LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Stratford Evening Post, Volume XXXII, Issue 41, 13 February 1912, Page 4

LOCAL AND GENERAL.

“I know about it, and the others don’t.”—Councillor Mori son at the meeting last night. N At Hawera yesterday a labourer named William Aden Ro-d was fined £2O (afterwards reduced to £10) far having supplied liquor to a Maori woman. Defendant’s wife was fined £5. To date the Ashburton County Council has purchased 250,000 birds’ eggs for the present season. The number nurchascd falls considerably below those purchased for the same period last year.

The Mayor was asking at last niglit’is mcbting for a seconder to a motion that a sum of 10s 2d he paid. Cr. Paget: “Is it necessary to raise a loan ?” (Loud and prolonged applause.)

Sailors are getting scarce at several New Zealand ports. At Lyttelton one schooner has been delayed for over a fortnight waiting for one man. Some of the sailors are to he paid as high as 10s per day. Cr. Paget, referring to the Municipal Corporations Act, which i compels local bodies to advertise the sale of leases; “That is forced upon usjby a silly Government.” Cr. Ward: “YtU might get a sillier one on Thursday!”

Talking .about heavy crops this year one farmer said that lie used four balls of twine to bind ton acres of grass last harvest, and this'year for half that acreage 10 balls were required.— Cluthft Leader.

There is a great dearth of llaxmr.ll hands throughout Southland at the present time, and good wages are being offered, up to 10s per day for ordinary hands, and 32s Cd per ton for scutchers. In the height of the llaxmilling industry the highest price paid was 30s.

“What’s ithe age ,of the, horse ?” questioned Civ Pagqt, at the,Council's meeting last night. Cr. Ward: “Ib’q ■aged—that’s all <wc, know,i aipd the owner ''doesn’t know.” The Mayor remarked that-' he quite'understood that —“lt might have been born before the owner was.”

Tlio embargo on New Zealand potatoes entering tlie Australian market owing to ’ tlxc prevalence of disease some years ,ago is a serious disadvantage to the growers, and a hardship on Australian consumers. In Sydney recent quotations show' potatoes to be worth £8 to, £9; ,10s per ton, while in this. country their value is only half thp, amount at. present. ,

'The Borough Council were debating last night on a question of compensation to a mail whoso horse had fallen into a gravel pit. “I notice,” said Cr. Paget, “that two men took a day to bury it.” A Councillor remarked that it would take the men a day to got near it, since it had hocn dead three days. The Mayor, who had viewed the corpse, considered that even £3 would have been cheap for the burial foe. Some of the Inglewood bowlers- had a narrow escape from serious accident when driving into Now Plymouth on Thursday. When near the Crosr itoads, Mangorei, a bolt came out of a swingle-tree, causing one of the polers to play up. J n tJie course of doing so he got one leg over the swingletree in front of him, and the leader played up, with the result that the poler was thrown on Iris back, and there was a general mix up. The horse was considerably hurt, and had to be taken out and left behind. Had the accident occurred while going down one of the hills serious results would probably have followed.

A machine that measures the wear caused by traffic upon public highways is among the scientific instruments on show at the exhibition of the Physical Society of London, at the Imperial College of Science, South Kensington. In speaking about tlii: machine last month, an official of the Road Board referred to the wear on the various main roads of Lon.lon. “Wood -pavement,” lie said, “wears down one inch in about six years, except in places where the- traffic is particularly intense. The asphalt pavement in the city wears down ahcul half an inch in ten years. The ordinary country highway wears down two inches in from three to ten years, according to the amount of traffic.”

A sensational incident attended m’litary manoeuvres at Oakleigli near Melbourne, last week. Some drivers belonging to tin? Field Artillery wore having luneli outside a tent, when a horse in the vicinity bolted. The animal made straight for the soldiers, who, being unprepared for an attack, could not withstand the charge. Half a dozen men were knocked in confused fashion amongst dishes and miscellaneous articles, and most of them received some injury. Frederick .1. Turner and A. Jenkins were taken to the Homoeopathic Hospital, Turner who suifered from severe bruises on the face, and a wound on the right .ear was admitted, but Jenkins, after having been treated for an injured knee, was allowed to leave with the consoling news that he would soon be lit for service figain.

