LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Stratford Evening Post, Volume XXXVI, Issue 79, 7 August 1913, Page 4

LOCAL AND GENERAL.

lii Kawhia matters in connection with the smallpox cases are evidently dealt with with a firm hand. The local paper states that the Town Board resolved that a man be appointed to mount guard over the infected dwelling, and prevent ingress and egress of would-be friendly natives.

A curious phenomenon was observed in Patea during the early hours of Tuesday morning (states the Press). A very heavy rainfall was experienced for some time, and on the weather clearing, it was found that the ground was covered with a light coating of pure sulphur. Where the latter came from is at present a mystery. The phenomenon was apparent also in| Waverley. I

The Kawhia Settler states that the alleged serious defalcations of the secretary of a local company have led to the whole matter being placed in the hand sol' the police, with a view of prosecuting a vigorous inquiry.

The very latest readjustments in the Balkans are indicated in the following items of news:—The Turkish Administration advises that it has established an international daily service at Adrianople, Kirk Kilisse, Babaeski, and Rodibsto. These offices are directly connected with Constantinople. The Albanian Minister of Post and Telegraph announces the opening of a telegraph office at Scutari.

The following will represent Stratford at a cribbage match with Ngaere, to be held at.Elder's Tea Rooms tomorrow evening:—J. W. Jones and J. Mills, H. Jones and W. Clifton, T. Lawaon and C. Kelly, W. Ryan and J. Harston, C. Jackson and P* Speck, T. Collins and J. McMahon, W. Colson, Scanner], Orr (3), Wisnewski lins and H. Trotter. The Ngaere team is as follows:—Messrs Sims, Morri(2), Thomas (2), Willis, Taylor, Stavely and Tecofsky.

The meaning of the verb "scoff" is, apparently, not known to all of the inhabitants of New Zealand, or perhaps it might be fairer to ' say that the verb "scoff" of which Noah Webster never heard is more familiar to Colonials that the verb "scoff" which he saw fit to include in his dictionary. At any rate, in a school somewhere under a hundred miles from Stratford the elder children were recently asked to explain, among others, the sentence: "Fools who came to scoff remained to pray." One bright lad put in the following answer: "The preacher gave such a winning discourse that fools who came to his, meeting to gorge themselves with food were so •moved by his words that they remained behind to pray for forgiveness."

Prince's Wharf, Hobart, was the scene of an unusual motor-car smash recently. During unloading operations on the R.M.S. Ruahine, one of fbur motor cars, consigned to a firm in Launceston, was being slung up from the bfold to tlje wharf, and aB it troached the hatchway it touched against the coamings and turned over and fell out of the sling with a. crash to the bottom of the hold, a distance | }of about 25ft. . The car was • com-.-,• pletely smashed. The wheels , were. behfc into . all shapes, the sidelights, broken off, and the framework, was;., dented. The case in which the car was packed, and its contents, were afterwards placed on the wharfs The. value; ,of the car was estimated :at i■> ' ' 'At |3chenectady. we saw the .elec.tjrical. \ apparatus which is % be' Install! fjM Ptoama'Hvhe'n', Ihe ! canal; is "reply/!>'.. writes-y corespondent the Sydney Morhing Herald". ' %his electri- , cal device will be erected in the vicinity of the canal. The operators will have a complete model of the various parts (sf the canal, such as the en- ; ' trance gates, locks, levels of the water.on the Atlantic side, in the inland lakes,, and •on the Pacific Ocean side, andi by means of.electricity the ?; gates* looks,; and .levels of ■ the cariAl I '- will be connected • 'with 'the ',model"' in the signal (house.... The;-model will '• shoW ,the .exact position df : the gates '& and locks, and; of the traffic ing through,the canal, Out of sight (of the canal, the operators in' the Big-nal-house will control the canal, open the gates, and get the levels right. ■ In the model one can see the water rising or falling in the locks." , , ;

Says :the Patea Press:. Say what you like about Jersey tests 'or Holstein records or the Ayrshire cow milk and its cheese content, but the good old Shorthorn is the poor man's cow. There are times when the other mentioned breeds are up one season like a rocket and down another like a mortgage, but the Shorthorn keeps consistent and sticks to market value like a postage stamp to a monthly account. Sit on a sale yard and see the empty cows sold for the old bulls come under the hammer and notice how quick the Shorthorn elicits bids. Turn to the Avcaners and see how the scraggiest looking Sliior-thorn calf can find a ready sale to the neglect of others. In the dairy lines .the Shorthorn quite holds its own. For beef, bones or just its hide it is certainly the most profitable in the sale yards in the dairying districts at present.

