LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Stratford Evening Post, Volume XXXV, Issue 70, 31 March 1913, Page 4

LOCAL AND GENERAL.

A purchaser of a riverside property asked the estate agent' if the river didn’t sometimes overflow its banks. “Well,” replied he, “it isn’t one of those sickly streams that are always confined to their beds.”

As an instance of tne scarcity of mill hands (says the Tirnaru Herald), threshing-mill owners have been visiting the police station during the past fortnight, inquiring for prisoners in order that they might pay their fines to get them released to take up the work. The pay is Is an hour and “found” to anyone who can handle sheaves with the fork.

A marriage under unique circumstances was celebrated at Melbourne on Tuesday week last. During the performance of the Wild West Circus two members of the circus company were united in matrimony, the Rev. John Hocking officiating. Both bride and bridegroom were seated on a horse during the ceremony.

The Stratford Retailers’ Association advertise their annual meeting to be held to-morrow night. We are asked to specially draw the attention of all business men in Stratford to the fact that the meeting is open to everyone of them to attend. The executive wish to also point out the urgency of something being done at once in regard to the Saturday half-holiday petition, and urge on all the necessity of attending the meeting, in order that they may take tiie necessary steps to protect their, interests.

The contract in connection with the Auckland Exhibition for the whole of the catering has been let to Mr Maurice Coglan. The contract provides for refreshments, tea kiosk®, American bars for cool drinks, and the general catering which is likely to be necessary during the six months over which the exhibition is likely to run. The Commissioners have decided that there shall be no bars for the salb of intoxicating liquors on the exhibition grounds.

The great part played by advertisement in the modern business world was brought out very strongly by a witness in a District Court case in Sydney. The witness was a lady who had been a registry-office keeper. She said that practically all her business was the result of advertisment. She advertised, and clients came; she ceased to advertise, and her business fell at once; from receiving numbers of letters, she received only one per day. As soon as she began to advertise once more, more letters came in. She had a few regular country clients, but their number was small a® compared with those brought her by regular and systematic advertising.

1 Sections in tho Spotswood Settlement ■ will be open for selection on renewable lease with right to acquire the freehold on Wednesday, 16th April. There are eighteen sections in 14 lots comprising 21 acres 2 roods 10 perches. For further particulars, see advertisement in this issue. I ■ . ' ' ; i A negress who grew like a mushroom has just died in Savannah. After an illness in November last she weighed lUst 51b. But suddenly she started to expand in all directions, and added flesh at the rate of 1001 b a month. ( It was possible at times to see her -v growing. When she died recently her weight was 44st. Her neck had increased in size to a yard in circumference, previously the distance round her waist. I At the Sydney Show the Royal Champion Butter Test was won by Mr Wedlock’s grade cow Vesta, with 152.5 ib of milk and 5.3 of butter-fat' for 6 milkings. The same cow won the prize for the highest yield of commercial butter and the prize for highest quantity of milk, of at least 3 per cont test. The cow’s test was 2.8 and 4.1 the first day, and 3.1, 3.9, and 3.2, 4.2 on the succeeding days. The milkings took place at 7. aim. and 5 p.m.

“You prefer the old side-saddle to the new method of riding astride?” asked a Sydney reporter of Mrs Stace, the rider of Victory, a winning competitor in a Sydney Show compettition. Mrs Stace was quite emphatic on this point. “While I ride both ways,” she said, “my preference is for the side-saddle. In my judg- / ment, it is the better method of the two, and much more suited for women and girls than most people imagine. And I know what lam talking about.”

While Germany as a whole is accumulating wealth very rapidly, the general enrichment has not yet penetrated to large and important sections of the population, as is once more shown by the replies received to an advertisement for a “Commissioner of Baths” at the watering-place Westerland, ni the Island of Sylt. The duties of tjhe position extend throughout the year, and the salary is 5000 marks, or less than £250; but among the applicants were 77 officers, including 30 lieutenants, 23 captains, 8 majors, 8 lieutenant-colonels; 6 colonels and 2 major-generals, as well as I’4 jurists. No fewer than 36 of the aspirants to the post belonged to the nobility, and the list also included 5 barons hind 4 counts. ■ • 'il p .Am '!/.■ ■: AM/. •; •■■Mi {.. ! i 1,1.4 oi)i i '.•> •; , A ferrible burning fatalityi occurred at Kockibitoo (Nj.SAV.)t on, .Wednesday, the 19th instant, the victim being < a.? *young • woman,' n the wife;: of Joseph i Wihnell, -■ of Kockibitoo. i Deceased < was 1 engaged in cooking operations'%Hen her clothes caught fire. Tire unfortunate woman was alone, except for a young ibaby only three weeks old, when her clothes ignited, and she" ran in terror for assistance to a house. But by the time she arrived her clothes were practically burnt off her body. She i iwas- brought; ; into ,Germaimowi|bbout delay' and attended, byiDr; Henry. She died at S p.m. Deceased, who was only 19 years of age,.and who had oily been married about 12 months, Jea.ves a husband and a, baby,' : d

