LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Stratford Evening Post, Volume XXV, Issue 304, 22 December 1914, Page 4

LOCAL AND GENERAL.

There will be no issue of the "Strat, ford Evening Post" on Christinas Day or Boxing Day, December 25th and 2tith.

Crowds are going to the West End beach at New Plymouth on Boxing Day. It is the only beach -attraction on that day.

As an illustration of how, keenly votes were hunted up in the Grey Lynn electorate, it may he mentioned (says the Auckland Star) that at one booth a woman, who was both blind and paralysed, was brought up to record her vote.

One lady in Balclutha complained (says the Clutha Leader) that the ballot boxes were put too high up on the wall, and, on inquiry, it was discovered that she had deposited her papers in one of the wooden box ventilators on the wall, instead of the ballot box. . .

The size of last night's mail train was sure evidence of holidays in store for soine people. Two engines were required to pull seven carriages, two vans, and the postal car. The train was well up to time-table. This morning's down mail and the inward East train were both well patronised.

For this season of the year bitterly cold weather has been experienced for some days past. Sleet showers and particularly heavy rain have fallen, especially during the night time. Gardeners complain that plant growth has been slow until late in the year, in marked contrast to 1913.

A peculiar result was given at the Taylorville booth in the Wanganui election, each of the three candidates polling 99. One of Mr Pirani's supporters, however, in his elation, marked his ballot paper: "I vote for Pirani,'' rendering it invalid. The joke is that one of Mr Pirani's favourite recitions is "The Ninety and Nine."

At the Ashburton Police Court yesterday, William James Chambers, a. labourer, of Hamstead, appeared : on remand on a charge of having discharged a shot-gun. at Peter Stewart so as to cause him actual bodily harm. The Bench finally came to +he conclusion that the evidence in support of the charge was insufficient, and dismissed the case without prejudice and with a warning to defendant.

The Postmaster, Stratford, has been instructed that it is the desire of the Government that all pension and superannuation payments should be made on 24th December and subsequent dates, instead of on the 31st inst. (the due date). This authority covers payments due from The Public Service Superannuation Fund, The Railway Superannuation Fund, The Teachers Superannuation Fund, Old Age Pensions and Military Pensions. Imperial pensions will not be paid until the usual due date. All concerned will appreciate the action of the authorities in making these payments before the holiday season commences.

On the subject of the introduction of the blackberry into Taranaki, the Inglewood Record writes: In the spring of 1866 writer purchased a dozen American blackberry plants off a landscape gardener named Henry, then resident in New Plymouth, for which he paid the sum of thirty shillinlis, or half-a-crown a plant, (few today would be inclined to give half-a-crown a plant for blacgberries. The plants remained in the garden for six years and did not show the slightest inclination to take command. The particular portion of the garden where these plants grew, however, was want, ed for the erection of a wash-house, and they were dug up and burnt with other garden rubbish, not having proved "fill baskets" in fruit yield, and no further sign of blackberry was over seen there. With regard to the Scotch thistle ; at the time farmers had to employ volunteer companies to cut thistles, in order to comply with the Acts mentioned (when half the men cut thistles and the other half remained under arms on the hill tops and ofher poiats of vantage to prevent hostile surprise), Mr F. F. Cledhill, then, the only auctioneer in New Plymouth, was purchasing Scotch thistle seed, when he could-possi'bly »;et any, for shipment to Napier, where the land-owners had learned, or knew, a thing or two more than the members of the Taranaki Provincial Council.

The drills of the Home Defence Corps have been suspended until the 11th January next.

The price of sugar is further advanced to-day in New Plymouth by 15s per ton. The retail price in Stratford will be raised slightly after Christmas.

Two more cases of clothing for the poor of Britain and Belgium (making 13 in all) were consigned by the local committee to Wellington this morn-

Excellent acceptances for all handicap events and large entries have been received for the Stratford Racing Club's meeting on January 1 and 2. Full particulars appear on page

A Palmerston North Press Association message to-day states that an unidentified man was found in the main street last night in a serious condition, and was taken to the police station and medical aid summoned, but the man succumbed before the doctor arrived.

One of the milk suppliers of the Ballance dairy factory received a cheque for £517 for his last month's milk supply. This is the top figure for one individual, but there were other large cheques among those distributed. The'supplier in question has over half a dozen dairy farms in different parts of the settlement, and they are let to milkers on the share system, the owner drawing half the proceeds for butter-fat and the whole of the bonus or surplus.

A reminder is given to the public by the Telegraph Department of the facilities for sending Christmas and New Year greetings by telegraph. The text of the telegrams will be: "Wishing you a Merry Christinas and a Happy New Year." In addition to the text, eleven words will he allowed in the address and signature, at a uniform charge of 6dfor each telegram. As the telegraph traffic is always very congested on Xmas Eve, it would telievo the Department considerably, and also ensure' the delivery of the telegrams before Xmas Day, "if the public would hand in their telegrams as early in the week as possible. On Xmas Eve it is advisable that all telegrams should be handed* in early in the day, and any of an important nature, such as cover the meeting of trains, etc., should be paid for at urgent rates, to ensure delivery.