LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Stratford Evening Post, Volume XXXIII, Issue 1, 27 April 1912, Page 4

LOCAL AND GENERAL.

A meeting of tfie executive of the, South Taranaki C.E. Union will be Juki in the Primitive Methodist Schoolroom on Monday evening next. A special meeting of the Stratford County Council, to consider the Local Government Pill, 1912, and to transact general business, will he held at the County Office, St. afford, on Saturday, 4th May, at 10 a.in. Copies of defaulters’ list and electoral rolls of the several ridings of the Stratford County Council may lie inspected at the County Office, Stratford, and at Midhirst, X'gacre, Toko, Cardiff, and Tututawa. To-morrow at the Stratford Salvation Army Hall a special farewell meeting to Lieutenant Baldwin will take place. This popular officer, after two years’ ; service as Lieutenant under the Captain in charge of the Stratford Corps, has been promoted to take charge, of the Army’s work at Rahotu. Alan.C. Maxwell will act as referee at tiie 11th Regiment boxing competitions, which, are to he held at an early date in Stratford. He' is also to act as referee for the Taranaki championships, which eventuate in Eltham on .June 2nd. Maxwell is at present booked to meet L. Potter, in Wanganui, at an early date. ~, ; The adjourned .meeting of the Stratford Lawn Tennis Club was held in Mr. W. H. LI. Young’s offices lastevening, when there was a fair attendance of members. A sub-committee was appointed to go into the matter of selecting a suitable spot for the new courts, and will report fully to a further meeting to he held in a fortnight’s time. The members of the local Methodist Church are tendering a social of welcome on Tuesday evening to then - new minister, Rev. A. Reader, who arrived in Stratford from Milton a few days ago. Addresses will he given by local ministers, and an attractive musical programme has boon arranged. Supper, also will lie provided. As a rule intoxicated persons arc not particular about the places they select as retreats for the purpose of sleeping oif their stupor (says the Poverty Ray Herald), but the spot selected by a .Napier wharf-labourer the other day was uncanny to a degree. A new hearse was standing on the wharf for some time, ready for shipment by the s.s. Ripple. Wnen the vehicle was being hoisted the workmen were attracted by a noise in the hearse, and on investigating d scovercd a man inside. He had shut himself inside to have a sleep, and narrowly escaped a- trip to Gisborne. Constable Ryan found a lad wandering about the streets of Naper one night last week, and, having ids suspicions of such a small boy Doing out at night by himself, questioned him as to his intentions. Ihe hid told a long story of how ids father and mother were ill at then - residence in King Street, Hastings, and how he hau come to Napier to obtain work to help to support them. He said ids name was Jack Johnson. The officer requested the hoy to go to the police station with him, and on being questioned further gave the same story. On hunting up the absconders’ book the constable 1 found that an inmate of the training farm for boys at Wereroa was missing, and the description answered to that of his quarry. His number, SID, was found on the inner side of Ids braces. The lad then admitted the truth, and said that ho had escaped from the farm and had gone to Napier in a railway - truck. He had been committed to the Home from Invercargill. The hoy was returned to the industrial school. 4he Coronation Hall at Toko was filled last night, the occasion being a progressive euchre party and dance, nchi under the auspices of the Loyal Toko Lodge of Oddfellows. A large number of visitors were present, Stratford being largely represented. The prizes, which were useful and costly, were won by Mrs. G. Morison and Pro. John Leydon. Mr. Leydon generously handed back In's prize as a tropliy to be competed for by members of the Order to the one who proposes the greatest number of members, to close in September quarter. Pros. Leydon and Lawson spoke briefly on the advantages and benefits of the Order. 'The secretary of the lodge (Mr Parker) Shortly alter came forth with the encouraging-' rows that already eight 1:Ml signified their intention of joining the Order, /liter He enehr"' been brought to a close, and the prizes presented to the respective winners n. Mr. J. B. Kine, M.P., the floor was at- once prepared for dancing, and bo-fej-e many minutes elapsed all was in full swing. J lie floor was in perfect order, 'and excellent music war renpiied by Mrs. Hianchi, of Stratford. Mr. G. Rnthoiford carried out the duties ol M.C.. A good simper war also provided, and a very enjoyable entertainment was brengat to i dose in the early hours of the- morning.

On Thursday, May Uiih, the Stratford Horticultural Society are holding a social in the Foresters’ Hall. Mr. C. !). Sole, secretary of the Acclimatisation Society, lias received a 1 - ply Irani the Minister of Internal d hairs with regard to his telegram unking on beliall of the Society that tin season for p'geon -shooting’in the Sira l l ord district should iic an open one, i lie Minister, after due consideration, considers that the decision of Cabinet should be adhered to, and under those circumstances regrets that he is unable to accede to tiio request <;d _ 11ratioi d Acclimatisation Society. \Vlld duck and teal may be shot, but pigeoim and kakas are duly protected oy law from the depredations of the sportsman. \ V» Ah a broad and most uncharitable smile on bin lace, a visitor told us this morning the tale of the eight persons, who set out at a quarter to four this morning to catch the tram from Wiiangamoniona at the T! mile siding, and met on the way unexpected difficulties. There are two routes to the mouth of Die tunnel from Whanga, and neither of them makes pleasant walking, even in broad daylight. The soft papa yields under foot, and sets its seal on the passing traveller, so that when he arrives in Stratford he looks as if ho had just finished a drainage contract in a backblocks swamp, and had forgotten to change his clothes. In the darkness of the early morning, when the air is chilly and the •mist heavy and penetrating, the walk is decidedly exciting, in that one novel' knows how scon the Whanga mud may claim its own. This ikorning the party, among them two ladies, were getting along famously, when their Jialf-a-candlo power light failed to warn them of the proximity of a slip in one of the big cuttings. Into this they plunged. The men worked valiantly, and managed after some minutes to extricate the ladies. One, like Cinderella of old, lost her shoe, and the modern prince found it, deserved tile greatest praise for the reckless manner in which lie risked a muddy grave in rescuing it. Fortunately the party met with no more misadventures, and reached the tunnel safely, though with slightly more than them fair share of the soil of the east upon their nether garments.