LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Stratford Evening Post, Volume XXXII, Issue 37, 8 February 1912, Page 4

LOCAL AND GENERAL.

The death roll among airmen for the year 1911 was a heavy one. Sixtyone were killed during the past twelve month, compared with 33 in 1910, and three in 1909. Six Englishmen have lost their lives in aeroplane accidents. In regard to the increase in fatalities, it must he taken into, account that tli© number of airmen has grown to a remarkable extent. In 1910 pilots wore to bo found in hundreds, now they number thousands. One expert estimate places the total of the worlds airmen at approximately 6000. 1 A recognised horticultural authority affirms without fear of contradiction, that apples flourish best in cultivated land, and, in most cases, least well on grass. He can even alter the colour of his apples from green to streaked varieties of red by letting the grass come nearer to the trees. The nearer the grass the greater the alteration in the natural colour of the fruit. The increase of garden fruit trees is adding immensely to the beauty of summer England, but the owners of all these gardens can augment both the pleasure and profit of their plots by adopting a little of the methods of the professional gardener. A Hawke’s Bay correspondent writes that, in the Tikokino district the,brown beetles (from the white and destructive grass grub) are swarming jn .piyriads. During the,twilight the jair ,is .filled .with them, and .their raviages .'may ,bo s,een during the daylight bv the stripped tops of. bluegums,, poplars; and . other trees, including ' fruit trees.; .Blackbirds are particularly destructive" just now,,; taking fruit of every description, even attacking the hardest of green apples, which they spoil by digging holes, in the sides, and. thpn leaving them pn the ground half eaten, to go further on in search of a more luscious morsel. The public of Wairarapa are liber 1 - allv supporting the movement to erect a Maori Hospital mud Training Home for Maori,.nurses at Lansdowne, near Masterton, in connection withr,which Mrs. Tai Te .Tau is taking a leading part., iAibout £llOO will be required ‘for the building,' and of this: amount: over £3OO has been , collected from Maoris who are interested in project: In addition an influential irative has given two acres of land at Lansdowne for a site for the hospital, and Mr. and Mrs. Te Tan and relatives have decided to donate the income from forty acres of their land to the upkeep of the institution. The Feilding show was concluded yesterday in beautiful weather. The attendance was about equal to that of last year. Additional championships:—Draught Stallion: E. Short’s .Royal Treasure; mare, Short’s Thelma. S. 11. Lancaster won the Quibell Cup for most points in the sheep classes. He also won the Newman Cup for most points in all sheep classes. Competitions—Ladies’ Driving: Miss Jessie Campbell. Pony Jumping: J. Goodwin’s Grace Darling. Ladies’ Hunters: Miss Jessie Angers, on Collinson’s Major. Open Hunters’: McLaren’s Comrade (late Hartley’s Vendetta). Sheep-shearing: O. Browning. Sheaf Tossing: A. Jefferson.

In view of the alarming prevalence of the Canadian thistle in many districts of Otago, much interest is attached to any experiment which gives promise of revealing means of successfully dealing with this obstinate pest. The story of such an experiment comes now from the Clutha district. Last year, in a paddock in which the thistles stood as thick as a crop of oats, Just before they began to bloom, a Clutha farmer tried the plan of sowing agricultural salt by a limespreader lightly on the thistles. He then put sheep on them. Attracted by the salt the sheep attacked the thistles, and, appearing to lose their dread of the thorns, ate them right down to the ground. When they were after wards sold off the paddock the meat company’s buyer declared them to be the_ fattest sheep he had bought in the district that season. If this experiment proves to work . out as successfully in other cases it is evident that a most" useful discovery has been made. A Maori woman had a rather exciting experience in Devon Street this morning says Tuesday’s New Plymouth “Herald.” She was in charge of a horse and gig standing near the Criterion Hotel when the horse showed signs of nervousness at the water cart, and commenced to back, with the result that the off wheel of the gig became locked in the near hind wheel cf the water cart. The horse and gig were then dragged along by the heavier vehicle to which was attached a pair of heavy draught horses and the dark skinned lady fearing serious consequences attempted to alight from the gig but she found terra firma in in a very undignified manner landing on her back in the middle of the road. Her horse left to its own resources got clear of the water cart and attempted to bolt, but the excited cries of the native lady attracted the attention of a pedestrian a little distance away and he succeeded in preventing the animal registering a fast gallop through the main street. The native was not hurt, but she was very excited and for some considerable time afterwards was busy relating her experiences to her friends.

y\ iss Morison, A.T.C.L., teacher of pianoforte and harmony, resumes tuition on Wednesday, February 11th.

For the convenience of those who may not l>e able to spare time during He day, an evening display of Mr. Ferrett’s pictures will bo held in Mr. Newton King’s Mart to-morrow evening.

A hairless horse from the Makuri district was purchased in Pahiatua by Mr. G. Yv’irtli, of Wirths’ Circus, at what is stated to he a good figure. The horse (says the ‘‘Herald”) was quite normal except for the peculiarity that it had practically no hair. .

