STRATFORD NEWS.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LV, Issue 283, 22 April 1913, Page 3

STRATFORD NEWS.

FROM OUR RESIDENT REPORTER,

STRAY PARAGRAPHS Broadway busily discusses Hie survey about (o be undertaken of the Opmuike railway from To Roti. In the face of the definite assurance of the Prime Minister and the Minister of Public Works that "nothing has been done and nothing will be done," there seems to be nothing (o fear. It will probably be found that this survey is necessary in order to compare the cost of the various routes which have been suggested, some of which have not been surveyed. ■Meanwhile Eltham will doubtless go on ■with the agitation for the "reserved" route, which the Commissioners passed by, and Stratford for an early commencement of the Stratford-Kapongit-Manaia section, whjch the Commissioners recommended, and which brings the dairy factories of South-Western Tar.anaki into the closest possible communication with the deep-sea port of Taranaki, whence Sooner or later our dairy produce must be shipped. What's to hinder the .Harbor Board getting a spurt on, to show us I what the harbor can do for us. Had the, harbor works been as vigorously pushed on as the agitation for railways the Opunake railway route would have been no longer in doubt; it would have been sensibly linked up at the Stratford railway junction with the Stratford-Auck-land railway. Mr. C. G. Rundlc, for five yenrs on our : Stratford contemporary, left yesterday ! to take up a position in the linotype room of the Hawke's Bay Herald, at Napier. Mr. Rundle, who has many friends in this district, and also at New Plymouth and Oakura, was presented by the "Post" staff on Saturday with a neat little set of brushes. Mr. Grant ("Mr. Sub.") made the presentation, and Messrs. Hancock (foreman) and Fisher (engineer) expressed good j wishes for Mr. Rundle's future success. Elder's Registry has an experienced J housemaid and waitress open for en- j

gagement.

Water-earl was ovt yesterday!

I Mr. J. McAllister lias definitely dej cided not to seek re-election to the Borough Council, but will re-offer his services to the ratepayers as a member of the Stratford Hospital and Charitable Aid Board. Mr. McAllister takes a keen interest in the hospital work, and has been an excellent member of the Board. Mr. R. McK. Morison is mentioned, and as a seasoned local body man he should be a good representative. He is the fortunate possessor of a little leisure, which is indispensable in the case of a hos-1 pital board member. Mr. C. D. Sole, I who has been out of municipal life for a j few years, is a certain starter. With I a tremendous fund of energy, and a habit I of calling a spade a spade,' he should be able to do good work. But only two seats arc vacant, and these three men can't all occupy them. Who will be the people's choice? The Stratford Rifle Club, which has quite a big accession of membershiri this year, will hold the final shoot on Thursday for the Masters Cup. The shooting of the members in last week's match with Kaponga showed a good deal of improvement, the twelve.men averaging, just over 90 per man, out of a possible of 105. I

Mr. Stanley, representing the A.M.P. Society's industrial branch, has taken up his residence in Stratford.

The Daily News job printing office in Stratford is daily increasing its list of well-satisfied customers. Anything and everything, from a visiting card to a trade catalogue, can be turned out in first-class style quickly and cheaply. Mme. Bernard was a passenger to New Plymouth yesterday by the morning train. Miss Eileen Bernard, whose Health has been unsatisfactory for some time, is at present in a convalescent institution in New Plymouth, and picture patrons will be glad when the little lady returns with her smile to the dress circle door of "His Majesty's." There was evidently plenty of money about on Saturday. A sharper prepared to take a risk might have got some of it yesterday. The News man was chatting with a prominent business man during the morning, when his attention was directed to a rather smart and prepossessing young lady heading for the bank with fully a two-inch wad of notes. Next minute along came a miniature office boy, also carrying bank notes to the extent of a wad fully an inch and a half in thickness. In ne'ither case was there any attempt made to conceal the hoard, even when there were newspaper men about.

Sergeant McNeely made a round of inspection on Saturday night, and "sailed into" several of the shopkeepers who seemed to have forgotten that nine o'clock was closing time. In the case of those business places which had the doors closed and customers within there was no trouble, but in one or two instances "the door" was still open, and very little preparation made for closing at the gazetted hour, which was not fair to the men who were prompt in' the matter. The sergeant must have got a lot of fun out of it. In the old days only the hotels were subject to these visits.

