LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Stratford Evening Post, Volume XXXX, Issue 14, 3 September 1914, Page 4

LOCAL AND GENERAL.

A reminder is given of the Fire Brigade's weekly social, which is to be held in the fire station thia evening.

At the Coronation Hall, Toko, to morrow evening a concert is to be giver in aid of tlie school prize fund.

A euchre party and dance will hi held on Friday next at Tuna Schoolroom. This will be the final one thif season, and good prizes are offered

Arrangements have now been completed for the concert in aid of the Wai Fund which is to he held at Ngaerc this evening. A good programme has been arranged, leading Stratford performers being among those contributing. A dance will follow. At Wellington yesterday Leslie Walker, proprietor of a motor gagage at Levin, pleaded guilty and was committed for sentence, on a charge of receiving £146 for the sale of a ca entrusted to him. and failing to account for £l2O of that amount.

At a meeting of creditors in' the bankrupt estate of Charles Webstei an'offer by Sir IT. A. Julian for settlement of his clainr.fov damages against ; the estate was considered. The.offer was refused and; the iD.O.'A:.!:was<*m. thbrised to submit a counter-offer; ijjo; '.Mr Julian. ; A Gi'sbor'ne Press Association telegram to-day states: John Reay lias boetY arrested on a charge of arson after a coroner's inquiry concerning the fire in his pork butchery. In the course of the inquiry evidence was adduced that the fire started in several positions and that there was a strong odour of kerosene. There should be a big attendance I his' 'evening at the Borough Council Chambers at the public meeting eon-. rencd'bv the Mayor for the purpose-' : of taking steps for the formation in Stratford'of a National Jieserve:cprps,' The : mbveme-ht is not separate . from, that already started and those already enrolled are requested- by -.Captain Keeve to attend to-night's meeting.

An indication, of the approach of spring (states the Kawhia Settler) h the shoals of kahawai which are now

in the harbour, innumerable masses (.-1 fish moving up and down the channel ,'V'Vy day. Strange to say, other varieties are still scarce, and tlie fishermen report that it is only in deep iv'ater that a decent catch can be

\ esterday a local firm had two spuriDii.-; half-crowns tendered to it by separate parties. One eoin was a fairly good imitation, though it was deficient in weight, and the other rang very badly, it is possible that those nvit coins arc the only ones of the sort ir circulation, but their presence is mentioned in ease a number may'have been unloaded in Stratford.

A most unusual oepration was performed at the Aramoho Zoo on \\\>dnesday, no doubt the first of its kind hi tiie Dominion, a large fish hook bo-

ing extracted from the lion's mouth. i ;ie "King of the Forest" was lassoed and chloroformed by Ins tamer and :rainer and a local veterinary surgeon, who in a few minutes only coolh and skilfully cut the deeply-embedded 'look from the beast's mouth.

Tho largest estates of deceased persons in tlie Wellington district were. James dime £20,-197. Emily .lane Shannon £10,023, Arthur IVnuer Cii,673, Mary Anna Robin- ". £5350. tamos Burns £1(517, Olliver Death £3558. -lames Brown £3557, Catherine iL'Urogor £3218, Orton Stevens £2075, iV. 11. Spencer Peel £2143, Sarah Hon. dorson £2117, Ernest Hugh Queree -1(17, and Eliza Ann Coote. £2OOB. \ew Plymouth :—Alex Kerr £2823. Sames R. Duncan £IBB7, and May Ann Cunningham £lOl-5.

.* sensational find was made at Houghton Bay (Wellington) yesterday • I'Ltiiooii by a man who had gone out o fish from the rocks off the Queen's Drive. When approaching the water he /!!•"<] a parcel lying about 150 j-urdh i'ro:t! the road. To his amazement Lheif ivas disclosed the body of a proiiatui'c'y horn male child, together .villi certain wrappings and instrunents. Tin-, remains were examined by the police and were removed to trie norgue. The appearances suggested hat if had never been in the water. Phere is at present no clue to lh n inrentage of the child, and it is not \et •sta bilked Trketker th« ehild kad io'-.

The Austrian pilot Konsehel, who for a bet performed the (eat ol shaving himself in an aeroplane, rose 300011 before beginning operations while making wide circles round the Vienna flying ground. He states that lathering was easy, but while shaving he bad to steer with Ids feet, as he required one hand to hold his cheek while hu tued the razor with the other. A young man named John Bruce Downes, a recent arrival from Australia., committed suicide on the verandah of bis bouse in Green Lane. Auckland. He had visited a young lady and spoke to her at the gate. After she left him Downes walked to the verandah, produced a revolver, and shot himself in the heart.—P.A.

At the Invercargill Supreme Court Lock Kin, a Chinaman, was charged with the murder of Morrison in May last. Mr A. C. Hanlon, of Dunedin, appeared for accused, and his defence was that accused fired the shot to frighten larrikins who systematically annoyed the Chinaman. After 40 minutes' retirement the jury found accused guilty of manslaughter, and recommended that the utmost clemency of the court be extended to him. Mr Justice Sim said that, since accused had served three months he did not feel justified in inflicting any further punishment. Accused was convicted, and ordered to come up for sentence when called noon.

Following is an extract from a letter received by the local officer of the Department of Agriculture from headquarters : —"ln order to encourage the giowiug of wheat the Government is offering to convey seed wheat and fertilisers therefor at one-third rates on the railways ; the balance of the freight rate is to be borne by this Department. The Railway Department informs me that it has issued the necessary instructions to stationmasters, and on a declaration being made by a consignee that the wheat or fertiliser i s to be used iii connection with the sowing of food supplies the reduced rate will operate. The arrangement is to be in force for one month frons August 24th."

A case possessing some extraordinary features has occuiped the attention of the Wanganui Supreme Court at the beginning of the week. Mrg Frances Mulliner, married woman, of Wellington, sued Joseph | .Iyess u for £IOOO damages for alleged indecent

assault. Ivess, who was a well-known public man and journalist in New Zealand, is owner of the'RingVCouß/accommodation house at Ohakune.' Mr H Milliner came to the hotel with the object of becoming manageress.' While in the house she alleged that Ive>g drugged her, entering' her ! room' by' a 1 window, and seduced her. The defence was that intimacy took place with the consent of the woman, the allegations of drugging and violence being denied.

The inebriate, in. the course of his muddle-minded wanderings, occasionally finds himself amid very peculiar Kiirroundings, remarks the Otago Daily Times. This unhappy tendency of the "drunk" landed a man on Wednesday in a situation, the absurdity of which jfould bo hard to equal. After being. ejected from several hotels the offended one .found himself in \ the neighbourhood of the law courts.. He mounted tlie steps and entered, evidently under the impression, from the quiet -stillness pervading the long corridors, that he, had reached a harbour of refuge. After a devious tour through the building he wandered into the judge's chamber and calmly settled down to sweet repose in tlie judge's chair.; He Mas here unearthed some hours later by a police officer who had occasion to visit the chambers. The perplexity of the official gave way. as he realised the situation, to hearty laughter, followed by activity, and the inebriate

was soon reposing in a place more suited to his condition.