GENERAL NEWS.

Stratford Evening Post, Volume XXV, Issue 58, 11 March 1915, Page 3

GENERAL NEWS.

Tlio Social Democratic party is arranging a series of meetings throughout the Dominion, to bo held on Sunday week, for the purpose of protesting against the increased cost of living.

Masterton reports that over an' inch of rain fell ast night, being of great henefit to the pastures, and soaking well into the ground. The fall extinguished the grass fires, and has also put the Masterton race track in splen. did order for the meeting next week.

Just before the last mail left Egypt a shower fell one night—no heavier than what we in New Zealand would call an ordinary shower—and our soldiers saw it recorded in the papers next day as the greatest downpour experienced for eight years.

Whilst summing up in an alleged cattle-stealing case at Napier, Sir Robert Stout said that if the law had been altered in accordance with a suggestion he had made some 20 years ago, every person who bought cattle would send in to the registrar of brands a certificate that he had bought an animal with a certain brand. This would greatly minimise cattle-stealing. However, this had not been done.

"Here's a bit of paper for you." said a small boy to a class mate at the Kaiti (Gisborne) school, and he handed over what he took to be a piece of paper he had picked up out of a ditch. The headmaster happened to be passing at the time, and on an inspection being mride of tile crurhpled piece of paper, it was found to be a £SO bank note. The note was subsequently restored to the owner.

"The favorite presentation to our soldiers seems to be a wristlet watch. The worst wound I saw in Africa was that of a man who was shot through the wrist while holding his rifle firing. If it had not been for the wristlet watch the wound would n °t bave ,)pon so much, but the presentation watch being there, his wrist was blown to pieces,' says a medical correspondent of a Dunedin paper.

A club in London held a contest to see who could write the best "tongue twisters." Here are some of those sent in. Try them and see what they will do to your tongue: A glowing gleam growing green. The black breeze blighted the bright blossoms. Flesh of freshly-fried flying fish. Strict, strong Stephen Stringer snared slickly six sickly silly snakes. The prize was won by the sender of the following: Give Grimes Jim's great gilt gig whip.

The whale discovered on the beach between White Rock and Cape Palliser lighthouse, was measured by a local resident last week. The big fish was 90 feet in length. 27ft in girth, and about 10ft across the back, whilst ;a,six foot-man eouhl easily stand in its luoutli.'' A.fair amount of whalebone ■&as | been extracted from tho dead cetacean t< It :•;

...The opening up of the Ohnra-Tonga-porutu road between Ohura and Kotare is making great headway (states tho Ohura Advocate). Already, most of the heavy work is completed at the Ohura end, and contracts arc progressing here and there all the way to Waitaanga, but there is still a lot to do before the road is available for wheel traffic. At the Rota re side similar good work is being done and a start is now made on tho rise near McLaughlins. Judging by appearances the Roads Department seem determined to put the road 'through and if the money is available it is expected to be finished during the coming winter. This will be a great relief to the long suffering settlers who for many years have been cot off from outside communication by hides of bridle track at each end of the settlement.

Last wtfek, a strong well-sewn sack, full of Barley; arrived at the AVeraroa Experimental Farm (says the Levin Chronicle). A ticket attached showed that it came from London, and thci farm manager, Mr Drysdaie, was at a loss to account for its arrival, until an advice note arrived explaining that it was four hushcLs of Azov harley all the way from Russia, which country it left months ago, being sent along from London. Mr Drysdaie had a small lot of this harley on the farm some years ago, hut it Was distributed among other State farm's, and the purity of the seed lost. Last winter the order for the present lot was sent through the High Commissioner in London, and is the only Azov barley in the Dominion at present. For winter feed it is said to be unrivalled, being of exceptionally strong growth.

Mr John E. Stent, an ex-New Zealand, who has a property at Vedia, on the Pacific Railway, Argentine called Los Rubles, writes to the Pastor*alists' Review as follows:—"It was a big day for me at the last show at Buenos Aires; T felt very proud indeed. My animals were all taken straight from their paddocks, and were never inside a shed until they reached the show ground. They were the only one shown under these conditions, and took a large number of prizes. For my own part, this lias been the best year I have had. Sold out all my bulls and rams very early at first-class prices, did well out of fat stock, sold 265 tons of surplus hay at £.l 10s a ton, took 15 steeds and four calves to the fat stock show, and won 21 prizes, including six honourable mentions. Won £415 in prize money, and sold the exhibits for £1420. T have excellent crops—l2so acres. This is riot bad for what you call a cockatoo farmer, because I have only 2250 acres of country."