LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Stratford Evening Post, Volume XXVII, Issue 79, 2 August 1915, Page 4

LOCAL AND GENERAL.

■■■ The following are the vital sl.'ti ii-'s for Stratford for the past month Births ‘JI, marriages 7. deaths 0. As the Churches are holding services on the Anniversary of the War Day (Wednesday next) from 7..‘10 p.m. until 8.10 p.m. the time of the meeting called by tbo Mayor }n\a been changed to half-past eight.

The Stratford Co-operative Dairy Company’s factory, and the creameries at Skinner Road. Toko Road, and Gordon Hoad were opened this morning. At toe factory, oSO gallons of milk was weighed, wliii li is a fair start. Judging from reports, mis will bo a very good season a.s far as TSfAUuki (uruisrs are

The Cardiff Dairy Company te-opou ed this morning. A Smoke Concert will lie held in the Cardiff Schoolroom on Friday evening to farewell several Cardifl men who are leaving shortly for the Front.

.Members of the local Territorial Force, who have volunteered for the Front, will he entertained at a Smoke Concert by the “D” Company and friends this evening in the Medina Rooms.

Senior Cadets will parade on Wednesday night this week instead ol Friday in order to he present at the patriotic meeting at the Town Hall. 1) Company, lith Regiment, are also notified to lie at the School Gymnasium at 7..‘10 sharp, where the hand will he ready to play them to the Town Hall.

A local sportsman, famed as a iirstelass shot did great execution on Saturday among the feathered and furred game. He secured in tlie day MO quail, one pheasant, two pnkaki, and six Imres. It seems as though the shy game mistook the date, and, coming out of their seclusion a day too soon, were sorely depleted in numbers.

A Press Assoeiatiou message gives the following figures which show the quantity of hotter in cool storage at the various ports on July 31.—Auckland 2806 boxes, New Plymouth 200, Patea 720, Wanganui 637. Gisborne 60. Wellington 1300. Lyttelton 1861, Timaru 60. Dunedin 608; total 11.201. The total on July 31, 1011. was 22.614. and on July 31, 1013, 13,872.

At about three o’clock yesterday morning (states a Press Association telegram from Wellington), a man William Reaver was shot in the shoulder by a sentry at Fort Dorset. The authorities are reticent, hut it is stated that Reaver said he was joking or see if the sentry’s riiie was loaded or if he would use it. Reaver was conveyed to the Wellington Hospital hut his condition is not eonsidmvd serious.

An elderly man, Albert Parker, oi. New Plymouth, has been missing for the last lew days. Last week ho or-| ganised an entertainment in aid of the. Sick ami Wounded Soldiers’ Fund, but] on the evening of the entertainment he did not put in appearance. Inquiries were made, and apart irom the discovery of the words, “Parker is dead,” written on a tray left in the) Good Templars’ Hall, where the enter- 1 tainmont was held, no traces have been found of the man, Parker Is about fifty years of age, 511 Sin in height,' slight in build, and clean shaven.

The growing needs ol the railway t service in Stratford will shortly necessitate the enlargement of the yards or other improvements. Frequently at

the south end crossing at Fenton Street, traffic is held up for some considerable time. On Saturday afternoon about half-a-dozen wagons were shunted down the line and left, blocking tiie traffic for at least five minutes. .Meanwhile the engine was busy in the yards and the traffic hold up. It was suggested that a bit more “shunt” would have sent the waggons over the crossing and thus allowed traffic to go on.

An important development in * onneetion with the Stratford-Okahnkn'a railway (says the Taumarunui I’iess)

is the commencement ot die work on the Ongarue bridge. This structure, which will span the river close to the junction oi' the railway with the Main Trunk line, will have a length of four chains, and will serve both as a railway and traffic bridge. It will probably take some 18 months to construct. Slow progress is being made with the construction of the Okahukura tupnel. The bottom headings have advanced 29 chains at one end and 23 at the other, leaving 29 chains to complete. When the bottom heading is through, the tunnel will be one-fifth completed. About 70 men are employed on the

work. On the Auckland end of the railway 230 men are working, the number being slightly less than usual. At the present time of the year con-

ditons are not favorable for railway formation work, owing to the heavy rains experienced.