Instructed by the Marin© Department, an action was brought at the Kawhia Court by the police against George Reading on two charges: (a) that he was master of an unsurveyed launch plying for hire, and (b) that he did not hold a certificate entitling him to carry passengers and freight. Counsel for defendant (who pleaded guilty) pointed out that this was only an isolated trip; that the defendant's occupation was fishing, but that he had on one occasion taken the doctor to an urgent case through a gale which other launchmen would not face. General sympathy had been aroused, and he (counsel) was instructed by the public to appear for Reading. Defendant was convicted by Mr Rawe<on, S.M., on both informations, a fine of £l, and' 14s costs, being inflicted. In the same issue as the above report appears in the local paper are the details of a subscription list in connection with the case, the amount subscribed being 12s 6d over and above the expenses incurred, and this, it was stated, was to be handed to the* cottage hospital.

$x thousand people sleep, on an average, in the open air in London every night. The Minister \>f Finance (Hon. James Allen) delivered the Financial j Statement to Parliament last night. A digest of the speech appears in assimilative form on pages 7 and 8 of this issue. The Tikorangi Dairy Factory suppliers have agreed to'assist by contributions in paying the salary of an instructor in scientific agriculUpStd and dairying. A team of footballers from the district between Te Wera and Whangamomona will play the Stratford team on the Showgrounds next Thursday afternoon. The backblockers are said to have a particularly strong team.

' Mr A. Coleman, clerk of the Whangamomona Oounty Council, has received the following telegram from Mr J- B. Hine, member for Stratford, in reply to a letter sent to him at the Council's instruction: "Hon. W. *Fraser proposes visiting Whangamomona next week, arriving there on Thursday evening. He will spend Friday in receiving deputations and inspecting the railway works and road construction. He will return to Wellington on Saturday. I will notify, you not later than Monday if alteration is necessary." j

While there are unprotected railway crossings and people to drive over them, all the automatic alarms imaginable will not prevent accidents. A case in point occurred this morning. A young lady drove in a gig from Broadway into Fenton Street as unconcerned about the railway crossing in her path as if she were in a 4 100-acre paddock rounding up the cows. She looked everywhere except in fronb of hei 1 , and it took several shouts of warning from two pedestrians on the side-walk before she reined in the horse within a few yards of the outgoing mail'train. All the time the warning bell had been ringing, and the whistle of the engine must have been heard a mile away. Quito still in the gig, the damsel scanned the faces at the window as

the train thundered by, and then, just like a woman, without even a look of coolly drove on into the bright morning'over''thespot where, a few moments before, the shadow of death had hovered.

I A final reminder is given of the school to be held in the Town Hall this evening commencing at 8 o'clock. A full dress re- * hearsal'was held la sit night, when the .prograntnie' Was gjone through without a hitch. ''The dressing and light and other effects 1 will .be a surprise to. the public, being far superior to any previous attempt by the school. The Committee have been fortunate in' securing ihe services of several gentlo-s men who are experts in their various departments, and this was the only thing necessary to: put the finishing

touch on* an. already excellent pbiw

'/Dame Burden's School" .will be staged in. a manner little expectediiby the. Stratford public; and will giveiisom©) idea of what careful thought |a"ad training will do. Mr T. G. Grubb will hold the baton over an orchesfra of ten instruments, comprising opr best known local players. The evening promises to be fine, and a bumper house should greet the rise of the.curtain. A grand tableau will be staged at the conclusion.