LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Stratford Evening Post, Volume XXVII, Issue 84, 7 August 1915, Page 4

LOCAL AND GENERAL.

In Sydney the price of biscuits will be increased Id per lb. from the 10th inst.

The Arawa has left London for Lyttelton'. which port she is >\uc to reach at the end of next month.

The Borough Council will hold their monthly meeting in the Council Chambers on Monday evening, at 7.30 o'clock.

At Mondny's meeting of the Stratford Borough Council, ;i presentation will be mack- to Mr X. J. King on the occasion of his retirement from local politics.

Ab the result of certain actions by some members of the I.W.W. (Independent Works of the World), the Sydney police have been empowered to arrest all disloyal street speakers.

The Press Association at Blenheim reports to-day: George Melton (26), driver, was killed instantaneously by the overturning of a waggon down an embankment at Waihopai.

On the motion of Mr Percy Thomson (Hallhvell and Thomson) probate has been granted to Hannah Maria Lockwood in the estate of Charlie Lockwood, Strathmore, by Mr .Justice Cooper.

The Hoard of Advice to assist the Defence Department on questions of supplies will consist of Messrs A. H. Miles, one of the proprietors of Murray, Itoberts and Co., A. Macintosh, of Dalgety's. and George Wilson, of Aitken. Wilson and Co.

The Minister of Internal Affairs has received word stating that the executive • committee of the New Zealand Public Service Association passed unanimously a resolution placing on record its full confidence in the Publie Service Appeal Board and expressing confidence in the fair and impartial manner in which the board carried out its functions.

At the monthly meeting of the W.C.T.T'. held in Regan Street Methodist Schoolroom on Thursday after, noon, great dissatisfaction was expressed at the result of the voting re the supply of alcoholic liquor in Bellamy's. Members held that representatives were not showing the self-sacri-fice that the war demands, nor were were they respecting the King's example.

The London book dealers, Messrs Hodgsons, have discovered a copy of what is believed to be the first Australian hook. It hears the imprint, "CI. Howe, Sydney. 1814," and is in the Tahitian language. It is an epitome of Christ's teachings. When missionaries escaped to. Sydney in 1812 from the cannibal Tahitians, they prepared a hook, and returned when the islanders were tranquil.

During July 263 estates were certified for payment of death duties the largest heinig that of S. B. Lawrence, of Invercargill. at £46,001. Following is the list for New Plymouth:—George Lander £3711, William Rowe £3559, Matilda Duncan £3132, Elizabeth Pitcher £3073, George Alexander Tabor £2119, Mary Ann Colson £1459, William Henry'l-esch €1323. Patrick McKarhino £lOls.

The cribbage "rubber" between two teams of Stratford players was commenced last evening at Elder's rooms. The "B" team won by one game, the scores being 43—12. The players and scores are as follows, "A" team being mentioned first—A.Nelson and B. Creen (5 v. W. Brown and W. Graham (i; V. Stewart and G. Hannah 10 v. Drake Bros 3 J W- Kelly and D. But-e-hart •") v. .1. Harston and 1?. Ricklehen 6; •). H. Sharroek and W. McAllum 3 v. C. Kivell and T. Malcolm 7; F. and \Y. Collins 5 v. J. H. Thomas and iv Dixon 9; J. Jones •"> v. H. Kivell 7; 11. .tones and W. Clifton S v. A. Walsh and G. Slight 5.

In view of the heavy loss incurved by the Stratford County Council during the recent heavy storms in the East District, the Council have decided to invite ratepayers to pay their rates in advance, where possible. Needless to say. settlers who can do so will lake the opportunity of assisting Ihe Council in their present financial crisis. The lot of the BackUoeker is always a hard one as regards roads, and the policy of self-help is apparently the only one that can he adopted in a time when money is scarce. The Council are taking a hold hut wise step, which should earn the cooperation of the settlers who can help in the present stringent necessity.

