LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Stratford Evening Post, Volume XXXV, Issue 7, 3 January 1913, Page 4

LOCAL AND GENERAL.

A recent juvenile visitor to Kawhia. on catching first sight of the sand hills behind the town, exclaimed “How nicely they plough their pad docks.” There was quite a''crowd'tif 11 Strut ford people at the Dawson’s Falh Mountain House on New Year’s Day. but those who were out for the da; only had their outing spoiled In heavy rain which commenced towardt noon. The vital statistics for Stratford for the year 1912 show an increase in births of nineteen over the previous year, the figures being respectively two hundred and sixty one and two hundred and forty two. In 1911 the deaths were fifty-nine, but lasi year they were only forty seven. Ii 1912, however, there were fewer mar riages, sixty-three being celebrated in 1911 as against fifty-five in 1912. At the quarterly meeting of tin Oddfellows’ Lodge, the following offic ers for the ensuing term were elected as follows:—G.M., Bro. Webb, N.G Bro. J. H. Harston, Y.G. Bro. J. T. Scott treasurer Bro W. V. Wilson secretary Bro. C. D. Sole, P.P.G.M.. E.S. Bro. S. Thompson, warden Bro. 11. L. Davis, R.S. Bro. J. J. Pearce. L.S. Bro. J. Henry.

An error occurred in the calculation; of the dividends yesterday at jth< Stratford races, and for a time tin totalieator was paying out a few sliil lings short on a second horse. Tin mistake was soon discovered,i tin shutters dropped, and the dividend corrected. Punters, who had ahead j received their dividends, immediate!\ applied for payment of the extra shillings, and Messrs Marett and Fox. taking them on trust, duly paid tin balance.

Inconvenience to vehicular traffic and pedestrians is always experienced by the shunting operations in tire local railway yards closing cither Fenton or Regan streets. Yesterday drivers doing the “round” trip and anxious to get to the course as soon as possible were completely blocked for several minutes by a line of excursion cars. This was not the first time the trouble had been experienced and the drivers were voicing their op inion of the Department in language, lurid and picturesque. The efficacy of the principle of crossfertilisation has been demonstrated iMr W, Gibbison’s Kanroa orchard this season (states the Kawliia Settler), the experiment being applied to a Persian plum tree which had heretofore, although blooming heavily, never fruited. In the carl' spring the tree in question was covered with a profusion of blossom, and a neighbour—with an experience gained in a State experimental orchard —suggested the introduction of the bloom fron another variety of plum to tost the practical value of the theory. Accordingly, a number of sprays of blossom, kept fresh in bottles of water, were adjusted amongst the branches, with the result that this year the tree has been covered with fruit, most of which has already ripened—and been appreciated.

Christchurch Is apparently on tin way to rival Wellington’s record as windy city. A correspondent (sign ing himself “Grateful” writes to a local paper as follows: “I should like through the medium of your paper, to express my grateful appreciation of the kindness of those people win helped me to find the money whicl blew out of my hag in the gale a the Bank of New Zealand corner. Such friends will he glad to know that through their efforts and honesty I have been able to recover the whole of the amount of over fiftythree pounds with the exception o' a one-pound note.” The sort of zephyr that will remove £53 from : handbag is surely some breeze.

An egg laid 200 years ago, and buried ever since in 4ft of loam, was served recently to the Chinese General Lau Tien VVei, at a banquet given in his honour at Los Angeles, Calefornia. It will be noticed that the egg was laid “eggsactJv” 200 years ago! Mr Victor Beige, an Australian diver and steeplejack, is (states the Lost) opening the new year under the sea by an attempt to recover from the wreck of the Tasmania, off the Mania Peninsula (Gisborne), the valuable case of jewels that went down in her. The attempt lias been made before on two or three occasions, but Mr Berge has succeeded in other cases after failures, and lie may succeed this time. The Tasmania is d<fwn in 16 and Mr Berge has frequently exceeded that. The Justice of the Peace scratched his head ineffectively. “There seems to be some dispute as to the facts in thish ere case," he said. “The law imposes a fine of £5 for exceedin’ the speed limit, but 1 don’t want to be arb-trary about it, and if ye’ll pay the costs I’ll remit the fine.” “That’s satisfactory to me,” said Dawkins, taking out his purse. “All right,” said the Justice. “There’s £1 fer the sheriff, £1 for the pros-cutin’ attorney, £l fer the court steenographer, £1 fer the use of the court-room, an’ my regular fee o’ £2 per case—£6, i please.”

