LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Stratford Evening Post, Volume XXXV, Issue 61, 17 March 1913, Page 4

LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Letters to the editor on the proposed loans appear on page 8; sporting notes on the second; and a circular letter to local bodies in regard to the Taranaki Court at the Auckland Exhibition will be found on the third page.

The publisher of “Life” has enlarged tho type, and the March number comes to us very readable in both senses of tho word. “Life” is essentially a useful magazine, and its editor manages to keep it« usefulness and its entertainment well balanced. A new story is submitted as the forerunner of a set . of business stories that will rival in interest the famous “Self-made Merchant” series.

A member of the Missouri State Legislature has introduced a Bill forbidding women to wear dresses buttoning at the back unless tho buttons aro as largo as a dollar piece. In tho course of a speech ho declared that the Bill would confer a longneeded boon on tho husband who had to button his wife’s dresses.

The unsightliness of premises adjoining the Stratford railway platform lias long been a none of contention with the Stratford Chamber of Commerce and . the Hail way Department, and wo have nothing but congratulations for both tho Department and tile Chamber in the material evi-

dence that a six-loot iron fence will shortly be erected along the northern

platform

News of a terrible fatality comes from Cooroy, near Maryborough, Queensland. A lad named Hall was engaged in chopping wood, when his baby brother, just under two years of age, strayed within radius of the swing of the axe, and received tho full force of a blow, the head beingsplit open.

With long imitation tails figuring as a prominent part of their habiliments, the Misses Catherine and Helen Dudley, well-known society girls, appeared as impressionist monkeys at a party at Chicago, which lias caused the Chicago people to gasp in sin-prise. But the monkeys were eclipsed when Mr and Mrs Harry Harvey turned up in the characters of Adam and Eve, dressed only in . fig leaves.

The latest development in wireless telegraphy was shown recently at the Imperial College, South Kensington, by the Marconi Company. It took the form of a “pocket wireless.” In four little knapsacks all necessary apparatus can be stored, and if a party were lost in a wilderness help could be easily summoned. At present tho apparatus can only send messages with, an area of lo miles, but it is expected that in time .this range will be greatly increased.

The Stratford Racing Club is about to form some thirty chains of roadway and footpath to give access to the club’s property, and Messrs Robinson and Christophers, Engineers and Surveyors, to whom the preparing of drawings and specifications for the work has been entrusted, invite tenders for the work.

There was enthusiasm in eeling lately (says the Wyndham Herald), and this led to an unexpected result in a certain instance. A fisherman left his baited hook in some accessible place and a hungry dog swallowed it. The animal was seen with a long trail of string hanging out of its mouth, and “sinkers” attached. Someone cut the string close to the dog’s mouth. What will happen to the dog remains to be seen.

At a well attended meeting of the executive of the Taranaki Provincial Society on Friday night, it was decided to throw open the essay competition for children in Taranaki irrespective of nationality. A resolution was also passed appointing the New Zealand Scot the official organ of the society, with Mr. A- Henderson, the secretary, as correspondent. Eulogistic references were made by members respecting the new publication and its prospects. The annual meeting of the society will be held on April 24th in the Stratford Municipal Chambers, when the secretary will be in attendance.

Sir Thomas Shaughnessy, president of the Canadian-Pacific Railway, at the annual banquet of the officials and employees of the company at the Place Viger Hotel, Montreal, in replying to the toast of “The Company,” gave an idea of the magnitude of the company’s operations. He, said: “Last year 10,000,000 meals were served on our ocean and lake steamers, railway dining cars, and hotels, an average of considerably over 30,000 meals a day. The cost of the meals was about 4,000,OOP dollars. Equipment and supplies cost 85,000,000 dollars and the pay-rolls amounted to 5,000,000 dollars a month. We had a regular staff of 9000 men to pay out, and at times there were 20,000 more men employed.”

A good story is being told by a supplier to the Rabotu dairy factory as to how he put up his test. The correspondent of the News says : His test had been posted up at the factory at 3.6 for some considerable time, and, intending to move it up or down, supplying somewhere about 20001 b of milk, he gave instructions to one of his boys to put three kerosene tins of water in the milk. This was done for eight days, and when his test came out it was 3.8. The supplier is quite positive that the water did the trick, but the writer is of opinion that he was not getting his right test before, or else he is getting too much now, and is quite positive that water does not contain butter-fat.