Mr. Claude L. Jewell, at present sub-editor of the Taranaki “Daily News,” has accepted the position of editor of the Auckland “Observer.” Mr. Jewell’s friends in New Plymouth will wish him all success in his new sphere. i

The Governor has signified his intention of joining the Royal Kilbirnio Lodge of Oddfellows, Manchester Unity. The ceremony will take pace at the Wellington Town Hall on the ‘2oth inst. Representatives of the Order from all parts of the Dominion have been invited to attend . The Eltham Retailers’ Association has resolved to protest against increased freights being charged by the slipping companies trading to Patea. It is stated that the increases in some cases equal 50 per cent.—quite out of proportion to the increased cost cf handling cargo.—Press Association.

A man went into an hotel in Queen Street, Auckland, recently, and, being refused a drink, caused trouble (says the “Herald”). The landlord invoked the aid of the police, and the constable who made the arrest had a lively time taking the man to goal in a cab. He stated that at the watch-house it took three of them to search the prisoner. A much milder man appeared before the Bench and expiated his offence by being fined.

“The best rubber story is the latest, reserved for the telling by, the Secretary of State for the Colonies,” says the “Saturday Review.” “Mr. Harcourt, at the British North Borneo, dinner, said that a city friend of his was approached with a view to floating a rubber company. His friend was quite ready. ‘How many trees have yen ?’ he asked. ‘We have not got any trees,’ was the answer. ‘How much land have you?’ ‘We have no land.’ ‘What, then have you got?’ ‘I have a bag of seeds.’ ”

A very interesting and satisfactory retuv i money order and savings biak business for the Invercargill postal district during the last two years has been prepared, and shows the financial solidity of the district. Increase ir, the period above stated are slumn a~ follows:—Amount to credit of £91,836, savings bank deposit- £80.089, withdrawals £77,009, depcsitors’ interest £2933, money orders issued £17,106, money orders paid £4019, money order commission £2B.

It is not often that a man who is the worse for liquor makes his. appearance at the Courthouse. On Monday . morning, however, an individual strolled in and sat down on. one of the benches where he promptly fell i ‘ asleep (reports the Palmerston “Evening Standard”). On being-awakened by a constable he. apparently forgot .I, wlg-re'he was, and asked if liis mates were in the next cell. When he, was r . informed that be wps not in the lo(jk r t,., lip, and'that he was not under arrest! ‘bi mi expansive snide gradually illumin-, , ated liis features and he effected la, /, speedy exit.

The following account (taken from the Thames “Star”) of the late William Wildman’s family (some time editor cf the Thames fr Advertiser”) may interest some of our readers. His widow,who is a mistress of the,Devon-.■no port School trained and conductedJ the ‘ w school choir and won the shield in.the , h i Auckland competition. His eldest.-! daughter won the Sinclair scholarship, which carries £67 per annum, alio the prize in botany, £SO, Auckland University. She is a B.A. She has just married, Mr. A. Howarth, solicitor, Te Kuiti. His only son John Proctor Wildman, passed in Mercantile Law Glass 2, the Associate of Commerce Diploma, the School of Commerce Class 1. accounting, Commercial French Class 2, Auckland University College, November, 1911.

The telephone connection to the North Egmont Mountain House proves very .useful in .several directions says the New Plymouth “Herald”. Recently two men drove up to the house in a gig, and after staying an hour or tAvo slipped aAvay Avit'hout paying their house fees. Before they had gone far doAvn the track hoAve\ r er, the custodian missed the gig and rang up the people avlio had charge of the gate at the radius line, and gave instructions not to let the men through until they had handed over the amount due. They Avere very much surprised on reaching the gate to find further progress impossible until +he fees were forthcoming and it Avas Avith bad grace these Avere handed over. Last week a party Avho motored to the house declined to pay the fees AA’hen called upon to do so by the custodian and issued instructions to the chaffuer to proceed. The latter, hoAA'ever, pointed out to the visitors that the .telephone Avas installed at the house, and the radius gate Avould be locked against him unless the fees were paid and he had no desire to be “stuck up” indefinitely there. This had the desired effect, and the amount Avas then handed over.

An extraordinary case occupied the attention of Mr. E. C. Cutten, S.M., in the Auckland Police Court yesterday, when James Seaton Reid was proved innocent of a charge of theft levelled against him. The charge was that Reid stole £3 15s in money and llh of tobacco, the property of A. F. Duff. Senior-Sergeant Mackinnon stated that on Sunday last the complainant left the Criterion Hotel for a day on the water. Reid was in the same hotel, and next morning the complainant got Sergeant Ramsay to search the accused’s room. A portion of the lost tobacco, wrapped in a piece of paper, was found in the accused’s portmanteu. Sergeant Ramsay said that when Reid was shown the tobacco in his portmanteau he showed real surprise. He also stoutly protested his innocence, and declared that someone must have put the tobacco in his bag to throw suspicion on him. Reid stated that he was the manager of a wine business, whore he had been employed for the last eight years. On Sunday last he was with Mr. H. W. Wilding, and never went near the complainant’s room. A quantity of evidence was given regarding the accused’s high character. Mr. Cutten said he had no hesitation in refus’ng to commit the accus 'd for trial. He was perfectly satisfied that Reid’s explanation was correct, and that someone had been guilty of a mean and despicable act by placing the tobacco in his bag. The accused was discharged, Mr. Cutten stating that he had his extreme sympathy in the painful position in which he had been placed. :