GENERAL NEWS.

Stratford Evening Post, Volume XXV, Issue 57, 10 March 1915, Page 8

GENERAL NEWS.

The Dunedin correspondent of the Lyttelton Times states that private advice reports that Mr William .Manson, son of .Mrs Elizabeth Manson, a well-known ex-Dunedin vocalist, has been appointed Professor of Harmony at the Koval Academy of Music, Notwithstanding that lie is only eighteen years of age, Mr Manson gained three medals at the close of the year for harmony, pieces at sight, and «h>g-

Blnlf is famous for all sorts of records, sculling, boxing, wrestling, cricketing. and so on, but another has been added to the list, namely, oyster opening. Mr W. J. Newman, a Bluff oyster purveyor, opened live sacks of oysters on Monday, in five hours, which he claims as a New Zealand record. Five sacks contain 4200 oysters and the opening rate works out at !fourteen oysters per minute.

if the New 'Zealand Government were granting £5 baby bonuses, a couple living at Baugiotu, near Palmerston North, would, says the Wanganui Chronicle, have during the last few years been the recipients of £3O, while other people would only got £ls. The parties in question have two lots of twins attending school, while last week the'simultaneous arrival of two honuie babies makes them the proud parents of three lots of twins.

The proprietors of the four illustrated weekly papers of the dominion — Otago Witness, Weekly Press, Canterbury Times, and Weekly News — have agreed to each give 10U copies of their papers every week to bo forwarded to the Expeditionary Force camp in Egypt, the Defence Department to be responsible for the postage. The Hon. Mr Allen, Minister of Defence, speaking to an Otago Daily Times reporter said he was very grateful to the newspaper proprietors for their generosity in the matter. Ninety-five copies of each paper wil go to the camp in Egypt and live copies to the crew of the Philomel. Back numbers of the papers will also be sent. The arrangement commenced last week.

In recording the double wedding ceremony on Wednesday afternoon at St. John’s Church, Milton,* it is interesting to note that 43 years have elapsed (says the Bruce Herald) since a similar ceremony was celebrated at the local Anglican Church, and it is doubtful whether any other similar functions have been celebrated in Milton during this lengthy period. It is a coincidence that at the ceremony in 187'2 the contracting parties wore Mrs H. M. Marryatt (mother of one of Wednesday’s brides) and her brother.