LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Stratford Evening Post, Volume XXXV, Issue 50, 28 February 1913, Page 4

LOCAL AND GENERAL.

The Wairaarino correspondent of the Auckland Star reported on Wednesday that the volcano Ngauruhoe is evidently in eruption, and that flames are visible from the township, at times they are very vivid. The volcano started belching forth flames about 8.80 on Thursday night, The weather was clear, and the eruption made a glorious sight.

A pargraph in the latest issue of the journal of Agriculture runs thus: “-Mr T. Shepherd, manager of the Waerenga Experimental Farm, who possesses the power of water-divina-tion, has recently investigated Central Otago country in this connection. He has found that over the greater part of Central Otago there are strong indications in many localities of the presence of underground water. In more than one place huge volumes of subterranean water were located.”

A youngster about four years old had a remarkable adventure last Thursday at Timaru, It was got ready by its nurse to he taken to Caroline Bay, but (says Ihe Herald) while the nurse was getting ready hereelf the child wandered into the street with bucket and spade, and toddled off towards the bay, but turned into the railway station. The second express came in at the time, and the youngsi. clambered aboard and was taken on. The guard noticed the ticketless and guardianless passenger, and rightly supposing the child belonged to Timaru sent it back by the express met at Pareora.

An extraordinary “find” is said to have been made in the Mataura river on Tuesday afternoon, just below the traffic bridge at Menzies Ferry, by some young children named Wilson, whose parents reside close by. The youngsters fished out of the water a sack and bag, which on being opened were found to contain a heterogeneous “plant,” including a quantity, of blacksmith’s tools, engineering dies, motor accessories and parts, tins of jam, also of boot and linoleum polish, pots of camphor ice, a pair of new buggy lamps, and other articles. The Wyndham Farmer states that the mat ter was reported to Constable Hogue, the local police officer, who has com municated the facts to the authorities at Invercargill.

The experiment of bringing herring ova to New Zealand has failed, owing apparently to the extremely severe weather and the terrible storms which ravaged the English coasts during, the second week in January (says the Otago Daily Times). Mr Anderton curator of the Portobello Hatchery, accompanied by Dr. Williamson, of the Scotch Fishery Board, was in Plymouth from January sth till the date of the sailing of the Waimana. Writing 01 the Bth to Mr G. M. Thomson, M.P.. chairman of the board, he says: “II lias blown hard ever since I got down. There are two days yet, but there is a big chance of missing the herring ova. as all the fleets are hung up. We are trying all over the inside sheltered waters. Do not be too disappointed if a final letter states that I have to leave without the ova.” The Wai mana arrived at Sydney, and Mr An derton wired to the hatchery: “Forb lobsters, 40 crabs, 200 flat fish; ne herring ova.” The Waimana is due at Port Chalmers on Saturday.

A case of interest to railway travellers, and one which, incidentally, showed the necessity for a legal dolinition of the word “obstruction,”

came before the Wanganui Magistrate. It appeared from the proceed ings that defendant, while travelling hy train to Wanganui, had some worth with a guard over paying for a child which defendant said was “about’ three years of age. Eventually, in took out a ticket for the child. Later, when the guard was collecting the tickets defendant handed over the child’s ticket, torn in pieces. The guard thereupon said that the Department did not recognise destroyed tickets, but defendant refused tipsy for another, and, consequently, a prosecution followed. The Magistrate lined defendant £2 and costs for his action, but declined to consider that “obstruction” had taken place. He held that, before obstruction could take place within the meaning of the Act, force would have to be used, and he therefore considered that in the present prosecution the police were straining the definition of the word. Tlio neatest little Shopping Bag is the Japanese Dorothy, Is Gd, Is 9d. 2s. Charles E. James, Broadway, x

A woman at Lisbon, Ohio, has been granted a divorce because her husband harnessed her and her brother to a plough, and drove them like a team of oxen over his fields. Waitara’s Water, Carnival this year ought to bo specially attractive, the Maori war canoe races providing something for sightseers quite out of the ordinary. The auctioneering firms of Strafford ‘Mr Newton King, Messrs. Webster, Dobson and Co., and the N.Z. and Mercantile Agency Co., Ltd.), have donated a Challenge Cup for the Huntaway Class at the East Hoad Sheep Dog Trial Club’s annual meeting on April 3rd and 4th, to be won twice in succession or three times at intervals.

A painful accident happened to Mr N. Fulton’s favourite show-ring mare at New Plymouth on Wednesday. She ■got so badly kicked on the hock by another horse as to render her unable to leave the Showground, where she must remain under veterinary atten* tion for some days. Fortunately, the injury did not prevent “Pet” from scoring a win in a strong class of competitors.

Besides the cash prizes to he given by the East Rond Sheep Dog Trial Club, at its coming meeting, the folio,ving are a few specials to be given to the different events-Club’s silver cup, auctioneers’ silver cup, Bellringer Bros.’ silver cruet, Goldsmiths and Silversmith’s gold medal, R. McMillan’s special prize of imported collie pup, Mr W. Grant’s £2, Mr Watson and Son’s special, Mr Calvert’s special, Wilson and Son’s special.

