GENERAL.

Stratford Evening Post, Volume XXV, Issue 90, 19 April 1915, Page 2

GENERAL.

lii the course of the case heard iu the Court at Waitara on Wednesday (states the Mail), when compensation was sought for an accident through alleged negligence, one of the witnesses stated that he knew that some horses objected to bad smells, and he .considered that the smell of manure was a contributory cause of the acciMcut on which the claim was based. I'fhe same witness said that he had 'known of horses being unworkable when they were required to drill blood 'and bone into farming land. The Magistrate made a note of this testimony.

A good deal of variety falls to the | lot of the average reporter, and the recent lift fatality in Auckland presents a tragic phrase as yet unknown 'to the public. One of the Auckland 'papers sent a special reporter immediately to procure a first-hand "story," land'the reporter was horrified to find. .when he arrived at the scene, that the victim was his fiancee, to whom lie was to lie married a fortnight following. As was to lie expected the \

poor young fellow collapsed, and is only just recovering from probably the most unpleasant experience that has fallen to his lot during his varied career. This is how the San Francisco Chronicle describes an Exposition incident early last month:—Soon after Sam Haller, manager of the MacConnell

spectacle "Creation" on the exposition Joy /one, gave orders to start the show, a much-flushed stage manager appeared out in front with the announcement that Eve wasn't on the job and that several of the regular angels also had failed to punch the time clock. Inasmuch as both Eve and the angels are essential to "Creation," Haller got busy. Having had some experience with down-to-date Eves, he started his scouts out along the Joy Zone, with special instructions to watch the ice-cream parlours and search the Thompson "safety racer," which has created a ! line of "fans" all its own. Within ten minutes Hallei's .judgment was shown to be good. Eve, in her spotlight make-up,' and with only her coat to keep the breezes out of her more or less Edenesque costume, was found piloting one of the Thompson cars with Adam, who, by the way, had never been missed, and several angels. All were quickly hustled back to "Creation."

"I had an interesting experience the other' night," an Auckland member of the Divisional Signal Service writes from Zeitoun camp. "One of the boys who has made many friends in Cairo took me with him to a dancing class in town. To begin with, nobody waited to be introduced, as one's mere presence was supposed to be a sufficient guarantee of respectability. All the girls were French, Italian, ,or Greek, and the efforts to keep up a conversation was excellent mental exercise. Having sorted out a prospective partner, one rsuhed up and asked: 'Voulez vous danser ?' If the lady was . willing, she says: 'Mais oui, merci, ' monsieur,' and one fired ahead. If she had a partner, and perhaps sometimes when she had not, sh\3 said 'engagee,' and one had to try *>gain. My principal amusement that evening was a long and involved conversation, in French, with a young Rumanian merchant, who was very interested in the wool trade of New Zealand, and who had me thinking very hard how to tell him all J. wanted to about it. The people here, part : r;a*arly those who do not speak mur'h English, are very curious about New Zealand; and all that pertains to it." The~Johannesbu-g Sunday l'oit has published a thrilling story of the adventures of Trooper Snyman, of the Imperial Light Horse, a despatch rider, ,who, in ordinary life, is a Dutch fanner in the Orange River Colo'iy. Snyman had to carry three despatches for Colonel Alberts, Colonel Vanzyl. and Colonel Royston respectively. It was necessary to cross the Vaai, and when he reached the river it was in flood. He removed all his clothing, which he made into a bundle and fastened to the back of Ids spare horse. Then he remounted his own horse and started to cross the river. The spare horse was swept away and drowned. but Snyman, ton the other animal, reached tlie further bank. He rode naked through a hot day and well into a cold ni<rht, when he found himself : n touch with the rebels. This rendered it necessary to hide in the bush all night. The next morning his skin was peeling, and he was so cold that he could 'scarcely clamber on his horse. The 'whole 'of that day he rode through country infested witli the enemy, and, 'still naked, delivered the first of his despatches at nightfall. Thou, mere•ly stopping to get a pair of trousers and a blanket, he continued his journey, and next day delivered the other two despatched, after which he returned to the base.