LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Stratford Evening Post, Volume XXXIV, Issue 73, 19 November 1912, Page 4

LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Messrs. Robinson and Christophers’ report on the local drainage scheme appears on page 7. At the special -meeting of the Borough. Council last night, the Eltharn Council wrote offering the use of their crushing plant on the terms that the local Council pay Gd per yard on all metal crushed. The offer was accepted. “Congested areas,” remarked a Councillor contemptuously last evening, “there are no congested! areas in. Stratford.” “Of course,” replied the Mayor, “we are speaking comparatively.” The Warea School has this year put up a performance that, for a school of its si/.0, would he hard to heat (says the ‘.News’). It is a small school staffed by a headmistress (Mrs. Barak) and assistant (Miss Andrews). No fewer than eight pupils were recently scut to Raliotu to sit for their sixth standard certificates examination, and the whole eight secured proficiency ceitiicates. /

The auctioneers of Stratford clofee their offices on Thursday next, on account of the Hawera Show. A meeting of t.he executive of the Stratford Linunber of Commerce will be held this evening.

The milk cheques for the month are as follows:—Stratford Co-operative Dairy Co., ,£0785; Ngaire, £«U > i ; Cardiff, £1701; Lowgarcli, £‘2210. The mail train was delayed for almost three-quarters of an hour this morning, the Hawera-New Plymouth train being the cause of the delay. “Engine steaming badly” was the reason for the slow running, according to one of the guards. The annual meeting of the Stratford Cricket Club was adjourned last niglic owing to a lack of a quorum. Cricketers, however, need not be discouraged. Financially the club is in a satisfactory position, though there is a smaii debit balance. It is intended to start practice right away.

There was a good attendance at the Oddfellows’ euchre party in the Foresters’ Hall last night. The ladies' prizes were won by Mrs. J. Sharrock (first) and Mrs. Payton (second), and the gentlemen’s by Mn Payton and Ala - . .). Jones, in that order. Mrs. Brooking supplied supper. General Botha, in a foreword to the speech (now published in pamphlet form) of Earl Grey at the dedication of the Cecil Rhodes memorial, says:— “The heart reverently bows to the silent prayer that what was greatest and highest and noblest in Cecil Rhodes may remain a living influence in the country he loved so well.”

Water is to be laid on to Craig Street, and also to the residences of W. 11. Boon, G. Scott, and D. amt chart. The Mayor explained last night that with regard to the last three ratepayers, their properties adjoined re serves, and it was obvious that water extensions would never in that locality pay interest on cost of construction. la which case it was an obvious injustice to refuse their petition. A New York florist has made a fortune by growing four-leaved clove, plants, which are supposed by the superstitious to bring luck to the own er. They have certainly brought luck to the florist. He brought his first plants into the market at the begin ning of April, and asked £1 each lor them. He sold 4000 in a week. He is still selling hundreds/ of plants. The Stratford Borough Council is determined that Show Day shall be free from accidents if they can prevent' them. At the meeting last mgat a < motion was passed that the inspect to*r take proceedings against any persons going round Flint Road corner on Show Day at other than a walking pace, provided that reasonable warning be given. Application for police as si stance will be made, but, failing this the Mayor will be empowered to en gage assistant inspectors, A motion was also passed putting a stop to leav ing vehicles and tying up norses oi. the sides of the Flint Hoad. The fine weather has given every opportunity for rapid advancement cf the work connected with "the erection of the high power wireless station at Awarua (says the ‘Southland Times’). Already the tower is up to a'height ol well over 200 feet, and if the same rat., of progress is experienced over the final distance this portion of the job should be completed well within the time originally estimated, At its present height the tower can be easily picked up from the water front at Bluff, appearing like a thin black line against the sky.

