LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Stratford Evening Post, Volume XXVII, Issue 90, 17 August 1915, Page 4

LOCAL AND GENERAL.

The Matai has arrived at San Francisco from New Zealand. “Australia Day’ in West Australia realised £15.02-’). The monthly meeting of the Stratford County Council wilt he held tomorrow. A Melbourne message states that wholesale butter has been reduced by ;kl to Is 10(1 per lb, the reduction h\inig due to the fact that Xew Zealand is now permitting the export of hotter.

A Press Association telegram Ironi Christchurch states that factory butter has been reduced hy Id per lb, and is now quoted wholesale at Is od to Is (5;1. Bread is selling for ?d per 4lh loaf.

The Xew South Wales Alliance made a demonstration in favor of the six o'clock closing of hotels (reports a Sydney cable). A feature was the unveiling of a petition which was two miles long containing lid,ooo signatures at Wanga.

At the Savage Club at Wellington on Saturday night-a fund was proponed hy • Mr• ti'ilford, M.P., to' send one machine .gun from the Club. A sub.sh’ipflioir was'' ta'kbn hp, and the result has enabled the , Club to present two machine jguus.

The Mayoress of Stratford (Mrs' J. W. Boorj) is calling a meeting of ladies on \Friday ;''afte Wooif ‘ <s' O.'dO o’clock tlo’ fhriii ‘si committee to 'assist the Fire with its arrangements 'foil the ‘rplVinl-np” Sbcitfl and 'Procession to be held on Thursday. September 9. 1 1 ‘ ' '

An experiment in afforestation is taking place on the hills at the wireless station at Wellington, and about three months ago a consignment of IP<> rata seedlings was despatched thereto from hush properties in Taieri Month and (ilenledi districts (Otago).' A; further consignment of 2000 seedlings is now being prepared for'despatch'to supplement" tluyexpOi'inient.

. The ,strntford Patriotic Committee advertise that: a public mooting will bo held in the Town Hall on Saturday next .at |2 p.ra.f to -receive ’report and balance-sheet and to elect a patriotic committee, for the ensuing year. The care and assistance of our brave soldiers and their dependents who have suffered in upholding the Empire will call for much wise thought and action in the near future. The public should, therefore, largely attend this meeting am! by counsel and wisdom assist the, matter in a proper direction.

A somewhat novel method ol raising money for the Wounded Soldiers ’and Ked Cross Funds was adopted hy a gathering ol sportsmen during dinner at the Clarendon Hotel; Christchurch, on Wednesday evening (says ' the Lyttelton Times!. Mr W. Hayes, sporting editor ol the Otago Daily Times, picked up a banana from a plate, and suggested that it should lie sold bv notion in aid of the funds. The idea was agreed to immediately, and Mr Hayes officiated as auctioneer. Lids came rapidly, and the banana was sold and resold again until it bad realised £3l 11s. the skin being knocked down for £2. It \yas decided to divide the amount between th two funds. The skin of the banana was retained bv Mr Hayes as a trophy.

A somewhat rum theory was "impounded by Mr T. M. "NVillord in the course of a ease at the Supreme Court on Saturday (reports the New Zealand Times). He was instructed, lie said, that the prisoner was anxious to get to the front in order that the prohibitions prevailing there might give him a eh a nee to overcome his craving for drink. “Hut, 1 understand,” said the Cider Justice, “that they give the men rum rations there. 1 saw it in the papers.” “Ah, yes. Your Honor.” replied Mr AY i I ford. with not a smile on his face, “hut I should say that would mean funny rations, not rations of j rum. There is sometimes something rum about them, I believe.” “To give some idea of how the pnh-i lie is being demoralised by the raffling: craze.” remarked the Minister of Internal Affairs laughingly in Dunedin; mi Hr id ay, “J may say that within j ihe last couple of days I received an! replication for permission to raffle a j -nicking pig. 1 had to raise the point whether it was a work of art. It was j suggested to me that when cooked and j lecorated it would certainly fall ivith-j in that category. Another instance, was that in which ;i bootmaker asked lerniission to raffle a pair ol hoots tor latriotie purposes, the tickets to cost j me penny each. Needless to say. j mih requests wore declined politely but hrrnly.”

