LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Stratford Evening Post, Volume XXXVIII, Issue 98, 18 April 1914, Page 4

LOCAL AND GENERAL.

To show the conservativeness of some people in the Taieri districts (remarks the Otago Daily Times) we are informed that a lady who has resided for 18 years at a distance Ot a mile and a-half from a well-known farmer, has seen him only once, quite recently, and only then when he was driving past in his cart.

The banana (says the "Pictorial") is just now enjoying a renewed "boom" some enterprising food student has found out to lunch off a banana is equivalent to eating a mutton chop, and the ' "fruitarians" are jubilant. There is, however, much to be said for a fruit which is capable of being served in so many ways, though not everyone is aware of its culinary possibilities. Few nicer additions to a salad can be made than sliced bananas added to -a fresh lettuce, and dressed with oil and tarrragon vinegar, and make one of the daintiest salads going. Persons with counterfeit £lO notes are still reporting their losses to the Auckland police, and the total number of notes traced to date is between 100 and 120. The young, dark foreigner who distributed the notes apparently confined his attention almost wholly on Karangahape Road and Symonds Street, Inquiries on Thursday showed that at least twenty-two Symonds Street shop-keep-ers were victimised. Apart from these two shopping areas, the thief vim'ted Ellerslie.racecourse, where a number of notes were passed through the totalisatorSj and called on about twenty-five hotels, where in each case ho purchased a flask of brandy and tendered a £lO note'in payment. The fact that no counterfeit notes are known to have been given to shopkeepers since Saturday indicates that the counterfeiter has made the best use of his time since in covering up his tracks from the detectives, who are now giving a very great deal of time to the case.

It is stated, as an illustration of the remarkable growth of Christianity in Korea, that in the four Presbyterian and two Methodist missions there were 11,700 baptisms during the past year.

Notice is given in this week's "Gazette" that exhibits consigned for exhibition at the Panama and Pacific Universal Exhibition at San Francisco will be carried free on the New Zealand railways, provided that they are carried at the risk of the consignors.

A "Gazette" notice states that the Post Office will not -forward money order and postal correspondence addressed to Dr. R. S. Southington Co., Kansas City, U.S.A., the National Medical Institute, Milwaukee, U.S.A.; and the Northern Spec Companv, Milwaukee, U.S.A.

Work on the new Parliament Buildings is proceeding steadily (says the New Zealand Times), and everything is now in readiness for the erection of the superstructure. The steel is expected to arrive in a couple of weeks, and the work should be well in hand within a month. The stone work is well under way, and the stone-masons are busy on'the decorative curves to the blocks. The w„ork on the foundations has all been completed. Extra granite saws have been erected, and a third saw is expected to arrive next week.

The work of boring for oil on the Christehurch Oilfields, Limited's property at Huiroa is steadily progressing and at a depth of 2200 feet, though the boring is found to be difficult, the indications are quite satisfactory. Two shifts are engaged in the work, including several thoroughly experienced men who possess a knowledge of the oilfields in other countries, and have spent the greater part of their time in similar work to that at which the yare now employed. The promoters are most sanguine of achieving success in the near future.

It does seem a pity that the cause of the Times' nickname of the Thunderer has not disappeared with the nickname itself, observes a London paper. For the name arose in connection with the mud that abounded and still abounds in London and its neighbourhood. It was somewhere about 1830 that two ladies, walking at Kew, were spattered with mud by a passing horseman who made no apology. The Times reported the matter next day, alleging that . the rider was the Duke of Cumberland, and passing some severe strictures on his conduct. In due course a denial came on behalf of the Duke, and in its apology the Times used -the words "we thundered out." And this modest description of its remarks won it its modest nickname.

It has been said (remarks a London paper) that a woman can always get what she wants if she possesses tact. So it is safe to say that the debatable word "obey," over which there has lately been some episcopal wrangling, will duly disappear from the marriage service. Women rightly object to being treated in these days as if they were .slaves, and modern clergy recognise that a woman must be captain of her own soul as much as a man. She might not be—indeed, it has often happened that she has not been—allowed to be this by a husband who insisted on obedience to his wishes. This is, of course, only one aspect of the "obey" question. But there are many others which are offensive to people of to-day; and as this is most assuredly a woman's question, it will be fought according to the strength of feeling there is about the matter, but it is only fair to say that men, too, show a decided disposition to have the word deleted.

