LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Stratford Evening Post, Volume XXVII, Issue 60, 10 July 1915, Page 4

LOCAL AND GENERAL.

It is rumoured that the Government is about to offer the Opposition four seats in a Coalition Cabinet of nine members. The fear of losing the support of Labour if such a course is taken is understood to weigh with the Party.

Through the kindness of Father Gilbert, of St. Patrick's College, Wellington, in lending dresses for the principals, the opera. "Merrie Englnd," will he beautifully dressed. The picturesque dresses of courtiers and ladies make an enchanting picture.

Residents of the Eltham .district are very anxious to witness a production by the Stratford Operatic Society of the new and original comic opera, "Merrie England." Arrangements are, therefore, being made to produce the opera in that town.and all profit- from the production will be devoted to the Patriotic Funds.

Weather Forecast.—Northerly strong winds to gale and hacking by west to south. Expect dull weather with much mist and fog in parts. Heavy rail) is to lie expected with rivers rising shortly. The barometer has a falling tendency, but rising after about twenty-four hours; then the weather will probably become colder. —Bates.

During the last twenty-four hours the rainfall in Stratford has been exceptionally heavy, but it may be consolatory to some people to learn that out&ida reports go to show that the downpour was general . The effect is plainly noticeable in the Patea, which is to-day carrying a very Ittrge volume of water.

The Stratford Domain Board held its ordinary monthly meeting yesterday, when there were present: -Messrs J{. McK. Morison (chairman), T; H. Penn, P. Thomson .and the secretary (Mr G. J). Hunter). Applications for the secretaryship were considered, and Mr A. 1). Stanley was appointed. It was decided to call the attention of the Borough Council to the state of the footpath in Kenton Street, near the gravel depositing, access to the Park being rendered difficult. Accounts amounting to £3 :<s Sd were passed for payment

A Press message, states that yesterday afternoon the men were being moved from Treutham Camp •in detachments, and some thousands occupied new quarters last night. The rapidity with which the movement had been planned and executed is a demonstration of the efficiency of the. military organisation that the Dominion has created largely .since the outbreak of the war. Inexperienced and raw troops could not possibly have undertaken so extensive an operation at such short notice. The change will involve a good many difficulties. The new camps naturally will lack many conveniences which had been provided at Treutham. and which could not be duplicated elsewhere at short notice, but the difficulties will he overcome, the .Minister is quite assured. Wellington Dominion says the figures \>f the death rate of the Trentliam Regiment are a complete condemnation of the hutments. These structures are both defective in design and overcrowded. In addition to the overcrowding, itself tending to lowei the vitality of the men and ls.< ilitating the invasion of disease, the risk ol infection is increased by the housing of excessively large numbers of men in single compartments. Finally the hutments are erected over ground thai has been folded by many months 01 previous encampment, ;md the design of the buildings allows the poisonous emanations Iroin the soil to rise di - ectly around the heads ol the sleeping men. The-.' facts should tune been p >inted out by the medical 011 - ... , . ~~. !'■' !' .- the sauitat ion and ■ ...,e:iii du.-dition.-i tit i-.o 'tup.

At the Magistrate's Court at Hnwera on Thursday, His Worship (Mr Kenrick, S.M.), delivered reserved judgment in the ease of S. Henderson v. Elgar. 'l'll*' claim was for £35, the balance owing of the agreed price ol '£l73 on the sale of a standing crop ol oats. The defendant claimed that plaintiff sold the crop as -4U acres ai £4 7s 6d per acre. Plaintiff, on the other hand, averred that the sale was at a lump sum irrespective of area. There turned out on survey to be only 32 acres in the crop, and defendant refused to pay for the shortage. amounting to £35. A number of witnesses were examined on each side. and His Worship took time to consider and as above stated, delivered his reserved decision on Thursday, giving judgment for plaintiff for the amount claimed and costs. Mr H. Spence (Stratford), appealed for the plaintiff, and Mr Spratt (Hawera), for the defendant. The preparedness of the British Admiralty is proverbial. The moment that it was known that the Germans were using gas in the trenches of Flanders, it was to the Admiralty that the Government turned for assistance. A million respirators were immediately forthcoming .and despatched to Sir John French. These were, however, found not to be as efficacious as was desired, and they were supple-* mented by another form of respirator, the cotton waste, wliieh was saturated witli a solution of carbonate or soda and hypo-sulphate of soda, being held in place by a veil. This was the form which was then utilised for our troops, but it has since been suggested that a helmet such as is used by firemen, which is made of wooden matter, with a talc space for the eyes, the'eotton wa#te inside being saturated with the same solution, would be preferable. Dr. Haldane has been 1 authorised to make experiments, and if the proposed form be the better it will be installed.

In Auckland city lives :i woman who. if the mineral possessions she lays claim to were converted' into hard cash, would be rich beyond the dreams of avarice. In a letter recently sent to the Hospital Ship and War Relief Fund, she made the startling offer of a free gift of a deposit of scheelite, an ore yielding tungsten, used in the hardening of steel, containing 30,000 tons, now worth £631 pe rton. .Multiplied out at even £SOO per ton. there is a cool offer of £1.3.000.000 to be picked up for the working of the stuff. Tbe scheelite deposit was discovered in the .Marlborough district several years ago, and it consistls of three reefs, over which she holds the mineral rights. One of these she has offered to the Government, and the other two. one larger and the other smaller, she is reserving for herself. The offer to the Government is made conditional upon all moneys receive! for the stuff actually worked being paid over to the wounded soldiers. A

second reef she intends to keep as leiexclusive property, and the third well, she might entertain the i(b.i of partners with a small interest. The Hospital Ship Executive referred the offer to the Government, and, alas for the unimaginative stolidity of Governments, the only response sent by the authorities is a formal note of acknowledgment.