LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Stratford Evening Post, Volume XXXII, Issue 77, 27 March 1912, Page 4

LOCAL AND GENERAL.

The annual picnic of the Stanley School, is to he held on Thursday, March 28, tflien a good day’s amusement is anticipated. In the most unlikely part of this issue will he found an article dealing with the sheep dog by “Laverack” who is prolific and verbose to excellent purpose. The article is highly readable and informative. Those in charge of the Reform Party rally to-morrow evening have received assurances that large numbers will be present, and, in view of this fact they advise ladies, to obviate the risk of accident to leave their children at home. Mr. T. Dowling, who some time ago was connected with the Stratford Cooperative Store, is now employed in the mechanical branch of the Railway Department in Wellington. His brother, Mr. J. Dowling, has for the past ttvo years been at the Meanee Scholasticate, studying for the priesthood. He is now much improved'in health, having broken down as a result of hard study about two years ago. Difficulty in getting first-class hardwoods for wharf building is mentioned in several places in the annual report of the engineer (Mr. J. March-hanks) of the Wellington Harbour Board. Deliveries in the case of some contracts have been so slow as to cause considerable loss and inconvenience to the Board. For the construction of the Pipitea Wharf, should the Board decide on the work, the engineer recommends building in reinforced concrete, as there is now very great difficulty in obtaining suitable timber at a reasonable cost.

The whole of the public clocks in Germany, it is stated, are to be synchronized by means of wireless telegraphic signals, which will be sent out by the German Imperial Post Office from the new station under construction at the town of Fulda. The master clock at Fulda will actuate the radiotransmitter once each minute, and the ■signals will be radiated from the new tower, which will be , when completed, over 300 ft. high. If, as is anticipated, no interference is caused from ordinary wireless signals, the system w : ll enable all public clocks in any country to lie kept in absolute synchronism without supervision.

The Australian Government has a standing reward for the d'seovery of an antidote for the bite of the tigersnake. Some few years ago, according to an Australian paper, a man actually did discover an efficacious antidote, and to prove its value he allowed himself to bo bitten repeatedly by snakes of this much-dreaded variety. On one occasion he was to give an exhibition before some Government officials, but could not recollect what he had done with his antidote, and he died shortly after from the effect of the snakebites, his secret perishing with him. An enthusiastic rifle shot helped himself to a packet of cartridges at the 1911 meeting of the National 1 • I • n A.T I 1 ITT 1 1

Association of New South Wales, and forgot to pay for it. The matter lias evidently haunted him like a nightmare and to lay the ghost of his conscience he has forwarded six penny postage stamps to the secretary of the association. The matter was alluded to at the meeting last week of the National Council. The members seemed surprised and the president remarked that the six stamps formed an epoch in the history of the association as it was the first time that any shooter’s conscience had pricked .him to the extent of reimbursing the association by way of conscience money. Some strange incidents occasionally occur in connection with locomotives At the Bairnsdal (Victoria) engineshed, in the early hours of the morning, a cleaner was lighting the fire under the boiler of one of the engines, not noticing that the throttle was partly open. Soon steam got up, and, there being no one in the immediate vicinity, without any preliminary whistle the engine started on its own down the hue. It soon began to gather speed, and, running down a slight decline, ran into the guard’s van of an early morning passenger train standing at a station. Although there was a number of passengers in the train at the time, none were injured, though the guard’s van and one of the carriages were slightly damaged.

Gordcnir McMahon, saddler, of Stratford, has filed a declaration of insolvency. 'The first meeting of creditors will ’be held on Wednesday next. . Toe N<hv Zealand Shipping Co.’s next steamer to load at the Waitara roadstead will be the s.s. Banffshire, on or about the 6th of April. A meeting of the new members of the Hiiift Club was to have been held last night, but the wet weather prevented a large attendance, and the meeting was postponed sine die. The committee of the Stratford. Football’ J Club desire to thank Mr. T, Mercer for the donation of a football to the chib. For nearly every year since the inception of the e.lul> Mr. Mercer’has generously made a similar donation^" On Raster Monday, April Bth, a joint lf ;) Whangamomona-Kohuratahi •sports gathering is to be held in Mr Archer’s,,paddock. Nearly £IOO in prize money and trophies is to ho given away, and a really big time is promised--. Entries have come in well, and there are no fewer than 76 for th©i)five chopping and sawing events.; About February last a man named Wing Ree, a fireman on the N.Z. Shipping!Co.’s Rotorua, deserted from his ship.'; He was recently arrested at Midhirsfy- and yesterday morning appeared! at the Magistrate’s Court be fore MiiuC. 1). Sole, J.P. He was reminded till 3 p.m., and when he came up them he was further remanded to appear ;it Wellington, for which place he left this morning in company with Constable Bleasel. Some -really marvellous crops of cabbage I 'have been recorded in the suburban areas adjacent to Wellington and cabbages that a few months ago wore fitjMi high price, and scarce, are now a j glut in the market. One day recently at the auction in Wellington sixpence' a sack was all that could be got for Them, and towards the end of the salb ! about thirty sacks had to be given dway in order to clear them out. Although they were prime samples of the vegetable, it was a difficult matter even" to. give them away. Growers intend tituse them as manure in preference to'pay the expense of transportation tb' the city, and then give them away! * H . V( I i-| Cricket is generally put down as a “slow’’.,game, but those who witnessed the,,closing stages of the Newington Cpl!ege-St. Joseph’s match at Sydney^ast week would most certainly dispi)t$ f! that statement (says the Daily Telegraph). Newington College scored 144, a.rgl in reply St. Joseph’s gradually iOyerhaulcd that total, until at last but jtwo runs were required to win with, four wickets in hand. Six for 143 stood the score when Brown was put on to bowl. His over was electtrifying to both batsmen and spectators. First ball, a wicket; second'ball, a wicket; fourth ball a wicket; and off the last ball one was scored. A hundred and forty-four all and one jvicket to fall. Four balls were carefully wa tehee] the fifth was played to coverpoint'and the batsmen sped down the wicket for the winning run. Prescott, however, dashed in and with a quick fast return knocked down the stumps with the batsmen yards out. Thus the matchjgnded with' each side 144 runs to thei^credit. Those,, who include in their morning’s • itinerary a walk to the station to see: tjbe train safely off, occasionally are rewarded by seeing something out of thenusual. This morning, for instanqe.fja long-legged gentleman wearing , spectacles, got left behind. But', instoaclipf sitting down on the platfonm/tand regarding philosophically the fast disappearing train, as many anothefckivouW have done, he. leaped froth the ’platform to'the rails, and with. aftomshing speed made for the mail. ii.> Fortune, however, frowned on him, f.oi,', just as he was about to make his last),dash for the guard’s van, a cattle-stop came into view. Nothing daunted j. he paused a minute and then ileqped across. But the pause was fatal,fjrtpd he now gave up the chase. Here the bystanders came to his’ rescue. iivX motor-car was commissioned and In a few seconds was speeding down . towards Eltham. A delay of two at that station, and the motor would win the race. Otherwise there is! still Hawera, for the long-leg-ged onei does not look like a gentlemanM\4»o would give up while there was the,-minutest glimmer of hope.