LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Stratford Evening Post, Volume XXXIV, Issue 45, 16 October 1912, Page 4

LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Winifred Lang, aged four years, swallowed a nickel watch-chain at Melbourne last week. She was taken to tlie Children's Hospital, and with the X-ray the chain was located in the child's stomach. So far she has felt no ill-effects from it. At a dinner given to a party by the Jam of Nawanagar (Ranjitsinhji) in England, Mr. S. E. Gregory, capt. in of the Australian Eleven, was presented by the host with a wrist wmteh. Mr. Gregory, in a letter to his wife, referring to' the last test match against England, says: "Had I won the- toss we would have won the match—so they all say." A woman walked into a hotel in Baltimore carrying a baby, which was struggling violently, and had every appearance of crying, but no scund came from it. The woman was advertising a baby silencer which she had invented. It _ consists of a kind of gauze gag, which fits /over the mouth of the baby and al,lows_ it to breathe freely, but prevents any crying being heard. The invention has *een designed with the object of enabling mothers to take their babies to churches, matinees, or other entertainments. In a case heard at the Cbristchurch Magistrate's Court, in which a barmaid was charged with supplying liquor to two youths under the ago of 21 years, the solicitor who was conducting the defence remarked that everybody seemed to have a down on the publichouse nowadays. "Nonsense," said Mr. li. W. .Bishop. S.M. "As long as the business is conducted according to law, no one can have any reason for having a down on it. If people object to it, they should endeavour to have more stringent laws of regulation made. I certainly think that boys under 21 should bo prosecuted themselves for entering the bars,but this is merely an expression of my private opinion."

Archibald Hurd, in the 'Fortnightly,' grows very sarcastic at the expense of German navy policy, which no says has united the Empire for defence, thrown Russia into the arms of Prance, and Japan into the arms of Great Britain ; to say nothing of the fact that we were hardly on speaking terms with France when the mailed fist began to bo brandished. We have now over 79 per cent, of all the Contim n'al navies. The "blind Teutonic blacksmiths" have been forging our lin's of Empire since the days of the Kruger telegram. "The real triumph of Germany has not been the creation of her fleet, hut the laying of the found iti n> of a British Empire; it only remains for us to build on the foundations .bus laid an Imperial navy and an Imperial army, and a council for the Empire."

-" —= - —^jj^a The adoption of a more phonetic system of spelling is being urged by the Auckland Country Teachers' Association. The annual synod of the Primitive .Methodist Church in Taranaki will be held on Wednesday next, in the Broadway Church, at li) o'clock. Delegates, ministerial and lay, will ho present from Wanganui up to New Pljraouth. A novel method of paying for street improvements is to be adopted at Yeadon, Yorkshire. The cost of a desirable improvement—about i'i'lOOO—deterred the Council from undertaking it until a member proposed that the money he raised by holding a bazaar. There is every prospect of a successful result, as the ratepayers are up the matter with enthusiasm. Yeadon's rates are slightly over Ha in the £', and a penny rate produces £BO. During the Omrah's recent passage through the Red Sea to Australia, the heat was exceptional, and four deaths were at least indirectly due to its effects. A passenger bound for New Zealand died as the result of a heat stroke. He was returning to his homo in the Dominion, where he had lived for thirty years. Among his fellowpassengers tho man was known as "Scotty." Malaria brought on by the heat caused the death of a first-class steward, and two firemen disappeared during one night. It is believed that they went suddenly mad, and jumped overboard.

What are probably the longest traia--ever recorded are now being worked over the Leigh Valley system in Pennsylvania. Recently a train composed Oi 133 cars was despatched from the Perth Amboy Docks to the distributing yards at Mahon. This train was (000 ft., or more than a mile and a quarter in length. Two locomotives; pulled it, and a third was used as a "pusher." The reason for operating trams of this length, which, if vhe f were to pass through the London district, would overlap several stations, is said to be the shortage of trainmen in Pennsylvania.

