LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Stratford Evening Post, Volume XXXXI, Issue 19, 11 August 1920, Page 4

LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Amongst the “prizes’’ to be offered in a “surprise packet” scheme to take place in Gisborr e shortly are three orders for surgical operations.

Weather forecast—The ird’cations are for freshening northerly winds. A storm appears to be approaching from the west. Th e weather appears likely to be cloudy with rain following. Barometer falling.

A schoolteacher at one of our country schools was told by one of the pupils that if she gave him the; strap any more,, he would toll Mr Masters (M.P.) and he would put her out!

l{ • < j | A Stratford man who was recently in New York writes home to state that he had di’ ed on New Zealand lamb purchased cheap from , one ol the “Globe” newspaper' 'shops, the price being 39 cents', ,*• about Is per lb. American lamb ,v-t To rents, or about 3s lid per lb. He ’•■on,moored that the lamb was a credit to New Zealand.

■ i The'Htf e Hivestgatwi' Tribunal will sit at the Courthouse, Stratford, on Thursday (to morrow') comme cing at ten a.m. for tb e purpose of hearing complaints as + .n u reasonable high price y Complaints may be made personally or by let+nr. An advertisement in connection v.TTn the • id.ing appears m v page 1. A most contemptible tin ft has been reported at Gisborne. The Harbour Board has an ambulance wagon which is rot under lock and key; on account of the fact that it may be needed urgently at a y moment. During the last few days some mean thief hnn stolen the blanket, bandages, and other equipment from the wagon.

An example of the mild season was given to the Gisborne Herald last week by Air Thus. Cahil . of AAaoren. ga-a-hika, who brought in an excellent sample of ripe raspberries. Mr Cahill spates that there is a prolific crop, notwithstanding the period of the year but they are eagerly sought by the birds, who quickly devour the unprotected fruit as it r'pe is.

A .< triki g increase in the number of suicides of youths and young girls is an indication of tiie moral and social collapse of Germany. The latest instance is that of a Cologne girl, aged 17, of respectable family, who was discovered by her parents stealing mo"ey from her father's cashbox. Without a moment’s hesitation she threw herself from the fourth-storey window to instant death. These tragedies are now so common that in recording them the newspapers have coined the word “Young-tired.of-life” Seldom are these pathetic suicides over IP years old, and they are almost always of good education.

America is sun? “hone" dry' Under date ,']th F-i.y, M. C K Bellringer Bros., StratMrd writes rn the ..•jpct to Mr t D S< I*. S• ir :• r<l. as follows:—“I have now visited St. Paul, Minneapolis, Chicago, Detroit, Buffalo, Boston, Washington, Baltimore, Philadelphia and Xew York. The total population of these nlaces altogether is not loss than It millions. !• have looked for them, but 1 have not seen ten men showing any signs of liquor. There is a certain amount of bootlegging and secret, drinking, hut the drink trade here has become outlaw and hides its head, doing a certain amount of dirty work in dark nlaces. To see the crowds under Dm night illuminations is a great sight, hut never a drunken man do you meet!”

Something special is promised in “The Market of Souls” at the King’s Ci' cma to-morrow evening. Land agents arc asked to note that the notice to laud agents puhl shed in the “Stratford Post” of Saturday last.had reference to the farm of Mrs F. Keightley. Sanderson and Judd for plnmhing drain-laying, etc, Cood work am 1 prompt attention.

The head ot a Stratford business firm who wa s in New York in July writes in connection with the housing shortage stating that he was shown some tenement houses where it was said 3000 people were living in eacli heuse. What do you think of putting all Stratford, with Eltliam thrown in, into two houses? asks th e traveller. Rents are very high. .My cousin pays 600 dollars a year for one floor of a house about 45 x 20, divided into four rooms. An interesting dog was described by Mr J. W. Poynton, S.M., in the course of a lecture at Napier on “Some recent scientific discoveries.’’ It was a fact, lie said, that some animals responded J 0 nian’s unexpressed wish. Four well-authenticated instances were detailed—-tw 0 horses and two dogs—the last being a little black foxterrier in Christchurch. If you knew it, he would tell by barks the number of corns in your pocket, your age, the number of your watch. He did not know numbers, hut merely barked in response to your wish of expectation. His faculty got a large sum for the patriotic funds. He took on strangers. The other cases were responsive only to their masters’ mental impulses. A very weT-known public man, by careful experiments and statutory declarations regarding them, bad registered proof pf tbi 9 remarkable occurrence. The lecturer said lie was certain tb e power was more common in animals than generally supposed. He suggested careful search and selection for breeding pur. poses in those showing " ■ This means the sensitiveness could be increased and a new breed of dogs and horses would be produced, which would obey in all possible ways their masters’ unspoken wish, and be of immense use. The little New Zealand dog wag totally blind and old, so would not live much longer.