LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Stratford Evening Post, Volume XXXVII, Issue 33, 9 October 1913, Page 4

LOCAL AND GENERAL.

About 800 gallons of oil has been secured from the stranded whale at Opunake. The local paper states that those who have tried :h > oil oo old boots and agricultural implements speak in admiration of it.

The Farmers' Co-oporative Organisation Societv of New Zealand, 'with a nominal capital of £300,000, was yesterday incorporated, states a Press As-' sociation message from Kuv.'iw. One of the objects of the company is to organise the co-operation of dairy and other companies for the disposal p. colonial products in England and elsewhere

The following will represent Stratford in the cribbage match with Dec high Road to be played at Denbigfi Road School to-morrow evening: Messrs J. Jones, J. Havston, C. Kelly. \V. Collins, J. Yandle, S. Sharp, C. L Grant, D. Tiutchart, D. McAllum, H Trotter. L. Sharrock, H. Tocker. Play ers- are requested to be at the Crowi Stables at 6.30.

States the Opunake "Times": "It is a contemptibly mean thing to rob a churchyard of a cemetery of trees planted for ornamentation. The trees planted in the Presbyterian Church grounds have been stolen—or evoial of them. The person who took I]k> last one had better return it as he ■will be compelled to."

Referring to the cabled announcement of the loan beins underwritten in London, the Hon. JamesAllen, Minister of Finance, stated las: night that lie could not vouch for tin correctness of the message. "A! sorts of rumors emanate fi'om Lou don," lie remarked. He regrette< that he could not make any statemen J on the subject of the message, no. could he indicate particulars whereji the message, was incorrect.

It is many a long day (says th ' Pateia Press) since a shower was received with greater relief than the onto which the country'was treated i t-jio. early hours of this (WeJne.sdiy morning. The rainfall, however, pbv ed quite insufficient to meet the press ing needs of the,.moment. Unless the promised storm arrives on Thursday tilings will be as bad as ever, ana Pa tea householders will have to resunu the water carrying operations that have been their daily lot for some time past.

The following highly complimentary letter has been forwarded to the secretary of the Stratford A. and P. Association by Mr John Robertson, of Inaha: "As I am leaving for the Auckland district I herewith tender my resignation as a member of your Society, which I do with deep regret, as, of the many Shows I have attended for the last twenty years I conside: your Society second to none in regard to courtesy and attention to exhibi tors. Again thanking you on behalf of my step-daughter, Miss Briggs, and myself, and wishing your Society tin success it rightly deserves, I am, etc."

Regarding the need of a water supply, the Opunakc Times says thai this has been brought home to th< residents with severe calculation. Some four years ago the Town Board employ red Mr Climie to report on a water and drainage scheme. His scheme pro videtl for a water supply for domestic and fire purposes at a cost of a little ! under £7OOO. The reticulation pro j vjded for was more than is neee's J s'ary; the curtailment in the retieu ; lation provision did not impair the efficiency of the scheme. The source of supply was from the Waiau ant 1 the proposed intake at what is knownas the reserve, about three miles die tant from the town. The cost of bringing in the water to the township and erecting headworks was £1189: capable of giving a pressure of 87 pounds per square inch, which would be sufficient, witli an ordinary nozzle to throw a jet of 50 feet. The same expert also considered the question of pumping the water by means of ramf into an elevated tank situated on the high ground at the eastern end o' the town. Such a scheme with ar elevated tower, one hundred feet high would only cost 25 per cent less thnthe eight inch steel gravitation main from the intake reserve and give r

pressure of water in the town of only half that of the gravitation scheme. Tin's scheme, the paper points out, was put before the ratepayers, not a c h direct appeal, but in a "sounding" fashion, and it was not sufficiently reassuring, so the question was dropped. When Opunake is re-built the question will asrain be prominent, but the ownitc will say: "Now that we have re built in concrete the water shenio is too late." But it must be faced, even if it is only providing water fo domestic use.

The total value of the principal NewZealand products exported during geptember was £723,712, as against '.'inO.KJl for September 1912. For Lhe year ended September 30th, 1913, the Value was £23,158,419 as against £19,319,093 for the previous corresponding twelve months. The chief items in last month's exports were: Butter £41,295, frozen beef £19,009. frozen mutton £89,057,. frozen farad* £39,371, hemp £24,895, rabbits aiud hares £10,431, kauri gum £66,15/*,hides and skins £100,302, tallow £22,490, timber £32,426', wool £107,007, gold £110,437.

In the course of a pleasant little chat with a "Stratford Post" scribe.. Mr Harry Musgrove, the well-known. theatrical manager (also of cricket fame), who is at present touring New Zealand making the advance arrangements for the J. C. Williamson Julius Knight Company, added another good story to his already long list of travel-

ler's tales, and having been present at the happening here described, vouches for its truth. The Julius Knight Company, as is well-known, is having the success that this public favourite usually meets with, and at one New Zealand country centre recently, a number local theatre supporters, anxious to secure tickets for the Julius Knight visit, collected as early as four o'clock in the morning, although it was snowing heavily at the time, in readiness for the bdx office to open. A- milk cart at that time drove up alongside the crowd, and the driver getting off his wagon, went in amongst the people and delivered an { envelope to quite a number of them. Each envelope had a milk bill inside, and the milkman—there was a Scotch name on his cart—had taken advantage of the Julius .Knight box office opening to see that many of his outstanding accounts reached their proper destination, evidently thinking that if some of his customers were able to pay six shillings a seat to see Julius Knight they really ought not to overlook any longer the payment of their | milk .'bills!

An vr. fortunate, at tr.e sajie tiire amusing, Hit the [teife-m----ance of "The- Pirates of Penzance" by the Stratford Society in the Town Hail last night. Just as the curtain rose on the special ballet as a prelude to the second part of the programme the fuse in the transformer' connecting with the electric lights in the hall "blew out," as the particular accident is known in electrical circle*?; and the conductor with baton upraised, and his, satellites' ready to strike the opening note, faded into complete darkness. Only for a minute,* perhaps, did the audience take the joke quietly. Thcn.tho fun began. Youthful levity could not be restrained longer,,-, "Ladies and gentlemen!" came the managerial voice three times from where the footlights ought to have been before the* reason of the unrehearsed incident was explained. A wax vesta or two twinkled for a time, but only served to make the darkness visible. Then a candle groped its way or? to the piano and spluttered in the draught. Long before this stage was reached the "pit" cracked jokes and sang, and to the tune of "I must go home to-night" a searchlight burst..upon the now tickled crowd, who laughed at anything, and as the glare of this beacon was seen to fade after a few minutes, the audience was convulsed. The "pit" were now going strong, and a well-rendered popular ditty, "There's a man drinking beer over there?" came in for «n encore, and the number'was lustily repeated. Tt was said—but must not be to Mrs Grundy—that the dress circle was responsible for some of the applause! For just on half .an hour, things were only anyhow with the "boys",'' who had well-nigh exhausted their repertoire, had sung of "Home Sweet Home." and were well through "Rule Britannia" when the lights went on attain —to be greeted with cheers and laughter. The management had found the trouble and made the requisite repairs. To many it had been a weary wait, but the crowd settled down quickly to the play, and the performance proceeded without a hitch to f

the end. Ite was 11.15 when the large, delighted, good-natured, yet somewhat tired audience filed homewards. *