LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Stratford Evening Post, Volume XXXVI, Issue 38, 20 June 1913, Page 4

LOCAL AND GENERAL.

“Say, young man, will you tell me what time the next train pulls in here from the north and how long it stays ?” The clerk answered briefly, hut politely, in a very high and unusual voice, “From two to two two.” Theold lady looked at him a moment and then said, “Well, I do declare! Be you - the whistle?”

The services of a medical man foi the Whangamomona district are now available, it is reported, a member o! the profession having been in the district for a week past and being now in residence. In connection with thi matter and the general question ol inedical attention in the backblocks, Mr F. W. Court, chairman of the lo cal medical association, will proceed to Wellington on Tuesday and interview- the .Minister of Public Health.

The Government Printer has notified the Palmerston Borough Council that Gazette notices would have to bo paid for." A letter to this effect was received at the Council’s last meeting, The Clerk stated 'thalt previously advertisements for public hodieo were inserted 1 in the Gazette free, but now the authorities had taken to charging for them, and had sCnt an’ account for 18s. , He had objected to pay the amount," and had declined to Gazette the Coleman Place poll which was lost; : The letter was “received.” "

A monster bazaar is being: arranged at 'Whangamomona, in aid of funds tf improve the recreation ground, tindates being 11th, 12th, and 13th September. In connection with the bazaar an art union will be held, the prizes in which ate stated to be handsome works of art. This movement on the part of members of the Domain Board and prominent resi dents is highly commendable, as showing a pride in the appurtenances of their town, and Whangamomona and district will be working pleasantly in tlTe best interests of themselves ip according the bazaar their wholehearted support.

The poultry farm is not the only place in which male take the lead to the oven or the saucepan. The cockerel’s doom is the doom of his sex,

following a law which according to Mr T. Anderton, curator at the Portobello marine hatchery, runs in the ocean as well as on land. One of the interesting facts disclosed by Mr Anderton to a Dunedin Star representative during a visit to the hatchery, is that practically all the crayfish brought to market are males. If a female is ever found with the horde she is a hopeless blue stocking, probably able to argue the point- with any of them. The fertile crayfish stay at home, snugly housed in inaccessible crannies. They may not see much of the under world, but they are secure.

I It is generally believed that playI ing cards were invented for the amuse- ! ment of one of the early kings of the line of Bourbon; but this belief is erroneous. Who the man was that invented these instruments of amusement is not known, neither can we tell in what age they were first invented. Our knowledge is limited to the country whence they came—namely, Egypt. The colours are two, red an*’ black, which answer to the two Equinoxes; the suits are four, answer ing to the four seasons. The emblems formerly were, and are still in Spain, for the heart a cup, emblem of winter; the spade, an acorn, the emblem of autumn; the club a trefoil, the emblem of summer; the diamond, a rose the emblem of spring. The twelve court cards answer to the twelve months, and were formerly depicted as the Signs of the Zodiac. The fifty-two cards answer to the number of weeks in a year; the thirteen cards in each suit, to the number of weeks in a lunar quarter.

Warner’s Rust-proof Corsets. In the latest models, the bust is low and full. Flexible corsetting above the waist is the result—the newest figure fashion. Perfect comfort with figure 'deganco.

At the Supreme Court, New Plymouth, yesterday, on the conclusion of their labours, the Grand Jury congratulated Sergeant M‘Neely, of Stratford, upon the excellent manner in which he had prepared his evidence in the breaking and entering case which occupied the attention of the jury.

‘‘.lf dirt is matter m the wrong place, noise may be defined as music in the wrong place. At this moment (remarks a London scribe), I am suffering from bag-pipes, which are making a dreadful noise in a London highway. Bagpipes in the distance or open air in Scotland are endurable, and even inspiring; but bagpipes in a. closed room are, intolerable to anyone with an ear accustomed to the special nuisance of London noises.”