A Scottish Unionist candidate got the better of a heckler the other evening. The heckler (says the Edinburgh Evening Dispatch) had greatly amused the audience by asking the candidate if he “could ten him the difference between Home Rule and Referendum.” Naturally the candidate had difficulty in seeing any point in the question, so he met the situation by telling an appropriate story. “One evening very late,” he said, “a gentleman was 'proceeding home along Princes street. He had been dining and wining, and the thoroughfare seemed strangely confused. Ultimately he saw a policeman, to whom he addressed this knotty point: T shay, ish this Princes street, or—Thursday morning?” The audience roared with laughter, greatly to the heckler’s discomfiture. Gloomy weather greeted the 646 passengers who landed in Wellington on New Year’s Day by the Athenic from London. Captain Kempson on the voyage out had quite a small “township” of people under his charge, for those on board numbered (including the crew) 950, all told. Of this number about 90 passengers disembarked at Hobart. The New Zealand list comprised 34 in the firstclass, 110 in the second, and 502 in the third. The immigrants, who were met by Mr A. Dauby; immigration officer, had amongst them 89 who were assisted. Twenty-nine domestics for various parts of the Dominion came out in charge of a matron, Miss Evans, about half-a-dozen of whom are open for engagement in Wellington. Thirteen farm labourers and ten farmers are trying their luck in New Zealand. The latter possess

capital to the extent of £2235. An extraordinary accident took place in one of the Liverpool thoroughfares. A heavy motor fire engine was standing at the top of the street, which is a steep incline, when suddenly the vehicle moved off and ran down the hill, gathering speed .as it went. The driver stuck to his post and reversed the gear, but without effect. A fireman was knocked down early in the engine’s mad career. 'When it reached the bottom of the street it dashed across tjierpavement and tore clean through a house. Oh the other side was a parapet, edging a 70ft. drop, and the motor stopped on the very brink, with the forepart of the bonnet overhanging the gulf. The driver jumped at the last moment, but was crushed to death. Another motor fire engine in the London suburb of Willisden skidded on the tram lines, and smashed into a solid telephone pole. All the firemen were thrown off. One was killed, and the remainder were badly injured, while the machine was wrecked. )A confidence man accomplished his work satisfactorily on Saturday afternoon (says the Sydney Sun of December 22nd) on a New Zealand resident, George J. Marshall, of Wellington, who left by the Moeraki for the Dominion a few hours later. The visitor was leaning over the rails of the vessel when a stranger accosted him, and after hearing his destination imparted the information that he was bound for the same port. The pair became very friendly, and as the steamer did not sail for some hours a walk about the city was suggested. Returning to the boat, the magsman worked off the old trick of going below, and then rushing back to the deck with the story that some parcels had been forwarded for him from one of the city shops, and the messenger was unable to cash a £lO cheque. To meet the bill he desired the loan of the money until he could negotiate his cheque with the purser later on. The New Zealander lent the amount, and his newly-found friend tactfully left the steamer with the coin. There have been several amusing explanations of the circumstances in which the British Government was defeated on a financial amendment moved by Sir Frederick Banbury to the Home Rule Bill (writes the Wellington Post’s London correspondent). Colonel Seely,. speaking in the provinces, said he has not been able to discover exactly how it came about, but he had it on good authority that on the fateful Monday every member of the Opposition received a telegram: “Meet me at the Marble Arch at 4. Susie.” The receipt of the telegram had been very awkward for a number of married members. Mr F. D. Acland, the Under-Secretary for Foreign Affairs, is equally in the dark. He told a Bedfordshire audience that he had answered certain questions in the House, and was just going to Piccadilly to buy some shirts, when he noticed so many Conservatives hurrying across the Park that he concluded something very funny was going on. So he hastened bis purchases and hurried back to the House in time to vote.

