LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Stratford Evening Post, Volume XXXI, Issue 86, 24 November 1911, Page 4

LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Cheques as large as £2O were paid to workmen in the Whangamomona tunnel for last month’s work.

A meeting of members of the Fire Brigade will be held at the station this evening. Only two surviving members of the old Whangamomona County Council again occupied their seats at Wednesday’s meeting. Dr. Steven, .Medical Superintendent of the Hospital, left by this morning’s mail train en route to Dunedin, where, on the 20th, he will take formal farewell of the ranks of the Benedicts. Cr. Brown has been re-elected unopposed as chairman of the Taranaki County Council, and a similiar compliment was bestowed on Cr. Quin by members of the Eltham County Council. Most people when they see a snake in the grass get a creepy feeling, and look 'about for a stick to kill it, preferring to wait till it is dead to find oe.t whether it bo a non-venomous one or not (says the “Sydney Morning Herald.” There are a few, however, who have no aversion at all to these reptiles. On the other hand, they delight to keep them as pets, and fondle them as they do toy-terriers or teddy bears. in Sydney there is a firm which is making a specialty of supplying tamo snakes for women to play with. Men never buy pot snakes; all the customers are women —women who would shriek at the sight of a mouse, hut who with the utmost saug-foid will handle a snake in a way that makes the average man shudder. The snakes that are sold for this purpose are the diamond, carpet, brown-tree, and green-tree, all non-venomous, and they are caught around Sydney. “What class of women buy these things?” a dealer was asked recently, “Mostly foreigners,” bo said. “They buy them to take away as curios. One lady who was staying at a leading hotel in the city got one from us the other day. We put in in a box for her, but she let it loose in her room, and it got nut causing no little excitement, I am told. So far wo haven't sold any to local ladies; but I know there are some who make pots of them,”

The Rev. W. A. Butler arrived hack last night from a holiday trip. It is expected that by the time all tiro entries are in there will be a north two thousand for the Stratford Show —a Taranaki record.

Mr T. Kirkwood, a very popular ‘"•’i'rat ford fancier, obtained Air H. Bagly’s special prize for highest points scored in all dog classes at the ;-\v Plymouth Show.

A final reminder is given horseowners and trainers that entries for all handicap events at the Taranaki .jockey Club’s Christinas meeting close with tiro secretary, Mr E. P. Webster, to-night at 9 p.m.

Newton King proceeded against W. Blair on a judgment summons at the .Magistrate’s Court this morning torecovcr £3 IGs 7cl. Judgment debtor did not appear, and was ordered to pay the sum forthwith, in default, seven days’ imprisonment.

Despite every effort, medical skill was unable to save the life of Mr. Frank Mackay’s little son, and deepest sympathy is expressed for the bereaved parents in their Toss. The interment took place at 8 o’clock this morning, the Rev. J. M. Thomson conducting the service at the grave.

Judgment by default was given at the Magistrate’s Court this morning in the following cases:—F. Plunrtree v. J. Schdrowski, Bs, costs ss; Wilson, Drake and Co. v. Mark Cronin, £G Gs lOd, costs £1 3s Gd; A. Doan v. Win .Wright, £2 6s 2d, costs 10s; Kemp and Sawle v. James Hodge, £6 Gs lOd, costs £1 3s Gel.

A very heavy white frost was experienced this morning-—a very remarkable thing for this time of year. It would have been hoped that the frost would have ended the recent spell of cold and wet weather, but by seven o’clock a shower of rain had fallen, and at present there is no indication as to when the weather will set fair.

Enquiries are frequently being made at Whangamomona with respect to what arrangemnts are being made by the Stratford A. and P. Association in connection with a train service for tho Straford Show, and it would be advisable to let the back country , settlers know as soon as possible, as a large number intend visiting the Show. Messrs D. J. Malone and W. D. Anderson were on a business visit to Whangamomona on Wednesday.

