LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Stratford Evening Post, Volume XXXV, Issue 91, 24 April 1913, Page 4

LOCAL AND GENERAL.

To Ijo anything in America one must at least be American, but the suffragette has evidently come down to the tactics of her English sister. The other day angered at being arrested twice on charges of vagrancy, Clydia Boseley, formerly a school teacher decided to follow the example of English suffragettes and has, refused to eat for four days. The authorities say they will have her fed forcibly.

When the employees at a store in East Liverpool, Ohio, went on strike last week, the proprietors put up a huge notice: “Help yourselves.” The proprietors*decided to rely on the honesty of their customers. The stores were filled with excited and curious women, taking rolls of cloth from the shelves, measuring off what they want, wrapping it up, and then paying for it as they go out.

“Why have you never married?” The question was put to Mips Violet Loraine, principal “boy” in “Puss in Boots.” It provoked a reflective mood. “Have you had any offers?” persisted the interviewer. Then Miss Loraine woke up. “Well,” she laughed, “I cannot honestly say that I haven’t. I think most girls on the 'dago get them. But it’s this way. They are made either by people who are rich to the point of absurdity, and so impossible that you wouldn’t touch ’em with a barge pole, or by quite delightful darlings who haven’t a bob to bless themselves with. Now, can you tell me what is a girl to do?” The interviewer said he was disqualified under the second heading of her sweeping generalisation, and hoped she would find a happy medium. “Ho would be a very happy medium,” he added, hopelessly.

This is the first year for forty years that has seen the inaugurations of Presidents both of France and of the United States. The last time these events synchronised was in 1873, when Marshal MacMahon and General Grant, the last military heads of the two great Republics, were inaugurated. The French term of office being seven years and the American four years, the double inauguration should normally happen every twenty-eighth year, but 1 the septennial period has been several times interrupted. Since 1873 two French Presidents have resigned, one has died, and one has been assassinated, while only three served the full seven years. In the same period two American Presidents have been assassinated.

It is probably not generally known that the Chinese are excessively superstitious, and their fear of the unknown extends to a firm belief in ghosts, or spooks, as the modern spiritualists term shadowy visitants from mystery land. The Chinese spooks however, differ from those invoked by the spiritualist, and are always evil, and their presence calculated to inspire fear. These spooks are supposed, according to the Chinese, to appear where death has been a recent visitor, and if there nave been successive deaths the number of the “ghosts” increases proportionately. So great is the fear of the imaginary ghosts that some Balclutha laundrymen promptly deserted the house .where one of their countrymen, Gee Wee, died, alleging “Me no save© ghostoes, alloe same had man. Welly many ghostees.” Ladies! Warner’s Corsets are comfortable—guaranteed so—they shape fashionably. The bones cannot rust or can the fabric tear. Order v rr " Local drapers,

Yesterday was St. George’s Day, and Englishmen mostly forgot all about it until they reached the Bank doorstep and found the doors closed. One sometimes wonders why St. George, St. Andrew, and St. David are such neglected saintships, while Ireland’s patron, St. Patrick, is so vej?y much in evidence.

The annual'meeting of parishioners of Holy Trinity Church will be held in the Parish Hall this evening, at 8 o’clock.

Tk? totalisator investments for the Dominion from October 1, 1912, to April 2, 1913, amount to £1,889,016, showing an increase of £375,793 over the same period of the previous year. It is estimated that this year the Government avill receive £IOO,OOO as revenue from the racing clubs.

Arrangements are being made to give all school children free passes by rail to view the New Zealand on her visit to New'Plymouth (says the News). The Chairman of the Board of Education yesterday, in reading the circular to that effect, stated that t Education Department would proly have to refund the cost to the Bail way Department, and he thought that the children living away from the railway line should also be considered. It was accordingly decided to endeavour to obtain a subsidy to assist in conveying children away from the line to the port on the occasion of the warship’s visit.

In the words of a Dunedin business man, whoso opinion, by the way, is to be relied upon, it will not be surprising if margarine were manufactured in New Zealand before very long. The meat companies, ho says, supply r. great quantity of fat to the manufacturers of margarine in other countries, where the demand for that substitute for butter is enormous. Some manufacturers have become so clever in the production of margarine that even expert judges have mistaken it for the best butter. Last year England imported 1,352,427 cwt. of margarine.

An interesting though rather anjpoying, discovery was made in the engine of the biplane Manurewa when 1 it was being overhauled at Avondale the other evening. The main inlet to the cylinder was found to contain half a large-sized handkerchief, and it is thought that this was responsible for reducing the speed of the engine to about half its normal capacity. How the obstruction got there ie a mystery to Messrs Sanford and Miller, the engineers now in charge of the machine. They consider (says the Star) that when refitted the engine will do all that is ; Expected/ so that there should be every prospect of an early flight even more successful than their recent attempts. Mr W. S. Malaquin, who is wellknown in Christchurch, told a local reporter that he had read with interest a paragraph stating that in Auckland the friends of a sick girl had advertised for snails, believing that they would aid her to recovery. Mr Malaquin says that in his native district of Orleans snails were prescribed for his sister, who was consumptive. She was ordered to take the small ones which crawl upon the vines, pick them from their shells, • and eat them alive. She did so, and ▼ was cured. The prescription is not an unusual one in France, and is often most successful. In the case of his own children here in New Zealand, he has cured bad colds by means of a syrup made from snails.