Some interesting revelations in connection with the fortune-telling business are expected shortly when the prosecution is commenced of Signora Xistri, the most famous of all the Italian fortune-tellers, who has just been arrested in Rome. Signora Nistri’s speciality is the preparation of love potions. When the police raided her house they discovered four sacks filled with olive leaves. These she was in the habit of selling at lOd each to women, with instructions that they were to burn one leaf daily for 20 days if any of them wished to regain an erring husband's affections. The /business was a highly profitable one, for the lady used to sell ten sacks of the leaves every month. It is not surprising, therefore, that Signora Xistri owned a palace in Florence, besides a villa in Pisa and extensive estates.

It may be news to some readers that the dogfish is now used as food in England. Mr T. Anderton, curator at the Portobello marine fish hatchery, who paid a visit to the Old Country in the early past of the year, says that at least 100 boats run out to Plymouth to take dogfish with hook and line, and between their takings and the hauls of the trawlers va<st quantities of dogfish get to London and other cities, and there find their way to the fried fish shops. Before leaving the seaside the dogfish is beheaded and skinned,' and thus made unrecognisable, he passes to the consumer under all sorts of names. Were it not for this supply the shops could not be kept going. The common belief out here is that the English waters are stiff with fish. Mr Anderton says that it is quite a mistake. The dealers .assn red him that they could place ten time's as much fish of the commons edible ( species as , the trawlers bring, ; to market at ordinary times.

At the annual meeting,of the Awarua Licensing Committee, Jie]d ,sib,. Bluff on .Tune 10th, !Mr G, Cruick- * shank, S.M., announced that/, there , had ‘beeii complaints frona, persons wljo bad been refused meals, and the members of the committee wished to let the licensees know that they took a very serious view of this matter, and , wished him to convey a warning that such neglect should not occur again. Some licensees had an inclination to sell beer before, beef, and the committee wished him to point out that .-, onei'of the primary purposes of an, inn was to supply the travelling, public at all hours. They' did not expect the. licensees to supply hot outside the ordinary dining hours, but they should always have available., bread, butter, cold meat, and hot tea. He would not mention names, but lie wanted to inform the publicans of the serious view the committee took of such neglect. Licensees would have also to keep their premises clean.

According to Alderman K. W. Richards, of Sydney, there is a danger of electric traction, so far as tramways are concerned, becoming obolescent in the not far distant future. Alderman s, Richards made this statement to the Greater Sydney Commission in answer to a question by the chairman as to whether he considered the tram services should be taken over by the Greater Sydney authority. He said he thought it would be as well not to touch the tram services, on the ground that, for the reason he stated, they would not be an assured asset. The trams had, he went on, already got formidable competition in London and elsewhere by motor omnibuses and other means of transport, and the great development that had taken place tended to show that the prediction made long ago that they would some day be displaced 'was approaching realisation. Commenting on Alderman Richard’s statement, Mr J. B. Clamp, a Sydney architect, who has just returned from London, said he hoped motor buses would never be introduced into the crowded streets of Sydney. They would, he declared, be perfect Juggernauts.

• A ouchre party in aid of tho V* aingongora Road school funds will be I held in the scliool on Tuesday. § Only two judgments by default were j » given 'at the Court this morning, viz., I M Thomas Carson v. Albert A. Nelson, j « £6, costs £1 4s 6d, and Manoy and K Hassal v. F. Benneir, £3, costs 10s. | If Mr George Wright suffered a se-, P vere loss yesterday, hip horse, Silver K Speck developing ii|pimmatiou, and, |b dying in spite of all that could be done j f o r it. , Silver Speck, who was a. 1 H to .i .dug stallion, has left some good W stock in the district. X' There was rather, a poor attendance ■JK at the Catholic social last night, jS| most of the regular patrons being atn| tracted to the social at Toko. HowB ever, those present spent a pleasant M two hours in card-playing.

