LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Stratford Evening Post, Volume XXXIV, Issue 10, 5 September 1912, Page 4

LOCAL AND GENERAL.

A block, having 33ft. frontage to Queen Street, Auckland, has been sold to Messrs. John Fuller and Sons tor a continuous picture theatre at ~Hu.; per foot. The Calcutta census shows that of the 896.007 inhabitants no fewer than 607,674 are males, or two males to each female. The Milwaukee Physicians’ Association (according to the “New York Tribune”) will prepare a Bill for the nex; Legislature, intended to stop the practice of kissing, and stamping the habi as a blot on civilisation and a menace to health and decency. The action was decided on at a meeting a few days ago. A substitute for the practice offered was that of rubbing noses or oi foreheads, this being held more decent by flic physicians. A “big” game of poker was recently indulged in by some of Masterton’s youth, says the “Wairarapa Age.” “It was only a penny game,” said one ni the party afterwards, “but after one deal there was some big betting, seven pounds worth of pennies changing hands. The winning hand was a routine flush, another had four aces, another four iiings, and the fourth of the party four sevens. What do you think of that for poker?” The gentlemen addressed are still thinking. “When is a person drunk?” is a question that has provoked plenty of theories, but a satisfactory solution is as far off as ever, and even the police who are experienced in inebrity (other people’s) hold hard views on the subject. A Whangarei resident made a laudable attempt on bis own account last Saturday night to settle the debatable point, as far as be was concerned, at any rate. Uncertain whether he bad reached the “happy and glorious” stage, and avoiding the police opinion (which might be prejudiced) be paid a medical gentleman five shillings for a diagnosis. After a profesedly elaborate test the doctor gave his ruling that the man was nor drunk while he had enough sense to put himself to such a test, and the “subject” went away hapny in tin hope that be might be able to bold another one or two before closing I imp.

The Toko bachelors’ animal ball will l»o bold in the Coronation Hall, Toko, on Friday evening, the 6th inst. 'i ho Hawera Dairy Company has decidocl to dispose of its cheese output on open consignment through Messrs 11. li. Lane and Co. Tiie Hawera Borough Council notify that a poll will he taken on the proposal to borrow £SOOO for waterworks improvements on Thursday, September 12. Dairy produce to the value of over a million and a half passed throughjj the Taranaki ports last season. A good catch of whitebait from tho_ Waitara River was retailed in New Plymouth yesterday at fancy prices. The Executive Committee of the Stratford A. and P. Association will moot at the Show Grounds to-morrow afternoon at 3 o’clock, with the view to inspecting a site for the new stand. The Licensing Committee meets at 12 o’clock to-morrow when two applications for permanent transfers will be dealt with, in addition to routine business.

The Court list for to-morrow’s sitting of the Magistrate’s Court includes eighteen undefended civil cases, and one information for riding a bicycle on the footpath. The “leasehold Government” which held sway over the Egrnont Club’s “Parliament,” has been deposed, and Mr. ,1. McMahon succeeds the Rev. A. deader, as “Premier.” Through a large exhibit at the Panama Exhibition at San Francisco, Germany hopes to capture South American business.—Cable. The Cardiff, Lowgarth, and Ngaero Co-operative Dairy Companies have all decided on open consignment for this season. Midhirst are holding a mooting on the 18th of this month, out it is not expected that they will sell, at least not yet awhile. The butter buyers, representative of come dozen firms, met yesterday, ami Mr. Richard Dingle, chairman of the directors of the Stratford Co-opera - .ive Dairy Company, was closet**! .vith these throughout the greater part of the day. Nothing definite, aowever, was arrived at, and the meeting was adjourned sine die.

Mr. W. J. JS T ewton, manager and engineer of the Stratford Electrical Supply Company, informed the ‘Tost” this morning that the company. were landing shortly some £SOO worth of electrical machinery, including a number of motors, with a total of over fifty horse power. The company has settled down in its now quarters, and everything is working smoothly. It was a local business man’s office, and a fair client was relating the story of a recent purchase—a Holstein_cow. It appeared that accidents had happened in transit, and the animal had cleared into a neighbour’s property, from whore it had refused to budge. ‘And what a time we had getting her out. She rushed at me with her head down, and I ‘side-stepped,’ and she ran right into the bank. If it had boon the old man, she’d have had him.”

An unusually large eel was caught in one of the Hawera Acclimatisation Society’s ponds on Tuesday afternoon. It measured 4 feet 0 inches ill'length, 16 inches in diameter, and weighed id ween IS and 20 pounds. It must have come down from the river through one of the races (says the ‘‘Star”). Luckily for the Society it was noticed soon, as it would probably have attacked the young fish. This is only the second occasion in five years that an eel has been found in she/ponds. > / .

A German student anxious for information, recently wrote to a New Zealander, his letter being an eloquent tribute to the complexities of the English language. The letter commenced: “Sir,—l beg you pardon that I ranture to ask you an information*” and continued- to enquire what English birds were ‘exposed’ with success” in New Zealand, and to ask whether the ■swan and the pheasant were domesticated, concluding with the naive expression, “Ready to every return service.” A well-known Stratford sportsman tells us that the pheasant at least has certainly been “exposed” this season with quite a lot of success —for the bird.

ft is intimated in another column that the Stratford Horticultural Society’s Spring Show of lovely daffodils takes place in the Foresters’ Hall on Thursday, September 26th. Although there is no accounting for the weather, there is every indication that the present season will be a really wonderful one for blooms. The Society is growing in membership, and, as has already been pointed out in the column s # of this paper, it is one of those institutions which does a great deal for the benefit of the town without any reward whatever, and is therefore most worthy of full support. It is admitted that the Stratford Horticultural So : ciety holds premier place in Taranaki for its shows, and this alone should be sufficient to attract the support and patronage of the Society’s efforts. The monthly meeting of the Ngaero W.C.T.U. was hold on Tuesday, at which the chief business;was the passing of the following resolutions re the throe-fifths majority and the totalisafor:—“The members of this union express their sorrow and indignation that the majority of members in the House of Representatives refused to grant to a very large majority of the •'lectors of this country any reduction in the iniquitous handicap imposed on them in licensing matters; and we hereby pledge ourselves not to vote for ahv candidate who supports the throe-fifths majority, and to induce others to follow our example. We also protest strongly against any legislation increasing the number of totalizator permits, and the publication of totalisator dividends. In view of the fact that the great evil of gambling amongst our men, women and youths is so fostered’ by this State licensed betting machine’ we earnestly urge the Government to submit the qnes- ; ion of its retention or abolition to a referendum of the people.’