LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Stratford Evening Post, Volume XXXIV, Issue 98, 20 December 1912, Page 4

LOCAL AND GENERAL.

During the past twenty yeans male offenders between the ages of 16 and 21 convicted annually have fallen from 18,000 to 8000. The Ballance Dairy Coy. paid out several large individual milk cheques. Nine were for over £IOO each, while one was for over £3OO. A half-crown, firmly embedded in a horse’s foot, was found by a farrier whilst engaged in shoeing an animal in Manchester.

The inquest just concluded at Waihi in connection with the death of Frederick G. Evans occupied over nine days, during which time forty-seven witnesses were examined and crossexamined. The type-written evidence totals 374 I folios. The following “advt.” from a contemporary reads as if the advertiser would he a handy man to have about the place: “Man wants light work; can cook, wash, iron, sew by hand or machine, darning, repairing, general house work ; also small _ jobs painting, papering, carpentering. .Apply this office.” “Are you prepared to go on with the case no\j' ?” asked Mr Loughnan. S.M.. of a claimant in a case at the Hamilton Court. “It is now twenty minutes to twelve.” Claimant sam lie was not prepared to remain after 12 o’clock. His Worship asked tin reason why. Claimant: “Well, it will interfer with my lunch hour, yoin Worship.” (Loud laughter.)

“Do vou owe this money?” asked Mr C. C. Kettle, S.M., at the. Magistrate’s Court in Auckland of a Maori debtor. “Yes,” was the reply, “I pay 2s 6d per week; here’s three weeks.” and the debtor planked down three half-crowns on the desk. This was considered satisfactory by the counsel engaged. “Do you waste money on the totalise tor?”’ was the query addressed to another debtor. “I can’t afford to, sir,” was the reply. “Neithei can anyone else,” was the comment of his Worship. Within a few weeks in a certain church the following couples have been married: “George Edward Butcher to Amelia Mutton; Frank Shears to Mary Wheatear; Thomas Wells tc Maud Waters; Albert Rose to Hilda Thorne; Edward Battle to Phoebf Cannon.” A clergyman-informed f friend that he had recently baptised three brothers by the Biblical names of Shorn, Ham and Jahet.” Curiosity led me (says the writer) to ask what their surname was, and the reply came, “Smith.” “1 have four points to raise,” said Mr T. M. Wilford, counsel for defence in a case at the Fetone Court on Wednesday morning, “and any one ol them will secure the dismissal of the case.” “That is like the gunner who had fourteen reasons why he didn’t salute the Admiral,” interjected Dr. iM.‘Arthur (says the Post). “His first reason was that he hadn’t any gunpowder; needless to say, there was no necessity to give the other reasons.” “Yes,” continued Mr Wilford. “but in my case 1 have plenty of gunpowder.” One of the little things in everyday life apt to be deceiving is the weight of a Chinese gardener’s vegetablehawking outfit. The problem was put to a practical yet amusing tesi in Auckland on Tuesday evening. A tram from the city had emptied r. number of passengers at the Grafton Bridge stop, and as they crossed : Celestial was trotting ahead with twe well-filled baskets of vegetables on either end of a bamboo cross-bar. Two well-grown men saw lit to make a wager (says the Star). It was that one of them could not carry the Chinaman’s burden to the end of tin bridge—about 25 yards. John chuckled heartily when he was offered as sistance, and the onlookers in general were given cause for further amusement when the would-be Hercules sue cumbed to his task after struggling for a distance of about five yards. In cidentally his experiment cost him : couple of shillings. In evidence heard at the Wellington Magistrate’s Court on Wednesday morning in a betting case, the police witness explained how he made the bet with the defendant, Arthur New. On his approaching the alleged bookmaker tlie latter asked him, “Are you all right? You know they got a dirty one on to Jim the other day.” “Who’s Jim?” asked the constable. “Jim Stellin,” was the reply. “He said I’d be all right if I was by myself. Anyway you look all right.” “I’ll have 5s on Lord Lupin,” said the constable. Defendant then said, “If I were you I’d put it on Mcndip.” Further evidence showed that the bet had been made with coins, one ol which was marked. Detective Sergeant Cassells gave evidence to tin 1 effect that when he was taking Yew to the station the latter said to him, “You know I’ve got no money to bet with, Jack; why don’t you let me go and get two blokes, and go and pinch Stellin?” Mr Jackson, who appeared for Yew, contended that his client was not a bookmaker, never had been, and never would be. There was no evidence to show that lie was, and Detective Cassells said he had never seen him paying out money. “On this point,” said Mr Jackson, “I base my ease.” ,Mr Riddell, S.M., reserved his decision until Saturday morning (says the Post), and defendant was allowed bail in £2O and one surety of £2O until that time.