At a meeting at Eltham of credit-' ors of James Taylor Moir on Friday, before the Deputy Official Assignee, Mr A. Coleman (Mr T. B. Crump appearing for. the debtor) it was shown that the claims from unsecured creditors amounted to £147 17s sd, and there were other claims for £2,0, making a total of £467 17s fid. The assets were stock in trade at Wellington, valued at £6 ss, and the debtor also had a lease of a block at Te Wera, but on which the owner, Mr O’Neill, might make a claim for four year’s rent at £5 per year. The debtor had, it was shown, been in business as a bil-liard-room owner and in a mercery line, and had lately been working for wages, with part of which he had been paying off his back debts. After hearing the evidence, the Deputy Official Assignee said Moir had either managed things very badly or had been very unfortunate. The statement was not altogether a satisafactory one; he had received a good deal of help from his parents and should have done better. He did not think that the liabilities proved would amount to more than £IOO, but bankrupt could not hope to get his discharge unless he endeavoured to pay something towards his debts. He considered he should be able to pay 6s 8d in the £. The debtor agreed to endeavour to do this. ’

The matter of the local water supply exercises the public mind at most times, and the arguments for and against are always interesting. Some time ago a correspondent of the Stratford Evening Post mentioned that a lot of sediment was found in the bottom of vessels of water which were left standing for a time. Now, this morningj Mr Newton, managing engineer to the Electrical Supply Co., informed a reporter that the foregoing statement had arrested his attention, and that he had put it to the test. Taking a tumbler he filled it at the bathroom tap, not even allowing the tap to clear itself before doing so, and placed it on his mantelpiece. After a day or two, he examined the contents | and found a clear glass, with no smell or taste arising out of the water. Again, this morning, a similar' satisfactory state of affairs existed, the contents being just as sweet as the water from the tap, the only sign of sediment being a little dust that had settled on the top of the water. Said Mr Newton in conclusion: “I have had experience of the water supplies of Wellintgon and 'Dunedin (among other places), and I consider the Stratford supply compares more than favorably with both these cities. I havh always held that by no manner of, means does our supply belong to the inferior class that some people say.”

Mr T. Mercer has presented the Stratford Football Club with a match ball, a donation which is much appreciated by the club.

The Banks and the Public Works Offices are observing a close holiday today in celebration of the anniversary of the province.

A cablegram from Borne to-day states that Millionaire Pierpoint Morgan has taken no nourishment since Wednesday. He is now prostrated, and his condition is critical.

The annual Catholic social—a very popular event —will be held in the Town Hall on Thursday evening. A good time is promised for lovers of the terpsichorean art.

The Secretary of the Stratford Acclimatisation Society has received word from the Minister of Internal Affairs that the coming season will be declared an open one, but that the kind of game to be shot is yet under consideration.

On Saturday last a very fine sample of Purple Top Mammoth turnip, averaging 141 b, was left at the office of the New Zealand Loan and Mercantile Agency Co., Ltd., by Mr James Montgomerie, of Pembroke road. The turnips were grown with Pyramid turnip manure.

Ensign Simpson, of the Salvation Army, desires ,to express his thanks to all those who so kindly contributed towards the collection in aid of the Booth Memorial, and especially hia gratitude to the Stratford Band, who rendered an excellent programme or music in Broadway.

The local Salvationists celebrate the Harvest Festival this evening. It is already assured that the function will produce twice the revenue of that derived from the last Festival.

A Wellington P.A. message this morning state© that two young men named James Moore and Herbert Bailey, who had pleaded guilty to various charges of stealing money from the New Zealand Times Company, were to-day sentenced to six months’ imprisonment.

It is assured that there will be a poll in Stratford on the half-holiday question, although some slight diffi- ' ' culty is being experienced in the lists having been signed by persons whose t names are not on the roll. However* ,jin , some case* this i has been the means of making the. supplementary roll more complete, many of those signing having' neglected to put their ; n*m£s on the 'roll. 1 1 ■ < ii; >-i >■!• -u: .ut ; : . , Mr A. W ; Pearse,' editor of the Pas--1 total' Review, who has been-appointed [- tof the third International Congress of Refrigeration to be held nest September at Chicago, for the associated meat companies of the ..North Island of New Zealand and most of the meat companies of Australia, will read a paper, “Australia and New Zealand as a Source of Meat Supply,” before the Congress. This , 1 paper will be printed in French, German, Spanish, and English for distri- / butioii amongst the members; He leaves for Europe on April 6th, and < -during histrip will visit the Russian horse-breeding establishments and agricultural institutions, permission having been granted by the Russian Gov-

To-iporrow night this merry and bright company will make its re-ap-pearance in Stratford. “The Follies” class of entertainment has become widely popular all through the Dominion, and press notices to hand from the South shoiit that this company are past-masters in the art of amusing and entertaining—which is tlieir mission. The personnel of “The Follies” is the same as when they visted Stratford a few months ago, and on Tuesday an entire change of programme will be given. The company has just enjoyed a most successful tour of the South Island and a return visit to Wellington, where they played for three weeks in the cbncert chamber of the Town Hall. An extensive tour of the north has been mapped out, and only one night can be spared for Stratford. The box plan is open at Grubb’s, and there is no extra charge for booking.