A mild sensation was caused in the vicinity of the Christchurch Hospital about noon on Monday last, says tiu ‘Press,’ when some ,saw p man run along the banks of the Avon, and, without removing any of his clothes, suddenly throw himself into the river. Several people witnessed the incident, and someone went to the rescue and succeeded in getting the man on to the bank. His thoughts appeared to be wandering, and his explanation of his action was that he thought someone was chasing him, and lie sought safety in the depths the Avon. Dr. Orchard appeared on~ the scene at this stage, and perceiving the man was under hallucinations, he took him to the Hospital. The man gave hi • name as Doherty. It is said that what is termed a “gold divining company” has been floated in the Alexandra district, wi.h a capital of some £SOOO. The statement is made that a well-known South Otago gentleman claims to be able to locate gold in the same manner as a water diviner discovers water. The question naturally occurs why tne “gold diviner” does not keep his sec ret to himself, when all the gold ol Golconda would be as nothing compared to the wealth lying to his hands. This query is explained away, however, by thd reply that the “gold diviner” has not sufficient capital at hi s disposal to exploit his discovery. Whether .the present value of gold stands a risk of being greatly deprecialed.remains (says the ‘Otago Daily Times’), of course, to be seen; but if what we are informed be correct, some of the shareholders in the company evidently appear to consider it an imminent possibility, seeing that their faith in the venture is such that the shares are to-day quoted at a premium. How a large business can be commenced with the proverbial “half-a-crown” was narrated by the managing director and chairman of Messrs, iuen ry W. Bush,and Co., Ltd., at a festival dinner held in London on October Ist, t? celebrate the 25th anniversary of the founding of the firm. Sketching the genesis and development of his business, Mr. Bush stated that operations were commenced in a small third floor office—a single room—in Basinghall Street, a of a century ago. One table, one chair, oire brain, and one pen were enlisted in the flotation of the concern. At the present moment, it is claimed, there is not a city of any commercial importance in India, Australia, Africa, West Indies, Straits or China with which this firm is not in touch'. On the one hand consignments are being regularly made to the scorching towns of “.’Darkest Africa,” and in the other to the fro en islands of the Arctic Circle. It may well be said that the days of romance in business are not yet ended. A mild sensation occurred at Clifton House on Saturday night (states the Waverley correspondent of the Pa tea ‘Press’), which led to an arrest, it, appears that a man giving his name as Charles Percy Williams has been staying at Clifton House for the past few days, and has done good busniess at the clothes cleaning business. After paying for his boi'd he was form! giving drink to a sick person in the house, who had been forbidden same by a doctor. He was ordered out, but some time later was again found in the sick man’s room, but asleep. At 3 a.m. on Sunday it appears he again effected an entrance to the building, and, it is alleged, lifted a purse containing £2 10s and some silver. At 11 a.m. Constable O’Brien was acquainted with the matter, and loft on horseback in pursuit of the man who had gone south. At Waitotara he hired Mr. Vincent’s car, catching his man at Maxwelltown. He was lodged in the Waitotara lock-up, and later on in the day Constable O’Brien secured the man’s finger prints, which were visible on the windowsill of a bedroom at Clifton House.

A portrait of your sweetheart cn tho point of your slipper is Fashion’s latest suggestion to the smart American woman. The picture should be fixed to the slipper below the buckle. This style comes from Boston.

A resident of Fort Worth, Texas, prides himself on being the only man living who possesses a, set of false teeth made of cast iron. Plate and teeth are cast in one piece, and they weigh nearly five ounces. Gp to the 7th November, 1913, persons, or the parents of persons, Who were born in New Zealand before 7th May, 1912, but whose births have not f previously been registered, may effect a special registration by applicatioifto tjie Registrar-General, Wellington.

The prospects of the forthcoming Axemen’s Carnival at El than? being as great a success as ever are very good. Nominations are already beginning to come in, and amongst the competitors are such men as tfie brothers Pretty, Sam Johnson, Weston, McCauley, Shewry, and others of good calibre.

Close by a cemetery near Paris a wine shop has been discovered with an attractive and thoughtful advertisement. The pnblichouse calls itself “At the. Sign of the Return from the Funeral!” The board underneath bears the announcement, “Private rooms for persons desirous of Weeping alone.” A man returning to his native town after a long absence met his former pastor. After mentioning various friends the man asked: “Uh, by the way, when do you expect to see Deacon Smith again?” “Never,” said the minister solemnly; “the deacon is in Heaven.”

A Councillor created general amusement at the special meetllig last night by requesting, at a slack period of the meeting, that the Clerk be instructed to provide “decent” pens, as “we can’t draw with these.” It may be mentioned that those Councillors who have artistic abilities are in the habit of making lightning sketches, the better to concentrate their minds on the momentous matters under discussion.

The promoters of the'Panama-Paci-fic Exposition, which is to be held at San Francisco in 1915, are keen to have the Kaiser and King Alfonso race their yachts on that occasion, Sir Thomas Lipton intends to visit San Francisco in the course of the next week or two to confer with the authorities of the exposition, as to the best ways and means of inducing the Royal yacntsmen to send their craft over to compete.