The Chairman of tho Whangamomona County Council at its meeting on Wednesday brought up the matter of the proposed increased expenditure of £6OO on the Stratford Hospital Isalotion Ward. The Hospital wished to know if tho Whangamomona County Council as a contributing body would 1)0 agreeable to such increased expenditure on tho Isolation Ward, in view of the increased rate contingent thereon. No action was taken.

Prize-winners at tho Taranaki Show included Mr A. J. Orchard’s Consby (champion draught stallion). Mr J. Bond’s Campfire (champion entire), Mr C. Ruscoe obtaining first for best yearling colt and special prize for best thoroughbred two-year-old or under with a son of Campfire. Mr D. Hyndham’s Baron D. was awarded a second prize after a close contest, and Mr E. Jackson’s “Barney” added still another first prize ticket to his collection in the class for pony under 14.1 hands, to be ridden by . boy or girl under 15 years of age.

According to the “Star” a shipment of glass and china to the order of a Hawera merchant some time ago bad a chequered voyage. Tho boat on which it commenced tho journey went ashore and the goods were transferred to another steamer. This second was wrecked near Durban. Tiie cargo was, however, got out and put on still another, on which it reached its destination. Despite tho rough treatment and many handlings, the stuff arrived with actually less than the ordinary amount of breakages.

It having come to the knowledge of some members of the Stratford School Committee that the first session of the new Parliament will see an attempt to tamper with the Opaku Reserve Act, it was resolved to try and get a platform pledge from all candidates for the Taranaki seats to strenuously resist any such attempt. It may be stated that Opaku Reserve is a valuable block set aside as an endowment for the higher education of children from the Taranaki schools. Victoria College desired it in the past but the prompt action of Mr. Joseph Mackey and others was effective in preventing the endowment being diverted to purposes for which it was not intended.

j In the course of his charge to the (grand jury at the opening of the criminal sessions of the Auckland Supreme Court yesterday, Mr Justice Chapnan remarked' that he found from lime to time a considerable accunnilation of crime in Auckland. “It is difficult to see what the reason is,” ho said. “Why, for instance, should the trial of criminal cases here occupy something like four weeks as a rule, whereas further south the cases occupy a week or a week and a half, or even less than that. I suppose it is due partly to circumstances, to what might be called anthropological circumstances, that the criminal classes may he tender-skinned and resort to the fine climate for the same reason that prompts others.” His Honor said there might be other causes connected with the population and tho Far-back history of the locality, but it was certain there was a greater amount of crime in Auckland than in other districts in New Zealand. Following is an extract from tho dairy produce report supplied by Messrs 11. and W. Davidson, Glasgow, to Mr Newton King, under date October 12th:—Butter: The butter market this week opened fairly firm, but since then the position has completely changed, and tho tendency now is for lower values. Merchants are refusing to pay tho prices asked,, and are working on reserve stocks both in warehouse and cold store. The high prices have also seriously curtailed the consumption, the public in many cases going in for margarine, the sale of which lias largely increased during the past few weeks. Considerable stocks are left over unsold. Our advices from Copenhagen state that tho market there is dull, and the quotation to-day has been declared two kroner lower. * The total imports up to 7th October of this year, and for the corresponding period of 1908, 1909. and 1910, are as follows: 1908, 8,315,254 cwt.; 1909, 3,210,190 cwt. ; 1910, 3,339,782 cwt.; 1911, 3,443,152 cwt.—Cheese :—Canadian : The market is on the weak side and very little business is passing. Cables are now getting considerably lower, today’s price for September being 68s c.i.f. Spot goods, both white and coloured, remain at 69s to 70s. There arc no New Zealands offering at the moment. The total imports up to 7th October of this year, and for tho corresponding period of 1908, 1909, and 1910, arc as follows: 1908, 1,720, !(>2 cwt.; 1909, 1,785,631 cwt.; 1910, 1,851,808 cwt.; 1911, 1,829,027 cwt.