’Weather Forecast .—The indications are for southerly strong winds to gale. The barometer will probably prove cold find .showery, if ammeter Data's, Wellington. Writing to -Mr W. A. lieu itt. of the Loan and Mercantile Co.. Strartord. Mi' K. W . Walters, now of Wa: Loa, in tlio Waikato, states that he has just sold a draft of fat bullocks at CTO Ids and a nice hue of fat wethers at A2s (id. Ibices for tats would, therefore, appear to ho belter in the Waikato than in Taranaki. The ■ beekeepers of the Stratford district are calling a meeting in the near future to form a local beekeepers’ association, and Mr George Bradley will he pleased to hoar from apiary proprietors who will co-operate with him in forming tire proposed body. Of late, the .Stratford district has been somewhat neglected in regard to the inspection of apiaries, hut once an association is formed it is thought that there will he a decided improvement. A Greynmiith telegram states that the State Miners’ Uni m yesterday decided to ask the Government to bring g ;yoont a meeting of the Miners’federation and the coal owners, to discuss an advatich in wages, which the •’miners consider is due owing to the increased cost of living, and thereby prevent any drastic action on the part of the union in a time, of stress, as there is no wish on their part to he compelled to take a similar action to that of the miners. A resolution was also passed urging the stoppage of the alleged victimisition that is practised on the vater fronts in New Zealand. A Stratford resident who was in Wellington last week saw the “Sixth” Reinforcements parade on Saturday last. The “ffcxth” are without doubt the .finest body of men that has left New Zealand. They have done their training under conditions which would probably have disheartened men of iinferior courage and stamina. They faced sickness and winter without flinching, and ■ they came out of the ((meal with colours flying. They marched well with heads erect, and there was not 011$ map, in the; tanks with whom the most fastidious .military man would find fault. Their parade greatly impressed the” public," ,vliose warm feeling was; manifested. by the cheers and - flowers’ : ’ which ' were' ' l,} flowered upoi. them. New Zealand can well he satisfied with the '“Sixths,’-’ who will shortly he with f , their predecessors‘in the Dardanelles. New Zealand can rest assured that their hearing and spirit will "'carry them through anything 1 r ”5 T V•' 1n f 1 : ’* J’-.’ 5 :

At the Stipendiary Magistrate’* Court at Opnnake on Thursday, Mrs Jessie' Crawley sped Miss Devtil'y, Iswp ' retary to the Opnnake Croquet Chib, for alleged defamation aiid libel. Tlie alleged libel was contained in posting up a uotii'e Am the club’s pavilion.'.■that* > Mrs, Crawley be asked to resign, and also forwarding notice to Airs "Crawley that jslie should apologise to the club for making an insinuation, or, failing that, she should he asked to resign. Plaintiff claimed Co in' r’esjjeet ’ of the alleged libel, and Co for defamation. The origin of the dispute was ttm loss, in Jannarv last, of a small

amount of’money, from the Croquet Club’s grounds, ami an insinuation following. Mr Marshall, for Mrs Crawley, argued that posting up the notice was publishing it. and that tlie inference affected Mrs Crawlers character. Mr Spence urged that posting up a notice was a privilege rightly carried

out by tfie secretary, and it was' not publication to the general public; also, that it was not libellous, as it was not defamatory, am} no malice was shown. After hearing the evidence bts Worship reserved Ids decision on the question of malice.

A meeting of the Fire Brigade demonstration committee .was held last night, when matters were further arranged for the “hard-np” social to he field on September 9. It was reported that the Kapmiga Fire Brigade and Band had promised to take part.in the procession ami also in the evening function. It was decided to have all kinds of sports for the children during the afternoon. Given fine weather. a record attendance is expected to be present «t Victoria Park. The committee has arranged for three bands to be present, namely, the Stratford Municipal, ivaponga, and the Stratlord School Drum and Fife i Bands. In the procession in the evenj ing there will he two decorated boats. |an armoured motor car. Dark Town | Fire Brigade, “Kaiser in a Cage.” ■ “representatives” of the National i ( abinct in a motor car, hospital nur- | si's, and clowns. People in all desenp- | times of costumes will also take part j in the procession, as well as represent- ; atives of the “Merrie England” and j “Cinderella” theatrical companies, i During the eVeniug displays will be girl'll by two Fire Brigades. it is i pleasing to note that the Brigade is receiving a great deal of outside support, Fit ham, Kapmiga. Inglewood, I and other small towns having decided { to send representatives.