At a sitting of the Stratford Police Court this morning, a first offender 1 for drunkenness*, who was arrested on the station platform last night, was 1 lined os. M,- ,). Masters, Jf.P., was on the Bench.

Considerable ingenuity is being 1 brought to bear on finding novel prizes ' for winners of raffles. A Sydney firm. in one instance, offered a day's holiday ' to nn employee, to be raffled at 3d a member, the holder of the winning ticket being allowed the day off, without I deduction of pay.

An Jnglewood Press Association telegram to-day states that a man named Andrew Walters, who had l)cen in Inglewood a week and had taken ill. Mas being taken to the railway to go to the Stratford Hospital, when he collapsed on the road and died almost immediately owing to heart failure*. It has been decided that an inrpiest is not necessary.

Among local theatre-goers some doubt having been expressed as to the probability of Air and Airs Graham Moffat themselves appearing in "A Scrape o' the Pen.'' in Stratford, the management state that these celebrated Scottish artists will positively appear, and the company will be the original players specially selected in Scotland by Mr Graham Moffat:

The people of Dunedin are making strenuous efforts to beat all records with their Queen Carnival. Kor the Allies' Queen a valuable building site at St. Clair has been donated, and the allied building trades are erecting on it a modern brick dwelling free of cost, fitted with electric light and up-to-date fittings, and when finished will be worth over £"1200. The price of the art union tickets is 2s 6d each.

Addressing a deputation of ladies at Wellington the Hon. .James Allen stated that extraordinary care was being taken with regard to the outbreak ,of meningitis. His opinion (reports the Press Association) was that none of the suspected cases would bo found to be meningitis. The - Dannevirke case certainly was not, and lie did not believe the Duncdin cases were. Every man. said Mr Allen, would be examined more than once before he left, to make as sure as was humanly possible that the infection was not taken aboard the ships.

it lias been pointed out that the paragraph appearing in yesterday's ■ issue with reference to-the question of the service of a summons by the clerk of a local solicitor does not correctly convey the Magistrate's decision on the point. The first point raised by Mr Maealister was that any solicitor is entitled, under the Magistrate's Courts Act. to serve a summons personally, or by any person employed by him. without obtaining the leave of the .Magistrate or the Clerk Of the Court; .secondly, that even if the Clerk has discretion to grant or refuse leave to serve a summons by a person other than the bailiff, such discretion should not be exercised by him against a solicitor, as a solicitor is just as much an officer of the Court as is the Clerk himself. The Magistrate disagreed with Mr Macalister on the first point, but supported his view on the second point.

The exceptionally high prices ruling in Dunedin for stock of all descriptions have compelled the Master Butchers' Association to raise the price of meat, the new scale of charges coming into force yesterday. An indication of the strong demand at present existing for butchers' meat was apparent at the Burn«side, sales, when one pen of lambs was disposed of at 3-1 s, while several other pens were sold at over 30s. Fat sheep changed hands at up to 42s 6d. Beef was selling at well over 40s per 1001 b, the top price being £2O 5s for a pen of prime bullocks. To show how substantially prices have increased (continues the Otago Daily Times), it niay be mentioned that prime cattle could lie bought three or four years ago for 27s to 28s per 1001 b. The increase in prices now announced is from Jd to Id per lb., and it is stated that present indications point to a further rise in the near future. It, is interesting to note in a recent issue of a Scottish journal that a marked increase in the price of meat has taken place in Scotland. The paper states: "Quite a number of butchers have already adopted the three days' week. Taking things generally, the housewife has to pay about Id per lb. more for meat to-day than she paid this time last year. If we put up the meat to a price that would give no normal profits, no one would buy from us. When a man has to pay the wholesalers ltkl per U) for dead meat, he has to charge his customers from Is 2d, to Is 3d to clear himself at all." In Glasgow alone, says the People's .Journal, 300 butchers or more have had to close down, owing to the prohibitive rates that prevail. And the worst of it is that the public are warned that oven higher prices must lie expected.