In a lonely spot in South Gippsland the other day I came across a hatter living in a hut, writes a contributor to the Sydney Mail. He rarely saw anyone from week's end to week's end. Not having a time-piece, this extraordinary man rigged up a sundial of unique description. A passer-by 1 with a watch, he told me, camped one day with him, and he had evolved the dial from the time-piece. A treestump had been selected in an open space, round which were placed twelve pegs exactly one hour apart, so that the shade lying across the first at 6 a.m. would be on the last at 6 p.m. He said it required regulating ...to the season, arid asked me to camp for the day while he made the alterations. His almanac was as curious as his sundial. "What day is this?" he asked me. I told him it was Tuesday. He then consulted a calendar on the wall of the hut. This calendar was a piece of cardboard with the days of the week upon it. To keep tally every day -he shifted the peg. On referring to the almanac he said it was Monday. Close by the day reckoner he had a tin of 30 stones in a large shell. Every morning he dropped a stone into the tin. He only reckoned 30 days to the month; hence the trouble. He told mo he was no scholar; could not read or write. This kind of curiosity is becoming rare nowadays. The following amusing skit upon the movable waist-line appeared recently in an American paper, together with the picture:— An imaginary line is the waist Which seldom stays long whore it*i placed; But does constantly slip From shoulder to hip According to popular taste.

The »upplementary Borough roll which has been prepared for the forthcoming Mayoral election contains roughly 420 names. At the Court this morning Henry Boyce, for a third offence of drunkenness, was fined £l. Mr S. B. Hunter was on the bench. The "duty" bowlers will play the challenge game on the local' green at 2 o'clock on Tuesday, and will be represented by the* following:—C. Jackson, E. Jackson, J. Masters, J. Brake (s), W. H. H. Young, J. D. Healy, R. Dingle, R. Morison (s). The campaign for the Mayoral election will open on Monday evening, when Mr Kirkwood will address the "electors at the Town Hall. Mr King will follow on Friday, and it is understood that "the Town Hall has been "pencilled" by the candidates for the two-evenings preceding the day of the election. The statistics of the churches in the United States of America have been again.compiled by Dr. H. K. .Carroll and issued by the Federal Council. The gains for 1913 are considerably larger than those for 1912 in communicants and in churches. .The Methodist bodies get the largest part of the net increase of communicants, nearly 220,000; the Methodist Episcopal Church having the largest gain for many years. The Roman Catholic Churches come next with 212,500; ) then the Baptist, with 64,608; then 'the Presbyterians, with 45,649. The . Lutherans have a gain of 36,120, and the Disciples of Christ of 21,814. The net gain on the whole is nearly 2.per cent. The Rev. Dr. W. E. Orchard, who has recently come into prominence as one of the ablest Non-conformist ministers in England, preaching in the City Temple, London, last month, contended that people are bothered too much about religion nowadays. Jesus never went out of His way to tackle people about their salvation. He did not button-hole people, and ask. if they were saved. He did not seem to desire to win the crowd. Often He tried to escape the crowd. To-day \ we are desperately anxious if the crowd shows signs of drifting away. Dr. Orchard's contention is that we are too apologetic, and that if people were not unduly bothered they might more quickly realise their need of religion. The N.S.W. Minister of Education, >- Mr Carmichael, at a "bon voyage" e gathering tendered him by a number : of Sydney pressmen and artists, fore- ■ shadowed the establishment of a Chair of Journalism at Sydney Uni- • versity. He showed that* something - i had been attempted for art, science, •.and music, and he saw no reason if why the' 300,000 school children of New South Wale* should nut-be encouraged to enter the profession lot' 'journalism, arid after those with the necessary talent had been schooled in the practical work, it would rest with the university to finish them off in the 'higher branches. He was fully aware, of course, that "journalists were born, not made" —just as artists and musicians—but he believed in this ■direction the aid "of the university could be called in with advantage. At any rate, this was a matter which he "assured those present was receiving his earnest considration, especially 1 having in view the developments that had taken place in this respect in the United States.