Local and General.

Stratford Evening Post, Volume XXXIX, Issue 97, 29 August 1923, Page 4

Local and General.

Members of the Horticultural Society are to meet in Smith's roomß this evening immediately after the Plunket Society's meeting.

A reminder is given of the meeting being held at Smith's Tea Rooms at 7.30 this evening in connection with the Plunket Society's flower show. All interested are asked to attend.

The Mount Eden Borough Council on Monday night" reversed Its previous decision and reinstated the engineer, J. Rogers, whereupon the Mayor, Mr Kyall, and several members gave notice of their intention to tender their resignations.

Weather forecast.—The indications are fftr wind, freshening westerly strong to gale and veering by west to north. The weather appears to be cloudy and unsettled, with rain following: then the weather w»l> probably become warmer. Barometer falling.—D. C. Bates.

In reply to a telegram sent to the Premier (the Hon. W. F. Massey) from the Reform League, Mr W. MacDonald (secretary) has received the following telegram from Mr Massey:—"Warmly appreciate the good wishes expressed in your telegram on behalf of the Stratford league in connection with my departure to attend Imperial Conference, which I hope will still further result in strengthening the bonds which unite our great Empire.—W. F. Massey."

A rather remarkable coincidence occurred in one of the city Presbyterian churches in Dunedin on Sunday (states the Otago Daily Times). The pulpit in the morning and evening was occupied by two different preachers, and for a lesson each. chose the same chapter (I Corinthians, Ist chapter). Then for a A text to preach from each selected the 18th verse of the chapter. Those who attended each service heard the subject treated from two totally different standpoints.

An Invercargill correspondent states that the butter-fat record for Ayrshires was broken by Mr A. M. Weir's cow Fancy, which completed her test period to-day. she was tested for over 3G5 days, and produced 723.371bs of butter fat, and 14,208.91 b of milk. Mr "Weir is a prominent Ayrshire breeder, and his herd is located at Menzie's Ferry. The previous record was 602.211 b butter-fat and 12,8261b' of milk. Fancy is now in calf, and is due in November. Her average test for the period was 5 per cent.

For three hours on Thursday morning some sidelights into unhappy marriage were gained at the Auckland Supreme Court, when 32 people petitioned either for a dissolution of their unions or to pave the way for such a dissolution. Since last civil session three months aw, over 60 petitions have been filed, and though some of them have aleady been disposed of, the bulk were adjudicated upon by Mr Justice Herdman on Thursday. These were all undefended petitions, andfr when facts were made plain it did not take the judge long to decide upon them. In a few cases the hearing was adjourned for further evidence, and when it was not otherwise stated a decree nisi was made in every instance. The adage that "it is an ill-wind that blows nobody any good" is a feature of these proceedings, for, apart from future happiness that it is anticipated will result from the severing of connubial knots, the legaL fraternity and the Justice Department reap quite a little harvest. Counsel's f.?es for the cases to bo heard this session will run into at least £I6OO, while the court expenses increase the s-am paid to about £2OOO. .

"I din't know how you sell it at the price" is what they all say who have inspected and tried the beautifully finished new model 1923 Chevrolet car, £290 complete. Inspection invited and demonstrations arranged.—Stevenson, Blackstock & Co. International Harvester Co., Regan Street. »

Weeds' Great Peppermint Oure. For flniinrh* »nd CVdda. nnrer foil*

Jack Sullivan undertakes to do plumbing, electric light installations, repairs, and concrete paths etc., at reasonable cost. Best materials used. Workmanship guaranteed. Estimates given. Private residence, Regan St., Phone 94. x

Sanderson and Judd for plumbing drain-laying electric work, etj All kinds of electric fittings stocked. Good work, prompt attention. Telephone 222. ,

Members of the Stratford Fire Brigade and ladies associated with the committee will shortly be calling upon townspeople for donations and subscriptions towards the Brigade's forthcoming ball.