Lnder an old police regulati-.n, framed to prevent the sale ot stolen property, it is at present illegal in Australia for auction sales to be'conducted by candle or other artificial light. In the New South Wales Legislative Assembly last week, Mr. Hoi man gave notice of the introduction of a Bill to amend the Auctioneers' Licensing Act, the effects of \yhich will be to annul this old regulation in certain cases. Mr. Holman printed out that at Albury, wool sales are sometimes held, and 'to meet the convenience of both Melbourne and Sydney buyers, it is desired that the snles should take place in the evening. The weather this week hasi, so'far, been splendid (says the Fair lie 'correspondent of the ' 'Timaru Herald'). Summer heat has prevailed during the 1 day tinie, though the nights are sc-W-Hfnes frosty. Better. Weather foi'lambing could' not be' found., The'land is also in nice order for ploughing' and working; ' Potato' planting is notvFbeing put in hand, 'and the smvmgWfJjr-er-(Cals is still in /full saving. The cWntry, 'Viewed from 'any !of the hill's round Fairlie,' forms' a Striking 'picture 1 ;<'with :its- green;.paddocks 'of:-.grassunft'crop, ..dotted with; -banks' of .willow /;ihd(ever- • preen .trees; i And-hackediwith' tussdcky Mllsland snowyi ranges.-: .1 »i I; -<;j;..l A''blunder by somebody'has added £lO additional cost to "the Maternity Hospital, at Kawakawa, says the Whangarei 'Mail.' It appearis that instructions had been given to arrange that the bath water should be turned into the septic tank that is being constructed. When the pipes had been arranged accordingly, somebody else, who. fortunatelv knew something of a Septic tank, pointed 6ufe ( that''ifTsifepy 'water' was'allowed te'^o , i I n' ! the :iordin■'arjl'drainitge i-f'would Ih'tM'-coWs'fe of ■ time- reader- the •'feepti'c tfifik "Useless. The Hospital Boaid'-me'tiffcers have; decided' Ito riiake' "f re'S'li '■■'■ arraiige''tnoftt's"foi* the disposal 'of (> bathj r water, although at the siilrie'time they'c'ommen ted severely on the additional £4O outlay that they had been i put>to* _ An extraordinary sbo:y comes'-from Tacomaj Washington State. Nine vears ago this, present month of October the ■sueamer Discovery, liound from 'Nome to Puget Sound, was lost off the southern Alaskan coast, and 70 persons lost their lives. Until August 25 the manner of the Discovery's loss was a mystery, it having been supposed that she foundered in a storm off Yakuta. Vow comes the startling statement that the Discovery weathered the storm on I'akuta, and reached the icy strait near Juneau, where, during a heavy snowstorm, she struck'an iceberg and foundered in a few minutes,. Captain E. C .Weaver, aged 72, claims to be the sole survivor. He saved himself by clinging to the berg with a steel hook, which he used in place of an amputated hand. He was picked up by Indians, who "adopted" him into their tribe, and he has been wandering with them ever since. A couple of gentlemen who are in the habit of frequenting St. Kilda beach, Dunedin, in the early morning have had afforded them an imight into ;lie curious habits found in animal life.

About a week ago they discovered the irack of a rabbit leading out of the lupines right to the water's edge. Prompted by curiosity; they instituted a close search, and ultimately found in the sand a nest of six young* bunnies a short distance back from the water, and about 200 yards cut from the lupines. Each morning they inspected tne nest, which was cleverly concealed in the manner characteristic of the Utile furry animal, and they formed the conclusion that the mother attended her young during the night and left them at daybreak. Her reasons for wiis somewhat strange procedure- formed food for speculation, because a high sea would undoubtedly have swamped the nest, which also must have been walked over by hundreds of people. Someone else seems to have been in the know, and to the disappointment of the tAvo naturalists (says the 'Star') on visiting their find on Wednesday morning they found the nest empty, and the footprints of the distracted mother imprinted in the sand. A new sensation in connection with the police "graft" scandal was provided in New York by the report that attempts had been made to poison the men who are in charge of the investigation—Mr. Charles S. Whitman, the district attorney, and Mr. William J. rturns, the famous private defective. Mr. Whitman received numerous threatening letters, but it was stated that in his mail one day ho found a sus-picious-looking packet', containing tablets; which are believed to have beear* misoned. He did not take any of them, but handed them over to an analyst, Mr. Burns, who was in Denver Colorado, recruiting, at the end of August, is reported to be suffering from ptomaine poisoning, and the newspapers insinuate that an attempt Shl been made on his life. As regards this, however, some are dinposed to believe that his illness is feigned, in order to lull his quarry into a sense if false security. That the Rosenthal ruirder lias thoroughly upset the p01',.,, ',.,, force is proved by the numerous ' •(vii'iiations that have been handed in '-i) Commissioner Waldo. One polieeii.Mi. who committed suicide, left a message to the effect that Tie did so because the universal hatred of the force had made life unbearable.

e ==- , j The Aveling and Porter road roller ordered by the Stratford County Council arrives in Wellington to-day. The milk cheques for the month are:—Ngaire Co-operative Dairy Co. £1696, Lowgarth Dairy Co. £l3oo, Cardiff Dairy Co. £967, and Stratford Cooperative Dairy Co. £3600. The cadets who visited Canada will return next week, and when they reach Wellington will ho matched against the Canadian cadets now on their way from Australia. A programme will be definitely arranged as soon as they arrive (says a Press Association telegram). Mr. Allen (Minister of Defence) and General Uodley are now conferring on the subject. At the Wanganui Magistrate's Court yesterday afternoon a case of alleged selling of short-weight bread was investigated. The information was laicl by the Health Inspector, who gave evidence that he had stopped defendant a cart and bought a 21b loaf, weighed it, and found it 3oz. short. The defendant, E. Stewart, raised the question of the inaccuracy of the inspector s scales (says the 'Herald'). Evidence in this respect was given by Sergeant Burke, who said that he had never seen a finer set of scales as that possessed by the inspector. The defendant submitted evidenco that he had weighed a portion of the loaves and had" found them over-weight. The Magistrate, in summing up, said that on the evidenco a conviction must be entered, and fined defendant £2 and 7s costs.

