LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Stratford Evening Post, Volume XXXV, Issue 85, 17 April 1913, Page 4

LOCAL AND GENERAL.

The report of yesterday’s meeting of the Stratford County Council will he found on page 7, together with the acount of a clay-bird shooting match; sporting appears on page 2; and the annual report of the local high school committee on page 8.

The daily average cost per inmate in the Old People’s Home at New Plymouth last year was 2s 2d.

A meeting of the committee of the Stratford Beautifying Society is to bo held on Monday next to adopt the rules drafted.

Madame Bernard notifies that she holds the sole rights for Stratford for the New Zealand Picture Supplies Company’s films by contract made on April 10th of this year.

The Court list for to-morrow’s sitting of the Stratford Magistrate’s Court includes thirteen civil cases two defended, four informations against Territorials for hot attending parades, one information for drunkenness, and one for obscene language.'

The University Senate met in Wellington yesterday and decided that the Taranaki scholarship held by Miss Mary Dowling be extended for a fourth year. The Orient Steamship Company’s free passages were awarded to Mr H. Kidson (M.A.), Mr W. Foster (M.A.), and the Cook Prize in mathematics to Mr E. 0. Hercus, of Otago. Mr \V.. M. Parker was awarded an engineering travelling certificate.—P.A.

One of the settlers who waited on the Stratford County Council yesterday was so pleased with the action of the Council in granting his requests, that he stayed a while to chat with Councillors. Shaking Cr. Smith by the hand, he said he had worked with that Councillor twenty or thirty years ago. Said the chairman: “I am very glad you are not at the Council table with him now, or else we would never get home.” The hint was taken.

Councillor Christoffel mentioned at the meeting of the Stratford County Council yesterday that during the last year, the Stratford Borough sent fifty-five patients to the local Hospital, the Whangamomona County sixty-three, and the Stratford County thirty-six, while eight patients came from other sources. Was it fair, he asked, that the Stratford County Council’s monetary contributions should be approximately two-thirds of the total amount contributed by the three local bodies P

Councillor Walter, of the Stratford County Council, in acknowledging the honour done him in being elected to fill Coucillor Marfell’s place on the Stratford Hospital Board, spoke strongly on the condition of affairs which allowed the hospital to have so many accounts outstanding and unpaid. He would press no man for payment of hospital bills, when that man could not pay; but it was very hard indeed on the ratepayers that there should he men owing money to the hospital, yet “slinging cash around the country” and obviously making no effort to meet their liabilities. An attachment order on wages was his solution of the difficulty.

The Stratford County Council lias now definitely decided not to contribute to the Taranaki Court funds. Cr. Christoffel said that he was convinced that the Council could not afford to contribute to the funds, and moved accordingly. Cr. Smith preferred an alteration in the motion, to the effect that the Council take no further action. The matter was one for the merchants and manufacturers, and did not much concern the dairy factories, whose efforts were devoted to putting a first-class article on the London market. It was the Council’s duty to spend the ratepayers’ money nearer home. There was no dissentient voices when the motion was put to the meeting and carried.

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The Stratford Co-operative Dairy Company pays out on Saturday next £0(372 for March milk, Ngaire butes £2717 among its suppliers, and Cardiff and Lowgarth £l7lß and £1982 respectively.

At yesterday’s meeting of the Taranaki Hospital Board (says the News), the chairman explained that ac, a result of his interview with the Prime Minister, the warrant for the arrest of the child in charge of the Board, which created considerable stir at the last meeting, has been stayed.

The s.s. Hawcra, which went ashore at Patea on October 2(3th hist, whilst endeavouring to enter the port, resumed running on Thursday (says the Press), the necessary repairs having at length been completed and the machinery overhauled and passed. The Hawcra will take up the Kiripaka’s running, and the latter vessel will probably bo laid up for the winter months.

The d airy factories seem to he doing very well this autumn in making money for the farmer (says the Mail). The Waitara Road pay-out for March reached £1562 12s 2d, an increase of £362 compared with the March of last year. At North Par an akl the suppliers .obtained a total amount of £2295 18s 3d, or an increase of £833 as compared with the amount paid out last March.