Tho Stratford Municipal Band discoursed sweet music yesterday afternoon in tho Hospital Grounds. Visitors to the Hospital were favoured with real summer weather, and the music was very much enjoyed. Bandmaster Marshall conducted, and the following programme was rendered: March, “Countersign;” Intermezzo, “Stephane;” selection, “Jems of England;” sacred selection, “Eventide;” selection, “Regium Donum;” march, “Vigilant;” march, “Duty’s Call;” gavotte, “Moonlight Shadows;” “God Save the King.”

The costs in the libel action against tho Riverdale Dairy Company are expected to run into big figures—something like £SOO, says tho Waimate Witness. And the paper remarks: When you have scientific guns like Professor Easterfield and Professor McLaurin who were both in the clouds and whose evidence was Greek to everybody, from the judge down to the juryman, a couple of legal luminaries from Wellington and a special jury for four days—with such assorted luxuries as these the bill must be bulky.

The local district electors’ roll has been printed, and copies may he obtained from the Municipal Offices. Tbo total number of electors appears as 1519. A test case was heard in London on February 21 (says the Sydney Sun) in which it was held that money lout for the purpose of gaming with cards is not recoverable at law.

* The Stratford Co-operative Dairy Company distributes £6984 among its suppliers on the 20th of this month. N'' ire pays out £2921, Lowgarth £2i36, and Cardiff £1724, and payment by these companies will be made '-Pa the 19th, owing to the proximity of the Easter holidays.

On Good Friday the South Taranaki C.E. Union is holding its annual Convention in the Broadway Church. This function has usually bfsen held in Hawera, but as Stratford is more central, the Union has decided to hold it here this year. There are to be three meetings, at 10.30 a.m., 1.30 p.m.,, and 7.30 p.m., which will be full of interest and should be well won th attending.

A tug-of-war between members of the executive of the Stratford A. and 'VP. Association and a team from H Company, Xlth Regiment is to be on the cards for the Gymkana, Eastoi Monday’s attraction. It is stated that the “Terrys” don’t like the look of the Association’s “anchor” man, ' but it is hard to believe this, knowing the calibre of the company’s chosen. By the way, competitors should hand in their entries early as the secretary will soon perforce have to refuse them.

The Stratford Tennis Club is playing the Hawera Club on the latter s courts to-day. St. Patrick’s Day is often cited as an unnecessary hodday, but in Taranaki, where half-holidays are scattered promiscuously throughout the week according to the whim of the borough concerned, it is a vciy useful holiday indeed, since it is practically the only day in the tennis season when Thursday-half-holiday Stratford can play Wednesday-half-holiday Hawera.

If a London tailor wants to advcitiso the excellence of his wares, he , endeavours to intimate that they au intended only for the select few. he is in New York he sets about i like this: “Seven million smart young chaps are wearing our 10-dollar ready-to-wear Tuxedo suitings. Follow the crowd.” They do too. No true New \ Yorker (says a writer in Truth) would think of putting on a pair of trousers until he was quite sure that at least a million others had preceded him in them The. reason is the fierce desire to be American., It is the same in politics and patriotism and morals generally. “Follow the crowd,” says the native born New Yorker, “and you can’t go wrong.”

A pipe band under the of the Taranaki Provincial Scottish Society may reasonably be expected to be an accomplished fact in the neai future. .At. a meeting of the executive of the society on Friday night it was decided to take over the pro perty, consisting of the uniforms, drums, etc., of the defunct Taranaki Caledonian Pipe Band. An adjunct such as this to the objects and operations of the society will prove invaluable in infusing life and enthusiasm into members, as, than the skirl of tlu pibroch, there has no more weird and wonderful effect upon a gathering ol Scotchmen.

Mark Twain says: “When I was editing the “Virginia City Enterprise writing copy one day and mining the next, a superstitious subscriber once wrote and said he had found a spider in his paper. Was this good or bad luck? I replied to him in our ‘Answers to Correspondents’ column’ as follows:—‘Old Subscriber.— The finding of a spider in your copy was neither good luck nor bad. The spidei was merely looking over our pages to find out what merchant was not advertising, so that it could spin its web across his door, and lead a rei and undisturbed existence for, ever after,”