LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Stratford Evening Post, Volume XXXIX, Issue 12, 5 May 1914, Page 4

LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Burgesses are reminded of the Mayoral installation, which takes place at the Borough Council Chambers at 11 o’clock to-morrow morning.

Mr J. B. Hiue, M.P., is announced to deliver a pre-sessional address in the Town Hall, Stratford, on Tuesday, May 12th. His Worship the Mayor (Mr W. P. Kirkwood) will preside.

Berlin is now- blessed with yet another police regulation, which requires passengers in tramway-cars and omnibuses to ‘‘report themselves” to the conductors instead of waiting to be asked to pay their fares. Failure to do so will be a misdemeanour.

The sudden appearance in a Berlin tramcar of nine rabbits which issued from a basket carried by a sleeping passenger caused a stampede among the women travellers, during which tile conductor was knocked down and seriously injured, and two windows were shattered.

A bulky tramp admitted to the casual ward at Kingston-on-Thames prove dto be quite a thin man when he prepared for the usual bath. He shed three overcoats, three jackets, five waistcoats, oiie pair of trousers, three pairs .of pants, nine shirts, a chest protector, and no fewer than fifteen neckerchiefs.

A Birmingham rat-catcher, who obtained £2O damages at the Birmingham County Court lately from the corporation for 'the loss of his dog which was killed by a motor-ambu-iance, said the animal was worth £BO to him. It earned for him from £2 to £2 10s a week by catching rats. “To lose such a dog,” he said, “is like losing my right hand.”

According to the Melbourne Argus it would cost £37,000,000 to make the railway gauges of Australia uniform on the 4ft BJin standard, while to adopt the oft 3in gauge would involve a cost of £51,000,000. The estimate for a line from Brisbane to Perth on the 4ft 81 in gauge, apart from general uniformity, is £12,000,000.

General W. H. Bradford, the doyen of the army, has just celebrated his ninety-ninth birthday. He was born a few months before Waterloo (says the Westminster Gazette), and his childish playmates included Napoleon’s son, the Due de Reichstadt, the little “King of Rome,” and Prince Miguel of Braganza. This was at Vienna, where his father was chaplain at the British Embassy to Lord Castlereagh.

In a civil case at the Magistrate’s Court on Wednesday (says the Timaru Herald), while a local tradesman was defending his own case in which a certain portion of female apparel had mysteriously disappeared from a shop counter, he remarked on several astonishing cases of carelessness op the part of customers which had' come under his observation. Only recently a new umbrella had been left on his premises, and on two different occasions a £5 note had been left on a shop counter, causing him to searct for the owners.

There was a fair attendance at the Oddfellows’ euchre part, held in the Foresters’ Hall last evening. The gents’ prize was won by Mr.J. Jones after the play-off with Mr J. Sharrock. Miss Nielson won the ladies’ prize, after playing off with Mrs J. Sharrock and Mrs J. Crofts. Boobies were won by Master G. Miscall and Mrs McQuay. After euchre, the party adjourned to Mrs Brooking’s tea rooms, where an excellent supper was provided.

Captain W. J. P. Benson interested a Sheffield audience recently with the following description of the Kikuyu natives: “They are not beautiful, but they are wonderful to behold, and highly interesting. What they lack in raiment they make up for in what they are pleased to consider ornaments. A large hole is cut in the lobe of the ears, and this hole is gradually distended until it is capable of holding jars and tins which onco upon a time have held jams and potted meats. These and similar things, which they have doubtless picked up on hunting expeditions, the men stick into the distended lobes of their ears. I heard of one man who essayed to put an ox-tongue tin into his ear, but broke the lobe in the attempt, leaving the two ends dangling like tassels. When it is windy and they annoy him, he ties the two ends together in a knot.”

A London man who recently arrived at New York from Brazil brought with him the story of how ex-President Roosevelt, who is on a hunting and exploring expedition in South America, was made the hero of n carefully stagemanaged discovery. Just before Roosevelt got to Brazil his hosts and their friends met and called in the services of the best explorers and geographers in that part of the world, with the idea of fixing up a plan so that the ox-President should not come back from his trip into the interior without discovering something. It was arranged that when Roosevelt started for the jungle he was to be accompanied by th© explorers, who were prepared for the task. By easy, natural stages he was to be led to the banks of a stream, where the explorers were to exclaim, “This river has never been charted. It must be a new stream which you have had the honor of discovering.” Despatches from Brazil which have already been received stated that the river was “discovered,” but whether it was named Theodore or not has not yet been made known.

Three cases of smallpox in the city are reported by Sydney cablegram.

Mr C. E. James has disposed of hia hairdressing business to Mr W. Russell. Accounts to be paid to Mr

A Masterton resident who visited ■Wellington recently, states that he had to pay 4s for his dinner, 4s for his bed, and 3s Cd for his breakfast. On the top of. this he gave the waiter a “tip.” .He states that he wishes the waiters and waitresses well, but his visit's to Wellington will not be as frequent as in the past.

A mission in connection with the local Roman Catholic Church commences next Sunday after tlie 11 o’clock Mass, and will continue for a week, being conducted by the'Marist Fathers. At the conclusion of • the mission, His Grace the Archbishop will be present and administer the Sacrament of Confirmation.

It is somewhat remarkable that not a single “criminal” case is set down for hearing at the Court on Friday, the Borough Inspector not having even one information for driving, without lights. The whole business to be dealt with consists of twenty-three civil cases (two defended) and two ‘judgment summons’ cases.

An Auckland Press Association telegram states that extraordinary interest was aroused in the school committee elections, resulting in crowded meetings in the City and Suburban schools, owing to. the activity of the Civil League which nominated women for various districts. The League succeeded in securing representation on the City and - several Suburban committees.

