LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Stratford Evening Post, Volume XXXV, Issue 38, 13 February 1913, Page 4

LOCAL AND GENERAL.

February 13th: Rev. John Whitely and seven other Europeans murdered by Maoris at White Cliffs, Taranaki 18G9.

George Knudsen, a second offender, was yesterday lined 10s for drunkenness. Mr S. B. Hunter, J.P., war on the Bench.

At a meeting of the Stratford Fire Brigade held early this week it war decided that the brigade as a bodj should attend the open-air service tc be held on Good Friday.

The annual meeting of members of the Stratford A. and P. Association will be held in the Borough Council Chambers, Broadway, on Saturday, the loth inst., at 1.30 p.m.

During the year 1911, 23,039,06; gallons o fbeer were consumed in the cit yof Nuremberg, making the average consumption of each man, woman and child rather more than 69 gallons.

A young man was admitted to tin Waikato Hospital from Tc Aroha, hav ing swallowed his false teeth in his sleep. Efforts to recover them fail ing, they had to be farced into the stomach to prevent choking.

Consequent on the money-snatching act in New Plymouth on Tuesday night, the local shopkeepers yesterday sold several shooting pieces (says the News). One townsman provided himself with a brace, one for home and one for carrying about with him.

The Stratford Fire Brigade has a 25ft. competition ladder which has been in use for fourteen years. At the meeting of the committee on Tuesday last, the ladder was the subject of unfavourable criticism, and it is probable that the Borough Council will be., approached in regard to the matter.

In the collection of money excellent work had been done by “Cocky Bennett, 55 a parrot at Tom Ugly 5 s Point, Sydney. At the St George Cottage annual meeting the treasurer stated that during the year the bird had collected £27 Is which, with the Government subsidy, would bring the total to £SO.

The agricultural machinery agent; are evidently of opinion that it pays to exhibit all classes of farmers’ ini plements at agricultural shows, as w< are informed that the leading manufacturers are exhibiting at the New Plymouth show, and those who have not already booked space should write to the secretary as soon as possible, as entries in aJI classes of machinery and live stock close on Saturday next, the 15th instant.

A garden fete, under the auspices of the Stratford Presbyterian Church, is to be held at the new manse grounds, Regan street, on Thursday next. Work, produce, sweets, flower and refreshment stalls will be erected, and in the evening the lawn will be illuminated and a musical programme will be rendered. The proceedings will be opened by Mr J. B. Hine, M.P.

])i scuesing the transhipment of goods at the New Plymouth station, the Minister for Railways! Mr W. H. Herries) informed Mr C. I). Sole on Tuesday night that it was the intention of the Department to further enlarge the shed, and that the question of quicker distribution was receiving the attention of the Department, who would endeavour to remedy the matter either by a double set of rails or by a double platform. This was an important matter for Stratford, said Mr Sole, as it means that we shall get our goods in half the time, as many delays are caused at present by re-sorting at New Plymouth. “What chance has casein, when prices for calves are so high?” remarked a dersey breeder to a reporter yesterday. “Why, choice grade Jersey calves just off the bucket are selling hero by the hundreds at as much as £6 per head.” As against this, however, there is the indisputable fact that a Midhirst creamery has just sent in a unanimous request for the installation of a green casein plant, and Chairman A. Brown, of the Midhirst dairy factory, a man with long experience, and a man who ought to know, is giving it as his opinion that casein whey, with a calf food added, will rear excellent stock. Regent Cigarettes are made from tho finest Virginian tobacca. Inhalers prefer them. Smoke them and share in the Great Free Gift Scheme.x

Two million lonely women are to be found in France to-day (so says M. Erieux, the dramatist). Is one to pity this multitude or account for it? Account for it is the answer, because the vast number are not victims of neglect, but voluntary pioneers of the new movement which sets up self-de-pendence in the niche filled previously by man-dependence—that is, need of man as the indispensable. The boy who was caught last Saturday breaking into the fpremises of M essrs George Thomas and Co., Allen street, Wellington, and against whom two other charges of theft from business premises were preferred, appeared before Mr W. G. Riddell, S.M., in the Juvenile Court on Wednesday. Only a few days ago the Jad, who is eight years old, was ordered to he birched for stealing. He was committed to the Woraroa Training Farm.

The subject for the inter-college debating tournament which is to be held at Wellington at Easter is, “That it is desirable that New Zealand should federate with Australia for the purpose of defence by land and sea.” Canterbury College and Otago University representatives will take the affirmative, and Victoria College and Auckland University the negative. Probably Mr Justice Chapman, Sir John Findlay, and Dr. Kennedy will be the judges.

It may have been excitement or it may have been some other cause that resulted in a rather severe handling of the King’s English at a road board meeting in Auckland within the past few day, says the Star. A member who had been charged with making improper reflections upon another member, said in impassioned tones; “You say I have been making aspersions, but I have never made aspersions.” “Oh, you mean asparagus,” petulantly interjected a fellow member. “Aye, asparagus,” asserted the irate one, with more attention to dramatic gesture than to pronunciation.

The late Lady Burton was a staunch animal-lover. “When she went out in a cab she invariably inspected the horse carefully first, to see if it looked well fed and cared for; if not, she discharged the cab and got another one, and she would always impress upon, the driver that he must not beat his horse under any consideration when he was driving her.” So runs “The 1’ oi nance of Isabel Lady Burton.' 5 ' “She would then get into the cab, let down the window, and keep a watch. If the driver forgot himself so far ' as to give a flick with his whip, Lady Burton would lunge at him with her umbrella from behind. Upon the cabby remonstrating at this unlooked-for attack, she would retort, ‘Yes, and how do you like it P 5 ”

B Idle the Territorials were engaged at rifle practice at the Carluke range one day last week, an unexpected incident occurred, according to the correspondent of the Guardian, when the officer commanding ordered a fire to be made to boil some water. A wellmeaning individual kindled a fire against a log on which some worthy unit of our defence forces had placed a packet of cartridges. ’ Suddenly, as the cartridges commenced to explode in quick succession, there was a precipitous rush for shelter. The excitement subsided, however, when someone raked the remainder of the packet out of the reach of the flames. Speaking of the stampede, one humorous onlooker remarked later on' the loominess and shirt-like appearance of the nether garments of some junior members of the troop. “When they ran,” he said, “you could see no movement of their trousers at all. There was no sign of the violent agitation of their legs, and they just sailed over the logs and fern with their pants quite unwrinkled. 55