LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Stratford Evening Post, Volume XXXX, Issue 51, 27 October 1914, Page 4

LOCAL AND GENERAL.

The swimming hath is now available for use, and already ball a dozen swimmers pay a daily visit in the morning.

Members, intending members and friends are invited to he present at the opening of the croquet and tennis lawns on Thursday afternoon.

It is now definitely eslahlisncd (states a Press Association telegram, i rom Wellington) that the lamagc to the Hnahinc was eanseil hy a. leak in fc lu> meat port in No. 3 ’tweedecks.

At a meeting ol' the Tliamos Deep lands’ Board a communication was received from Inspector Bennie cidering the immediate cessation of all work at the deep levels in consequence of the presence of gases. 'Die Inspector added: “To adequately ventilate the deviation drive and render the poisonous gases harmless is at present almost impossible.” The Board resolved to ask the Thames Drainage Board to re-consider their decision to stop their pumps, and, if necessary, to ask: the (Government !• r financial help for that purpose. —P.A.

A Sydney cal)lngram stains: '1 here it a cool change alter the ther-m meter touched 94 degrees. The weekl}' infantry drill ot the l)e-j fence Rifle Club takes place this even-j iug, arms, as usual, to be picked up* aL the Dei once Office. Important I nisi- 1 ness is to he discussed after parade. A cablegram from London states that the mail steamer Ophir rcuirn-j .-cl to port in a leaking condition, as; the result of striking a buoy. It is expected she will re-sail in a leudays. Mr !». AY right, of Stratford, fished in the river at Opunake on Sunday and Monday, and lie reports that the river was stiff with fish and the banks stiff with fishers. On Sunday he secured twenty fish (weighing approximately dOlh), and on Monday twelve fish (weighing about 281 b).

A total of £56 was collected on Saturday for the British ami Belgian Belief Fund, the sum collected by schoolgirls and teachers by the sale of flowers being £27 9s. The balance was collected during the operations at the Post Office, t7lie.se operations including the auctioning of flowers and other articles by Mr F. W. Webster.

A meeting of the committee of the Egmont Racing Club was held on Saturday night (reports the Haw era Star), to consider a letter from the Stratford Racing Club, asking for a conference of New Plymouth. Opunake, Hawera, Waverier, and Stratford Clubs to discuss the question of getting some degree of uniformity ■with reference to the issue of complimentary and other privilege tickets. No action was taken.

In compliance with numerous requests the committee has decided that the Fire Brigade ball, to be held on Thursday evening at the Town Hall, shall be compulsory masked—everybody attending being asked to wear a mask. Those desirous of doing so may obtain masks at the fife station on the evening of the ball. Yesterday a committee made a canvas for supper material, and in addition to number less promises of eatables, a small sun of money was collected. Masked halls elsewhere have proved highly entertaining, and it is expected that Thursday’s affair will prove very successful.

On Friday evening next, children of the Methodist Sunday School will give a concert in the Began Street hall. For a consiedrahle time the children have been working hard under the capable leadership of Mrs Moon, and are doing splendidly at the different part-songs and choruses they are working up. The concert was to have been entirely to raise funds for a piano, but ■ on Sunday the children unanimously decided to donate half of the proceeds to the Belgian Relief Fund. The public generally can look forward to a really good entertainment besides assisting two worthy objects.

Excellent bags of trout are being reported daily. A “hag” of one was reported this morning to Mr R. F. Harkness, secretary of the Accliftiatisation Society, a farmer stating that he had caught an eel weighing 261 b in the Climie Stream, in the stomach of which he found a trout ten inches long. The trout Mr Harkness produced this morning, and a tidy meal it would make. A wag suggests that there is clear evidence against the eel of having taken trout without being the holder of a license, and that a prosecution against this one, taken in flagrante delicto, might prove a deterrent to others. Again, it might not.

A progressive tournament on the local green was played yesterday (the proceeds to he in aid of the Belgian Relief Fund). The green was fully occupied, eight rinks being engaged all day. Mr R. McK. Mori son and Mr N. .1. King tied on points for the winning skips, Mr Mori son winning on score points. Mr Nicholson won the leads. At the conclusion of the play the prizes were presented to the winners, who kindly re-donated them to the Club’s British and Belgian Relief Fund. It is understood £2 will he available for the relief fund as a result of the day’s play

A Now Plymouth lady has received letters by the last English mail from frieids there, says the Heralu, in which they state that a friend oi theirs wont to see her son, who was wounded in the war. He-was in the hospital at Folkestone, and in the next bed was a Belgian child oi seven, whose two hands had been cut off by the (Germans. She was told this was by no means an isolated case. In another case a soldier said that while- lying wounded be bad hod his eyes put out. The ladies in England are busy knitting socks, as Lady French has made an earnest appeal for thousands, as the troops wear out a pair in a day’s march. These facts should stimulate local effort to do as Pinch as possible for the poor Belgians.

A Pres's Association message from (freymouth states; Tiie finding of tlie Court in the Kairaki enquiry was that tlit> evidence allowed that the hatchways were fairly large and only contained one beam. The Court was of opinion that they were too large to withstand heavy weather. There was no evidence by the diver or otherwise to show that the hull was strained or damaged in any other respects. Captain Scott would probably set a fairly wide course. There were two theories to account for his being so near shore that lie made great leeway, or that the vessel broke down and he was approaching to beach her. The Kairaki was sufficiently manned and equipped. The Court recommended greater attention lo the hotter securing of hatches.

T] ie Midhirst Settlers’ Sports Club i is donating £2O to the Fund for I Hef of the Poor in Britain and Bel-* gium. ; : 1 Weather forecast.—The indications ' are for southerly moderate to strong i «ind;s. The weather appears likely to he cloudy and unsettled at times, and probably" cool and changeable. Barometer little movement at present. • j Bates, Wellington. Mr-B. A. Weyhourne, on behalf of the Midhirst Settlers’ Sports Club lias handed in at this office a donation „1 £5 towards the Hmitly Miners’ Disaster Relief Fund, making the total iu hand to date with amounts previously acknowledged £l6 6s.

George Brain who retired a year ago on superannuation from the position of chief clerk' in the Customs Department at Dunedin, was killed last night iu the Gladstone Hotel liar. He was apparently wrestling with another man and fell on his head. Ernest Dallas has been arrested and charged with manslaughter. Praia was a well-known cricket umpire, and had, on several occasions, accompanied the Otago team on tour. He was aged 57. He was a widower, and had two sons with the Expeditionary Force.— PA.