LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Stratford Evening Post, Volume XXXV, Issue 80, 11 April 1913, Page 4

LOCAL AND GENERAL.

The Health Department has the matter of engaging a suitable medical man for Whangamomona in hand (says the correspondent of the Herald). The Government has again subsidised the association with £IOO.

The Mackenzie County Council has accepted £IOOO from the Carnegie Corporation to erect a public library at Faiidie, the condition being that the council must provide £IOO per year for maintenance and give the site.

Supporters of the Saturday halfholiday in New Plymouth are much disappointed to find that, owing to ignorance of the latest regulation governing petitions for a poll on this subject, their petition must fall to the ground. The position briefly is that a number of signatories to the petition are invalid, as they are not electors of the old electoral roll, leaving the petition short of the required number. It is understood (says tho News) that this unfortunate oversight throws out tho Inglewood and Waitara petitions also. Bud Atkinson’s circus was sold by auction in Melbourne on the 81st nit., in lots to suit purchasers, and at the conclusion of the auctioneer’s efforts tho circus was a thing of tho past. Tho horses brought fair prices, the chief purchaser being someone who appeared to have an eye to future engagements. The waggons met with varying fortunes. The red-painted ticket waggon brought £22 10s, which seemed a fair thing, but two chariots, which were valued by the management at £l2O, brought £G tho pair. Tho prices all through ranged from the reasonable to tho* “slaughter” variety. Tho Telegraph’s correspondent stated that the wet weather last month contributed more than anything else to the misfortunes of the circus manage mnt*

Ladies! Warner’s Corsets are comfortable—guaranteed so—they shape fashionably. The bones cannot rust or can the fabric tear. Order v r Local drapers, *'

Ten minutes occupied this morning in despatching tne week s business of the Stratford Magistrate’s Court. • A London cablegram states that the Maori troupe who visited England with disastrous financial results, will return to New Zealand by the Paparoa. i Herman Ringer, for failing to clear blackberry and ragwort, was, at the Stratford Court this morning, on the information of the Inspector (Mr Wilson). .ined £4 and costs. Ihere was no atance of the defendant. At the Magistrate’s Court this morning, before Mr Kenrick, S.M., judgment by default was entered in the case G. W. Calvert (Mr J. R. L. Stanford) y. Charles Pope, claim for £4 9s 6d and copts 10s. ■ The Admiralty chart of Tasman Baj came in for strong criticism at the hands of Mr Leslie Reynolds, C.E., at a meeting of the Nelson Harbour Board last week. In one instance, said Mr Reynolds, a depth of 17 feet of water was shown on tiry land.

• „ A big eel was caught in the Sel"wyn river on Sunday (says the Lyttelton Times) by Mr A. Gallagher, of Prebbleton. The fish was seen in about 18 incjies of water. It was speared by Mr Gallagher, and made a great fight on the bank. It measured five feet lon» and twenty inches in girth at the thickest part, and turned the scale at 40 pounds.

M. Cochon, the champion of people in Paris unable to find rooms owing to their large families, has now found a strange asylum for a house- '*** hold in that plight (says the Pans correspondent of a London, paper). When the trapdoor leading to the sowers was opened early one morning, he, with the aid of some twenty friends, installed a family in a large ■underground room connected with the sewers where the sewermen kept then hoots and tools. The sewermen on arriving to begin work, found the family established there, and compassionately subscribed to buy milk for the children.

On the maiden trip of the train from Whangamomona yesterday the W last of the line of trucks left the rails owing to the fact that no ballasting had yet been done, but the passengers were quickly transferred, and the train proceeded, leaving instructions to have the Waggon bn the road by the time the train got back. In connection with the work cn this line

it may be mentioned that all the sheds at the Mangar’e Road siding are being shifted to Whangamomona, where they will retnain for sbme time. ' Driver Wildermoth, who was in charge of the tram on this section, will in all probability be shifted 1 to the new route, Whanga to fiirthdi 1 East..

' It appears fi'om the report of the evidence given before the Deputy-Re-gistrar in Sydney, in connection with the application for registration by tha Australian Actors’ Union, that Madame Bernhardt was quite lately contemplating a tour of Australia. Mr J. C. Williamson said in the' course or his evidence:/“It IS only recently that I terminated negotiations with her for an Australian' tour. I have no doubt that slid wotild have been warmly received by Australians. Terms were arranged between us, and they were - very big terras, indeed. However, ▼ I recognised that the tour which Madame Bernhardt would have to make throughout Australia would impose too great a strain Upon her, and 1 would not get the return which 1 hoped for from my outlay. I was reluctantly compelled to break off the negotiations.”

