LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Stratford Evening Post, Volume XXXIX, Issue 5, 27 April 1914, Page 4

LOCAL AND GENERAL.

The Operatic Society will hold its first practice of “Morris England” this evening.

Mr Kirkwood will continue the Mayoral campaign at the Town Hall this evening and judging by the amount of interest which has been aroused in the contest, there should be a big attendance of burgesses. Mr King will close matters with an address at the Town Hall to-morrow night, and the polling will take place at the Town Hail on Wednesday.

The Stratford Loyal Orange Lodge assembled for divine worship at the Methodist Church yesterday morning. when the Lev. Bro. Reader delivered an impressive sermon, taking a s his text Galatians A'-l : “Stand fast, therefore in the liberty wherewith Christ has made ns free, and he not entangled again with the yoke of bondage.”

Mr N. J. King will address a meeting of burgesses on Tuesday evening at the Town' Hall. The chair will be taken at 8 o’clock, and Mr King will reply to Mr Kirkwood.

A meeting of ladies to make arrangements for the Scotch social on June 3rd will be held in the Council Chamber on Tuesday, at 3 o’clock. A general meeting will also he held at Mr Feaion’s office at 8 p.m. the same day. All interested ’should note the alteration in the date of the social.

So far the present month has put up a record as the wettest April for twenty-two years, the tally showing about twelve inches of rain. On the other hand, last month was the driest March for twenty-two * years, the fall being 1.91 in., the previous lowest March record being 1.92 in. in 1905.

Three first-offending drunkards (one a woman) wore convicted and discharged at the Court this morning. Another man was convicted and discharged on a charge of helpless drunkenness, but was ordered to pay £2 11s 6d for medical attendance, being given a month in which to find the money. Mr S. Ward. J.P., was on the bench.

At midnight on Saturday H. Company of the Xlth Regiment paraded at the Post Office and later were dulyparaded on the railway station and entrained for Takapau,. where the first brigade camp since the inception of the Defence Act begins this morning. On Sunday morning the local squadron of the Second Mounted Rifles were also duly entrained for the camp. The “footies” were enabled to pass the time pleasantly until their time for parading came round, the Foresters’ Hall having been placed at their disposal.

In the street nowadays the most common thing is to see small groups of people “maintaining with no little heat their various opinions” regarding the Mayoral election, and there is a danger that citizens may become so engrossed with that question that they may overlook some other and no less important duty. This evening it is the duty of householders to elect a school committee for the ensuing year; and it should he remembered by those desirous of attending at the Town Hall this evening that the School ’Committee meeting, to he held at the school, is scheduled to commence at 7 p.m., so that the Town Hall audience can attend the school meeting and then move over en bloc to the Town Hall.

“There are still a number of people,” says the Ashburton Guardian, “who view with a certain amount of concern the fact that there are three women to every man in the world, and if the epidemic of births of baby girls which it ,is said was ■ raging in Ashburton recently bad kept on much longer these fears probably would have become greater, and, as far as the Ashburton County is concerned, the comparative figures would have shown a greater disparity between males and females. It is reported that qt one local nursing home a few days ago there had been a succession of 22 baby girls born. Quite recently, however, two baby boys broke the spell.” Ashburton is a no-lioense district, but prohibitionists would probably not accept the theory that total abstinence has anything to do with the distribution of the sexes. • 1

Speaking at a luncheon at WArkworth (states a Press Association wire from Auckland) the Prime Minister (Mr Massey) said that now that the financial difficulty which confronted the Government on taking office was at an end, they intended to go in for a forward policy of development, and the opening up of the country hy the building of railways, roads and bridges. He referred to the importance of better transit facilities for the settlor, especially those in such districts as the King Country and the north of Auckland. He said that the granting of these facilities was the first duty of any Government. If they were going to develop the country as it should be developed, they must give the settlers an opportunity of making the most of their land. The question of what steps should be taken in this matter was one for a Cabinet. He was strongly of opinion that the time had come for raising a special loan, to be spread over a period ot years, for making and improving the roads. The country also needed more population of the right sort, and all waste places, particularly in the north of Auckland, should be made use of.

Last year photography made its first appearance at the Palmerston Winter Show and proved successful. Naturally it appears in this year s schedule practically in the same form as last year. None hut amateurs may

compete, and there are vast numbers who came under this category in the Dominion. Two specials are given, one of a pocket camera value £5 from the Kodak Co. of Australasia, and another of £1 Is from the New Zea * land Farmer. In addition to these, there is a £5 o s trophy to be won twice in succession or three times at intervals. Several classes are provided, and there should be a good response in the way of entries. Schedules may be had on application to the .secretary, Mr W. T. Penny, box 85, Palmerston North.

The largest reinforced concrete punt in the world has been launched in Sydney harbor, states a cablegram to-dav. It weighs <SO tons, is. 120 feet long, 60ft broad, and will be used as a ferry lauding stage. Mr Newton King, at the special request of farmers, has decided to hold pig sales at the Haymarket every Tuesday and Saturday. This will enable buyers to truck pigs the same day, which on Saturdays cannot be , done. The first Tuesday sale will be •* u e ld on the 12th May. The sale will commence at 12 o’clock each daj. "Further particulars appear in outadvertising columns. To-morrow, April 28th, the next London wool sale will open. lliis particular sale has especial interest for our readers, as the great bulk of the Taranaki clip should then be submitted. It is sincerely hoped that the Mexican War outbreak may not have a depressing effect upon the market, but there is, ol course, always the possibility that wool \ allies may steady in sympathy with the money market. Messrs B. Hume, E. Kirkby, and Hi. Browning, members of the btrat- ' ford Mountain Club, yesterday made a bright performance. They set out for a walk to the Mountain, taking 2J hours to get there. They 7 then visited the Manganui Gorge, travelling' down to Curtis. Falls and back fcjjl again to the snow, where they improvised stones for toboggans, nobody -being hurt, however. The descent from the snow to the house and thence to town took 3 hours and 10 minutes, all arriving home fresh after close on 30 miles of strenuous walking. A Palmerston North Press Association telegram states; George Watson, who was arrested on Saturday for burglary, was before Mr Poynton, S.M., this morning. He pleaded ,■ guilty, and was remanded to the Sujfcypreme Court for sentence. On the Masterton charges, which accused ad- . mitted, he was remanded for one week. Sub-Inspector Marsack said accused’s read name was Joseph Charles Talke, who was convicted of theft some years ago, and was committed to Burnham. Thence he escaped to Australia and came back to the Dominion recently.