LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Stratford Evening Post, Volume XXXVI, Issue 15, 23 May 1913, Page 4

LOCAL AND GENERAL.

i ho third of the series of the popular Foresters’ ‘dances takes place on .Monday evening next.

The skating season will be opened

at Wilkinson’s Hall, Eltham, this etening, and quite a number of Strut ford residents intend being present. A good evening's amusement is promised at this very popular roller rink.

The Stratford School thermometer showed the lowest temperature last night to have been 31. There has been a phenomena] rise in the barometer during' the past twenty-four hours, from 29 to 29.5.

A Wellington I’rotes Association wire states that nothing further has been heard of the reported small steamer with a dismasted schooner in tow as wired by the Otaki postmaster on Wednesday.

Several urchins who were skylarking round one of the gangways of H.M.S. New Zealand at Lyttelton the other day, and who were something of a nuisance, were told by a sergeant of marines to “run away.’ As they took no notice, and continued their pranks, the marine made for the urchins, who skipped nimbly out of reach, one of them calling, “Yah, who are yon ? Who gave you the ship,

anyhow F”

A notice in this week's Gazette revokes all existing regulations under the Loans to Local Bodies Acts, and announces an entirely new set. These provide that a special roll for that part of the district for which the aohjsisiu eioearhtooh aHo ,E 1 oppgtct loan is to be raised, and which is not a legal subdivision, shall be prepared from the existing valuation roll by the local authority proposing to raise the loan which shall lie in special form prescribed.—P.A.

At the Magistrate’s' Court this morning, before Mr Kenrick, S.M., judgment by default was entered in the following civil cases: —Harkness and Grimmer (Mr Macalister) v. N. J. Thomason, £4 14s 8d and 10s costs; A. Spence (Mr Thomson) v. Alex. Cruden, £6 17s and casts £1 11s Od . Central Co-op. Store Co., Stratford (Mr T. C. Fookes) v. Chas. McPheo, £l3 6s XOd and costs £1 16s sd; loseph Weston v. Daniel Favier, £1 -Is and costs Bs.

It is pretty cold up in Raurimu where the serpentine portion of the Main Trunk line is, and the express ( is timed to reach there before daybreak. It reached one of the stations near the spiral on Friday, and then it waited—could not go on without the tablet. But the porter who should have attended to this matter, it is stated, was fast asleep. Eventually ho was roused, and the train steamed out of the station after an hour’s delay. This was made up en route so far as thirty-five minutes was concerned, but the train, which is ordinarily a pattern of punctuality was twenty-five minutes late all the same.

“Does Germany want to Fight?” is the important question that is asked and answered in the June issue of “Life,” just published. The cover design is from a photograph taken on board H.M.S. Xcw Zealand, while she was in Melbourne recently, and shows the battleship’s mascot bulldog asleep in the mouth of one of the great twelve-inch guns, whilst a great black cat slumbers serenely on top of the gun’s rim. The suggestion, of course, is that the bulldog’s attitude represents that of Great Britain, but Mr Carlyle Smythe, who writes the article in question, indicates that the bulldog is not quite sr slumberous as ho seems, and that if anything happens he will bo at the other end of.the gun.

Some of the local motor-car driver; had better put on the brake. Lister to this from the Eltham Argus:—

“On tire two days of the Hawera races the speed with which some mo tors from Stratford flew through this town was disgraceful. Anyone driving ujr Bridge street had every chance of being driven into by the motors, which passed the crossing like a

streak of lightning. One of our informants gives us the name of a Stratford resident who is one of the fast drivers, and says that he will willingly give evidence if the police will make a. case, and do something to check the excessive speed. He is strongly of opinion that there will be a fatal' accident ere long if the fast drivers are not given a warning.”

.Aliss Horne, the well-known Theosoplnenl lecturer, who is at present touring Xew Zealand, gave an address to an interested audience in the Foresters’ Hal] last evening. The title of the theme was “Spirits Imprisoned.” I Mi ' ss Horne explained that the conten- | tion of Theosophists was that man’s ! 50,, l passed successfully through three I planes. Tiie lowest of the planes was I the earthly plane, where it was imprisoned in an earthly and imperfect | body. Around it was the astral body, which was not visible, but which manifested itself at times—in moments of great emotion, for instance, When we die or “pass over” as the term runs the astral body becomes our sole habitant, but it is affected by the earthly body and by the actions and thoughts in lile, and the soul in it generally passes through another stage before it becomes pure enough to pass to the highest plane, which is Heaven. Here the spirit enjoys the fulness of bliss untilit desires to be reincarnated in a better and more elevated body than it previously occupied. Miss Horne will be at the Foresters’ Hall to-night and will answer written questions which may be presented.

