LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Stratford Evening Post, Volume XXXIX, Issue 57, 29 June 1914, Page 4

LOCAL AND GENERAL.

By a notice appearing in the latest Gazette, the bird known as the kaka (native parrot) ceases to be native game within the provisions of the Animals Protection Act, 1908.

In the Auckland Police Court, Thos. Edward Leneham was fined £2O for sly grog-selling. His mode was to carry a bottle of whisky and a glass on Sundays, selling nips at sixpence each in the street and a bottle for 10s.

“What did Mr Hickey say?” said Mr Wilkinson, at his Opunake meeting, when speaking on strike matters. There was a general laugh and a voice was heard to say “1 am the old horse.” (More laughter). “I forgot there was a Hickey present.” “They are plentiful here,” said another interjcctor. “Well, this Hickey, not your Hickey, said Mr Wilkinson, when referring to his Hickey of tho strike.”

A return laid on the table of the House of Representatives on Friday shows that from 1893 to 1913 tire consumption of spirits her head increased from 2.40 gallons per head per annum to 2.48 gallons. The consumption of tobacco increased during the same period from 6.591 b to 6.691 b pen head, while beer decreased in consumtion from 0.53 gallons to ,0.39 gallons.

Miss Elizabeth Young, Paisley, has celebrated her hundredth birthday. Born on March 23, 181.4, the year before the battle of Waterloo, at Lochvvinnoch, seven miles from Paisley, Miss Young has spent all her life near the village in which she was born. She has. lived in the reign of six Sovereigns. Her recollections qf events fifty or sixty years ago is accurate and vivid, but events of to-day are rapidly forgotten. Her deepest memories are those regarding the -press gang, the Chartist riots, and the Crineau war.

'fiie4ntlmm Argus writes as follows •oncerning Egmont’s live member, Mr C. A. Wilkinson: “We confess that >ur candid opinion is that it was merely force of circumstances that compelled him to cast in his lot with the present feigning political party. It he had been caught earlier ho would have been a thorough-going ‘advanced Liberal.’ ! Tis ideas, ventilated in private, but mt on the platform, are radical to a degree. The day will come when, having gained perfect political confidence in himself, ho will expound views and doctrines, that will make the hair of many of his Conservative colleagues stand on ends like quills upon the fretful porcupine. ■ • On the whole Mr Wilkinson’s addresses have not shown the vigor and originality that we expected from him. 1 hey have been cast to the common stock pattern. He is undoubtedly an excellent, attentive, uui intelligent representative, and we billy expect that before long he will display qualities of independence and initiative that will do him more jus--;c« than big pr*-sw»»ion*l add losses havd dons.”

The steamer Gothland has boen refloated, states a Loudon cablegram.

Exports of New Zealand produce during May were valued at £2,644,666, compared with £2,050,220 in May, 1913. Cheese was worth £273,358; frozen beef, £103,590; nuittoh, £237,711; lamb, £482,852 : hemp, £66.561; hides and skins, £181,562; tallow, £116,314; wool, £881,000; and gold £125,623.

The annual meeting of the Catholic Federation at Wellington last night carried a resolution protesting against the proposed referendum on the Bible-in-Sohools as a violation of the rights of conscience of a large section of citizens, an injustice to teachers, and as an iniquitous proposal to tax all people for.the teaching of religion acceptable to certain denominations only. —P.A.

A specially good programme has been arranged for the Stanley Road school social to be held on Thursday, among those contributing being several Stratford residents. It is expected that the audience will include a good number of Stratford people, and those proceeding out by motor or other vehicles are advised to go via Midhirst, the road being rather better by this route.

Full arrangements have been made for the celebration at Whangarnomona on Wednesday of the opening of the railway to the township. The secretary of the local arrangements at Whangarnomona (Mr McMeekin) received the following wire from the Hon. Minister of Railways this morning: “Regret unable to wire on Saturday. Arrangements will be made for special train from Stratford on Wednesday morning, and excursion fares will be issued.” The Mayor (Mr W. P. Kirkwood) later received a telegram from the traffic manager at Wanganui stating that the special train would leave Stratford at 10 a.ra. The opening function will take place on the Whangarnomona , railway station at 1 o’clock, the luncheon following immediately.

By Saturday night mail train, 20,000 brown trout ova arrived, consigned to the Stratford Acclimatisation Society. This consignment is the first of 100,000 ova ordered by the Society. Thirty thousand will arrive on the Ist July, and the balance of the order will be forwarded later. Coming from the hatcheries at Hakateramea, situated on the Waitaki river (South Island), trout hatched from ova obtained from this source should be very suitable to the streams in this district, inasmuch that the Waitaki is a mountain-fed stream, as in the case with most of the streams here. Orders for ova placed by the Stratford Acclimatisation Society last year and for the present year are nearly treble that of former years, so that anglers may look with some confidence to splendid sport in the near future. Fish are reported to he very plentiful in the Patea river compared with one or awo seasons back.