LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Stratford Evening Post, Volume XXXVIII, Issue 12, 14 January 1914, Page 4

LOCAL AND GENERAL.

■> —. The monthly meeting of the Stratford County Council will be held at the I County Office, Stratford, on Wednesday next, at 11 a.m. A recent explosion in a fireworks factory in Naples, by which 17 people were killed, was caused by a laborer out of hatred for. bis brother. The brother is among the dead, and the perpetrator of the awfid deed admitted the crime to his mother, who denounced him to the police. He is in hiding. In summing up in a damage case at 'the Leeds Assizes Mr Justice Scrutton said he thought motorists attached too much importance to the blowing of horns. Other people had rights in streets as well as those who blew horns and rang bells. If a foot passenger was going across the street and a motorist came at him blowing his horn, the foot passenger was not obliged to get ont of the wav.

Concerning modern methods of spoiling children by giving them expensive mechanical toys and jewellery, a correspondent who had the privilege to visit the Queen many years ago, when she was Princess of Wales, and was staying at Frogmore, tells an interesting little incident. They sat in the gardens where two of the children 'were playing. Presumably these children had any sort of toys that they could wish for, but they were playing very happily with penny spades and small buckets. My correspondent asked lone of the boys what be was playing with. The boy replied: "I am playing with the dirt."

At the meeting of the Fire Brigade last evening it was decided to hold a monster garden fete and art union in aid of their funds. Judging

by the liberal promises of suppo

by many prominent townspeople, it will be a lingo success and will be looked upon as Stratford's "day out. The secretary (Mr Geo. "J. Bradley) would bo pleased to receive names of any lr.rly or gentleman willing to assist, and also any suggestions re side shows, etc. We have a fine volunteer brigade of thirty strong. able-bodied men. and it is "up" to the townspeople to assist them. An international rifle-shooting meeting is to l>e held at Panama about March of 1915, on the occasion of the opening of the Panama Canal, and this will he attended' by representatives from probably every civilised country. Splendid inducements are being hold out to sllOOtists, the prixe for the championship being 5000 dollars. Quite a number of prominent New Zealandmarksmen have taken the matter up very keenly and intend competing at this big meeting, which will mean an absence from the Dominion of at least four months. If possible, the men will go as a team representing New Zealand, and arrangements are already in progress, chiefly through Mr George Loveday, of Ohura, to obtain all necessary particulars as to how the meeting will be nlanaged, the governing conditions and the kind of rifles and ammunition to be used.