LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Stratford Evening Post, Volume XXXVI, Issue 88, 18 August 1913, Page 4

LOCAL AND GENERAL.

The next quarterly meeting of the Stratford Licensing Committee is to be hold on September sth. At this meeting an application will be made to shift the license of the Toko hotel to other premises in Toko.

The annual meeting of members of the Stratford Racing Club is to be held on Wednesday evening next at 8 p.m., in the Municipal Chambers. It is hoped the attendance of members will bo large.

A whale 50 feet- long was found on tho beach three miles south of the Wanganui river'yesterday. The carcase was in perfect condition. The mammouth appeared to have only recently been killed, probably by n harpoon in tho head. P.A.

A private wire received in Opunake states that a motor garage was burnt down at Masterton on Thursday night and seven motor cars were destroyed, including Mr C. Council's (Opunake) motor car. It is reported the car was insured for £IOO.

The 'New Plymouth .Recreation Sports Ground should witness a record gate on Thursday of this week, when Auckland B representatives 'moot Taranaki's B toam ; . The annual match between' 'these two provinces is always a popular event frOm the spectators' 'point of view, but interest is added by the result of Saturday's match, when Taranaki A's succeeded in taking the Rahfurly Shield from the Northern Province, who have held it continuously for rears.

Some little while hack (says the Outlook) an American magazine inaugurated a competition for the best essay on the ending of war, and .the bringing in of an era of peace, offering a substantial prize as a reward. This prize, which was extensively competed for, was carried off by the Rev. J)r. Waddell, of Dunedin. It is a gratifying fact, adds the editor, that a minister of the Presbyterian Church coeded in wrestling the laurels from a multitude of English and American lit'eratteurs, and the achievement sheds a reflected glory upon the congregation of St. Andrew's, Dunedin, and, incidentally, upon the whole New Zealand Church.

The right of sports bodies to interfere in matters political is open to question, but the Poverty Bay Rugby League evidently feels so strongly on the matter of the Grey election that it has decided to challenge criticism, and at a meeting last Friday unanimously passed the following resolution :—'That we regret that a Red Flag Socialist secured the seat for Grey, and desire to place on record the fact that not one of us sports is a Red Flag Socialist; and decidedly object to any such being a member of Parliament."

President and Mrs Wilson announced on the night of July 3 the engagement of their second daughter, Miss Jessie' Wilson, to Mr Francis Bowles Sayre, lawyer, of Philadelphia. The marriage is expected to take place in the autumn. Ivliss Wilson will be the 13th bride' to be married in or from the White House. The last wedding there was that of Z\ 1 iss Alice Roosevelt to Mr Nicholas Longworth in 1900. Miss Wilson is 24 years of age, and, like her fiance, greatly interested in settlement work and kindred problems. j

At the Addingtcn saleyards on Wednesday a new Australasian record for I fat sheep was put up in the eale of Mr F. Bull's Shropshire, Roraney, and Shropshire cross wethers. A pen of throe two-shear Itomney-Shropshire cross wetliers, which have won two finst prizes at the Dunedin Winter Show, were knocked down at £9 10s. The sensation of the sale came when three two-shear Shropshire 1 wetliers, which heat Ihe crosshreds at the Malvern show, were sold under keen competition at £l4 10s per head, and established a new Australasian record. All the sheep were magnificent specimens, and the sale caused considerable excitement.

Frank Wootton rode eight consecutive winners last week, states a London cablegram.

Sir Samuel Griffith, who was offered a seat on the Imperial Appellate Court, lias not yet come to a decision, states a Sydney cablegram.

Messrs G. Hollard and A. V. Tate, representing the Kaponga Dairy Co., and Mr R. Anderson, of the West riding of the Stratford County, waited upon the Minister for Public Works (the Hon. W. Fraser) at Hawera, on Saturday morning, urging the construction of the Opunake Railway, and laying special emphasis on the Stratford route. The Minister, in repl\, said the question of route had not yet been settled. The Prime Minister and himself were going into the whole matter shortly. Mr Hine, M.P., introduced the deputation to the Minister.

In connection with the Special Dominion Dairy Show essay competition (the best description of the show of 1913), there were six entries—five under 16 years of age, and one under 13. The judge (Mr AV. A. Parkinsoon) has made the following awards:— Under 16: Master R. Kirkpatrick, of Hawera, 1; Miss Maud Chivers, of Okaiawa, 2; Miss Dorothy White, Normanby, and Master Nelson Linn, Mangatdki, tied for third place. Under 13: Miss Edna Joll 1, Although this was the only entry, it was a most creditable production, perhaps the best of all.

"Old Billy," the decoy sheep at the Christchureh Meat Company's works at Picton, died from natural causes on Saturday, greatly to the regret of tho employees, with whom he was a great favourite (states tho Press). The age of "Billy" is estimated at something like 17 years, and he has carired out the duties of "leading lambs to the slaughter" ever since the local works were opened. When the butchers recommence work next season their old four-legged chuni will be greatly missed. Fortunately the management has efficient under-studies to take up the decoy, work.

In the case of a man charged at Manaia with failing to send his children to school Mr Kenrick, S.M., ■said it seemed to him that the sooner parents had to pay for the education of their children the better. Nothing that is cheap is thought anything about. They have now to be paid for conveying them to school, and oven then they will not'send them.. It was a pretty bad case, ■ the children being almost entirely ignorant. The Manaia Witness states that a conviction was' entered on each charge and fines im* posed amounting in the : aggregate, with Court costs and witnesses'■ expenses, to £4.i Bs. t : ■ . , ,

The scene of the Kaimata tragedy is daily visited by numbers of interested readers of this terrible affair. Yesterday there was quite a crowd, among whom wore some local residents who report a feeling of. disgust at the unsatisfactory manner in which the remains of the victims had been dealt with, as inquisitive sight-seers had found very large pieces of the bones of the deceased among | the debris. The once, smiling homestead! has been reduced to destruction and, the only life about the place is centred in the fowls wandering aimlesslike around and the dogs without a master. So far, no' trace has been found of the miesing Virgin.

What is thought of the value of British rule in India by the sober-minded people of that country may be judged from a remark made to a New Zealand visitor a few months ago (says the Dunedin Star). He was seeing Bombay for the first time. In the neigh bourhood of the Towers of Silence he fell in with a rich Parsee. The Parsees are in India what the Jews are in England. "Suppose," said the New Zealander, "that the British resolved to evacuate India, and that the last of our people were going off from Bombay by a steamer timed to leave at 2 p.m. on a certain day—what would your people do?" The answer came like a flash: "We should leave at half-past 12 the same da v."