The reintroduction -of- the system of the automatic purging of electoral rolls by the removal of the names of persons who do not vote was mentioned to the Prime Minister by Mr U. Wilson, a member of the deputation which interviewed Mr Massey at Warkworth. Mr Massey said that it was intended that this system should be enforced at the last elections, but Mr Wilson replied that it- had not been done. Mr Massey said that he would inquire into the matter. K On Friday, W. T. Young was released from gaol, having served three months’ imprisonment for inciting to resist the police. The jury disagreed on the charge of sedition against him, and the Chief Justice then said that the question of a new trial would stand over until after the sittings of the Court of Appeal, at which certain legal points raised on behalf of the prisoner would be decided. The new trial will take place at the next criminal sessions, which will begin on the 15th. In the meantime Young is out on hail.

With winter well upon his way, local card-players are talking of the formation of a local association, and it is understood a meeting will shortly be called wth this object. The different teams so far mentioned as likely to be members of the Association are Stratford, railway, Public Works, Post and Telegraph, and ‘ ‘Stratford Evening Post,” while others will no doubt also join. In this connection, a cribbage

problem of tunisual interest appears '' in this issue under Sundry Sports on page 3.

There is at present on view at the premises of Messrs W. M. Bayly and Co,, in Regan Street, a big turnipgrown by Mr J. Paul, Pembroke Road. Mr Paul set an acre of Garten’s Hardy Green Globe, the seed being - supplied by Messrs Bayly and Co., using the following manure: Superphosphate IJcwt, bonedust IJcwt, potash 301 b. The turnip is a soft one, but has more than ordinary keeping qualities. The sample on view weighs 301 b, and Mr Paul states that

very few of the turnips in the patch were under 151 b. Some carnations of fine color and size, the seed for which was supplied by Messrs Bayly and Co., were grown this season by Mr J. I>. Murray.

An echo of the unique Easter greetings unostentatiously, but effectively, circulated in Auckland last month in the shape of bogus £lO notes was heard in the Magistrate’s Court on Friday morning. “He was one of the unfortunate possessors of one of the •famous £lO notes,” pleaded counsel, mitigation of penalty for a bookmaker who was convicted of having made bets at the Ellerslie racecourse on Easter Monday. “Yes,” replied Chief-Detective McMahon, “but he didn’t lose by it. When he was arrested he had £3O on him, including the bogus note, and the police department, in returning his money when he got bail, inadvertently kept the bogus note, and paid over the £3O in good money. The note eventually passed on, undetected, to another department, where some other unfortunate individual will probably have to stand the loss.”

The first number of “The Times issued at a penny, appeared on March 16th, and is now to hand. It is considered equal in every respect to the great journal when it was published at threepence, except that the Literary and Educational Supplements will be published separately in future instead of being given in. There was an enormous demand for the paper, copies of the first penny issue selling on the same day for sixpence. Not the least * interesting of the lettersJof congratulation received by the editor was one from Lord Wemysy. who wrote: “As a reader of ‘The Times’ from early youth at Eton, may* I congratulate you on the wisdom of the step you are taking, and on the continued excellence of our national record.” Lord Wemyss is 96 years of age, and it is

probable, as “The Times” remarks, that he is the oldest consistent reader 0f that paper in the world.

'The members of the ladies’ hockey club are at present busy sending out invitations for their annual dance, which is to bs held in the Parish Hall next Tuesday evening, May 12th.

To-day a casual camp started at Christchurch under Major Pinwill (states the Press Association). It is estimated that between 400 and 600 are under canvas. - Yesterday a man had a narrow escape from beinjjfburnt alive. He was awakened in the early morning and found Ins tent blazing, and as it was laced in front, he could not -get out. Finally he cut his way out. He was. slightly singed.

Mrs Harry Payne Whitney, a society leader, has submitted plans for a Titanic memorial in Washington, which have been by the Fine Arts Commission. The memorial will cost 43,000d01., and for it designs were sent .by the most prominent, sculptors in the country. The selected design takes the form of a male figure, symbolic of heroism with outstretched arms and head thrown back. The memorial will be in white marble, giving the impression of a crucifix when seen from ji distance.

The following letter from Mr J. W. H. Scotland appears in . the Evening post.—“l take this opportunity of tendering my sincerest thanks to all chose enthusiasts in aviation who so generously assisted with subscriptions :o create the nucleus of a fund to roolaco my aeroplane destroyed in the recent mishap at the finish of my first light in Wellington. Though my experience in flying in New Zealand has ,-ost mo a large sum of money which [ can ill afford, I feel that the needs .£ the dependents of the victims of the dreadful tragedy at Upper Hutt ire much more urgent than mine. I ;herefore desire, with the permission of those who voluntarily came forward 'o help me, to transfer the whoFe of heir contributions to the fundi for he benefit of those who lost their ’•datives in the sad disaster at Upper Tutt. I may add that I have not riven up my flying career in New Zeaand; I hope to resume aviation, on ay own account, here in the near oituro.”

In an interesting address on the subject of marriage before the .Congregational Union in Sydney, the Rev. Dr. Roseby dealt with, the economic ispect. “Marriage,” he said, “is Igarely an economic question. So urely as social and economic conditions impose an undue and unwholesome check on marriage, tending to ts undue delay or .even forbidding it, 'xcept undey conditions of squalor and misery, so surely shall. we find an intensifying of our social evil and a deepening moral degradation. Let it bo hat marriage shall be reasonably posibio for the early manhood of our ■ountry. The statistics that record he moral conditions of a country are is insistent as the voice of nature and is the testimony of the Book. It is ,xot good (morally good) that > man diould be alone.”