LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Stratford Evening Post, Volume XXXVIII, Issue 43, 20 February 1914, Page 4

LOCAL AND GENERAL.

A Sydney Press Association message states that a case of smallpox was reported to-day. It is understood that the aggregate butterfat cheque to be paid out by the Kaupokonui Dairy Co. for last month will be £1(3,000, which is £SOO more than it was for the same month last year. A dance was held at the Midhirst Hall on February 13th, and two men from the Mountain quarry came down to attend it. One got slightly intoxicated and was refused admission at the door. To keep him out some force was necessary, and the man made use of very bad language in'a loud voice. He was known as Jack Murphy, but when Sergeant McNeely and Constable McCowan arrested him they found him to be John McConnell, alias McConville, against whom there were 28 pre-

vious convictions for sundry offences in divers places. He appeared at the Court yesterday before Messrs J. Masters and S. B. Hunter and was sentenced to three months' imprisonment. The police also executed on him a warrant for commitment for a month's imprisonment, incurred through an assault at Marton.

A Brisbane cablegram stat-es that Henry Perne Hopgood .has been found not guilty of the murder of his wife, on the ground of insanity, and was ordered to bo detained during the Governor's pleasure. A cablegram received on January 19 stated that Hopgood called at the police station at Bowea Hills and stated that his wife had been trying to poison him and he had killed her in a timber yard. The police investigated and found the body of Bridget Hopgood with two wounds in her left forehead.

A woman named Grace Palmer was sentenced in Sydney yesterday to six months' imprisonment on a charge of insufficient means of support. The case recalls the murder, 20 years ago, of Taylor, a settler on the Great Barrier Island, for which two men, CafFrey and Penn, weix 1 convicted. They, with Palmer, crossed to Port Macquarrie in a small boat. The men were arrested and executed, but Palmer was not charged with participation in the crime. She acted as chief witness, and according to the police evidence, has been in trouble ever since.

The latest London quotation for Waihi shares is 52s (kl to 555. Judgment by default was given in the following eases at the Court this W morning:—Manoy and Hassall v. Horace .Jennings, £2 13s 3d, costs 15s; same v. Leonard, £9 Ms 3d, costs £1 3, (3d. The Manawatu Trotting Club's meeting takes place on March 11, and nominations close with the secretary tonight at 10 p.m. The full programme is published in the "Referee." The Man with the Magic Thumb is still at large. Our worthy Mayor was surprised to. find that he had been tf| visited. Several have been challenged, but the light-fingered gentleman still f goes on with the guinea, ready to pay if caught. The first Stratford School party for | the Mountain left the school at 3.30 o'clock this afternoon. It consisted of twenty of the senior High School I girls in charge of Misses Tooman, ! Cordon and Jackson. The party proposes to spend the night at the Stratford mountain house, to put in tomorrow exploring the beauties of the locality, and to return to Stratford to-morrow. In the Motoring Club's speed test yesterday all the competitors were a little time too fast, and the result clearly shows that here are not many who can correctly guage the speed at which they are travelling. It is proposed to hold a petrol consumption >m test and reliability test. The members of the Club are taking an active interest in its working and the management are very gratified at the interest being shown, A Press Asocisation message from New Plymouth reports that the annual meeting of the Empire Press Union was held this morning. Mr Fenwick was re-elected chairman and the old executive was re-elected. The report and balance-sheet were adopted on the motion of Air Atack, seconded by Mr Selig. It was resolved that the time has come Avhefi the rigid rules of the Berne Convention giving precedence to business messages over press cables should be relaxed, and cable authorities allowed to use discretion as to the order of sending. A resolution also carried appreciative of the reduction of " inland British postage on colonial newspapers.

There was a fairly full parade of by-law breakers 'at the Court this < morning. One ease had to be struck , out, as the offender had apparently given the Inspector a wrong name, and he could not be fouud. The inspector did not. pi-ess for a heavy penalty against T. Gorton, charged with driving a horse and cart on a footpath iu Orlando Street South. Mr Barlo# said the condition of the road at the point was not good. In the circumstances a conviction, without fine or costs, was recorded. James Dodd was lined 40s for riding a motor cycle at night without a light. The Inspector said he had been fined 10s in October last for a similar offence. The S.M. ' said small lines seemed to have - W 1 * effect on offenders of this sort. A. ! Gorki 11 excused" himself for riding a bicycle on a footpath on the ground that it was very difficult for a lettercarrier to keep from riding on the footpath. The approach to the footpath wits rough in places and if lie walked along the path he doubted if the letters would ever get delivered. A fine of os, with costs 7s, was imposed, but the S.M. said defendant must bear in mind that he could not be treated differently to any other person. For riding a motor cycle without lights Alfred Petrie was fined 2s 6d without costs. H. Barrington, charged with riding a motor bicycle without lights, held that the night in question was not dark. The inspector said the time was 7.55 p.m. A fine of os without costs was imposed. A fine.of 10s with costs 7s was imposed on D. McGregor for riding a bicycle on a footpath. The parade included H. Tatton, the local Salvation Army officer, who was charged with riding a bicycle without a light. Defendant said the night was brilliantly moonlight and he had trouble with his lamp. Fined os, without costs. J. Beatson for driving loose horses in the street, was fined ss, with costs 7s.