Cilice and Job' Printing Works: Next N.Z. Loan & Mercantile Agency Co., Broadway. Telephone No. 113.

MOTHER AMD CHILD

PATHETIC CASE IN COURT. NEGLECT UXIJER STATE CAIIE ALLEGED. Auckland, April 17. The Taumarunui correspondent of the '"Herald" relates a story that recalls Eliza in "Uncle Tom's Cabin." The ease was heard at the Magistrate's Court at Taumarunui this week, and the correspondent says, extricated from the mass of legal details, the story as told in Court is as follows:

A married couple with their three children lived in Auckland some eighteen | months ago. The eldest child was a I boy of seven; the others were two I little girls of two years and one year respectively. The family had fallen into trouble; the mother was sick, and the father was so circumstanced as to be unable to look after or provide for those dependent on Mm, The boy fell in with two evil companions older than himself, and all three were detected in a petty theft, for which the boy was committed to an industrial school. The mother having recovered and the father having got on his feet again, they began to long for the boy. The mother fretted, grew thin and ailing, and the doctor ordered her to leave town. She had saved a few pounds, intending to go to see the boy, and they realised a little more

money by selling up some furniture

which they possessed. Xot long ago they left Auckland for Wellington, and learned previously that their son had been some nine months before put out to board with a certain woman from whom they had letters about him. Her address had not been given. They obtained the address from Mrs. Dick, and set out to visit the boy. It was after seven in the evening when they got to the station, and it was quite dusk when they reached the

woman's home, a small farm a mile out

,' of a certain township. When nearing it j the father stopped to make inquiries at a house, but the mother pushed on and encountered the boy himself on the roadside gathering sticks. According to the mother, she was shocked at what she described his utterly neglected-looking condition; long, unkempt hair, ragged ill-fltting clothes of the coarsest and dirtiest kind, hare feet, and arms sticking out of a skimpy jacket. Continuing, her story, the mother said the boy ran to her and begged to be taken home as I he said the woman was unkind both to 1 him and to four other children of whom she had charge from the same instituI tiori. He gave a harrowing description I of Ms life at the farm, and said their only periods of comfort were when Mrs. [ Dick arrived on her monthly inspection, for they were then bedded indoors instead of in an outhouse, and they got proper food instead of the boiled pollard which was their usual diet. The mother then decided to take the boy away, though she had not previously intended to do so. ' The father knew this was an illegal step, but agreed to risk the consequences. The waited two hours at the railway station for the return train, no inquiries being made for the boy meanwhile. The guard of the train to whom they showed the boy was stated to have said he would testify whenever wanted as to his condition. The boarding-house keeper with whom they stayed at Palmerston North was said to have made the same offer and to have expressed indignatios at the state of the child. Next morning (Sunday) they bought a new suit of clothes for him and set out on Monday morning for Taumarunui. Before leaving thei station a detective entered the carriage and asked the mother if she were Mrs.—. She said "No," and the man passed on. On arrival, the mother and one or two friends examined the child, and found him to be in a filthy condition. They also discovered that he had forgotten all that he had formerly learned, and they sent him to school at once. They also sent a telegram to the woman who had charge of the boy, telling her that he was well and was going to Sydney with his mother. The boy had been with his parents, however, only a fortnight when a constable heard of the matter and the boy was sent back in custody to the place where he was taken from. The mother was prosecuted for a breach of the Industrial Schools Act in removing the boy. The father is at present in steady work in Taumarunui. He and his wife and two children were present in Court, and told in their evidence the story outlined above. Counsel for defendant urged that under the circumstances the mother did what any mother would have done, and that even if she was guilty of a technical breach of the law she was not deserving of punishment. He also urged that an inquiry should be held into the circumstances related in evidence, and said that as the parents were now able and willing to look after the child it should be restored to them. The Bench said that the circumstances were quite peculiar. While the alleged neglect at the home rested chiefly on the child's statement, the clothing (produced in Court) and the evidence of the parents afforded some corroboration. The mother had only done what any other mother would do, and while he had to convict her of a technical breach of the law, he would discharge her. He would make representation in the proper quarter regarding an inquiry.