LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Stratford Evening Post, Volume XXV, Issue 92, 21 April 1915, Page 4

LOCAL AND GENERAL.

A Hawera message states that the slander ease, Carroll v. Garden, has been adjourned for a week. Defend-! ant pleads privilege and justification.l At the meeting in Inglewood to further discuss the farmers' freezing' works proposals, .Mr McCutehan said, he considered that men should not, undertake positions requiring a dis-| play of energy unless they were pre-| pared to carry out their duties, says) the “Taranaki News.” He had thoroughly canvassed a district where the tracks were hud and settlement was remote, and ho could not see why other parts had not been/ canvassed where tire roads were good and the settlers were not so scattered. He urged every delegate to put his utmost energy into a work that was most important Fo? the whole provi nee. At the conclusion of tiro School Com. mittee meeting last night Mr G. Smart said he would like to express his appreciation of tire work done by| the Chairman (Mr P. Skoglund) rn conducting the meetings of the com-! mittee. The work of the visiting committee and everything they had taken on had been done in a mariner for the good of the school. Ho moved, and Mr McMillan seconded, that the Chairman be thanked for the work done by lum for tiro committee.—-Mr Skoglund thanked the committee for their remarks, and said that every member had done his work whole-heartedly and well. It was not always possible for him to attend meetings, but, like the rest of the members, Ire took a great deal of interest in the Committee’s affairs. He thought' they were leaving the school better than they found it.

Notice lias been given to members! of the civil service that the commissioner has approved of the adoption of a suggestion regarding the removal of furniture, etc., of officers on transfer. “Briefly,” states the notification, “the scheme is that officers oi various departments, when on transfer, should consult the inspector of scaffolding, or, where there is no such inspector, the officer in charge of the local office of the Labour Department, who would act in an advisory capacity. It is considered that the practical knowledge posessed bV these officers specially fits them to advise upon such matters, and they should be in a position to say whether the tender proposed to be accepted in any instance was fair and reasonable for the work required to be done. No tender is to bo accepted until such action lias been taken, and it is the duty of controlling officers to see that this in struction is carried out. The commissioner desires that a return should he kept for, say, three months, showing the effect of the working of this scheme.”

“The meeting of the waters,” was Chairman Hathaway’s designation of a matter which involved the Stratford County Council in a long discussion this morning. Considerable feeling was evinced hy the chairman, councillors, and the engineer i.Mr Lopdell), as the latter’s resignation was in live balance. In connection with the shifting of the Te Popo bridge., O Baskin

had, it was alleged, stated to several residents of the district that “before shifting the bridge the chairman and the engineer should have taken a. header off it!” The chairman said he

brought u]) the matter at the request <)| tlii> engineer, who said that this was not the first occasion on which tin l councillor referred to had attempted to depreciate him in the eyes of the Council’s employees. The enI gineer said he wanted to know his position once and for all with the Council. He had not taken that stand without serious consideration. Cr Baskin denied having used the words ascribed to him, while he considered there was no harm in asking any of the roadmen to shift a few shovels-fnl of earth from a drain if he <Cr Baskin') thought it was in the interests of the Council. He admitted, however, that he has very much annoyed at the manner in which the work on the Te Popo bridge had been done. Councillors after thoroughly ventilating their opinions, nnani--1 monsiv passed the following resolution, on the motion of the Chairman, 1 seconded by Cr Christoffel : ‘‘That a vote of confidence in the past services ! of the Kngineer he recorded, and that 1 he has Hie thorough confidence of the Council in all the work to he carried out.”

Members of lire Stratford Association Football Club are reminded that the first practice of the season will be held to-mororw afternoon in Victoria Park, at 3 o’clock. An area comprising 9395 acres in the Taurakawa S.l). arc open for sale nr selection on the optional The sections are exempt from rates and taxes for four years. During the course of a few valedictory remarks at las* meeting of the School Committee Mr E. Jackson said he would not seek re-election to the committee. In ins opinion, a member who had been on the committee for two or three yars should give another parent a chance. In discussing at tiie meeting of the School Committee last night, the item in the balance-sheet of expenditure for the school baths, Mr J. McMillan said that lie did not object to the item it the children were using the baths. In his opinion the children should be compelled to go to the baths and learn to swim. Four .sons of the late. Mr William Chrystali, the well-known Christchurch merchant, have been or are now engaged in the war (says the Press). Lieutenant J. T. Chrystali is serving with his regiment, the 13th Hurra:.s. in France. Mr H. M. Claystall has jlyt received a commission in the Royal Naval Division, and lias sailed from England to the .Dardan-A| elles. Mr G. H. Chrystali is a trooper with the New Zealand Expeditionary Force. Dr. W. P, Chrystali recently succumbed to a chill contracted while volunteering in the Malay Peninsula. A fifth son. Mr A. J. Chrystali, holds a commission in the Territorial artillery in Dunedin.