LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Stratford Evening Post, Volume XXXVIII, Issue 84, 30 March 1914, Page 4

LOCAL AND GENERAL.

A general meeting of members of the Stratford Hacing Club will be held at 8 o'clock to-morrow (Tuesday) evening, in the Borough Council Chambers, at which it is hoped there will be a large attendance.

A consignment of fifty pheasants arrived in Strut ford ~hv rail last week

consigned to Mr A. W. Budge, and are now in special quarters on Mr Budge's property. The Acclimatisation Society will have the birds liberated at the close of the shooting seasou.

There are eating clubs in New York where the champions are those who can consume beefsteak by the pound. One man at an outing last summer is said to have eaten 200 clams. > He also drank a great quantity of beer, and it is further stated that he was not seen in his haunts again for two weeks.

In the last 10 years the loss sustained by organised workers through strikes and lockouts has been equal to £l~>413,188 in wages, not to mention strike pay. Against, this the net gain in wages is returned at £2,714,340, leaving a net loss of £14,698,845. Of the strikes one-half have been won by the employers, one-quarter by the strikers, and the remaining quarter were compromised.

An Eketahuna settler has a grievance against a Government, department. He received an account in an openfaced envelope. On top of the address, in bold type, were visible to those handling the epistle words "For Overdue Accounts." The recipient, contends that the publication of these words are calculated to damage his credit. The account was for the huge sum of threepence.

An uuparelleled record in the railway world has "been set up by Mr Guy Calthorp, who is to succeed Sir Frank Ree as general manager of the London and North-western railway early this year. He is only 41, and is thus the youngest man who has ever held the reins of the "premier line," the most coveted post in the British railway service. Mr Calthorp, who is a nephew of Lord Alverstone, has for some years been manager of the largest railway system in South America, the Buenos Aires and Pacific.

Our Cardiff correspondent writes-: The annual school picnic was held on the 19th inst., when a large number were present. It is pleasing to note that renewed interest was shown in this year's picnic, and it is to be hoped that this 1 will continue, as of late years this annual function has been very poorly attended. This year tho Waingongoro Road School joined forces with Cardiff, and this materially helped to make the picnic the success it proved to be. The ladies of the district, with their usual kindness, provided lunch, which was greatly appreciated by all. During the day numerous races were competed for by the children of both schools. In the evening a concert was held, the school being crowded. Visitors were present from all parts of the district.' The programme was as follojvs:—Pianoforte solo, v Miss M. Rogers; song, Mrs Greenwell; song, Mrs A. Belcher (encored) ; violin solo, Mr McLennon (encored) ; song, Miss Hyndman; song, Mr Blackstock (encored); song, Mrs Greenwell; duet (piano and cornet), Masters M. and V. Prebble; song, Mr Morrison (encored); song, Mrs W. Bennett; song, Miss Hyndman; violin solo, Mr McLennon (encored); song, Mr Blackstock (encored).

There is a good deal of talk among local lovers of the fragrant weed concerning the rise announced in price. The position appears to be that to the smoker who purchases a tin of tobacco as occasion requires, the fact of the increase in price will not be brought abruptly borne by the necessity of passing added pence over the counter, but the' tin he receives will contain a quarter of an ounce less of the commodity than the tins to which he has hitherto been used. Instead of the tin containing two ounces, it will contain only an ounce and threequarters, so that the purchasing power of the shilling in regard to tobacco will be decreased to this extent. Retailers say there is no warrant for the rise, and in some directions it is contended that the Government should take action in the matter, so that tobaccos equally as good as those -of the popular brands could find a footing on the Xew Zealand market. The dominating brands, it is asserted, are all controlled and supplied by one organisation, while there are plenty of outside companies in the United Kingdom and the United States that would be quite willing to do more on the Xew Zealand market than they are doing at present. It is stated that the new tins will contain notices setting out that the rise in price has been necessitated by the advance in the cost of the raw material.