A sky-scraper hospital of twentytwo storeys has been commenced in New York. It will be literally built in the air, with the windows of the wards far above the street and the roar of the traffic, and the acme of modern hospital science, from the cellar to the roof. The greatest benefit is anticipated by reason of the sun-lighted wards and the pure atmosphere. It is .estimated that this hospital will cost £200,000. The foundation stone is inscribed: “For the sick, without regard to race or creed.” Lifts throughout supplant staircases. It is expected that the fees from surgeons: taking post-gradu-ate courses will defray the running expenses. A service of motor-cars *xi 1 bring accident emergency cases from all parts of the crowded city.

Two Australian lady missionaries, Miss Sears and Miss Molloy, who are reported to have disobeyed the orders cf the Brit sh Consul at Icjiang, in m-.ina, to leave the place, have been conveyed under arrest to Hankow, and will be deported.

( r. Paget was objecting to certain matters at last night’s meeting being discussed in open Council. ‘‘i r ou ve said.” ho said, “that he’s a poor man and that he’s hard to deal with. Ihe Mayor: “Some can tell when a man is cracking a joke, and some can’t.” (Laughter.) Cr. Morison, looking at the reporters-: “I notice that’s going down, too!”

A .Jewish farmer in Alberta, writes Cm “Jewish Chronicle,” is at present engaged on a unique address of welcome' to His Royal Highness the Duke ( f Connaught, Governor-General of Canada. The address is being in-s-ribed in Hebrew on a grain of wheat. There will he over 300 Hebrew letters in the address, and so fine is the lettering that a microscope is necessary to read the inscription with any ease.

Cabinet lias accepted tenders for the construction of departmental offices at New Plymouth, for eight cottages at Lake Colleridge for use of power station staff, for the construction of station buildings at Glen-hope on the Nelson end of the. Midland railway, and the construction of a new post office at Pleasant Point, and a tower in addition to the post office, in which to place a clock recently provided by public subscription. “I should like to know,” asked Cr. Ward, at the meeting of the Stratford Borough Council last night, “how many days a week Broadway is attended to.” ‘The question brought forth muck discussion, and a very lurid picture from Cr. Paget as to the state of the water tables near the bridge. “I don’t think, personally, remarked that Councillor, “that lean recollect ever having been in such a dirty town as Stratford appeared to be during the past few months.”

The British War Office has discontinued the use of American canned beef for the troops, and it is expected that this action will bo promptly followed l»y a similar order from the Admiralty. This means an annual loss estimated by Chicago at £4,000,000. The embargo, it is stated, means that there will be no market/ for mill ens of pound's of canned beef, a product found to be unsaleable m tire United States.

Thus the Hawera “Star” A. senous accident occurred on the ISoimanby Road, near Winks’ crossing, on tlic second day of the races, the circumstances of which have only been made known. It seems that Christian Anderson, a brother-in-law of Mrs. Walter Bowman, farmer, at Matapu, was returning from his work, when lie was run over by a motorcar, driven, it is understood, by a Stratford resident. The- man had both ribs broken, one having been driven into the lungs on the right side. The sufferer was removed to the ‘Hawera Hospital, and is doing as well as can be expected under tlio painful circumstances.”

Even in England farmers seem to have some difficulty in getting telephones. Last month the “Daily Mail”' said: “Nothing has yet been dene iin the Way of supplying farmers •‘with telephones at £3' a year, save in ore distinct of' Yorkshire. Many appl cations were received by ; the Post (Lfico from all parts of England,’ -but in few instances 1 were the required throe subscribers per mile of wire forthcoming. The scheme lias therefore been submitted to the engineers for another report to see what can bo dene ! tb : make ‘it 'work on ■ other and more practicable terms. Immediately the report is received the PostmasterG moral will deal with the question.

The story of an averted tragedy, w - fch, if it had not been averted, , , might have changed the' hdiole ( cours’e '' 1 or modern ' history i in' Europe, is revived by the death, of a retired Austrian forester named Korn-. The 1 ■ I i no was about three weeks after Sadr wa; the place was the little village rf Pirsdorf, about 30 miles from Yi(M iia. Tvng William of Prussia and Bismarck were there, and they, sht down on a terrace, outside a small cafe, to drink hecr. Kern saw them. Ho regarded them as the deadly enemies of Ids country; he was ah excellent marksman, and lie had his double-barrelled gun with him. Taking aim from behind cover, he was about fr fire, when his wife, seeing what he was after, and fearing the consequences. c-lntched him by the coattails. Ho turned to argue with her; n"d tefore the argument was finished the King and his Chancellor had disappeared. So nothing happened; but if Kern bad been allowed to fire, there might have been -no German K noire to-day. At last night’s meeting of the Stratford Borough Council I a communication was received from Mr. T. .F. Martin, secretary of the Municipal Association of New Zealand, requesting the sum of 10s 2d from the Council. This is the outcome pf a resolution in 1898, that the Association take up “test cases” of a nature gen erally affecting Corporations. Not long ago the Miramar Borough Conn c : l applied to.the Association to take up an appeal to the Court of Appeal. The Council had “diminished” thr width of a road, and the Chief Jus tice hold that this could not be done, but that the proper procedure was to go under the seventh schedule, which sets out the mode of “stopping” a street, and requires a meeting of electors and a decision by a Magistrate. The Court of Appeal upheld this decision, and costs were awarded, the Association’s share being £SO. It might be stated that though the resolution was passed thirteen years ago. this was the first time a- levy had been made among the Councils.