Kick]inland is the name of nnr Toy Showroom, which is just now full of toys and dolls. Greatest show in town. Charles K. James.

The Eltham and Maugatoki Bacon Company made a profit of £1314 on the year’s working. The annual meeting will be held in January.

A special meeting of the Stratford Borough Council will be held on Monday evening at 8 o’clock, for the purpose of further discussing the loan proposals. The Hawcra Calodonau Society will hold its twenty-third annual sports gathering on Wednesday, January Ist. Tno Secretary, Mr G. A. Meyrek, reminds competitors that nominations will close with him at 9 p.m. on Monday., December 23rd.

“1 bog to ask for another remagd, your Worship, until Monday Trait, when the police will be ready to go on with the ease,” said Sergeant Mc.\eely this morning when Percy Willson appeared on a charge of alleged forgery and uttering. The case will be heard at 9 a.m. before a Bench of Justices. Mr Sedgwick sent out an interesting Christmas letter to the party of lads he brought to the Dominion in June last. In the letter the following passage occurs:—l hear that McGrath, who Avas one of the ten “failures,” because he failed to stay on his farm for his full time, has now become the champion light-weight boxer of New Zealand. When the opponents of the scheme hear that a S.B. failure is Ngav Zealand’s champion, they will be better able to properly appreciate the quality of the others.

Judgment debtors often have a peculiar way of putting things when under the searching examination of their creditors’ solicitors. “What do you do with your money besides?” queried Mr T. C. Fookes of a carrier’s driver in the Court to-day, who had been unable to pay for his stores. “Well, I had tAvo extra men staying AA'ith me and they cleared out without paying me,” Avas the reply. His Worship: “Who Avere they?” “My father and brother-in-law,” Avas debtor’s somewhat astonishing answer, and he added that the father’s bill avus £l3 odd.

As a sample of ingratitude (says an Australian paper) the following would be difficult to beat. At a picnic meeting in North Queensland last month a naif caste rode for a station owner. This gentleman lad reared the half caste from a baby, when he was ruthlessly left to die'by a young,gin. For 20 years he had fed, clothed, and generally' fathered him. Then came the race episode. The native rode a horse for his patron, and knowing what a fine animal it was at the distance, and with the weight, the owner put on £2OO to support his own. The horse was hopelessly 7 beaten, and being suspicious, the owner carpeted the jockey, who unblushingly admitted that he had pulled his mount-for the consideration of a new pipe and half a pound of tobacco. At the Magistrate’s Court this morning before Mr Kenrick, S.M., judgment by default was entered in the following cases: Newton King (Mr Stanford) v. H. Cole, claim £l3 16s and costs £1 16s 6d; E. G. Foster (Mr Thomson) v. same, claim £5 15s 9d and costs £1 8s 6d; State Guaranteed Advances v. Ghorge Henry Thomas, claim £l2 18s lldj and costs £1; I). Butchart (Mr Fookes) v. J. D. Valentine, claim £3 3s, costs 10s; Mary Ryan (Mr Wright) v. Thomas Rogers, claim £9 and costs £1 10s 6d; J. W. Boon (Mr Stanford) v. L. K. Gooch, claim £lO and costs £1 3s 6d. In the judgment summons case J. Masters and Son (Mr Fookes) v. E. A. Smith, claim £l4 Ss 7d, debtor was ordered to pay the sum in 5s weekly instalments.