Prior to his . departure from New Plymouth for Puget Sound on Wednesday, Captain Thunell, of the H. D. Bendixsen made, as is his usual ctistom, a search of the vessel for any stowaways who might have concealed themselves on board. The result of this search was to reveal the presence of two would-be sailors, one of whom was found in the forecastle behind some clothes belonging to the crew, and the other was run to earth in the hold. Needless to say (says the Herald) their hopes of a free trip to America were nipped in the bud. Captain Thunell has been more fortunate than were his predecessors of the Margit and the Viganelia, in the matter of keeping his crews, for he has had numerous applications for enrolment on the ship’s books, whereas the other boats had to wait a considerable time before being able to make up their complement, and in the case of the latter vessel, some of the sail- ■ ors were entertained by His Majesty the King up do the date of sailing. “Hip! Hip! Hurrah! We can smell attain!” Thus the Whangamomona correspondent of the Taranaki Herald opens his notes under date the Bth. The reason for the hilarity is seen in the following: “This morning Mr R. Hill, overseer on the Public Works, gave out instructions to all the teams'carrying goods add materials not to come to the 36-mile siding any more, as the engine would be able to reach Whangamomona West, where goods and passengers would be taken and delivered. At 3.30 todfljc the huge iron horse blew its wmstle close to the township without any local reception or ceremony. From now onwards passengers arid goods will be taken and delivered to • within ten chains of Whanga P.O. Mr Editor, it behoves the most fastidi- . ons critic to compliment Mr R. Hdi I overseer of the works, who promised to have this work accomplished by the end of the financial year. He tad something like twenty different contracts and contractors and their staffs, but Ire overcame many difficult obstacles and allowed the engine to reach us.”

Tho annual general meeting of the Stratford Golf Club will be held on Friday next.

The Stratford Municipal Band will, weather permitting, give an open-air concert at the hospital on Sunday afternoon, when a collection will be taken up in aid of the funds of the institution.

Mr Frank May, evangelist, who is favourably known in Ireland, Australia and New Zealand, is holding four meetings in Stratford commencing Sunday, 7 p.m., and Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday, 7.30, in the Gospel Hall.

Favoured with an exceptionally fine day on Thursday, the members of the Stratford Bowling Club had a progressive pairs match. About six teams competed, and after an enjoyable afternon’s play Messes Fookes and G. Smart (s) proved to be the winners.

The Hawera Borough Council, says the Star, has decided to place tiie following issues before the ratepayers, when the half-holiday poll is taken ;—“(1) For Saturday half-holi-day if other towns come into line, and (2) For the Saturday half-holiday for Hawera alone, subject to the borough solicitor advising that this can legally bo done.”

It is understood that the Stratford School Committee will not make any organised effort to take the local school children to Wellington to see the battleship New Zealand, the trip being considered altogether too great an undertaking for the little people. It will, however, throw no obstacle in the way of those parents who are desirous of taking their boys and girls the trip at the low fares that are proposed.

New regulations under the State Guaranteed Advances Act, have been gazetted (states a Wellington wire). Any local body obtaining a loan musl pay for it at the rate of interest at which the money was actually raised by the Government, plus one-eighth per cent. New fees chargeable al registry office have been gazetted, and the new scale is stated to be in favor of employees.

The opening of classes in the ford Technical School is announced in* another column. Among those mentioned is one in dairy science, and it is pleasing to know that the scientific side of this important industry is being taken up seriously by most of the fa'ctory employees of the district. Mr F. J. Morgan, M.Sc., is taking charge of the dairy science class, Mr C. L. Grant of that in shorthand, and Mr J. N. Thomas of that for proficiency: certificates. f !

Great interest Was taken at tlid Toko sports yesterday in the weight guessing competition,"the ram ‘and sheep proving a very baffling proposition to the guessers. The combined weight proved to be 295*1b5., and Miss Breen, of Robson Road, who guessed the correct weight, won the prize. Messrs W. Donaldson and A. T. Reid tied for second place with 2951 b.

An accident in the category of the “what might have beens” occurred yesterday, when a party of motorists travelling to the Toko sports and descending the Toko hill, had tlie-r journey rudely interrupted by ilu breaking of the back axle of the car. The driver, Mr Bryant, of Hawtsra, displayed considerable skill in pulling the car up safely within seven or eight yards. Those who know the giadc and the locality marvel that the mishap was not attended with snious consequences.

The farmers had a race all to themselves at Toko yesterday, and the inclusion of this event on the programme immediately gave rise to a dispute as to what was a “farmer.” “You’re not a farmer, you only grow ‘spuds,’ ” said an official to a wouldbe competitor. The remark was received with scorn, and the gentleman who presented the prize for this race finally agreed that the potato grower should be allowed to compete, so long as he wouldn’t win! The secretary acquiesced, and demanded the entrance fee of two shillings and six. “Oh, that’s too much, I can’t afford that,” replied the competitor. “Which all goes to prove,” said somebody standing near, “that ho isn’t a farmer after all.”