, as an enduiing memorial of his son—lncut. Weslej Neal Spragg, of the Royal living Corps, who was killed in action on January 1,10 IS. This gift is subject to the provision that he may erect •< suitable monument thereon to ids sou, which the City Council Is therealter to take custody of. The oiler has been accepted by the City Council, as lias also an offer by Mr John Coiilt to provide the equipment, at a cost of £ISOO, for a children’s playground in Victoria Park.

At tin* monthly mooting last evening, Mr R. Masters interiewod the Stratford School Committee with reference to a request to tlm children to go round to the School and collect their books. Mr Masters said he considered that it was an unwise procedure- to allow hundreds of children to congregate at the school, especially as a good deal was being done at the present to stop •persons congregating. The children would bo from all sorts of homes, in some pf which, prohalhly, (hero would he influenza cases, and in their anxiety to get the books, some of the children might come out only partially well. He thought it would be running the risk of starting a fresh, outbreak. Members went into committee oil the subject, and on resuming, it was reported that it had been resolved not to allow the children to gather at the school, and that the matter of posting someone at the j School gates to stop pupils entering I or gathering round, was left in the ‘hands of the chairman.

During November, as might have been expected, no building permits were issued by the Stratford Borough Council. V*'Everything possible will be done to prevent enemy aliens acquiring rights over minerals,” says Mr Massey. ...

Candidates for positions of pupilteacher or probationer may obtain application forms from the Headmaster of the Stratford School on •Saturday next.

The bowling match to have taken place at Inglewood on Thursday between the Inglewood and Stratford Clubs has been postponed owing to the epidemic, and will not be played until.clie collusion of the first round of the competition.

Arrangements are being made by the Defence Department in Wellington to secure for any of our soldiers who wish to remain in Great Britain for a given period, either for pleasure or business purposes, the right to so remain. New Zealand women like to think that they are in the height of fashion. They might take a hint from the following extract from the Loudon Daily Telegraph; “High heels have almost disappeared, and women have ceased to look upon a loot decked out in evening slippers as suitable for wear out of doors in bad or even doubtful weather. The uniform has done a great deal towards iorming new ideas in matters of costume.”

The rainfall in Stratford for Novemher totalled 8.18 im lies, which is much over the average of that month’s rain. So far this year all the months have exceeded their average. November figures are as under: Ist, .31; 2nd .07; 3rd, .08; 6th, .85; 7th, 2.16; Bth, .18; 9th, .05; 18th, .31; 19th, .53; 21st,, .15; 23rd, .65; 24th, .12; 2Gth, .06; 27th, .59; 28th, .18; 29th, .18; ,30th, 1.81.

The National Executive of the Second Division League passed a resolution that the League views with alarm the continued dilatoriness of the Government iu regard to the question of repatriation, particularly in view of the fact that thousand’s of soldiers are now being discharged, and that official statements point to an early return of the men from overseas, and urges'upon the Government‘and Par- 0

Lament that no further delay should be tolerated.—Press Association. .■

/The Rainfall at Riversdale, Inglewood, according to the observer, Misa Trimble, for the month of November, was 9.54 inches. On the fourth, ■there was no rain, arid seven days from the 9th tp the 15th inclusive wore also dry. The heaviest falls were on tlie 7tli (2.32), and on the 30th (2). The details were as follow: November Ist, .37; 2nd, .15; 3rd, .03; sth, .08; 6th, .06; 7th, 2:32; Bth’ .21; 16th, .22; 17th, .41; 18th, .53; 19th, .35; 20th, .11; 21st, .21; 22nd, .00; 23rd, .69; 24th, ,37;;25th,: .11; 2Gth, .17: 27th, .93; 28th, .11; 29th, .12; 30th, 2.00.

According to a cablegram received on Wednesday by an Auckland hardware firm, the position of the hardware market in'New York is still unsettled, states the Herald. The.firm’s agent reported that he did not expect any radical reduction of forward prices as a result of the cessation of hostilities, but he anticipated export facilities to be much easier. The principal of the firm said hardware supplies, notably fencing wire and nails, were very low in New Zealand, but if freight facilities in America were easier, as was likely to be the case, supplies in New Zealand would begin to get back to normal. He considered prices of hardware in the Dominion would shortly he easier, on account of freight rates being reduced and there being no further necessity to piy war risks on cargo.

Tim creator of Sherlock Holmes tells an amusing story against himself. l,u the. course of a lecture tour through the United States he arrived one day in Boston, and was considerably astonished when a cabman accosted him and addressed him by name. “How did you know who I was?” said Sir Conan Doyle, much interested, and not a little flattered by the recognition. “If you’ll excuse my saying so,” said the cabman, “the lapels of your coat look as if they had been grabbed by New York reporters, your hair looks aa if it had been cut in Philadelphia, your hat look's as if you had to stand your ground in Chicago, and your rightshoe has evident- Buffalo mud under the instep, and—and ——” “And what?” queried Sir Arthur. “Well,” replied the cabman, “f saw ‘Conan Doyle’ in big white letters on your trunk.” 1

Some extraordinary evidence waa given at Johannesburg before the 'commission recently appointed to inquire into reports of the alleged bribery of members of public bodies. One witness named Du Plessis, a translator of the Supreme Court, gave a derailed account of how he was engaged by bookmakers to prevent the passage of the Racing Bill through the Provincial Council. Describing an interview which he had with Mr van Vcyeren, a member of the Provincial Executive, he said. “Mr van Vcyeren was quite sympathetic, and said, ‘Where do T come in?’ We eventually had a long argument, and I drove him home. He wanted £2OO, and I knocked him down to £150.” •Ho paid Mr van Yeyeren in bank notes, obtained from Linton, a bookmaker. He also saw Linton hand bank notes, bow much he did not know, to Dan Dingwall, a member of the. Labour Party. The sum of £2OOO I was at the witness’s disposal, but ha h had not used it all.