Sunday picture shows are warmly advocated by the Bishop of Birmingham, who in his last monthly letter to the clergy writes: “My belief is that it would he a good' thing to utilise the cinematograph and other modern inventions on Suruhfrvs. not only in direct religious workout also in the provision of antidotes against some of the temptations which beset people on the Lord’s Day, and amongst those temptations 1 would place that of mere loafing about the streets without any reasonable occupation or relaxation. We cannot expect everyone to he in church or chapel, and I believe that a very genuine help towards a higher and better life might be given by the exhibition, through the cinematograph, of subjects properly selected under a broad, and yet careful supervision. It is towards this end that I have been asked to make some effort and I am in communication with those best able to advise me in order to see whether anything cau bo done,”

Stranger in Town: “Say, what’s good to take for a cold?” Native: “Ob, quinine and whisky, or quinine and brandy, or quinine and rum, or quinine and gin; and, say, you want: to be darned careful about the quinine it's powerful stuff.’ During the month of December last there were twenty-two births, four deaths, and two marriages. For the corresponding month last year the| deaths were the same in number, the! births five less, but there were nmei marriages, or nearly five times as many as in the month just concluded. The extraordinary vehicular traffic 1 during the holiday season owing to 1b« races was conducted very creditab- . ] y t o all concerned, and it is pleasing r - to be able to record that there was no serious accident. A mishap to nj gig occurred through the horse playing up and a waggonette full of people running into it. The axle of the gig was broken, but no one was hurt. The only outward and visible sign of trotible in these matters was a disabled landau on Pembroke Road, r| few minor repairs being found necessary at that particular stage in the journey to the racecourse. Any doubt that exists in the minds of town dwellers as to the occasion for rejoicing over the recent down-) pour of aqua pura was dispelled 1 r j the unanimous vote of congratulation recorded among the crowd of racing enthusiasts at the Stratford Club’s course yesterday. Whether it was that they had got over their pique of the previous day, and were delighted with the state of the cqurse and the brighter prospects of the outing as 1 a whole, deponent knoweth not, but the fact remains that there was a feeling of satisfaction at the trend of events in the opening year. The parched country had been refreshed and emerald green met the eye at every turn, the cows were provided tor, and say will we '(?) yet, there was plenty of time after the races to exchange the compliments of the sea-, son and wish good-luck to the infant year. The prospects were certainly more encouraging for the display of conviviality than at the close of tie first day, but to the credit of the gathering, it must be remarked there was little, if any, signs of over indulgence in alcoholic liquor. Every now and again much-appre-ciated tributes are received by the secretaries- of the Navy League fiom unexpected quarters bearing testimony to the work that is being done quietly and consistently to imbue the rising generation with a knowledge and love of the Empire to which they belong, and to impress upon thenparents the need of constant vigilence “lest we forget.” Recently the secretary of the Wellington branch received the following communication from a Mr John Ayris, at Matamata, Auckland: “I beg to send you 6s—os from Mr R. Harding and Is from myself. It is with much regret that 1, cannot' afford more. Am just on /U| years of age, and am only in receipt ot i 15s weekly, and I want to save enough, to bury me, and that is all I want, i j heart and soul is in your work. Mr Ayris, who has enrolled several members in his district, was formerly in service on Lord Charles Beresford s estate in England. The secretary of the Otago branch for several years had an old age pensioner among the list of members. The veteran until removed by death, used regularly to call find pay his ss, and to speak a few words of sympathy. Would that there were more men of this stamp abroad in tli© land. ■ We have all heard of the star act- : ress whose valuable jewellery becomes the illegitimate property of some enterprising burglar, leaving the .fanone publicly disconsolate, while the snow manager rubs his hands at the possibilities of advertisement the episode presents. -In-His Majesty s Theatre last night (says the Auckland Star) waa discovered a variation • of the theme, but m this case the loser neither knows of, her loss nor ot the restoration of her treasure. Ine Urtress is Miss Young. Among other orname>nts of price she is the happy possessor of a diamond which is worth some hundreds. During the final performance of “Nightbirds mMe - bourne she wore this particular jewel in her h'at, and afterwards left convinced that she had made suitable arrangements to have it placed in the custody of the bank. On the walls of the dressing-rooms at His Majesty’s last night the jewel was found glittering in the hat, which had been hung up casually when the dresses for “Nightbirds” were unpacked. Oui veracious informant states that the ornament had been within the reach of anyone of acquisition propensities for nearly a week, and the discovery caused the greatest excitement among the members of the company. Whether the feeling was entirely one of relief for the escape of Miss Young, who is exceedingly popular among her co-workers, or whether there was not possibly even isolated regret for lost opportunities, is left to individual jecture.