LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Stratford Evening Post, Volume XXXVII, Issue 84, 9 December 1913, Page 4

LOCAL AND GENERAL.

It is estimated that to date 75,(KM people have attended the Auckland Ex hihition.

The Borough Council decided last night that ten per cent he added to all rates unpaid at January 31st next. Mr J. Bennett, of Winchester, lias 54 aged ewes whose progeny this season number 82, or over 150 per cent. The ewes and lambs have been grazed for the last two months on 22 acres of land. Mr T. Heatherington, a Bay of Plenty resident, has issued a writ claiming £3OO damages from Te Puke A. and P. Association in connection with injuries sustained by plaintiff at the last annual show, when he was kicked by a horse.

A letter was recently received from Westport by a Taranaki resident showing how sorely the people of that place suffered through the strike. They have not had any butcher’s meat for three weeks, coal is up to £1 a ton (in a coal-mining centre), the 21b loaf of bread costs lOd, potatoes are £1 12s Gd a sack, and 501 bs of sugar £1 7s 6d.

The Mayor moved at last night’s meeting of the Borough Council that it he a recommendation to the in-com-ing Council to put the pound in repair on the present site. Cr Masters said the matter had been shelved for a long time and he thought that the time was come when work of a permanent nature should he done on the pound. On his motion it was decided to call tenders for the work, closing at the March meeting of the Council.

An application was recently made in Levin (Wellington district) for a quotation of postal charges on a seven-year-old hoy from Moana (Lake Brunner) to Levin. The sequel is set out in the official reply, as under“ Bear Sir,— In reply to your inquiries regarding transmission per medium of post office of a hoy from Moana to Levin. 1 am directed to advise you that the department cannot see its way to undertake the proposal.”

The School Committee will meet tin's evening at S o’clock. The Borough Council offices will be closed for the usual Christmas holidays this year—from noon on December 2lib for a fortnight. Ju the House of Representatives lasi night, the Prime Minister said that be hoped the session would close on .Friday or Saturday. Hie detail plans tor the proposed additions to the Hospital will be prepared by the architect, Mr .1. I). Healy, in time to be considered at the January meeting of the Hospital Board. Xot much is heard of the Stratford Municipal Band; but at the Borough C ouncil meeting last night Cr. Dingle said be desired to congratulate the citizens on the music provided at the last A. and P. Show.

Dr. Elias Krolnnitsky, of Sr. Petersburg, has published a treatise in which he declares that eating is an unnecessary and pernicious habit, the mere display of food before a person’s eyes being quite sufficient “in favorable circumstances - ’ to satisfy the appetite. Sergeant-Major Mahoney, of the Hawera Defence staff, accepted a challenge that he would walk from Hawera to Manaia under two hours. He won the stake of £5, and did the distance from post office to post office (nine miles and a half) in one hour fortyseven minutes. The Star states that a committee accompanied him in traps to see that everything was above board.

Professor Bonach, of Vienna, lias made the astonishing announcement that he has succeeded in changing the sex of animals by transferring certain glands from the male to the female, and vice versa. He produced animals which, he said, had been changed in sex. He believes that similar operations would be possible with human beings. An interesting expression of opinion was given by Mr Hanlon in the Dunedin City Police Court last Friday (says-the Otago Daily Times), with reference to the conditions prevailing in at least one no-license district. He said that Clinton was a “dry” district so far as licenses were concerned, but it was very wet so far as liquor was concerned, and those who knew the place would admit that it was a pretty “hot shop.”

One ol the items to he staged at the school concert on Thursday evening in the Town Hall is a ribbon dance, which is unique as far as Stratford is con-' cerned, and is sure to create enthusiasm among the audience. It is danced by 12 little girls, fvery two being joined by a ribbon, .and the number of intricate and beautiful figures they weave in the course of the dance is wonderful. This item is sure to he encored.h, , •

In September last the Borough Council decided to carry out kerbing work, and at last night’s meeting of the Council Cr. Riqhards asked why the work was not being gone on with. He said he hoped there was some good resan why the Council’s motion had n6z beon carried out. The .Mayor said a screen had not come to hand and nothing could be done until the screen came to hand. He assured the Council that everything had been done to expedite the work which could he done.

According to the Glasgow Citizen, a Xew Zealander arrived in London vho declares that it is impossible to hang him. He is, it is stated, anxious to demonstrate his immunity from our form of capital punishment on “the halls,” and declares that in New Zealand he has given practical demonstrations of his contempt for “Jack Ketch.” The Citizen states that the governor of one of the gaols in the Dominion lent him the orthodox tackle and that he “promptly showed how easy it was to hang on a gallows without injury.”