A remarkable case in which an undesirable immigrant has been debarred from landing in Perth, and subs"C|ncntly in Dunedin, has just come to light, states the ‘‘Otago Daily limes.” Tt appears that a young Irish immigrant passed the two medical tests imposed by the immigration agents in_ London, and took passage to Perth in the Kaipara. During the voyage, however, the man became ins'no. and on the steamer’® arrival at Perth was not allowed to land, and so was brought on to Dunedin. As the Kaipara will ho some time on the New Zealand coast, artel the facilities ior looking after a man suffering from insanity are rather primitive, when, the steamer reached here the owners who fully recognised their responsibility—decided to try to get the sufferer committed to a mental hospital I ill such time as the boat was ready to leave for Home again, being prepared to enter into 7t bond that he would then he taken away. It was found impossible to get the man into Seacliffe, ho he : ng a prohibited immigrant, so there was no alternative but to take him aboard the steamer again. Tt was then found that the Torgariro would take her departure from Xew Zealand before the Kaipara, and so the young man was transferred to this steamer, which h ft for the IT luff on Friday, and finally left Wellington on February 10.

Cr. Paget: “They say that cleanliness is next to godliness. Well if that’s the Case, there’s not much godliness in Broadway.” The Mayor, last night, referring to the expenditure on the roads: “Too much money has already been spent.” Cr. Paget: “Too much money wasted, you mean.

Mr. E. C. Robinson has returned to Stratford after a short absence. lie and Mrs. Robinson proceeded a short time ago to Nelson in connection with the death of Mrs. Robinson s father, Mr. Than by, the late emtor oi the “Nelson Evening Mail. A “drunk,” who was remanded some time ago, appeared at the Magistrate’s Court this morning before .Mr. C. D. Sole, J.P. The man had already had a week’s gaol, and he was “let off,” but ordered to pay the medical expenses.

At the inquest on the infant found in Auckland harbour, medical evidence was to the effect that tiio body was that of a girl, which had lived for about eight days. The jury returned a .verdict of murder against some person unknown. The Midhirst Factory employees have decided to hold their annual picnic and sports in the Midhirst public sports ground on Thursday, Mai oh 7. A splendid programme of events has been arranged, and as usual ting popular gathering premises to be as enjoyable as ever. At the Auckland Police Court yesterday George J. Thompson was charged with unshipping 144 cricket balls without paying duty on the same. A fine of £IOO was imposed, to be reduced to £6O, which would be further reduced to £33 provided £27 worth of cricket , balls not recovered were handed to the collector. The Wellington Harbour Ferries Company has offered to soli tne steamers Duchess, Awarua, and Cobar to the Eastbourne Borough Council for £21,300. It as understood the offer in its present form will not be entertained, and that the icompany intends to increase fares to meet tne increased expenditure caused by the recent agreement with the employees. The proposed classification of the whole of the Public Service reached almost its final stage yesterday, when the nominal roll with actual classification of officers by name was published in a supplement to the Gazette. Tile roll contains particulars of the various grades, the number of officers in each, with their names, minimum and maximum salaries. Any officer has the right of appeal against his classification, and the last date on which application can be 'made to the Public Service Classification Board for reconsideration is March 15th. The Druids’ conference at Marton yesterday, over sixty delegates being present, Grand President Wade, of Hastings, presided. Mr. Hayes, Registrar of Friendly Societies, and Mi. Traversi, .Government Actuary, arrived in the afternoon. The Grand Lodge adjourned. to meet them. Mr. Hayes said he had come to Marton prepared to assist the delegates. Mr. Traversi is staying for the conference in order to help Hie delegates in their deliberations. Mr. , Hayes said the wish of his department was to assist friendly societies, and both would do all they could to. .enable tffie conference to come to a decision on the questions of importance to be dealt with. Mr. N. .Fastder,, - tire , .secretaryof the Stratford Farmers’ , Co-operative Association,) wrote; to the Borough Council -stating that on the last two Sundays their supply of water had not been available from about 11 a.m. They were given to understand that this was caused by the amount of water required for filling the baths! They would be obliged if the Conn' cil would make some arrangements whereby the work of the factory would not he held up.—Referred to the Works Committee.

