LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Stratford Evening Post, Volume XXVIII, Issue 23, 25 September 1915, Page 4

LOCAL AND GENERAL.

The second shoot lor the Peattie medal was fired on Thursday night; the best scores off the rifle being McMillan 64, Stewart 63. Fish 63. Pivac 63. M. Rogers 63, Edgecombe 62. Pvke 62, E. Brocldebank 61, Fitall 60.

On 12th, at Dunedin, the Very Rev. Father Coffey, Administrator, announced at St. Joseph’s Cathedral that he required £IOOO to open the Christian] Brothers’ new school free or debt. Siiuej then he has received to the amount of £950, and promises which make up the sum asked for. The result (says the Tablet) is a magnificent tribute to the generosity of the people. T

A Gisborne correspondent states that although up 1 to the present official approval has not been secured oi the proposal to send Maori girls to .Egypt to assist with the nursing of New Zealand wounded, the natives are still mmnng in the matter. It is understood that Lady Caroll herself is anxious that it her services should be of value, she should be allowed to accompany, j the, draft of native gills who are anxious to proceed to Egypt.

■Recruiting has be n very bris-i m Stratford this month, over twenty-one men offering their services to the Reinforcements, .out of which mini lei only two have failed to. pass the medical' test. Messrs B. E. Snowball ... , , . forrin (Bgmtmt iMakabu), H. conm » Quarry) C. P. Bowler (Stratford), am Y F TJhlenhurg (Midhirst), -ure-the last ****** heon passed as medically ht.

A meeting of the Executive of the Stf.Uford A. and P. ! 'Associa'tidb hhs held in the rooms on Thursday, when there were present—Messrs 1 Masters (President) 1 / Dingle, 'Shotter, Porntt. Kirkwood, David, Stewart, Kelleher, and Fletcher.A considerable amount of routine work was put through. The schedule is now in the hands; of th e „ W; int. e r, ready jfor issue m about..a„wepk. ihe Farm ‘Committee reported that the Grounds’ were in ...splendidordpi, Messrs H. Johnston and G. Browning were elected members. The various Committees are using every effort to make the Show a success.

Taranaki’s quotas to the Expeditionary Forces create a record that is a pride and a credit to the district. Tlie Defence Department .som,e time ago issued a statement that Ilaweia, the headquarters. pf. the , Taranaki "Group, was the hfss ( t' yecruiting district- in New ZealAß%. t T° ....flWlitam ‘this,‘fine record, the’quota “for" the 9th Reinforcement will #mmher, 500 M who leave early 'October.* It remains now for the other hundreds who have, not yet registered to do so at once, so that the brave fellows who have gone before and are now no more will he avenged and doubly avenged. Taranaki’s military motto “Prenuis in armis” is still untarnished, and those who can must look to it to add fresh lustre to the escuecheon. A returned soldier says: —-Our crack 1 shots use Turkish rifles and ammunition, which, for sniping, has many.advantages. Sergt.-Major Buckley. ■ of the Manchesters, whose name has appeared in the prize” lists at Bisley on numerous occasions, is a great believer in the Turkish rifle, and used it all the time he was on the Peninsula. It lias a lower trajectory, while the velocity is higher, the’bullet heavier and the bore larger than ours. The holt action is of polished steel, and not as liable to become clogged with sand as our own, and does not require nearly so much oil. The Turkish rifle is point blank at 100 yards, while the rifle used by the New Zealand infantry is only so at 200 yards, and the latest British rifle about 350 yards.

The alteration in the postal rates which commenced from yesterday has led to a great deal of comment concerning, the method in which it has been made. The usual practice in every concern that is conducted in a business-like manner is to give the public prior notice of the proposed alteration. This has not been done by the Postal Department, and the consequence is that there is considerable inconvenience and misunderstanding on the part of the public. The real position is that all letters mailed from yesterday morning must bear stamps to the value bf lid, either by the use of a penny stamp and a half-penny stamp or by the use of a penny-halfpenny stamp which is obtainable at the Post Office. With reference to letters received after yesterday morning, no fine is due for letters which do not bear the new rate, but if such letters are received after twenty-four hours from yesterday morning the deficit in postage, must he paid by the receiver of the letter. ‘

For the convenience of those who wish to offer their services for the Reinforcements, Lieutenant Gray has decided to keep the Defence Office open until eight o’clock to-night. His Excellency the Governor wishes to announce that the undermentioned contributions have been promised for the Hospital Ship:—l2oo nightingales and 100 nightshirts by Mrs Lowry (Hawke’s Bay); 400 deck chairs by Mr A. Hatrick (Wanganui); 50 sets of shoe brushes by Bunting and Co. (Christchurch), 600 hot water bottles and covers by the Dunlop Rubber Co. (of Australasia). Owing to the generosity of these donors, no more of the articles mentioned will bo required for the Marama. The Eltham burglary episode was revived at Wellington to-day, when William Keith and Samuel White, charged with attempted breaking and entering, were brought before the Chief Justice for sentence. Counsel for White said prisoner had a mania for tunnelling. He was subject to epileptic fits, and was in poor health. His Honor said the proper course was to send both men away to some place where they could get openair treatment. Ke would recommend that White he sent to the Tree-plant-ing Camp at Waipa, and Keith to Kaingaroa. The sentence would he two roars’ imprisonment in each case.