Fruit can now he transmitted by parcel post, at the following rates:— 3d for the first pound, l£d lor eacii succeeding pound, or fraction of a pound, up to 11 pounds, for offices served by railway, coach, or steamer. Fad) parcel is to be securely packed, bo that its contents cannot exude, or in- any way cause damage to other Jareds in the mail. The regulations prescribe that liquidvtight tins for the transmission of soft fruit must .he strictly complied with.

A Mataura lad had an experience on Saturday which he is not likely t<» forget for some time (says the ‘Mataura Ensign’). One of the electric light wires, near Piercy’s shop, was broken and the hoy caught hold of the end that was lying on the ground and immediately proceeded through various acrobatic feats. Excepting for a shock, however, he was none the forse for his experience, hut had the incident happened at night when the full load was running, the consequences of his curiosity might have proved fatal. In speaking of agricultural matters in the Old Country to the ‘Waipa Post,’ Mrs. Taylor, of Te Awarautu, who.'has j.ust returned .from an extensive tour of Britain and the United States, stated that the summer had been a disastrous one, crops being ruined on all sides by the inclement weather, in addition to the very serious damage done by the floods. In many cases hay-stacks could be seen half submerged in water. The cattle disease was rampant throughout the; whole country. An interesting stamp which has just come into the possession of a Christchurch resident was shown to a ‘News’ reporter. The stamp, which is a Servian one, was struck just after the assassination of King Peter. It shows on its face two heads, one of the founder of the present ■ dynasty and the other of King Peter. Apparently the die must have been cast by an adherent of the murdered monarch, for if the stamp be turned upside down one of the faces distinctly reveals the features of King Alexander. The likeness is too good for it to have happened accidentally.'

Cheese-making will soon he general in various dairy factories yi and around Eltham (states the ‘Argus’). The new curing room in Collingwqod Street, the foundation stone of which was laid by the Governor a short time since, i's now nearing completion, only a few small matters remaining to he attended to, and it is. already in use, cheese having been received from the Mata, Rotokare, and Eltham factories, while Jerseydale, or Eltham Road, starts cheese-making to-day, and Rawhitiroa on Wednesday. The first consignment of cheese will be sent from the new curing room during the course of next week. It is expected that 9003 tons of cheese will pass through the curing room during the season. This figure would have been higher, but the cheese-making has been somewhat delayed through incapacity to handle it, butter having been made instead.

The remarks of Mr. Kettle, S.M., on the subject of the prevalence of perjury, recall some amusing incidents of Court proceedings. At a recent sitting of the Native Land -Court, a Maori “lawyer” was examining a witness, who was giving answers which he did not appreciate. “On which side are you giving evidence—for or against,” angrily asked the examiner. Witness replied that he was trying to give evidence on the side of the questioner. Another recent instance was that of an examiner who was questioning his mother on certain points. She confessed that she was too young at the time spoken of to know the circumstances referred to. He contemptuously dismissed the .witness with the remark ■ “That is a nice kind of mother to have! What can a man do with a mother like that?” (

A couple of weeks ago a wedding was arranged to take place at Dargaville, and on the day appointed the wedding breakfast was duly laid out in one of the local diningrooms (states the ‘Times’). The prospective brkbMsnd her relatives were ready, bn"tho bridegroom failed to materialise. When the father realised that the wedding had fallen through he communicated with the police, fearing that some calamity had overtaken his prospective son-in-law, but that opinion was not shared by the police. The girl later on found a card on the window-sill containing a message written in red ink, which hinted at the missing man probably departing from this vale of tears Still the police were sceptical. Later on, from information received, a warrant was issued, and as a result Vigge Valdemar Jorgensen was arrested at a boardinghouse in Whaugarei on Monday last, on a charge of failing to make provision for the future maintenance of his unborn illegitimate child.

The first consignment of casein from the Bunnythorpe (Feilding) factory was sent away last week. Much interest Is centred in this industry, stai.es the ‘Age.’ Tile annual examination for too Junior Civil Service for the Taranaki Board’s Senior Scholarship begah to-day in the Stratford Technical School. Mr. R. G. Whetter and Miss Irvine are supervising. The Eltham Dairy Company, says the ‘Argiis,’ has made 228,7701 b of butter during the past month, pa aag but £9450, or at the rate of Hid. The average test was 3.5. Last year 2*21,u88 lb of. uutter were made and £9222 p.lid out. ■ steam roller to the order of the Stratford County Council has arrived by rail, and is now being re-erected in the railway yrird. The engine will be ready for “firing up” in a qpuple of days. ___