Frederick Jensen, a' young man, was charged at Cliristckurch yesterday with,- .selling whisky to John Smyth on February 11 without having a license to do so. He was also charged with being an idle and d rorderiy, and having insufficient means of support. He pleaded guilty to the first charge. The Magistrate said half the trouble in the town from drunkenness was caused by these illicit grog-sellers. They were a nuisance to the community and to hotelkeepers. After inspecting accused’s record the Magistrate fined him £2O. He sa d the la-w did not allow a sentence of imprisonment. A man with a record like accused’s was a criminal, and he could not treat him leniently. The charge of vagrancy was withdrawn. One of Wirths’ elephants had a joke with a water trough in Broadway this morning. After having a drink it tried to turn the tap off, with the residt that the affair broke down, squirting water all over the street. One of the. Council’s men had to fix the tap before it was got into working order again. Another of t-ic elephants had a bit of a joke at the expense of a crowd of children whe were, no-doubt, making rude remarks about his personal appearance. The elephant was having a drink out ol the gutter in the vicinity of the Crown Stables, when, without warning, it spurted a trunkful of water over the children, some of whom got fairly wet.

At the Congregational Union Conference in Palmerston yesterday, y.u following were elected as a board for the Pastors’ Provident Fund:— Messrs. J. W. Williamson (Dunedin). C. E. Campbell (Auckland), T. Forsyth (Wellington), A. Heighway (Dunedin), W. S. Newburgh (Christchurch). Deputations were received from the Palmerston Anglican Church Ministers’ Association and No-Licenso League, the members of which spoke enthusiastically of the work of the Congregational Church and welcomed the delegates to Palmerston Aorta. A paper was read by Rev. S. Griffiths, entitled “The Enrichment of the Palmerston Services.” In the evening Mr. T. W. Potts was ordained by the Rev. W. M. Grant. The Rev. G. R. Glasson delivered an address. A man named Loyal Cherry, aged 40, met with a strange death at Christchurch last night. He was staying at the Masonic Hotel, and contracted a severe attack of influenza during the night. He got out of bed ■and began to walk about the bedroom. Then he evidently opened the window and fell out on to a recess, which stands in front of the window, and about six feet below. The licensee and the attendants in the hotel heard him calling out and ran to his assistance ,and lifted him into the hotel again. _ It was seen that he was in a serious condition, and were taken to help him to ’recover, hut he died half an hour later. It is believed he was a native -of Hobart, and has a sister in Adelaide. The body was examined by a doctor, who could find no signs of a broken neck. The Horrible Tortures of RheumaU Ism Can be Relieved. Modern Scienehas determined that excess Uric Acid is the direct cause of Rheumatism. RHEUMO, a scientifically compounded remedy, quickly cures by eliminating the contributory cause. 2s Od and 4s GJ per bottle, an chemists and stores.*

The annual visit of the District Officers of Die Taranaki District ol the Manchester Lnity Independent Order cf Oddfellows took place at tlic h oresters’ Hall on Monday evening, when there was a large attendance of both brethren and sisters present, also several visiting members from other lodges. Rev. 6. 'Thompson, -VO., presided. The District Officers, comSStag Bros. C. E. Bellr.uger. corrospondmg secretary ot the lurniiaki District, and Grand Master ot the New -Zealand District, and Gram Master Bro. S. G. Burgess cf Taranaki District. Doputy-Giand Master Bro. Snowden was absent, it coed deal cf business was gone through, and instructive addresses hv the district officers given. Two iiew members were initiated into the Older, and given lodge honours Honours also were conferred on the cimtrict officers and visiting hirthren. Test Prov. G.M. Bro. Sole and 1 .S. Bro Lawson were elected deputies to attend the 'district meeting at New Plymouth on Thursday next. After the locl< r e business had closed, they adjourned to the supper-room, where an excellent “sit clown” supper was provided by Mrs. Brooking.