LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Stratford Evening Post, Volume XXVII, Issue 67, 19 July 1915, Page 4

LOCAL AND GENERAL.

The Stratford County Conned will hold its monthly meeting on Wednesday next.

A social will he held at Douglas on Wednesday afternoon on the occasion of the forma! opening of the new parsonage. A larg6 number of troopers travelled south by train this morning. They are members of the next reinforcements. A special meeting of the Borough Council will ho hold this (Monday) evening, at 7..'50, when the business will he the dismission of tho Electric Light question.

Tli«> secretary of the Stratford Operatic Society states that the total takings at the two performances of “.Merrie England” amounted to £•100.

In .June fourteen men volunteer'd at Stratford, but. so far in July, only two men have volunteered. Five new names have been put on the roll, but until medical inspection is completed the names are not available. Of the men enrolling, the majority are Territorials.

Blood-red poppies, white daisies, and bluebells have been sent from Oallipoli by Private Ca l l If. Henson. t(, bis father, Mr Carl Hcnaen, of Ualiemlella Melbourne fhe fhnve. s were gathered on the battlefields, and seeds from the blooms are to he planted to keep in memory the gallant charge of the Australians.

A Dunedin Press Association telegram states that flour was reduced 10s per ton and is now quoted at £l6. The local price for flour lias thus been reduced 30s per ton during the last two weeks. The price of bread for the lib loaf will ho reduced from lOd to Old.

At the. Panama Exposition, reports the New Zealand Times, the Stratford Farmers’ Association was awarded a silver medal for refrigerated butter. AJitUurst, Lepperton, Mangorei, and Tikorangi also won silver medals for refrigerated butter. Cardiff and the Pavendale Company (Hawera) secured gold medals for cheese. Eltham. Hawera, the ..Toll Company. Kaupokonui, Ngaire and Xormanhy were awarded silver medals for cheese.

Mr James Donald, of Stratford, met with a serious accident on Saturday afternoon near Tutntawa. He was in the act of cranking up a big Cadillac car when the engine backfired, and the crank handle crushed the hand and wrist very badly. Mr Donald was alone at the time and had to walk three miles to a camp before he could get assistance. Dr. Steven was at once communicated with, and went out and attended to the sufferer. The occupiers of the

camp did everything possible for Mr Donald, who came into town with Dr. Steven. Mr Donald will he unable to use his arm for some time.

[ In Melbourne, mothers of sons who have gone to the war arc honoured with a neat little badge, sonsisting of a gilt brooch—an emblazooncd crown—from which is pendant an enamelled I nion Jack, with the words, “Son with the Colours,” neatly lettered in the enamel. One ol these emblems has been received in ; Wellington, and has created much interest among the women of this city. It has also been shown to some of j Ihe members ol Parliament, and it is i stated to lie not improbable that a proposal will be made to do something on the same lines in New Zealand for the mothers of New Zealand soldiers. “If he would onfy take my hand and call mo mother!”. Ihe New Zoai land Times says that such was the lament ol an elderly woman who bad gone aboard the WiUoehra to see her soil —one of the men who returned wounded from the Dardanelles. It was a pathetic incident, which moved tn feelings of compassion all who knew ol it. File man, lying in one of the wards, refused to recognise the woman who claimed to lie his mother, and who bad travelled a long way to speak to him. A bystander sought to | reconcile them, but bis overtures to | the wounded man were mot wuh the j stern command: “Don’t you menj tion my mother’s name.” Sobbing, the woman watched the attempts to soften her son’s resolution, and was only induced to leave the ship by ■< promise that further efforts would he made, and she would be informed if , thov were success!ul.

-nr. ■ Weather forecast.—Northerly strong winds to gale, and hacking by North to West. Weather is getting worse. Heavy rain is to he expected with rivers rising shortly. Barometer foiling.— Bates.

The Fire Brigade was called out

this afternoon about a quarter to two to a call from the County Hotel. The Hi igacle arrived in quick time, and found that a chimney was on fire at the hotel. The services of the Brigade were not required, and the outbreak was extinguished without any trouble,

l'p to and including Saturday last (stales the Press Association!, the following quantities of meat were purchased in New Zealand on behalf of the Imperial Government since tho inception of the scheme on 4th Marck: 185:369 quarters of beef, 875,858 carcases of mutton, and 1,456,187 eareases of lamb. The total purchases amount to £2,618,121 10s.

In connection with the Scottish Society’s concert, the following will contribute items: Mesdames Massey. E. C. Robinson. Misses M. Maeka-v, Sangster. and N. Bayly. The Highland Pipe Band will render selections, and Messrs Lockheed and Made will give Highland Dances. The Stratford Town Band and the Egmont Orchestra under the leadership of Mr 11. Cottier will also assist.

The wholesale price of sugar in tho various Australian States is as follows: Brisbane and Sydney £23 10s per ton. Melbourne £25 12s 6d, Adelaide £25 17s 6d. Perth £26. The arrangements for distribution have been left to the Colonial Sugar Company. Tbo retail price in the States now is 3d per lb, which is unlikely to yield any profit outside of Brisbane, Melbourne and Svdnev.

The committee that lias in hand the matter of the Mock Court to bo held on Tuesday afternoon, has now all the necessary arrangements completed, and the details of the procedure worked out. The proceedings promise to be extremely lively and humorous withal, and it is anticipated that the efforts'of the officials will result in a handsome sum being collected for a most worthy object. Onlookers need not bo apprehensive that they will lie pounced upon and heavily fined. In other towns this has. in some cases, been done, but in Stratford it is the intention of the Court only to hale before it those who are willing to enter into the spirit of the proceedings and who are agreeable to contribute, in this particular way, for the relief of our wounded men, some of whom have already returned to the Dominion. All the Court officers have been appointed, and the services of two members of the legal profession enlisted to act as Judge and Crown Prosecutor. The Court will be bold opposite the Post Office, in a speciallyerected staging, but it the weather be too inclement, the Court will take place in shot) recently occupied by .Mr P. Carlill. Proceedings open punctually at 2.30 p.m.