The enterprise of hostesses in London who provide topics of conversation for their guests, as well as the menu, has met with more praise than success. But the most recent suggestion for the mission of the menu has more interesting possibilities, says a writer of a woman’s column. “Forbidden topics,” when they commence with the soup, are bound to prove exciting as well as improving. And at the present moment all admit that there aro subjects which are dangerous ground, even between the most tolerantly disposed couples.

The Gore Ensign describes a flood incident: Mr E. Stevenson, with his wife and young family of six, came through a rather trying time. His cottage is situated on the Invercargill side of the Mataura river bank, and he was forced to leave it on Saturday night, and enter a boat in which ho and iris family spent two nights and over a day' and a Jvilf, during which time they were cruising about among the logs and stumps with no dry laud in sight. Fortunately, they had some food and their blankets with them; and they are now safe back home.

la his report to the Rangitikei County at its last meeting, the engineer said: During the month I inspected the two bridges designed and built by Mr Dawson, for Avvatero Valley, Marlborough. These bridges are entirely a new departure, being suspension with reinforced concrete deck. The bridges have undergone a very severe test, and satisfy' me that wood is now obsolete for all classes of bridge work. These bridges are the first of their kind constructed in New Zealand, and are a credit to Mr Dawson, who by his enterprise has opened up new era for suspension bridges.

In evidence connected with a recent bomb outrage, it was stated that the coid was tied in a “woman’s knot” (declares the “Queen”). And, with all deference to one’s sex, one must fain admit that it is always perfectly easy to detect the difference between a knot tied by a man and one tied by a woman. It is extraordinary that in this respect feminine fingers should be less successful than those of men. A woman is always defter at tying a bow or—in nine cases out of ten—in untying a knot, but when it comes to making one, man easily outrivals her. At doing up a parcel, too, the opposite sex generally slioav more prowess; this fact is even borne in upon one in drapers’ shops, where, both sexes have plenty of practice. Is it explicable.

During last year the Dominion gained more than twico as many people by excess of arrivals over departures as in the preceding year. According to a return furnished by the Government Statistician, the population gain by excess of arrivals over departures during the twelve months ending March 31st last was 11,957, the arrivals numbering 46,892 and the departures 34,935. The population gain for the preceding year by excess of arrivals was 5892. The gain from the United Kingdom in the year just closed is shown as 11,685, and the gain from Australia as 6. Arrivals from the United Kingdom numbered 14,169, and departures 2484. Arrivals from Australia numbered 29,576, and departures for the Commonwealth 29,570. Assisted immigrants during 1912-1913 numbered 3451, details being as follows, says the Dominion:— Domestic servants, 1008; farmers and farm labourers, 929; wives coming out to join husbands already in New Zealand, 531; children, 980.

liver since the world began, man has been contriving instruments for the reproduction of sound, Nature’s sweetest music—the sighing of wifid through reeds, the laughter of a brook, or the lapping of the waves; these have caused men to stop and ponder. We see the result in such increments as the violin, the harp, the flute. But most effective of all,' poruaps, is the piano. Imprisoned within its four walls hide the magic works which breathe forth enchanting harmonics. Just to run one’s fingers along the keys of an instrument such as the Broadwood, the Ronisch, the Lipp. or the Steinway. is a supremo delight. The Dresden Piano Co., Ltd., Wellington, who are agents for these, and indeed every instrument of high ronute, will gladly tell you about their t;sy time-payment system, which make s it simple for everyone to possess this king of instruments—the piano. Local representative, G. W. MILLS, Stainer, Broadway (late Cargill’s). s

The next despatch of mails via San Francisco for the United States, United Kingdom and the Continent of Europe, closes at Stratford on Thursday, 24th instant at 8.10 a.m. } On dit: Already interest in being manifested in affairs political as affecting the next general election. It is said that three names of aspiring candidates to contest the Stratford seat against the sitting member have been considered at recent meetings of Opposition supporters who, it is hrrther rumoured, will make their J...M selection in the course of a week or two, maybe. An Auckland Association message states: After serving thirteen days in gaol an Auckland man named William McHugh was liberated by order of the Court. At Onehunga, McHugh was sentenced on a charge of having indecently conducted himself in the presence of a woman and a child. New was produced which went to prove that it had been a case of mistaken identity. The presiding justice stated that McHugh left the Court without a stain on his character.

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