A proud father sends an English exchange a communication which may have a real interest for students ol mental science:—My Daughter says an English exchange. My daughter, aged three (he writes), has so far been unable to pronounce her “y’s.” “You” became “lou” arid “yes” “les.” My wife and I have spent many a weary hour in trying to correct this fault of speech, but without success. A night or two ago I was suddenly wakened about 3 a.m. by a sound of laughter from the child’s cot. I got up quietly to see what was the matter. She looked at me with open but unseeing eyes, and her breathing came regularly. She was evidently asleep. Then, as I watched, her expression changed, and she chuckled and said: “I can say ‘you,’ daddy. 1 can say ‘yes.’” And she did say them, quite correctly. The following morning she woke up as usual and greeted me with the same phrase: “I can say ‘you.’ I can say ‘yes.’ ” Can anyone explain why the effort to pronounce correctly should succeed in sleep before it succeeded in waking life?

In a paper read hefoi o the Assembly of the Australasian Congregational Union in Adelaide last week, the Rev J. J. Wilings expressed some interesting convictions regarding the influence of picture shows. He declared it was evident that the picture show had come to stay. Many thoughtful Christian people had condemned the picture show, but he thought that in common fairness they should look at the other side of the matter, and see if there was not good as well as evil in great modern picture movement. Let it be granted that the public thronged these places, he would dare to say that these same multitudes, but.for the picture shows, would be found in the hotels, in the dancing saloons, in the cheap music halls, and on the streets. They could not but admit that the picture show was destined to do great things in the direction of education. Members of the Christian churches should encourage and foster this educational element, and create a public conscience which should permit of a wise censorship* over those. elements which were Efiither instructive nor elevating.

Twenty-five pairs of pheasants reached Stratford last night for the Acclimatisation Society, from Wellington. Mr A. W. Budge has kindly taken charge of the birds until the close of the shooting season, when they will be liberated.

An accident happened to Mr Alexander Morrison, of To Roti, on Tuesday. He had been on a visit to friends on the Pembroke Road, and had stopped his vehicle in Broadway, and was about to drive away when ho fell out of the back. He received a nasty gash on the head, and was otherwise knocked about. After being carried into Edwards’ chemist shop, Mr Morrison was attended by Dr. Steven, and was taken home in a motor car. Reports to-day show that there is a big improvement in his condition.

The shooting season for cock pheasants and Californian quail will open on May Ist. Licenses will be issued by postmasters at Stratford, Ngaere, Toko, Midhirst, Whangamomona and Strathmore, or will be posted by the secretary to country residents. The Society offers a reward of £5 for information they will lead to the conviction of any persons shooting without a license or otherwise contravening the Society’s regulations.

Municipal elections are looming up in the near future, and in most municipalities excitement is in the air. Stratford, however, seems to have escaped the epidemic, for there was no interested crowd round the municipal offices at noon to-day, when nominations for seats on the Borough Council were closed. In fact, so mea gre was the outward evidence of public spirited enthusiasm that a press representative comprised the sole audience when the town clerk made the official declaration of Mr Kirkwood’s re-election to the Mayoralty.

Splendid weather prevailed last night for the Druids’ second social, which took place in the Foresters’ Hall. The ladies attended in full force, and easily exceeded the number of the opposite sex. Stratford’s quoto of Territorials is now at the Oringi camp, and no doubt this was responsible for the shortage. The floor was in splendid condition, and those who were responsible for its preparation deservo special praise. Capital music w'as supplied by Mr Rogers’ orchestra, comprised as follows:—Mr Rogers (violin), Miss A. Rogers (violin), Mr C. Penn (violin), Mr W. Everiss (cello), Miss Rogers (piano), Mr H. Bnrmester (cornet), while extras were played by Mrs Bianchi and Mr A. Richardson. Mr J. Jones fulfilled the duties of M.C. in hig usual capable style. A hand-round supper, provided by the ladies, was done ample justice to. A most enjoyable evening was terminated about 1.30. ■ .

What is a fair test in English to put to a foreigner seeking admission to Australia? The question (says the “Melbourne Age”) is suggested by a case which came before the City Court recently, when a Hindu sailor named Ibrahim was charged with being n prohibited immigrant. The Hindu, who had deserted from a German steamship, was asked to write from dictation the following newspaper passage;—“Politicians of both parties almost invariably speak of the north of Australia as a white man’s country ? If it is not—if woman suffers physically and her children or grandchildren degenerate—the problem of the Northern Territory is more difficult and more momentous than any Ministry has yet imagined.” The Hindu capitulated on the spot, but whilst admitting defeat, he courageously offered to try to copy the, passage if the official would write it out for him!

“I agree with Mr G. W. Russell that there is only one man who is capable of taking the leadership of the Liberal party as at present constituted, and that is Sir Joseph Ward,” said Mr H. G. Ell, M.P. for Christchurch South, a day or two ago. “I think that his long services to the cause of progressive Liberalism in this country entitle him to that position.” Some of the most beneficial reforms have been initiated, Mr Ell remarked, by Sir Joseph Ward, such as Advances to Settlers and Workers, and cheap money for local bodies. He had been a hearty supporter of old age pensions and widows’ pensions. Taxation reforms in the matter of Customs duties, land tax, income tax, and death duties all tended to mark him as a man with a distinctly progressive spirit, and if he was prepared to assume the leadership he would find a strong party at his back. “The talk of fusion has absolutely nothing in it,” Mr Ell said. “The electors of this country can rest assured that there will be no fusion between the Liberal party and the Conservative party as against the Labour party. The Liberal party will work on progressive lines, as it has done for years past.”