LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Stratford Evening Post, Volume XXXIV, Issue 77, 23 November 1912, Page 4

LOCAL AND GENERAL.

A fisherman named Nelson, at the head of the Pelorus Sound, says he saw Pelorus Jack quite recently, apparently in good health and spirits. Nelson knows the cetacean well, and is certain of his facts.

Local dog fanciers speak in excellent terms of the treatment their dogs received at the Hawera Show. The dog section, they say, was well conducted, the judge’s ring being well fed by enthusiastic fanciers, who acted as' stewards, and everything went like clock-work. Messrs. A. McMeekan and S. Bishara, joint secretaries of the Whangamomona Sports Club, notify that nominations for all chopping and sawing events at the coming sports gathering will close on Saturday, November 30, at 5 p.m., and all nominations for running events on December 11th, at 5 p.m.

Sittings,for the trial of criminal and civil cases and of causes under the Divorce and Matrimonial Causes Act, 1908, will (states the ‘Herald’) be held at New Plymouth, to commence on the following days of next year;— Tuesday, March 4; Tuesday, June 17 ; Tuesday, September 16.

Nothing has been heard of the musing £l4O robbed from the Matiere mail hag, and a grant for that amount appeared on the Estimates to make good the loss suffered by those remitting money. A curious point about this loss was that it never gained much publicity, though (says the correspondent of the ‘Taranaki Herald’) one would naturally think that a robbery for such a sum would be reported in all the papers of the Dominion.

Mr. W. H. Hagger, officer in charge of the Christchurch branch of the Department of Labour, states that more people this year have adopted Saturday voluntarily as the half-holiday than in any previous year, and so far as he lias ascertained all have been well satisfied. Most of the coal, timber, and grain merchants, and the painters, as well as others in various trades, have adopted the week-end half-holiday. Wonder! Should the Adelaide. Labourers’ Union be termed a “scab” union according to the dogma of the Industrial Workers of the World (the Bed Feds) for turning down a proposal to, revise the wages log on the railway works! It w r as moved that an increase be asked for, and that navvies be paid 13s a day, and a man, horse, and dray 2os a day. The proposals met with scant support, 96 voting against the motion and only four for it. A resolution was carried expressing the approval of the present rates : of pay!

To-morrow night (Sunday), in the Foresters ’Hall, at 8.15, Mr, H.. Victor. clairvoyant, will give an address on the Into W. T. Stead and his “Messages from Spiiifc Life,” which should appeal to Bible students and materialists alike. After the address clairvoyant readings from flowers placed on Lite table will be given. Mr. Victor will also have on view a selection of spirit photographs, taken under test conditions, which must be seen to be realised. As Mr. Victor’s stay is limited, everyone interested in modern thought should not fail to be present.

The case of a family in the fionville (Wanganui) district is surely unique of its kind. Six pairs of twins! A fairly heavy quiver, if not a quiverful. Yesterday morning, when urging the claims of Gonville to the I special consideration of the Minister of Education the chairman of the (lon- i ville School Committee instanced the case of the family in the district in which the sixth pair of twins had been j horn. The Minister acknowledged that + hat was a fairlv strong argument in j favour of providing additional accom-1 moda.tion at the school, and enquired j whether the parents had been granted the Queen’s Bounty. The chairman \ suggested that the Minister might | use his influence in that direction.

It is rumoured that there is a possibility of further trouble in mining circles at Hikurangi. At Marten tiro Magistrate (Mr Page) dismissed a petition against the poll which was carried on rating on unimproved values. “How to vote” papers were held not to be illegal.— P.A. wire. Mr Campbell Jackson’s latest purchase of a line bay pony, the winner at the Palmerston Show, was brought to Stratford this week. “Billy” is a very spirited little animal, and has been much admired. The foundation stone of the greatest building contract let in Perth (W.A.), in one tender, was hud recently’fpr the A.M.P. Society at the corner of William Street and George’s Terrace, to cost £27,000. A six-roomed house at Tariki, owned by Mr. George Bee, of Hawke’s Bay, and occupied by Mr W. H. Kent, was totally destroyed by fire last night. The outbreak was first discovered by Mrs Percy Budd, who was a guest at the house, and the flames bad then secured possession. Mrs Budd roused the occupants, who fortunately escaped without injury, hut were unable to save anything. The insurances are not available. In moving liis resolution in the County Council on Thursday, with reference to the Waihi Borough Council’s letter. Councillor E. Walter, of course, referred to the strikers at M aihi, and not to the County Council workmen, when lie remarked that siicli a condition declaring loyalty as the Waihi Council proposed would not he binding on them. It is difficult to see how any one could imagine the remarks were meant otherwise \ than stated, but it appears some people have placed a wrong interpretation on them.

A strange denizen of the deep became stranded on the beach at TamaI terau (Whangarei) during the past | week, and created considerable interest. In shape the monster was like a great globe. It was measured and lon iid to be eight feet from head to tail, and its body was twelve feet in I diameter. The monster had no teeth, | and instead of scales it had a skin I three inches thick. Its estimated I weight was half a ton. The ‘Northern | Mail’ surmises that the fish was of the 1 sun-fish variety, which is exceedingly rare in these parts. The one found stranded is the first yet recorded to have found its way to the Whangarei 1 Harbour.

