LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Stratford Evening Post, Volume XXV, Issue 66, 20 March 1915, Page 4

LOCAL AND GENERAL.

The Stratford Municipal Band have decided in view of the unsettled state of the weather, not to make the trip to the Stratford Mountain House, which had been arranged for to-mor-row.

Prior to the adjournment of the inquest on the body of the late William Thomas Pearce yesterday, Mr J. W. McMillan, foreman, tendered the sympathy of the jury to Mrs Pearce in her bereavement.

It is generally considered that at the periods of the equinoxes gales are particular noticeable. To-morrow (Sunday) marks the entrance into the autumn equinox, the day and night being exactly equal. So far, no particular gales of wind arc in evidence.

At thf Magistrate’s Court yesterday morning, for driving a gig without lights after dark ) K. H. Fincham was convicted without fine. Accused explained that his lamps were alight on leaving the stables, but owing to the jolting of the vehicle, they had been extinguished.

The Auckland Chamber of Commerce has decided to urge upon the Government to set up without delay a Commission to go into the matter of the improvement of the main road between Auckland and Wellington, reports the Press Association.

A “special” to the Post;—“The big tunnel work at Okahukura, which was closed down a month ago, is to be restarted next week, the bondsmen being called upon to do so. One of the bondsmen has written to Mr W. T. Jennings, M.P., stating that Mr Ditton, contractor, Wellington, is to have ful Icharge, and that the contract will be pushed on at high speed.

Two fine specimen roots of the Romney Marsh Turnip are on show at the local office of the New Zealand Loan and Mercantile Agency Co. Ltd. These wore grown by Mr G. A. Treweek, of Xgaere, and were sown with the Company’s special mixture of turnip manure. The nature of the roots speaks well for the Xgaere swamp soil.

In a civil claim at Christchurch (reports the Press Association), the Court awarded Olive Buick, machinist, £2OO as damages with costs against John Whitty, taxi-driver, and Whittv’s father, who was part owner of the car. Miss Buick had ibeen seriously injured as the result of a collision with Whitty’s car and a motor cycle and sidecar in which she was a passeu-

The Stratford 'Methodists have decided to hold a special service to commemorate the 75th anniversary of Methodism in Taranaki to-morrow week, as the annual harvest festival is being hold to-morrow. It was in LSIO that the Rev. Messrs Ironside, Buttle and Aldred chose a mission station close to the Waingongoro River, and traversed the South Taranaki district on a missionary expedition.

A .Napier P.A. telegram states that the County Council discussed the question of foodstuffs, and passed a resolution recording their emphatic protest against the way prices were being advanced, and calling upon the Government to exercise the powers invested in it by regulating the prices of the common necessities within the hounds of reason, thus checking the rapidity of a few and protecting the well-being of the whole.

Tuna School picnic and dance will be held on Friday next, and every endeavor is being made to make it a decided success. . i c' A poll of ratepayers of the Borough will be held on Wednesday next, in the Town Hall, in connection with the proposed special loan of £9OOO for Municipal Buildings. Notification appears in another column that forms of application to be examined in connection with the technological examinations of the City and Guilds of London Istitute and science examinations of the Board of Educa-a tiou, London, may be obtained the local Technical School. Applications I to be examined must reach the authorities on the dates specified in the notification.

In connection with the Toko sports on Thursday next special train arrangements are made as announced in another column. The usual 11.20 a.m. train, Whangamomona to Stratford, will leave Whangamomona at 9.55, Te Wera 10.50, Toko 12.5, and a special train stopping at Skinner Road will leave Stratford at 1.30 p.m., arriving Toko 1.50 p.m., returning from Toko at 5.45, reaching Stratford G. 15 p.m. Y' At the monthly meeting of the Taranaki Executive of the New Zealand Farmers’ Union on Thursday, the following motion, moved by Mr Dunn and seconded by Mr Maxwell, was passed regarding the war tax: “That the Taranaki executive of the Farmers’ Union considers that the fairest way of raising the estimated revenue required through the war would be a percentage increase on all existing taxes.”

