LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Stratford Evening Post, Volume XXVII, Issue 83, 6 August 1915, Page 4

LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Territorials in uniform are invited to attend the farewell function at the Egmont Club on Thursday evening next at 8 o'clock.

A London cablegram states that butter is very firm, the finest, being scarce, a few Australian brands fetching 142 s to 114 s. Cheese is quiet and in rather better demand.

Sunday will bo observed at St. Andrew's 'Church as a day of intercession in connection with the war. In the evening the Rev. .). Pattison will preach on "The Way to Victory."

Weather forecast.—The indications are for northerly strong winds to gale. Weather cloudy to overcast. Heavy rain to be expected with rivers in high flood. Barometer falling.-Bates, Wellington.

Only two civil cases wore deal with at the Stratford Magistrate's Court this morning. In the judgment summons case, Pees v. Meads, an order was refused, and the case. Wilson v. Petersen, was adjourned until August 20.

The accommodation at the Hawera Hospital is very heavily taxed at present (states the Star), and the medical superintendent stated yesterday that there is not a vacant bed in the women's wards and only one in the men's. The Union S.S. Company's rnrgo steamer Corinna of 1271 tons, which loft Wellington at L 0.45 last night for New Plymouth, returned to port at 1.15 this morning (states the Press Association) having apparently touched Barret's Peel' at the Wellington entrance.

His Excellency the Governor Ims received the following cablegram from the Secretary of State lor Colonies (Right Hon., A. Bonar Law "Please inform your Ministers that we have learned with much pleasure that the political parties in New Zealand have united to form a National Government."

Mr A. H. Xorrie. the newly-ap-pointed Presbyterian Missionary to Whangamomona, will commence services on Sunday next in the morning at Te Wera, afternoon at Pohokura, and evening at Whangamomona. The Mission Station headquarters will he at "Whangamomona, where the missionary and his family will reside.

The Chambers of Commerce Association, at the meeting in Wellington, elected Mr -James .Macintosh (Wellington, president, and -Messrs It. Burns. Auckland, T. K. Gibson, Christciiurch. vice-presidents. A resolution was eai'i-ied urging the earlier publication of grain and sheep statistics, also affirming the desirability of the Chambers establishing a Commcrical Defence land. The Conference decided to urge the Government to introduce legislation cancelling contracts made with subjects of enemy countries.

As the result of an alleged assault in Broadway on Wednesday night, a man named Russell now lies in the Stratford Hospital. It appears that a party of men partook of supper in a local restaurant, and Russell, on coming out alone, was struck by another man and rendered unconscious. The man went unconcernedly on bis way and left Russell lying ill the side channel with his head split open. A police constable was called and the unconscious man was conveyed to the hospital. li is understood that the police are taking action in the matter. At noon to-day Russell was reported to be progressing satisfactorily. Valuable services were rendered at Taumarunui by a number of soldiers. whose journey to Auckland on leave ,vns delayed by the suspension of the railway traffic reports the New eZalind Herald). They were nillOllg the passenger.'-' by the train which was slopped, by the subsidence of the line beneath the locomotives, and they eagerly responded to a request for their assistance in removing luggage ami mail ■ beyond the danger point, to he loaded into an expected relief tram. The work wn - directed In Lieutenant (air, ihe only officer on the train. and was quickly ace plislied. Later, : , s (.| u> relief train bad not been able to gel through, it was decided thai the iraTn should be sent to Taumarunui, and the soldier-; again willingly replaced the luggage and the mails in their former positions. At Taumarunui, the soldier, again gave much assistance to other !>assci:\:,:-rs by tint storm-bouiui

The Onirah has arrived at Fre-

mantle from Loudon

At out o'clock to-day (states the Press Association), the Hon. Mr Massoy stated he was unable to make an announcement as to who the new Ministers would lie. Unexpected developments had taken place which he is having difficulty in settling, but he did not anticipate 1 this would interfere with the general scheme of a National Cabinet, and he fully expected the Ministers to he sworn in at Uovernment House this evening.

A breeze took place in the Magistrate's Court this morning between .Mr McAlister and the Clerk of the Court. It was alleged that the Clerk of the Court refused to let Mr MeAlister's clerk deliver a summons. Mr McAlister contended that any solicitor oi' clerk of any solicitor had the right to issue a summons privately. This, the Clerk said, was wrong as the reading of the subsection of the Magistrate's Court Act would show. Mr McAlister said that in any other town the solicitor or his clerk was always allowed to serve the summons. The Magistrate agreed with the Clerk.

Concerning the public meeting in the Stratford Town Hall on Wednesday evening, the local correspondent of the Herald states inter alia:—

The meeting lasted barely threequarters oi' an hour and terminated rather abruptly, as it seemed to the audience, with a few bars of the .National Anthem and ''Rule Britannia." In these times of the superwar our ideas formed in long years of safety are constantly in a state of flux. Until to-night T have been concerned with what seemed to me the dreadful levity with which people were regarding the position, and desirous that something should lie done to bring them to a more serious state of mind. Rut after tonight's attempt in that direction T incline to the belief that it is better to lot them alone in their lightheartedness and leave the worry to those in responsible positions. The meeting listened decorously to the solemn words from the platform, but one felt that it was not in tune and that if somebody had started "Tipperary" it would have been changed in an instant into a rollicking carnival of patriotism. Our people are young, full of vitality, and it woidd need a very powerful orator indeed to imbue them with that spirit of dour determination that seems fitting to the occasion. Our troops at the front charge the enemy and "stick if in the trenches to snatches of music-hall ditties and camp catchwords, and we must take our people as we find them. Anyhow. I hope wo will have no more meetings like that of this evening. Wo will take our gruel with a laugh and a joke, even if wo hide save hearts.