LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Stratford Evening Post, Volume XXV, Issue 54, 6 March 1915, Page 4

LOCAL AND GENERAL.

The annual treat of the Ngaere School to the East End Beach eventuated yesterday.

The value of the Waitara Borough for the purpose of striking the Hospital and Charitable Aid Board rate has been fixed at £192,609.

Auckland always likes to lead. The latest fad—but it wont be the last—is the re-naming of a few of the streets, viz., Upper Pitt Street is altered to France Street, and Upper Queen Street to Belgian Street.

Mr Murray Ilodgers, of Ohura, notifies in another column his acceptance of challenge issued by Mr D. J. Davis to chop a 15-inch log underhand for a stake of £.25, the chop to take place at Matieie.

Only two by-law cases came before Mr W. C. Kenricli, S.M., at the Stratford Magistrate’s Court yesterday. For riding a bicycle on the footpath in Orlando Street, C. W. Howard (for whom Mr Fookes appeared) was fined 10s, with 7s costs. For committing a similar offence in Fenton Street, 11. Hill was fined Ids, with costs 7s.

The element of scare lias not been created among the Australian public by the threatened submarine blockade by the Germans. Messrs. Thos. Cook and Son report that all the passenger liners elaving Sydney are well filled, and berths arc not easily obtained by those steamers included in the March time-table. It was imagined that the passenger season between Australian and England would be influenced detrimentally by the war and the blockade threat, but such is not the case. The Orient liner, timetabled to leave Sydney on March 10, was well filled over a fortnight ago.

Judgment by default was given in the following civil cases before Mr W. Cl. Kenrick, S.M., yesterday in the Stratford Magistrate’s Court: George Morrison v. Thomas Barclay, £lB Gs Bd, costs Cl 11s Gd ; W. and E. Brocklebank v. A. .1. Hill. £3 (15s costs), \V. Lovett v. A. J. Hill, £G (£1 8s Gd costs), Mullen and Marshall v. A. A. Cnthbertson, £1 13s (os costs). Paget and Cameron v. J. Barlow, £4 15s Gd (15s costs). There was no appearance of defendants in two judgment summons cases: In re Paget v. E. J. Williams, defendant was ordered to pay £25 Os Gd. in default 14 days imprisonment, and in Nightingale and Co. v. George Henderson, the defendant was ordered to pay £6 15s Gd. in default .ieven days’ imprisonment.

A branch of the Now Zealand National Reserve has been formed at Wanganui.

To-day marks the fifty-fifth anni--1 versary of the outbreak of the Tara--1 naki Maori war in 1860.

A meeting of the Order of the Star in the East, will be held to-morrow (Sunday), at 7.30. in York Chambers.

The actual construction of the new

railway tunnel at Parnell was completed in the early hours of yesterday morning, and traffic, it is expected (says the Press Association), will b© running through it within the next fortnight or three weeks.

The names of the five persons declared elected for the Stratford Licensing Committee appear in another column, as follows William Hathaway, Tuna, farmer; Athol Richard Meredith, Strathmore, farmer; William Morison, Ngaere, settler; John Bangham Richards, Stratford, land agent; Courtenay Dotson Sole, Stratford, paperhanger.

The quarterly meeting of the Stratford Licensing Committee was held yesterday, there being present: Air W. G. Kenrick, S.M., and Messrs Athol Meredith and William Morison. The only business dealt with was the report made by the police on the condition of the Egmont Hotel at Midhirst, and the Junction Hotel, Toko, in regard to repairs and sanitary arrangements. The licensees, who were represented by Air S. Spence, were directed to have all repairs mentioned in the reports on their respective as early as possible, and tfte sanitary condition of the promises attended to at once.

At Hamilton, an application was made by the Hamilton Law Society to the Supreme Court to have the name of F. 0. 11. Phillips, solicitor,/ Otorohanga, struck off the roll. Phillips was before the Court some months ago, and was convicted of fabricating evidence. Sir John Finlay opposed the application, and drew attention to the fact that the jury returned a rider that there was intention to commit a fraud. The offence was more technical than grave, and he thought the Court should take into * consideration the jury’s expression of opinion. The case was reserved for the considera—^

tion of the Court of Appeal.—P.A.

In these days of solid professionalism. it is pleasing 'to find sport being followed for sports’ sake (says the Gisborne Times). A striking instance of this was given at the Talago Bay races on Saturday, when a lady owner, whose horse had been running without success at the meeting, so overjoyed at winning the last race of the day that she rapturously embraced the secretary and several prominent officials of the club in full view of the crowd on the lawn. The novelty came so unexpectedly to the gentlemen concerned that they all blushed becomingly, while their embarrassment was highly enjoyed by the crowd.

“Sport” writes: “So far, in the Mayoral Stakes, which is to be run at Stratford next month, only one competitor has been seen on the track, and he is putting in some solid work every day. If pedigree counts for anything in covering 'the ground, he * should be good, as he is by Circular Saw out of Wood Fibre, and has been well-named Sawdust. It is commonly reported that an aged half-brother of Sawdust named Horticulture, which is out of the same mare, but by r ihe Nursery, is being got ready for the event. But rumors are thick concerning something called Ginger, which has been bottled up for months. He is said to be a dark horse, notwithstanding that his color is decidedly chestnut, and from past gallops in the Municipal Cup, it is reckoned he will stand a good chance of catching Judge Skogluud’s eye when the post is reached. Ginger’s ancestial lines show that he is by Commission, out of Speculation.”

For the first time for years (reports the Press Association at Bluff) the oyster season opened in glorious weather, enabling every craft to get out to the beds on Monday and get excellent catches. The rivalry between the firms was very keen. The old firms out-manoeuvred their rivals by despatching launches out to the beds and blunging in several sacks in time for the 8 a.m. train. A new firm also ran a launch into port, and got a supply up to town by the 10.20 train, reaching Invercargill at 11.15. There wasj much jubiliation amongst the old in reaching their Invercargill shops first. The bivalves have never looked finer, and a. splendid season should result. The oyster war is the main topic of conversation at Bluff. The rival firms have cut prices down until, it is said, there is nothing in the trade. From 8s per sack they came down to 7s 6d, then to 7s, and now the old firms have announced Gs 6d as their price to • the public. Half sacks are quoted at Is—that is, 50 dozen oysters for Is, or less than Id per dozen. Even in the retail shops there is talk of a retail war in bottled oysters. Prices for big bottles have been Is, and for smaller ones 9d. It is reported that one Bluff retailer has threatened to cut down prices to 6d.