At present a telephone construction gang is busy in Broadway, putting in pew telephone posts, thereby shortening the spans of wire. No decision has yet been come to regarding what shall be done in tbo matter of placing the telephone wires underground.

The annual election of three members of the Taranaki Education Board ia announced, the members who fall out hy efijluxion of time being Messrs Harold Trimble, W. McL. Kennedy, and G. A. Adlam, each of whom are eligible for re-election.

M At Dannevirke (states a Press As;«f sociation message) two Territorials $ were fined £2 7s and £3 7s respectively ly hy Mr McCarthy, S.M., for failing to attend parades. Two senior cadets, who interrupted drills by turning out tlie gas and hooting the officers and otherwise offending because of the drill being unpalatable to them, were fined £1 each and costs, and warned not to offend again.

Skaters are reminded that the Town Hall will be available for general

skating to-morrow and on Monday. 1 On Tuesday a grand skating carnival will be held, at which over thirty fancy dress skaters from Hawera and New Plymouth will be present. Six prizes will be given fyr costumes, and three races are set down for decision —mile championship of Taa’anaki, 440 yds. race for boys xxnder 14, and a thread-the-needle race.

A sitting of the Railway Appeal Board was to be opened at the New Plymouth 1 Courthouse this morning. The Board consists of Dr. A. McArthur (Wellington), chairman, Messrs. C. J. Ryan (Wanganui) 4 representing first division, D. Dwyer (Wanganui), representing second division (traffic). Mr A. H. Davidson represents the Department, and Mr M. Dennehy (Wanganui) appears for the appellants who are 1 : J. Egan (stationmaster at Tariki), J'. W. 'Curtis (stationmaster at Eltham), and A H. Hornblow (clerk at Eltham). All appeal on the grounds of being superseded on the classification list. Proceedings are open to the Press.

The weekly meetings of the Egmont Club have in the the past been run on the linos of a literary and debating society, but at a meeting last night it was unanimously decided to form a Parliamentary Union. After this had been decided, the “House” met anil debated a Bill submitted by ' the Premier (Mr 0. D. Sole) providing for the abolition of military training. Mr J. J. Staples led the Opposition, who proved too strong for the Government, and had the measure rejected. There were between twenty and thirty members present, and good speeches for and against the measure were made. The next matter for debate is the reform of the Upper House.

Some sound advice on the matter of cleaning chimneys was given by Mr Kenrick, S.M., at the Court this morning, when Bertha Penzir was charged with allowing a chimney in her premises in Broadway to take fire on June 13th. Defendant explained that she had not had the chimneys cleaned, as she had only been a month in the promises. The, S.M. said that last Court day a defendant had made a similar excuse. He (the S.M.) thought everybody who moved into new premises should have the chimneys swept. An out-going tenant would not take the trouble to have the chimneys swept, and the incoming tenant would always bo in danger of being fined for allowing the chimney to take fire. He recalled the case of an Eltham man who was fined in respect of the first fire he lit in premises he had newly occupied. No fine was imposed in to-day’s case,'

In the process of condensation a question asked by jMr >J. McCluggago at Mr Hine’s meeting on Wednesday suffered to some extent in the “Post” report of the proceedings. Under the Ward Government applicants for ordinary Crown land had not to produe evidence of means. They were; given the land merely on payment of half a year’s rent, and in some cases even this was not asked for and money was advanced for improvements. In the case of Land for Settlements land, however, the production of evidence of means has always been insisted on. At the meeting on Wednesday, Mr McCluggage asked Mr Hine why Mr Massey had made it impossible for a man with a large family and limited means to. go on the land; and lie stated that in recent regulations under the Reform Party’s Land Act applicants for ordinary Crown Lands were called upon to produce their bank hooks and satisfy the Land Hoard as to their means before being given land. Mr Hine said he had no knowlelge of the regulation in question, Inr ho would use his best endeavours to have it revoked.