Lecturing at the London Salon of Photography on the experiences of a motor tourist in north-western Ireland, Mr Arthur Marshall said that the manner in which the various living things on the unfrequented roads made their acquaintance with the motor car was one of the things that lent .light relief to an Irish trip. Fowls invariably flew right in front of the wheels. Ducks were more sensible, they lay down flat in the middle of the road and let the car go over them without hurt. Pigs were the chief obstructionOn on© occasion in Donegal no persuasion would remove a pig from the-high-way. Cold and hot water, prods and pokes were useless. At length an arrangement was made by which the exhaust from the car was directed upon the back of the pig. That did it.

An interesting curiosity in the shape of the “passengers’ contract ticket’ was left at the office of the Tnnaru Post last week by Mr John Forgan, who came to New Zealand in the ship Mersey, landing at Lyttelton in 1832. On tlie ticket is set forth the “bill 0 f fare”—the weekly allowance of, provisions for each “adult” passengei. When analysed it really shows how little a man or woman was expected to “live on.” The weekly allowance included: 11b preserved meat, 1 ilb salt beef, 11b pork, 3|lb biscuits, 31b flour, 3, pint peas, 1 pint oatmeal, lib sugar, 6oz limejuice, loz tea, 2oz coffee, 4oz butter, Mb raisins, 6oz suet, \ pint pickles, soz mustard, Joz pepper, 2oz salt, 21b fresh and Mb preserved potatoes. Certain substitutes were allowed, say treacle instead of sugar, but the scale was still skeleton. Dumped on the table, the “week’s rations” as enumerated would hardly supply the modern emigrant for one day; and if, say, laid before a sailor or a water-sider, would be followed by a strike.

Particulars in connection with the Paid affair indicate’that the two men (Sayers and Dufaur) rode over from Paparoa to Paid on Saturday afternoon and left on the return journey at 8.45. Dufaur was a particularly good horseman, but Sayers was only learning to ride, and was warned by Mr Skelton that lie should avoid fast riding. vA< few minutes after their departure from the hotel galloping of horses was heard along the road leading towards Paparoa. It was not until Sunday morning that it became known that an accident had happened. The body of Sayers was then found by Mi- Skelton lying on the side of the road. Sayers’s neck was broken and his sweater was torn at the front, indicating the possibility of someone having examined the body. 'The fact that Dufaur’s keys were found near by on the wharf is the only reason for assuming that ho committed suicide by jumping, into the water. All his books at the bahk are in good order. Both men are stated to have been perfectly sober when they loft the Pahia Hotel. Sayers was only 33 years of age. He was expecting his wife and two young children to come out from the Old Country to join him, and it is understood that they are now on their way to New Zealand. He had only been in the Dominion about six months. He was a lawyer. Dufaur has since turned up, but owing to shock and exposure is weak and ill, and not able to give a coherent account of the accident nr his subsequent movements.

For Gentlemen a nice present would be a Swan Fountain Pen in plain or gold mounted, I'.’e 6d to ti’s 6d. Indent just received direct from Loudon. Charles L. James.

The youths’ cycle road race, Stratford to Eltham and back, a distance of about 14 miles, took place yester-j day afternoon and resulted in a win for P. Jones, who put up the credit-! able time of 46 minutes, with R.j Davis second. The fastest time, how-1 ever, was made by B. E. Richmond,! with 43 minutes. Mr L. H. Wanu,| of cycle circles, was the promoter, j The Havvera Acclimatisation Society! has obtained 12 dozen pheasants’ eggs' from the Government Poultry Farm at Milton. The Star states that the Society intends to experiment in rearing pheasants, and some of the eggs have been placed in one of Mr Worthy's incubators, while the curator (Mr A. ; .Wa; will have another lot at the hfiretheries.

Friday, December 13th, will be noted in Stratford as the commencing day of James’s Great Xmas Carnival. Charles E. James. x