LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Stratford Evening Post, Volume XXXII, Issue 57, 2 March 1912, Page 4

LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Mr. Roy Blanche**, of New Plymouth, a well-known figure in musical circles of that town, arrived in Stratford to-day to take up his duties in the Bank of New South* Wales. Constable Mackintosh, who lias been in Stratford for the past four years, has received notice of his transfer to Christ-church, the transfer being at Ink own reoucst. He «•']] leave for lvis new station on March 14th. Constable Mackintosh goes well recommended, and it is expected that promotion will come to him before he is long in the southern city.

The friends cf the late Mrs. Anne Goodwin are notified in this issue that her interment will take place at the Kopuatama Cemetery to-morrow. .

At the meeting of the executive oi the Stratford A. and P. Association last night the tender of Mr. T. D. CoJson for the lease of the Show Ground was accepted.

The secretary of the Stratford A. and P. Association requests the first prize winners at the recent show to call at his offices in Broadway for their certificates as soon as possible.

The following have been nominated for the Licensing Oonnmittee for the luensiii"- district cf Stratford : Jonas Masters (Stratford), William Morrison (Ngaire), At'hol Richard Meredith (Strathmoro), Herbert Bloomer Curtis (Ingle-wood), and Jacob Therkleson (Tariki). Only five are required on tho committee. The Sundav-seheol scholars of the Primitive Methodist Church applied for permission to hold their annual picnic on the Show Ground of the Stratford A. and P. Association. At the meeting of the executive last night permission was granted with pleasure, the same conditions as last year obtaining.

The Egmont Sheep Dog Trial Club, of Hawera, will hold its eleventh annual meeting on March 12th, 13th, and 14th, on. Mr. 1). J. Willis' property, "Opeke Downs," Whareroa Road. Entries close on Thursday, March 6th, and full particulars of the programme appear in another column: It is stated that tho new course selected for the dog trials on March 12, 13, and. 14, is an ideal one, being an amphitheatre about 700 yards long, beautifully situated on the well-known properties of Messrs. D. J. Willis and W. 0. Williams. The groves of native bush, and tho undulating nature of tho ground, give the whole grounds the appearance of a fine park.

The story of the old lady who asked the bird dealer whether the parrot swore, and received the reply "No, mum; but, bless me, he'll soon

learn," has a parallel in the case of an incident that occurred in Mr. Newton King's auction rooms the other day. A local boardinghouse-keeper had a very fine parrot. It danced splend : dly, and had a very pretty flow of language—mostly bad. Consequently it had to go. In the mart the bird was very subdued, till a lady in car'essing mamner said to him, "Pretty cocky." Cocky replied, "you're a liar," The lady's confusion was nothing to the smile-that went round the auction room's.

Time, tide, and trains generally wait for no man, says the Patea "Press." With trains, at least, there are exception. An exception, which was not without its humour, occurred at Patea last Tuesday evening. In the afternoon a local beef grower yarded a mob, and found that he was short of one truck. When the evening train arrived it brought a tir.'i'k of cattle for the local works. Happy thought! The truck should lie used. It was shunted up to (the lracling stage and unloaded, and reloading was commenced. In the meantime the hands of the .clock kept going and the passengers, who didn't know whether to be amused or indignant, sat on the railing of t'ho yard and watched the obstinate bullocks cursed imto.the truck. It was ultimately loaded and in due course the train kit.. She was enly 15 minutes behind time, but that didn't matter—the bullocks were aboard.

A most enjoyable social evening was held in the Denbigh Road Schoolrooiv last night, the occasion being the do parture from i'ne./teaching profession, of Miss Olasen, who is shortly to be married. A musical programme for which Messrs. L. Lyford, S. Caro, and E. W. Lewis, and Masters Catcy and Mills were.mainly responsible, and dancing, filled the evening, till .9.30, when the presentation of a silver and cut glass cruet was made to Miss Olasen by Mr. Robert Masters. Mr. Masters, in a very happy speech, said that as a member of the Taranaki Education Board he was very sorry to lose the services of Miss Olasen, who was so popular with t'he parents and children, and was such a capable and proficient teacher. ( 'Mr. Huckstcp endorsed Mr. Masters' remarks, in a. very eulogistic speech. On behalf of Mass Olasen, Mr. Mills .suitably responded. _™____«_^«