A few days ago a lad was discovered on the Auckland express, after it had left Palmerston. The boy said ho was bound for Auckland, but had lost his ticket. Some kindly disposed and sympathetic passengers subscribed the price of the required ticket, but it is now surmised that the lad may have run away from home, and the police are making inquiries. The lad gave his name as Nelson, and said he belonged to Maungamahu, about thirty miles south of Wanganui.

A local solictor tells a rather good story, in which an amateur debt collector, an irate debtor, and himself are the dramatis personale. The creditor turned up at the solicitor’s office yesterday, and explained that he had tried every method to extract payment but without shccess. “To-day,” he said, “I demanded the money, and he replied: ‘Go to the devil’—and so I’ve along to you.” The solicitor had that story before, but it needed omy a glance at the man’s face to tell him that here was one of nature’s freaks—a born humorist but an unconscious one.

“Do you smoke?” inquired Mr T. C. Fookes of a judgment debtor at the Court to-day. “One pound a month, that’s all,” replied the unfimincial one. Pleased with the answer, the solicitor hurried on to point the moral, showing that if the debtor had only given up smoking or been a moderate smoker, the amount could have beou paid. Mr Fookes, however, is a non-smoker, and he was probably fihe only one in the Cburt who thought that the debtor meant ha spent one pound sterling per month on tobacco. Even the S.M. was smiling broadly. His Worship had more than once plainly showed' that there is no capital to be made by the examining counsel out of the fact that a debtor is a smoker, provided that the amount spent in this nay is a reasonable sum.

Baliaism, a religion that had its rise in Persia, has caused some little interest in London lately through the advent there of one of its teachers. Some idea of the movement may bo gained from the following extract from “The Beyan,” the scripture of Bahaisra. The translation is by Dr. Amin Farced:—“o Son of Spirit! I have created thee rich. Why dost thou make thyself poor? Noble have I made thee. Why dost thou degrade thyself? Of the essence of Knowledge have 1 manifested thee. Why searchest thou for another than me? From the clay of Love I have kneaded thee. Why seekest thou another? Turn thy sight into thyself, that thou mayest find me standing within thee, Powerful, Mighty and Supreme. 0 Son of the Supreme! 1 made Death for thee as glad tidings. Why art thou in despair at its approach? I made Light for thee a splendour. Why dost thou hide from it?” The above is quoted in “The Mountain of God,” by E. S. Stevens.

At the Magistrate’s Court this morning, before, Mr Kenrick, S.M., judgment by default was entered in the following cases: —-'Ernest G. Foster (Mr Thomson) v. Henry A. Prebble, claim 18s 6d and costs 11s; same v. Edward J. Joblin, claim £2 7s 9d and costs 10s; Thomas S. Gedge (Mr Cookes) v. The Taranaki Farmers’ Co., £B2 os and costs £4 11s; Andrew Dillon Carbcry (Mr S. Spence) v. Albert Cameron, claim £4 16s and costs 10s; Ernest G. Foster (Mr Thomson) v. AH >ert William Briscoe, claim for costs only 11s; Athol Meredith (Mr Macalister) v. George Thomas, £37 1 Is 3d and costs £2 19s; Sidney Ward (Mr S. Spence) v. William Sharrock, claim £3 Os lid and costs 10s; Newton King (Mr Spence) v. W. J. Atkinson, claim £5 Ms 9d and costs 3s 6d ; Cash Boot Arcade (Mr Thomson) v. Clara- Annie Haggie, claim 8s lid and costs os. In the judgment summons case, Hallenstein Bros. (Mr Fookes) v. Albert C. Wilmshurst claim £1 17s, debtor was ordered to pay £1 per- month, first payment to be made on March 20th. and balance on April 20th, 1913.

Captains Hamilton, Boswortli, and Hume, all New Zealand staff officers, were in Stratford yesterday. Before the Empire trade Commission in Dunedin Lady McLean and Mrs ' Lindo Ferguson submitted a written statement as to the need of an increased supply of domestic servants in the dominion. They pointed out that the present position was exceedingly acute. Immigrant ships wore being besieged by employers. The statement also referred to the great demand for speed. and advocated the importation of girls between fifteen and nineteen years of age, to be trained for six months in a central training institution foe domestics. Such an institution could be made largely selfsupporting by laundry-work. It should be under Government control, assisted by an advisory committee. At tho Police Court at Eltham on Wednesday last, Thomas Henry Gooch, the licensee of the Dominion Hotel, Kaponga, was charged, on the information of the Police, with three breaches of the Licensing Act, viz., Sunday trading, permitting drunkenness, and permitting violent conduct on Sunday, the 16th February, 1913. On tho application of Mr Spence, of Stratford, who appeared for the defendant, a remand was granted until 12th March, 1913. Constable Wade offered no objection to the remand. A large number of witnesses were present. With regard to the paragraph published alleging that the Government had recently purchased, for £I2OO, a section in Stratford, which is valued at £3OO, the Prime Minister (Mr Massey) has stated to an interviewer “that he had made enquiries and ascertained that the Railway Department had purchased part of a saw-1 mill property, as it was absolutely | needed to give more room. The sum , of £I2OO included the cost of land, plus compensation for the loss of business. In all probability the cost would have been greater if the land had been compulsorily acquired.” The section in question was owned by Mr Henry Brown, of New Plymouth, and was used by the firm in connection with their timber business. It faces Juliet Street, and adjoins the section on which the Trocadero Hotel used to stand. The firm has for some time past transferred its operations to Seyton Street.