Whangarei Press Association reports;—Extraordinary heavy rain, the heaviest experienced in Whangarei for two years, has fallen during the last thirty hours and continues. The rainfall is general throughout the North Auckland district, which has suffered abnormal drought periods over the last three years, during which farmers and orchardists suffered severely. The camp of the Fifteenth North Auckland Regiment at lluatangata, was compelled to close. Living within “Cooee” of *a railway train, there are few who think and less who care about the troubles of tTO way-back settler and his wife and family. Yet, in the confines of the Beyond, back of Whanga, exists a man, who, in order to give his wife a taste of civilisation once now and again in the gathering years, has to carry her on his back over six rivers in his journey to and from the nearest township. To the helpmate of this man, even Whanga fashions must make her feminine heart ache more for freedom. Nearly ten years of this sort of thing finds the settler no nearer satisfaction, and Uow he is making another despairing effort to secure a formed dray road as access to Whanga via the Rerekino and Mangare Roads. About a dozen of these unfortunate, but plucky fellows have petitioned the Stratford Chamber of Commerce to support them in their request to the hard-hearted powers that be.

Reference to the movement to establish some suitable memorial of the late Thomas Bracken was made in the re- y port of the executive presented on Tuesday to the Grand Lodge of the Independent Order of Oddfellows in Auckland. The report stated that Bracken had been a member of the Order, and an appeal had been made to the lodges for subscriptions towards the cost of erecting a suitable stone on his grave. The sum of about £IOOO had been obtained from various sources for this purpose, and it was stated that a sura of £IOOO would probably be available to found a memorial scholarship at the University of Otago. The grand secretary, Bro. W. Reid, of Dunedin, said that the late Bro. Bracken was the first X.G . of Unity Lodge, the largest lodge in New Zealand, and was probably associated with the Order more intimately than with any other institution. 1 The following new books have been added to the Stratford Public Library; “The Mutiny of the Elsinore” (Jack London), “The Great White Army” (Max Pemberton), “Clark’s Field” (Robert Herrick). “The Three Sisters” (May Sinclair), “Lost Sheep” (Yore Shorfct), “The Hero of Urhino” (May Wynne), “Cross-Fires” (Florence Warden), “Spray on the Windows” (J. E. Buckrose), “But Hie Meant Well” (William Caine), “The Thirty Days” (Hubert Wales), “The White Horses” (H. Sutcliffe), “Love in a Palace” (F. E. Penny), “Aladore” (Henry Xewlott), “Percy and Others” (F. Anstey), “Book Here” (W. Pett Ridge), “Brother-in-law to Potts” (P. Truscott), “Ape’s Face” (Marion Fox), “Charity Corner” (Andrew Sontar), “Black is White” (G. Barr McCutcheon), “Piet of Plessis” (John Ogg).

Weather Forecast*.—Freshening northerly strong winds to gale. Weather clouding over, rain later. Expect dull weather, with much mist and fog in parts. Barometer falling.—Bates, Wellintgon. Some excitement was caused in Broadway at about 1 o’clock to-day through a horse running out of the Club Hotel stables and making at a great pace down Broadway. Ihe animal was eventually brought to a standstill, no damage being done. A Danneyirke telegram to-day states that the mail bag tfhich was missing some weeks ago from the Napier evening train was found recently in a street near the railway station. It had been ripped open and rifled, and a sum of money was said to have been stolen. Bertram Bunn, the Reform Candida 1 ® for Riccarton at last election, appeared before the Christchurch Court today (states a P.A. wire), and uas charged with attempting to procure abortion. He was remanded until Friday next. Bail was allowed, self £3OO and a surety of £3OO. The case is the outcome of evidence at the inquest on the death of an illegitimate child last Monday.