LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Stratford Evening Post, Volume XXV, Issue 59, 12 March 1915, Page 6

LOCAL AND GENERAL.

The local Catholics have arranged their usual annual social for St. Patrick's Night, 17th inst.

Owing to the date of the next wool and hide sale of local firms falling due at Easter, the sale will be held a week later, viz., on 13th April.

An extraordinary general meeting of the Stratford- Farmers' Co-operati\e Association, Ltd:, will be held on Tuesday next, at 11 a.m., to consider the question of cheese.

A member of Stratford's legal profession came to Court lato on two occasions to-day and received a rebuke from a\patient bench. "I wonder what would happen to me," said Mr W. G. Konrick, "if I kept my appointments like that."

After several months practically without rain, the Dannevirke district experienced a beneficial fall on Wednesday and Thursday nights, relieving considerably the serious position in which agriculturalists and pastoralists found themselves on account of the drought.—P.A.

At the Auckland Supreme Court, George Reynold Bennett, 55 years of age, on five charges of breaking and entering and false pretences,,was sentenced to five years' imprisonment with hard labor.

Weather Forecast.—The indications are for south-easterly moderate to strong winds with weather probably cool and changeable and scattered showers. The night will probably be very cold. Barometer little movement.

Referring to the reported decrease of 20 per cent, in the demand for bread in Christchurch, Mr A. Raven, president of the Wellington Master Bakers' Association, stated that the decrease locally was about 5 per cent. A rise in the price of bread was always accompanied by lesser demand, which generally lasted only a week or two. People for a while were more economical, but the demand returned ;to normal when they grew accustomed' to the price. From January to March bread sales were always lower than at other times of the year on account of the fruit season. Further increase in the price was not thought of, but it all depended on the cost of flour. *

The Salvation Army services on Sunday, next will be.in the nature of Harvest Festival Thanksgiving., tant and Mrs Scotney, managers of the Boys' Home, Eltham, are announced to conduct the services. The Adjutant is spoken of as as being an earnest and thoughtful speaker.. They are also most acceptable singers, and Mrs ScotnA usually accompanies her husband on the piano. The afternoon service is announced as a "Song Service entitled "Leah of the Lumber Camp," and is a tale of the early American back woods life. There should be crowded halls during the day, and a successful Harvest Thanksgiving.

At the Auckland Supremo Court, William Charles Hutchings appeared for sentence on several charges of embezzlement, to which he had pleaded guilty. The Crown Prosecutor stated that accused was in a responsible position in the Sun Insurance Co., and in four years had embezzled £I7OO. After making,all allowances for his known extravagances there was a sum of £3OO unaccounted for. Justice Stringer said the. prisoner had already suffered the greatest punishment be could have, but there was a duty to the general public, and the punishment must be exemplary as well as primitive. Accused had systematically robbed his employers and concealed the frauds by the falsification of the books, he would be sentenced to two years' hard labor.