LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Stratford Evening Post, Volume XXV, Issue 22, 27 January 1915, Page 4

LOCAL AND GENERAL.

At Dunedin two Chinese gardeners appeared at the Police Court charged with working on Sunday. One was lined 10s, and the other os. Members of the East Road Dog Trial Club are notified in another column of the annual meeting to be held at To Wera Hall on Friday evening, ai» 7.30. Kaponga will shortly have an electric lighting system. Tenders for section 1 of the contract, including the construction of dam, headworks, pipeline, power-house, etc., were received recently by the local Town Board from H. \V. Lewis, £2843; Shaw and Pa yne, £2070; W. D. McCalmont, £1760; J. w. Tong, £1500; E. Cave, £ll9O 15s (accepted). A commencement with the work will be made by Mr Cave almost immediately. None ol the tenders for the turbine plant and dynamo and electric plant respectively was deemed satisfactory, the time allowed for tendering having been insufficient to allow tenders to put in complete prices. The time for receiving tenders has therefore been extended to 2Sth iust.

j A Gazette Extraordinary prorogues the meeting of Parliament till 17th I February.

I The Life and Work Committee of the Presbyterian Church of New Zealand has decided to urge members to adopt midday intercession in connection with the war, states the Press ■ Association at Napier.

Weather Forecast.—The indications are for westerly winds, moderate to

strong prevailing. Mild and hazy conditions, but weather cloudy to overcast at times. Barometer unsteady.— Bates. Wellintgon.

Bank of New Zealand advices regarding the current London wool sales record very high prices. Crossbreds sold at 14d to 14J-d; medium, 15d to 10-pl; fine 16d to lG}d; halfbreds, 16d; inferior merinos, 9d to 9Jd; superior merinos, 12ld to 13Jd.

Matters in connection with Stratford’s great Easter holiday attraction, the A. and P. Association’s Gymxhana, are receiving the attention of the Association’s secretary. Application has been made to the racing authorities for permission to hold the trotting events, which have proved so popular op previous occasions.

Several of the suppliers to the Ballance Co-operative Dairy Company have (says the Wairarapa Daily Times') received big cheques for butter fat supplied during the past month. One dairy farmer drew a cheque for over £SOO, and two others for £2OO each. A number received amounts for £IOO. The company had a record payout, totalling considerably over £BOOO.

Owing to the continuous dry weather there is a general shortage of water in the Ormondville district (says the correspondent of the Dannevirke News). Springs and streams which have never been known to run dry are now almost without water. Feed is exceptionally scarce, and the milk supply is rapidly decreasing. If wet weather does not set in soon, farmers will be in a sad way to provide sufficient feet! for their stock during the winter.

The late fine winter and almost rainless spring were (says the Timaru Post) favorable to the most happy domestic relations of the small birds, and just now, amid the ripe and ripening crops, they are taking toll to the full from the “man who pays for all.” The small bird likes his porridge, and just on daybreak he and his numerous relations enjoy the oat for breakfast. In the oat crops the birds are to be seen in myriads, and all crop near dense gorse -fences is stripped clean to the shell. In some small paddocks on the Seadown some oat crops will be hardly worth chaffing, so completely have the feathered shellers threshed them out.

At the Methodist native church, Suva, Fiji, at 7.30 p.m. on Monday, January 4th. there cbmmenced a service, and before it concluded it was taken up by another service in New Zealand, thence passing to the New Hebrides and Solomons, and then to Sydney and Brisbane, and so passing step by step round the world until it came to Fiji again on Tuesday night: This world-encircling service continued for a week, when it was brought to a conclusion in Zion Church, Tonga. Whether we believe in the utilising ol these novelties (adds the correspondent at Fiji), it must be admitted that only the Christian Church could inaugurate such a unique ceremony.