At 1 imam yesterday, in the presence ol a large gathering, the life-size marble statue ol Sir Robert Burns, presented to the town by Ja«. Cragie, M.l’., ex-. Mayor, was unveiled by Sir Robert Stout.

The Salvation Army in the United Kingdom recently completed its annual “.self-denial effort,.” and in spite oi the industrial disturbances and other difficulties prevailing the splendid total of over £(b ,000 was raised.

Ibe Petone Chronicle learns on what it considers to be good authority that the Cabinet is not a happy family, and that there is every probability of a serious split if matters are hot arranged before Parliament meets.

W hat is believed to be a record price for fat cattle in Taranaki (states the News) was received by Mr W. Birdling, of Waitara, who has just sold a line of show fat stock to a Christchurch buyer. The line consistted of seven heifers and five bullocks, and the price realised was £ls 7s 6d per head.

“Of all the school children who have boarded our ship,” declared one ol the speakers at the Masonic reception tendered to the brethren of H.M.S. New Zealand at Christchurch, “T think the school children of Christchurch can easily set the model. They are absolutely the best-disciplined children we have had on the ship, and they show an intelligent appreciation of what is told them.”

In connection with the allegations of exorbitant charges in Territorial camps, General Gpdley states (according to a Wellington Press Association wire (that the circumstances which gave rise to the comment will not happen again, as the authorities intend to prepare a list of prices, and contractors will he told that they must tender according to those prices. ,

‘Stratford is being favored by the visit to-day of Dr. Kirk, a distinguished medical missionary from Canton, China. Dr. Kirk is connected with the Presbyterian Mission in China, and js at present on furlough in New Zealand, and visiting the churches of Taranaki. He is thoroughly conversant with the present conditions of China, and believes that the hqpe of that great Empire is not only Western civilization, but the Gospel of Christ. He will give an address in St. Andrew’s Hall this evening. During his stay in Stratford he will bo the guest of Dr. Steven.

Mr Kenrick, S.M., heard a defended civil case, Edwin George Perrott, farmer CUrenui) v. William George Frost (Te Kiri) at the local court this morning. Plaintiff was represented hj> Mr McAlister. The facts adduced by the evidence were that defendant had a mare from which he wished to breed, and which had never previously produced a foal. Plaintiff took charge of her, making arrangements as to the stallion. The evidence conflicted on the point as to whether any guarantee was given or implied. His Worship, in summing up the case, said that it was a poor way of doing business, and was just like asking the Court to settle the contract for them out of very meagre evidence. No guarantee had actually been proved, hut the fact of plaintiff taking the mare to his own place partially implied one. Judgment was therefore given for plaintiff for £2, half the total claim, with costs £1 18s.

Preparations are already well in hand for the visit to Australia of* about two hundred members of the Bi itish Association for the Advancement of Science next year. The members will arrive in August, and will visit Perth, Adelaide, Melbourne, Sydney, and Brisbane, and some of them have arranged to see New Zealand, the Northern Territory, and New Guinea on their way home. The congress of the association will open at Melbourne, and it will be continued in Sydney, the president having arranged to deliver his address in two portions in those cities. The Federal Government has voted £15,000 towards the expenses of the association, which will have as its guests a number of famous foreign scientists.

The value of goats on “blackberry” farms is generally appreciated (states | the Taranaki Herald), but many farmers are deterred from making full use oi these weed exterminators because there is no direct erturn to he derived from the animals. They eat the weeds and "’! I P'whaps gradually exterminate them, but they do not yield either milk or flesh as profit; at least they have not done so. But there is no reason why a farmer with a herd of goats should not derive an income from them. Goat’s flesh is as good as mutton, and the wether goats may easily lie turned into money if a market can lie created for their flesh. Their skins are marketable too. With a view to testing people’s appetite for goat flesh, iMr Joil has just had two or three nice young goats killed and dressed, and a small joint was sent to us for an opinion. It was cooked and served as mutton. It had not the strong rank flavour usually associated with the flesh of the goat, and we have no doubt that once the little prejudice that exists in some minds against this kind of meat is overcome there will be no difficulty in disposing if all the wether goats farmers can supply. If our surmise is correct, one of the great obstacles to the more extensive breeding and grazing—or browsing, to be more correct—of goats as an aid to clean farming will lie overcome. Warner’s Rust-proof Corsets. In rhe latest models, the bust is low and Full. Flexible corsettmg above the waist is the result—the newest figure fashion. Perfect comfort with figure •mgance. X