At the inquest on the body of the late Captain Pope, evidence was given on the finding of the body. Constable Hadlow, in his evidence, stated that lie had received word of the finding of tne body about nine o’clock yesterday morning, and at ten minutes past the body was placed in the morgue. It was fully dressed, but without a hat. The body was searched and he found a pipe, newly filled, but it had not been lighted. There was a silver watch on the body, which had stopped at six minutes past one. There were no marks of violence upon the body. The jury returned a verdict that the deceased, Captain Charles Pope, met his death by drowning, but there was no evidence to show how he fell into the water.

The Magistrate’s Court yesterday was occupied in hearing an action between Harkness and Grimmer, storekeepers, .Midhirst, plaintiffs, and Abraham Cook (Stratford), tailor, and Solomon Cook (Wanganui), tailor, de■fendants. This was a claim for the sum of £7 13s lOd, the price of goods sold and delivered, subsequent to the ISth of March, 1909, by the plaintiffs. and at the request in writing of the defendants, iff Frank O’Laughlin, of Waipuku, labourer, on the written promise of the defendants dated 18th plaintiffs for tho due payment of the March, 1909, to be responsible to the price of the goods. _ Mr. Spence appeared for the plaintiffs, and Mr. Fookes for the defendants. Argument was not/ concluded when the Court rose yesterday afternoon.

A very pathetic • ease is reported from Huntly. A little boy called Eedshaw, aged six years, was crossing the railway line, when he was knocked down by a waggon, and both his wrists were so injured that his arms had to he amputated at the elbow. As yet, the little fellow' does not know' lioiv seriously he is maimed, and fondly believes that new' hands' will grow upon the stumps. Mr. James Elliott, secretary of the Huntly Chamber of Commerce, and Mr. Frederick Harris, clerk of the Huntly Town Board, have taken the case in hand, and are applying to the various schools in the .Dominion for subscriptions to buy him artificial limbs. We are sure that the children, of the Stratford schools, through their parents, would be glad to contribute their mite.

Keen interest has been manifested by the workers of Stratford in the desire to procure homes for themselves. Mr. Slaughter, inspector of labour at New Plymouth, brought the plans to Stratford last night, when twenty-four applicants went through them and nineteen dwellings were chosen, from the three-roomed house with bedroom, sitting and dining rooms, with washhouse and set-in tubs, wardrobes, dresser, hot and cold water service, electric light, and drainage, costing from £2-10. to the six-roomed house, costing £425. Mr. Slaughter gave all the information required, and left the plans with Mr. T. J. Ladd, for a fortnight. when the applications will close. Mr. Ladd will give all information re same, and supply application forms, pamphlets, etc.

in the course of an address at Christchurch, Mr. Semple dwelt on the hardness of his lot as organiser for the Federation of Labour, saying that lie got much trouble and no thanks. A voice interjected; “£lO a week.” Mr. Semple silenced him with the-curt reply, “You’re a liar.” At the conclusion of the meeting lie rose to make a personal explanation. He received £1 a week, he said, and for the first sixteen weeks of the Waihi strike his pay had gone to others. He had not touched it. Out of the £-1 he paid the 10 per cent, levy like the rest of them. Ho had a wife and five children to keep. For two years before he took up the position of organiser lie had averaged in the tunnel works beyond Springfield more than £5 a week. The Federation, he added, would give him more than £-1 per week, but he was content with that.

“There is an old game called ‘consequences,’ ” said Mr. Stringer, at the Christchurch Supreme Court, in addressing the jury in a case of alleged libel at Yaldhurst. “The player* tsit around a table, and one man whispers something to another. The players whispering it. one to another, till it passes around the table, and when it gets to the last man, he announces it, and it is always found that it differs to a ridiculous degree to the original remark. The same is the case in many libel actions. One person makes a statement, and a small community bandies the remark about till it is distorted into something entirely different.” “You are mixed up in your game,” said his Honour. “The game von allude to is called ‘the .Russian Candle.’ ” “Probably,” said Mr. Stringer. “Then this case should be called ‘the Yaldhurst Caudle,’ ”

Fourteen Ayrshire's, tlio property of Mr. C. Karsteu, Waikanae, ami Mr. J. Kyle, Aokautcrc, wore yarded at the Stratford statiqn this afternoon. Tliey were all shown at Hafvera, and are to be grazed here until the local Show eventuates. There is more than one big champion amongst them. It happened in Sydney at a sitting an Appeal Board who were listening to the plaint of “poorly-paid pedagogues” : . The cost of living was, of course, stressed, one fair claimant for higher pay for women instancing the fact that a male teacher can buy a hat for eight or ten shillings, while the woman teacher had to pay . Every married man in the room nodded his head sympathetically, and at last a member of the Board ventured the suggestion that even a woman teacher inignt be able to buy a hat for ten shillings. “Yes!” was the reply, “bub she wouldn’t wear it! ! ’

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