The Mayor. (Mr J .W. McMillan) and Councillors S. Ward and MacDonald, who were appointed by the Borough Council as a committee to interview, Mr I. W. Alderton, the contractor of the new Post Office, relative to the removal of the hoarding fronting the building, state that Mr Alderton has agreed to shift the barrier, providing for more frontage and better access to tho shops on the south side. Owing to the work to the tower, it is not possible to remove the whole obstruction.

. Owing to. counter attractions, there was only a small attendance at the Methodist Home and Maori Missionary meeting held at the Methodist Church last night. The Rev. L. B. Neale presided. The Rev. T. G. Brooke, organising secretary, gave an interesting address oh Maori Mission work in New Zealand, especially in connection with the early settlement in the North* and traced the development * that had tak<m place over a long period of years. Mr Brooke is a powerful speaker, and his experiences in many parts of the Dominion were attentively listened to.

A guide map 1 of Mt. Egmont prepared by Mr B. H. Horner-, of Stratford, and some notes and & 0 "" vice for climbers, written by Mr J. P., Murphy, of the Dawson's Palls house, has just been issued in booklet form. This publication should be very useful to mountaineers as the map covers the topography of the mountain very fully, while Mr Murphy's hints to intending climb-

ers, based on long experience of Mt. Egmont, explains the routes taken ''Hot, the ascent and enumerates some "don'ts". Other interesting information includes historical references and an . account of the first ascent of the mountain. The lithographic plan was executed by Messrs McLeod *and Slade, New Plymouth.

Mr Justice Reed in the Supreme Court at Christchurch, sentencing George Beaumont to five years on each of seven charges of indecent assault on girls, said the greatest protection should be given to young girls' modesty. Beaumont had broken that modesty in several girls, and it was impossible to say what results would follow unless they forget it. The punishment was for / two, purposes. One was as a deterrent to the offender; the other was to warn others. George Judge received two years for indecent exposure at Ashburton, the judge stating that he imposed the maximum in the hope of protecting the public from the mania of sexual perverts.

Domestic troubles seasoned with a dash of love were principally responsible for the sudden elopement of a youth and a girl of 16 summers from the latter's home in Tauranga on a certain Tuesday evening (says the Waihi Telegraph). Mounted on a motor-cycle and the girl beside him in a side-car, the young man left Tauranga at 7.30 p.m. for Waihi. Owing to the shocking state of the road, the machine struck fast between Tauranga and Katikatl, and the couple perforce spent the long night on the road. They reached Waihi about 8 o'clock on Wednesday night in a wretched and tired condition. The intervention of the police the'following morning brought the romance to an abrupt ending, ana tne P alr were safely put aboard a service car bound for Tauranga. '

It is proposed to present to the first Archbishop of New Kealand (Archbishop Julius, of Christcburch) a prfmatical cross for his own and his successors' use-. A. design has been prepared by Mr F. G. Ournsey, of Christchurcb, and the cross will as far as possible be made of New Zealand materials. It will be made of silver, with embellishments of gold on enamel, and the staff will be-; of New Zealand woods, with greenstone presented by Maoris. The names of successive archbishops will be inscribed on the staff. It is desired that the cross should be the gift of the church people of the whole dominion and donations towards the estimated cost of £250 are; now being deceived in the various centres.

We have heard much of Africa as a vast and historical continent, but (apart from Egypt) very little of the attractions as a tourist resort Mr Thomas Lovely, as representative of jthe Publicity Department of the South African Railways and harbours, gave some interesting information on this point. New Zealanders going to Britain, he said could not do better than travel via the Cape, disembarking first at Durban and re-embarking at Capetown, after seeing much of the great Dominion of Africa. The railways were especially adapted to the tourist traffic. There were four-berth compartments, containing every possible convenience and convertible into, sleepers at night, and, as an instance of the cheap rates of travel, he mentioned that a coupon costing only 8/6 entitled the bearer to the threo daily meals provided on the sumptuous dining cars. Africa had a remarkably dry and sunny climate. As against the 1800 hours sunshine i a year of Auckland, Johannesour? had 3000 hours, and only three to. ojeven days in the whole year wsre ■ entirely.devoid of 3un3hine.