An accident occurred on Monday evening at Hawera through a collision between a motor-car and a cab, which, fortunately for the occupants of both vehicles, resulted in no worse a- mishap than a few minor injuries to those riding in the car—Colonel Malone, Captain Dampen, and Sur-geon-Major Carbory, who were on an official visit to Hawera in connection with Territorial matters. The collision occurred at tho intersection of Glover Road and Princes Street, the shaft of the cab piercing the wind screen and grazing Colonel Malone's face, just escaped Captain Lampen's chest, but struck him on tho muscle of the arm. Some glass from the screen also slightly injured Dr. Carbery'a face The drivers of both vehicles escaped injury, though the horses were slightly cut, one of them climbing right over the bonnet of tho car. ■ The premises of a wholesale hair merchant in Whitechapel Road, London, were recently broken into by burglars, who stole human hair valued at £llO. All tho stolen goods had been refined, and varied in shade. The black to the fairest blorde. The burglars obtained access to the ; 'op hy forcing the look of thi door. Most of the hair was taken from the shop itself, but some from a rootn behind. A pair of steps was four*: turnoa against.the wall at the back. Hanhas ,increased in value recently. -Jhe

i greater part comes to t' is ,-ouiuiy ' ;'(says a London correspond:it) from. " 'lchina and Italy. China is the greatest, exporter, but Italian hair is ot i greater,value, r While Chmose refined ' 'hair, costs retailers. 5s an oipie/i, chat ''■', from, Italy' costs half, as mucti «»gam. \ 'GreyThajf, .it-is ■yiteresCiag to note,, :•,'is, "H-ojqth ".considerably, i mors Xfl al \ 11,', golde> r pwipg ,tq its. sca-rciLy,.• |•, it- r i (~,- there, are a :numbar .'of approved f ay--•-vingfc ihy which anomalies iare expressedVjJ'isftSHi the Times'), and.per- ' haps the best' known/ of these describes, the taking of coals to Newc<stle : Even this does not express the predicament of a man who was charged with drunkenness in the Invercargill Police Court : on Wednesday. The offender was fur- ' ther charged with; resisting the police and damaging a uniform overcoat belonging to the Government. He pleaded "Guilty," and one of his friends came forward to testify.tq,his gpqd. b%, ... liavipur ,wider, normal: circumstances., mSSu^iWW^vJ that the accused had : r to at Hedgehope, and "was *'i i, leaving Inyercargill to get away from' ,The,obvious inferenceV ~that accused.was exposed to. great a prohibition town unchallenged, i . r 01 "4 ijlma) general rule it requires a fairly exceptional' circumstance to- cause a of the operations of the .participants in a country dance, says ~'the 'Southland Times.'' What was pro- '.. rbably one of the most novel features , -that ever contributed to the holding ./up of a dance occurred at a social held ■ at Lumsden last Friday evening. A . gentleman who had become momentarily exhausted by his effort to achieve a continuity of graceful movement retired into the wings behind the piano ■to enjov a cigarette. His interest in the proceedings, however, did not permit him to remain out of sight of the dancers for many moments, and he ' came forward and leaned against the back of the piano while he watched the dancers and finished his cigarette Inadvertently the latter dropped from between his fingers into the open top of the instrument, and was at oncelosi somewhere among the strings. The Eianist ceased operations at the keyoard immediately, and for about twenty minutes the gentlemen present were engaged in stripping the front of the instrument of its panels. Finally the sought-for article was found, the panels replaced, and the dance resumed with characteristic gusto. ) Stratford is mentioned in connection with a remarkable case which has come under the notice of the Oamaru police. A man who has fallen into their possession is. suffering from loss of memory. It appears a few days ago ho was living at Kakanui (thirteen miles south of Oamaru), in a hut belonging to a boardinghousokeeper there, of which he had taken possession. He hardly had anything to eat, only once or twice going to the boardnighouse and asking if his dinner was ready. He was given food whenever he asked for it, but most of the time ho appeared to totally forget the use or need for food. The addressing him he made no reply. Thoy became alarmed and sent word to the police that there was a lunatic at large. The man was taken to the police* station at Oamaru on Friday, and on Saturday morning was examined by medical men and the Magistrate, but with little result. He was evidently considerably weakened by his continued abstinence from food, and oould give no account of his wanderings. The Oamaru paper goes on to ' say: "A little money was found in his possession, also a letter from a bank at Stratford stating that he had a credit balance to his account there. He made a disconnected statement in which Stratford, his wife, a ch'ld dead. a sister at Auckland, and ghosts were mentioned. He was remanded for further examination. The man is respectably dressed, and appears to be about -i**4o years of age. Since ho lias been taken in charge "by the polico the man lias recovered somewhat, though his memory is still very hazy." Under the eir cumstances, it would be advisable. should any Stratford resident become aware of tho identity of the man, to make immediate communication with the police authorities.