LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Stratford Evening Post, Volume XXXV, Issue 99, 3 May 1913, Page 4

LOCAL AND GENERAL.

There will be a church parade of the Boy Scouts to the Holy Trinity Church to-morrow at 11 o’clock. The Scouts will fall in at 10.45.

The meeting of hockey enthusiasts, held last evening was not very well attended, but, notwithstanding this, the club will have more players than they have ever had before. A further meeting will be hold on Thursday afternoon next at 2 o’clock, on the grounds.

The Toko Coronation Hall Committee’s euchre party and dance in aid oi the crockery fund, which was to have taken place last evening, has been postponed owing to the rough weather, and the function will take place in the Hall on Tuesday, 6th May. Good •trophies are to bo given for prizes in euchre, playing lasting from 8 to 10, and a dance will follow.

Messrs. Loughnan and Jacobs, solocitors, of Palmerston North, under instructions from the Mokau Coal and Estates Company, have sealed a writ against the Dominion newspaper, claiming damages for slander of title, alleged to bo contained in an advertisement inserted in the issue of May 2nd, by Joshua Jones, respecting the Mokau Estate.—Press Association.

It was his first time at camp, and he had heard from his tentmates that on the last day tricks would be played on the officers and men alike—in fact, even Epsom salts would be freely used! He could stand it no longer, so took a present along and interviewed the cook. “I say, cook, were there any salts in the tea?” “No, chappie, did you have any?” “No; any in the porridge ” “No, but I’ll lot you into the secret —mum’s the word—l put a big dose in the duff!” “Oh, heavens, 1 had three lots of duff!’

A man was picked up recently hy tlie Sydney police, who seemed to he suffering from mental aberration, but on recovery gave this account of himself:—When he left his happy home early in the morning, his wife kissed him good-bye, as she was accustomed to when she wanted any errand performed, and then asked him to “go to the dressmaker’s and tell her that she (his wife) had changed her mind, and would have the watered silk made up instead of the poplin ; and be sure and tell her, dear,” said his wife, “that if she thinks it would look better with ten bias flounces without puffing and pleated below the equator, which should bo gathered in hemstitched gudgeons up and down the seams, with a gusset between, she can make it up in that way, instead of (luting the bobinette insertion, and piercing out with point lace applique, as 1 suggested yesterday.” At latest advices her husband was still suffering from a form of insanity brought about by shock. -mSi* WMmB

The April rainfall records for Stratford show that the month was one of the driest on record, since only 1.92 inches of rain foil. Already the present month has exceeded this total. Rain fell during April on ten days, and the maximum fall was .77 inches, registered on the 13th.

The estates of 221 deceased persons were certified for stamp duty during April,.the largest being that of George Francis Biillcn (Canterbury), £229,256. The following is the list .New Plymouth estates James William Batten, £5691 ; James Lowery, £1701; and Nicholas Knuckey, £5lO.

It is not so very long ago that a Tasmanian town, now a place of considerable importance, did not boast a courthouse. The justices sat in the dining-room of an hotel, and there dispensed justice. One day an elderly woman was charged with having been drunk and disorderly, and with having disturbed the public peace. “Fined 2s 6d,” said the chairman of the Bench. “Oh, thank you, your worship,’ "exclaimed the old lady, who had expected a fine of £1 at least.” “And will you join me in a glass of beer?”

So anxious were many people to witness the initial performance of the Asche-Brayton combination at the Theatre Royal, Sydney, on Saturday that at 7 o’clock in the morning women were waiting at the theatre door. Alter ,these enthusiasts had consumed their sandwiches, Mis Brayton was thoughtful enough to order tea for them at 3 o’clock. When the gallery doors were opened at 4 o’clock, there was an immediate rush, and shortly afterwards that portion of the house was crowded. Every part of tho theatre was packed when the perfornance began.

A Perth message to the Sydney Daily Telegraph says:—The comicality of the law which provides for the fining of electors for non-regis-tration forcibly strikes registered electors whose names have been struck off without warning because they had recently moved from one street of a suburb to another. A specimen case is that of an elector on the Legislative Assembly, Legislative Council, and city ratepayers’ rolls, with two telephones registered in the Exchange book, with office and private address recorded in the Perth directory) and with a brass plate on his door, who for five years had never been out of Perth for a fortnight. At the eleventh hour he found his name struck out pf , the Federal roll, on which it had been \ Standing for six years. i , ■< Du

Many people are misled by the term “first offender” in coniiectioh A’ith charges drunkenness, and as the figures recorded' in the Court books, are i frequently used in afguinents by Temperance advocates, a very wrong impression was consequently given. The law holds that a “first offender” is one who lias had only one conviction of drunkenness recorded against him within six months, and when period has expired after his conviction, ho is given a clean sheet. Therb^ 1 fore, some of the hardest drinkers in the town, who had really as many as thirty convictions for inebriety, at times chanced to be first offenders according to the law, and likewise the characters of those who had recently given way, to drink were also misrepresented.

Although the work at the Territorial Camp, at Oringi, was arduous, Territorials report having a splendid time. As one put it, “If the work was hard at other times there was plenty of fun, and we had a good outing.” Some of the happenings were of a humorous nature, as for instance, when thick pieces of bread and cheese were handed round for lunch, a few (presumably what might be called “townies”) refused it. They preferred turnips and sat down to munch them to the tune of “Mr Booze.” The leader led off with the refrain:—“You know I don’t like you, Mr Cheese; you’re such a mischief-maker, Mr Cheese; think of all the mischief you’ve caused in life; think of all the times you’ve bolted from the knife,” etc.

It is not recorded whether a cinematograph fiend accompanied the Territorials on their famous march to the town of Dannevirke, but had he done so, he would have had a few pictures worthy of production. A motor car driver had just arrived on a bridge when he espied “the sojers” marching along the structure. He immediately backed off the bridge, but in doing so fell into a deep ditch alongside the approach. Seeing the mishap the soldiers were halted by their commander, and they quickly rescued the occupants—two men, a woman and two children- from the water. Then they picked up the car bodily and deposited it on the road. Later on in camp when the piano was being “thumped” a wag from one corner yelled out, “Eh, pass us the ‘peannor’ ” Suiting the action to the word the piano was promptly passed hand over hand, to the corner, amidst cheers. Next!

The Stratford Gymnastic Club commences operations on Monday next, and the time-table appears in another column. The committee practically completed all arrangements, and the success of the Club is assured. The Old Masonic Hall has proved a very suitable building for the purposes of the Club, and when all the apparatus is installed it should be an excellently equipped gymnasium. The Club has been most fortunate in securing the services of Messrs Alan Maxwell (boxing), Murray Vrqnhart (gymnastics and wrestling), and W. Sparwath (gymnastics and Swedish drill) as honorary instructors. All that is now needed is enthusiasm on the part of members to make the Club a success and a credit to Stratford.