A sturdy young farmer to whom a mild practical ,oke does hot come amiss, happened on a Maori woman driving into Waitara (says the Mail'This “lady,” who is famous for her breadth of beam and her tonnage, practically filled up the cart, in which she was lying fast asleep. Quietly stopping the horse, the farmer turned it round, and set it going back from whence it came. On reaching home again, the sudden stoppage awoke the slumberer. M hat she said when she found herself at the place from which she had started an hour or so before is unfit for publication.

C r. King said at last night’s meeting of the Borough Council that he understood the whole of the influence ot Auckland had heen exerted to get the whole of the expenditure on the Main Trunk branch at the northern end. Resolutions from Auckland, he said, carried more weight than Taranaki resolutions : and unless Taranaki moved in the matter the whole of the trade of the Ohnra would go to Auckland. He moved that the Government he urged to see that there was no slackening of the work from the Stiatford end. T uless, he said, this was done they would find that twothirds of the vote would he spent on the other end. His own opinion was that the trade of the Ohnra belonged to Stratford. His motion was carried.-

Domesticated young/woman wishes temporary employment.

The Hospital Board this morning voted £7/to provide a Christmas treat for the patients at the Hospital.

The secretary of the Hospital Board was this morning handed a list of accounts in respect of which he was authorised to take Court proceedings for recovery.

Mr Newton King has received the following advice re London wool sales: —“Compared with last London sales closing rates, crossbred greasy, coarse to medium, declined 5 per cent.”

M Members of the Hospital Board were • fltmewhat surprised to learn this mor-n-Mjlxg that at the end of November there f\were only tgn patients in the Hospital and the secretary, by reference to Iris books, elicited the information that the record small number was at the end of September, 1912, when the number was six.

' At a recent horticultural show in a Rangitikei township an exhibitor liought along a sponge sandwich cf unusual size, And was recommcmied by another exhibitor to cut it m half and make two entries. This was done, and the sandwich entered' as two separate exhibits. After tins sor-tion had been judged and inspection was made, it was found *|at. the one half of the sandwich had been awarded first pn/e and the other half second prize.

Mr Smith proposed at the Hospital Board meeting this morning that the Board’s annual “Hospital Saturday” appeal be made, as last year, on Christmas Eve. Mr McAllister said there was some criticism last year, the chief objection being that on Christmas Eve all business people are very busy. Mr Smith said the chief trouble seemed to he lack of organisation. There were good workers, the lack o f organisation was apparent everywhei j. Mr Sole favored holding it after Christmas in order to give ample time to have the organisation complete. It was finally decided that the appeal he made on January 24th of next year, and Messrs McAllister, Sole, Smith and Rogers were appointed a committee to take any necessary action.

A “surprise party” was held at the National Bank, Out'am on Monday afternoon (says the Otago Dad.v dunes) to bid farewell to Mrs F. O. Hartley before her departure for Stratford. On behalf of those present, Mrs James Patrick, in a eulogistic speech, presented Mrs Hartley with a lovely silver hot-water kettle and spirit lamp, and a case of afternoon cake-forks. Mrs Hartley feelingly replied. The Times adds that Mrs Hartley will be greatly missed, as she has always .given her support to anything for the fnvfnerance of the disU',;'.

Mrs Madeline Force Astor, widow of John Jacob Astor, will remain beautiful if a £6OOO beauty parlour can effect that end. She has installed an electric beauty room on the second floor of her Fifth Avenue home, pdjoining her bedroom. The room is about 9 x 15, but it is the quintessence of luxury. The white tile floor is concealed by an Oriental rug,, while paintings, plate mirrors outlined in 'gold, concealed lights and every electrical device which ingenuity has moduced to aio in preserving the beauty oi tie licii are found in the room. Gold and pearl are used wherever possible. A modi'iied barber chair is in the centre for use during the massage and other operations of the beauty uo-ter. The Defence Act grants a great many , privileges, which may or may not, as the person affected desires, be taken advantage of. For instance, a team of horses would be - necessai\ to make a lad enjoy the privilege of parade if he made up his mind not to attend. But there is also g privilege provided which must be enjoyed ryiliy-nilly, by the party affected, his absence notwithstanding. The privilege in question is that of being fined, and nine young men who are cljarged with failure to attend drill will run the gauntlet at the Court on Friday. Three others will be charged with interrupting a parade. Two informations have been laid against persons for riding bicycles without lights, and one for causing a nuisance. Twenty-one civil cafes (one defended), aud four judgment summons cases are also set down for hearing.