LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Stratford Evening Post, Volume XXXVII, Issue 77, 1 December 1913, Page 4

LOCAL AND GENERAL.

To-uight being tlie final lull dress rehearsal or the Pirates of Penzance, members are requested to meet at the Town Hall at 7.30 sharp, and the orchestra at 7. An additional test for horses entered in the jumping competitions for the big Central Snow next Thursday is the new water jump, which the executive has installed. Nothing is more spectacular than a good horse getting well over a water jump. The school barometer recorded 28.2 at 9 o’clock this morning. This is the lowest reading on record, and indicates that the wind is due to blow “great guns.” All Government offices throughout Xew Zealand will lie closed from Thursday, December 25, To Saturday, December 27 inclusive, and form Thursday, January 1, to Saturday, January 3 inclusive, for the Christmas and New Year holidays.

Hi ; : • . C: , pH. ' ■ It will be seen u.pago »ot this u?sue tfiat’special reference is made to tlie big Central Show winch takes place, in Stratford,(Hi Wednesday and Thursday next. There will, he something ipr everybody, and a persual of this particularly interesting announcement will repay every one of our readers.

A stricter test is to be applied in future when a Territorial claims exemption through being medically unfit. He is to lie examined by an officer of,-, the Now Zealand Medical* 'Corps, wire, will state definitely to which cate,gory the ilitiii 1 belongs ; (a) Temporarily medically unfit; (h) fit for training in geiieral training section only : '(c) permanently unfit. In The ease ot (a),'the man will be granted leave from drills, etc., for the period ordered by the medical officer. If, at the end of that time, he still claims to he unfit,' a further examination will take place. In the case of (b), the man will he transferred to the general training section. In the case of (e), the man is to he discharged forthwith.

A fungus that choked Caiifeini. thistle has made its appearance in tin Totara district and elsewhere 'say; the Oamarn Mail). It attacks the mi derside of the leaf in the form of :

brown dust, and multiplies rapidly until the whole plant is covered. The leaves then turn yellow and the thistle wihers. Investigations among crops and pastures of all kinds in which the it attacks no other form of vegetation, it atteks no other form of vegettion. not even closely allied thistles. Search has been made in wheat, oats, rye, and pasture fields in which the Californian pest is plentiful, but none of the crops were even tainted by the fungus. The fungus may Only he a product of lush seasons such as the present,.hut if it can he proved to lie inimical to Californian thistles only, it will he worthy of cultivation. A specimen has been sent to the Agricultural Department at Wellington. The arrangements for the observance of December 14th as Bible-in-State Schools League Sunday are proving encouraging to its promoters. It will he observed throughout the whole Dominion. The Anglican Bishops have issued a pastoral letter urging the observance of the Sunday, the president of the Methodist Conference, a committee of Presbyterian ministers, and •the Commissioner of the Salvation Army have issued letters addressed to their respective denominations urging the joint observance. There are instances of individual congregations of other denominations also co-operat-ing., The intention is to emphasise the religions aspect of the movement and to make the occasion one of intercession on behalf of the Bible-in-Schools League movement. In some places united services of the different churches concerned are being held in the afternoon. The Commissioner ol the Salvation Army has appropriately arranged for Young People’s Day to, he observed in conjunction with Bihle-in-State Schools League Sunday.

The New Plymouth butchers have decided to close all day on 1 hnrsday, in view of The Stratford Show. The Stratford Clan Club hold the first shoot for the 13a 1 listite Cup on 1 hnrsday week. To-day is being observed as St. Andrew’s Day, and the banks and Government offices are closed. The Stratford A. and P. Association notify members who have not yet received their tickets to apply to the secretary dir W. B. Fearon) at once for same. The Stratford A. and P. Association lias decided to hold a Working Collie Trial on Wednesday afternoon at 3 o’clock. The event should lie an interesting one. Air Colpman, of Waikanae, will have liis Ayrshires at the Stratford Show, and Air Lovelock, of Palmerston, will exhibit his Jerseys. In fact, all tire chief breeders will be represented.

Nine pedigree Holstein bulls will be on exhibition at the Stratford Show. I hey are the property of Aiessrs Gunn and Sinclair, of Kaetihi, and will he available for private sale. The hulls have been specially imported from Canada, and are only four weeks out of quarantine.

In another column will be found the programme of the concert to be held

in the Town Hall on December lltb. It is being given with the laudable

object of raising rands to provide prizes for the Stratford School, so that a record attendance of citizens should result. A pleasing feature of the programme is the inclusion of two - vocal items by Hiss Sangster, an old pupil of the school, who is recognised to have an excellent voice and who has recently returned to her home after undergoing vocal training. The first part of the programme consists of dances and choruses by the school children and tlie second part “Dame Durden’s School.” The headmaster of the Stratford School was notified recently that Dr. Elizabeth Gunn, under instructions from the Department of Public Health, would visit the school on Friday last, and it was also understood that she would deliver a lecture to teachers on Saturday. Dr. Gunn, however, did not arrive, and no word has been received in explanation. Some disappointment was felt by teachers, who came from all directions for the purpose of hearing the lecture, one coming front Whangamornona. On inquiry at the school this morning ‘itwhs' Ifia'rnt' that the notification, .r(|g;>rtjyig, ,t-he;Jeg-ture was of an ambiguous ‘nature. ■ wows mi tUiinic na m A Palmerston business man got a severe fright during the past week. He placed some money (shop takings) in the furnace beneath a copper in Jus yard, so as to avoid its being stolen from the till by burglars. The money ' comprised cheques, notes and gold, and the next morning, having forgotten ‘ about his action the previous evening, • he lighted a fire under the' copper. ■ Shortly afterwards he. thought ot liis> ' money, and on raking out the lire he

was fortunate in obtaining the f.hmbers of the bank notes, which were almost in ashes, while the cheques Late since been redrafted. The gold did not suffer through the heat. The business man has quite changed his views as to the wisdom of usng a copper furnace as a safe.

A Dunedin lady has sent the Otago Daily Times the following extract from a letter sire has received from a inend, at present visiting America, in vbich a process of road-making in use there is described“We have oeen 'tiucli interested in watching large gangs of

men at work on this avenue, repairing the street. A steam plough vent along ripping up the pavement as if it were cardboard. Then 1 1 was immediately carted away. Then another gang came with brooms, swept it clean, and after that Warren’s bituminous paving was brought along, hot. m sut carts, spread with hot shovels and raL.es, also hot dumpers—all heated in a portable furnace. Ae.tt came in immense roller wonted diagonally acioss the new pavement; then gangs with bags.of sand; more following up and sweeping—and in a lew minutes the thing was completed—and the traffic went on just the same, right o\ei the new road almost before it was cold. Xo barricading or stoppage of traffic, such splendid road-making machines are used here, and everything is done so quickly—no time is lost or wasted. There is no half hour every now and then for ‘Smoke-oh!’ The men had their pipes in their mouths most of the time.” The Auckland Exhibition was opened at II o’clock this morning by the Goven.or, assisted by the Prime Minister. Lady Liverpool and party, and a large parliamentary party including Sir Joseph Ward were present. The weather was fine, though overcast, and the day was observed as a partial holiday. There was a large attendance of the public. Gold keys were presented to the Governor and the Premier as souvenirs. The President, in his speech, recalled the fact that since the last exhibition in December ISPS, the population of Auckland and suburbs had doubled. He expressed thanks to Mr Massey and Ministers for geneious support. Had it not been for the Governor’s assistance, he did not think the Imperial authorities could have been induced to permit tho bandsmen to leave England for such, a lengthy period.—P.A. Jt r i H