LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Stratford Evening Post, Volume XXV, Issue 75, 31 March 1915, Page 6

LOCAL AND GENERAL.

The banks were closed to-day, being the anniversary of the province.

Weather forecast—The indications are for westerly winds with a southerly tendency,. The weather,will probably prove squally and changeable, clouding over for rain later. Barometer .unsteady.

The Vestry of St. Mary’s Church, New Plymouth,- one of the most interesting churches, in the .Dominion,- have let a contract for the addition of a north transept and lady chapel ; as a memorial to Archdeacon Govett, one of, the earliest incumbents. ■ The additions (states tlto Press Association) Will be-of stone and will cost about £I6OO.

A rather remarkable feat was performed at the Napier Municipal Baths on Monday by a Maori lad. The scho. lars of the Napier West School wei'e swimming distances for certificates presented by the Royal Life-Saving Society, and amongst them was J. Kara, who possesses only one leg. He swam 3200yds, and, according ’to a Spectator, could have, gone on; touch longer, only the water was too cold.

In the December quarter of 1914 there was a decrease in the number of criminal.'casetf , taken before the of the Dominion %s compared with-thfe cases taken in fhe December, of 1913. In the ,th‘ik there were 11,852 ,-U',149 leases. On tjhe . civil side there Was an increase in ! the amount of litigation referred to the magistrates.

To-morrow evening in the Foresters’ Hui|l,- the eminent and popular : scientist,;' Professor Clement Wragge, will deliver a lecture on the Mighty Universe, Coming Seasons, and Radium. .Those, who have, riot heai;d Professor Wragge should not m isg this 1 opportunity of hearing him. The lecture will,,he, illustrated by numerous valuable slides,, being the latest photographs frofn the great observatories; The experiments with radium are particularly beautiful, and the lecturer will give ,liis forecastes of seasons ftpjp, tlu> present tiriie til! 1930, and will explain his riiptjpfd of arriving at his conclusion.

■> flnterviejyecl at Wellington to-day "regarding the export of produce from the Dominion, the Minister of Customs tripde the following' further statement: The stocks of bran- held' in the Domiriidn are under normal,' but as bran deteriorates by keeping permission has been given for a limited export, and ‘the ? application will be considered Week by week. Straw" and chaff are hot prohibited, and can be exported withovit permission, but the Customs »rtfust-be sat Mud that the grain ha», bee* threshed 1 out/ The duty on flour, whpat, and Algerian oats for seed purposes has drily been suspended till the end of the year/— .P.A. / ;/■'■ -A m ■

! Commenting upon the o#se of the* Whangampmona who, to give his wife a taste of civilisation, has to .carry hereon his hack over six rivers in his journey to and fro the nearest township, the Lyttelton Times says: '‘The settler whose-dase is mentioned by the Stmtford newspaper has a real grievance against the State,' against ahy Gpven)merit which has permitted or continues, to permit hffti to labour Hjider such' hardships and social disadvantage. We cannot help thinking that the monopolisation dt fertile and accessible lands might : well .be broken down before people are dinveu into remoteness and /isolation. Settlement •should not be so far in . advance of reading facilities while railways and roads run through hundreds of miles pf probably. he . brought/ jnto . greater use. That struggling settlers should be shut ,offv from .’■civilisation for ten ,years- or more, at, all ©vents, ccinstitutes a reproach on the rnotp, forfcpnate sections ; pl the. community, - artdf,tiie, people, liament, ought to insist" upon that r»* proach being removed. ak early as pdv V " 'Vi

In connection with, the cost of living in- England, an amusing story, is told of the disclosures of a cupboard and what an epraged husband learned when he inquired into his wife’s, apparent extravagance. One day, instead pf sitting' down to, the familiar leg of mutton, he found it replaced by a wild duck. On the first occasion* he concealed his nervousness, but when a pheasant appealed a night or two later, and partridge had its turn, he ’began to wonder whether he had bet, ter see his wife’s mother about it. The line had to be drawn somewhere, with ithe, cost of living rising every day, A few days latei; he was treated to woodcock, oysters, and hothouse pine, and •then the surprised and horrified husbhiid gitye his wife a piece of his mind. To his amazement he found that what lie supposed to be an absurd jest was really a good business proposition.. .Whftstable oysters, formerly 2s 6d perdozen, were pleading for purchase at Is. Fines, formerly prohibitive, ranged from Is upwards. The poultry, dealer confessed that woodcock, usually retailed at 3s each, had gone begging at 9d. Pheasants are 5s 5d ,a brace instead of 7s fid. Wild ducks may be had at 2s fid each. Fine hares are as low as 3s, Fish; in. spite of the fact that the Gentians think they command the North Sea, was actually cheaper.