LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Stratford Evening Post, Volume XXXII, Issue 85, 9 April 1912, Page 4

LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Owing to the exceedingly wet weather yesterday, the Stratnmore sports have . been definitely postponed until Friday, 12th inst. Yesterday Jebb and Kelly swam ol! for second place for the Swimming Club's Handicap Champion Cup over 75yds., the former winning in Imm 13sec.

Private advice was received to-day that Mr. V. Crawshaw, Stratford, had run into the final of tin. Hiti.dxup Singles at the Wanganui tennis tourney, but that he was unable to finish the contest owing to wet weather, and having to leave for Stratford this afternoon.

Yesterday evening the Mayor, Mr Sangster and Mr C. I). Sole waited on the Prime Minister with regard to a proposal to make a subway under the railway lines in Fenton Street. The deputation pointed out to the Hon. T. Mackenzie tho danger to life that existed under the present conditions with the children parsing across the lines every day when shunting was in progress and trains arriving and departing. The Premier promised to refer the matter to'the Hon. J. A. Hanan, Minister for Railways, and it is on the cars that a deputation will wait on that gentleman when be comes to Stratford to open the newschool building,

A mooting of the executive comittoe of the Stratford A. and J . •.sociatio'ii will be held at tlic sectary's office to-night at 7.30. Various complimentary remarks wci'fl issod at the excellence of the cupper ■ovided at the Liberal gathering lafit ssht. It should be mentioned that :c> catering arrangements were in >.(> competent hands of -Mrs M. H. rooking, and all goods were absotelv iiome mad; 1 .

The purse which contained the hundred and twenty odd sovereigns which were presented to Mr Joseph McClaggage last night was tlie-handi-work of little Catherine Wi con, daughter of Mr Garrett E. Wilson, secretary of the Stratford branch oi tlie Liberal League.

It is officially announced that Sir! George Clifford and Sir John Lane H irrington (London) will join the Board of Directors of the laranaki (N.Z.) Oil Wells, Ltd., after alotmont. The prospectus will be published this week.—New Plymouth Press .Association message.

The Hon. G. W. Russell will meet the Hospital Board to-morrow at l.dU p.m. to discuss hospital matters genor illy. Mr McAllister suggested thai the Ministers' help lie solicited in reference to obtaining from the men on the public works some support for the hospital. The chairman said he had mentioned this matter in his annual report. rt ; s probable that the Midland Railway will be opened for traffic as far as the Bealey before very long. Jhe formation work is almost completed to the Glacier Hotel at the Bealey, and is well in hand from that point up the Bealey River. .Pile driving over the Boa'ley river will lie commenced shortly Ballasting operations are to be put in hand at once, with a view to opening the line for traffic to the Bealey as soon as possible. A phenomenon of a very unusual character is reported from Balclutiia, in the South island. The easterly ram had fallen more or less heavily all the forenoon, increasing to a downpour later on. Subsequently the ground was found to be thickly covered in places with a small jellyfish-like substance, the largest about the s.:ze and shape of the nail on the little finger. They disappeared in an hour or two. They were semi-transparent, like blobs of jelly, and are said to be the lowest form of animal life. A possible theory is that they were the outcome of a marine upheaval in mid-ocean, and had been caught up in some terrific storm. ' .

Under the New South, Wales Closer Settlement .Promotion Act, wnich came into operat ; on at the beginning of the- year, applications covering 47d farms, of .a total area of about acres, arid an approximate value oi £850,240,, have been made. To the end of Februarv applications were completed covering 150 farms, comprising 58,963 acres, valued at £292,011. In addition applications 'for 78 farms, containing an area of-31,592 acres, of a value of >£158,905, have been approved, and onlv action as regards tit!a, remains.to be taken to complete same. Applications covering 121 farms have been withdrawn or refused, principally on, account of the high prices'asked bv the vendors. There are in course of preliminary action applications covering 121 farms, of an area of 41,658 acres, the,price put upon which is.about £250,639.

A "tramp'' steamer fitted with wireless, is such' a novelty, that special attention is directed to the Rocerie, which arrived at Auckland recently, from New York via Australian ports,, and which 1 is so equipped. While speed is not a feature of the Roseric, she is a fine type of the modern carrier. Her capacity is' equal to 10,400 tons dca.dAveight* and on her present trip every foot of space was taken up, on leaving New York/with general merchandise, Two stoppages were made bv the Roseno during her voyage to Melbourne, namely at St. Vincent and Capetown, at each of which places she renewed supplies of bunker coal. The voyage from New York to Melbourne, including the stoppages, occupied 59 days,-the monotony of which was greatly relieved by the exchange of wireless messages with other ships.

A queer story comes from the North end (says the Otago Daily Times.) It appears that in the small hours of a recent morning, a resident was awakened by a scratching noise going on somewhere on the floor above. He proceeded upstairs and instituted a search After a.: little while the sound was noticed to be coming from the chimney He pushed open the chimney cover, and there was revealed to his gaze not the family ghost, but a white rabbit. The midnight disturber was none other than a family pet, which had been posted missing for about a week or more. It is supposed that when "bunny" escaped from his hutch he travelled into the house, up the stairs, and inadvertently closed the chimney cover. After undergoing the fast cure for several days, the rabbit was practically reduced' to skin and bone, but seemed in very good spirits.

"May I just give you a brief sidelight on the suffragette?" said the Rev. W. GL Taylor to an audience in Sydney last week? "I saw a good deal of the'movement while in London, and I can tell you a lot about those ladies. It is not an effort to benefit womanhood in general, but simply to give a clique of well-to-do women what they want. I stood at the corner of Oxford Street rind Ue-gent Street, and watched the crowds of well-dressed women go by, some of them carrying those horrible ooodle-dogs that cost far more than their owners ever thought of paying their servants. Some of these dogs cost £6O, and have trained nurses to wait on them. Ah, it is too true- Yet tliese very ladies will not nurse their own balii'es, but give them to other people to look after. Well, I watched one of these aristocratic women standing in the streets .trying to sell a paper called 'Women's Votes' at a penny a copy. I watched her for a quarter of an' hour, but I never saw a woman look at her, much less buy the paper. No! No! It is not on those lines that reforms are going to be carried in England."

"Would your Worship kindly grant m,e a favour, if it lies in your power to do so?" asked a prisoner in the dock at the Wanganui Magistrate's Court after he had been apprised of the fact that ho was to servo a" sentence of three months hard Inborn* in one of His Majesty's prisons, for having no visible means of support. Mr. Kerr, who presided, inquired what the favour was to which the prisoner replied that as he was not on speaking terms with the gaoler at the New Plymouth gaol, he would much prefer to be detained at Wanganui. The Magistrate replied that it was not in his power to sentence anyone to Wanganui who has a longer time than th'riy days to which the prisoner replied. "Thank God, anyhow, there will be no more sand shovelling." He, evidently spoke with some authority on New Zealand's "Houses of Detention" as it was mentioned during the hearing of the ens? that he had fortyeight previous convictions against his name in the criminal records of the | Dominion.