LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Stratford Evening Post, Volume XXVIII, Issue 66, 17 November 1915, Page 4

LOCAL AND GENERAL.

The ceremony of laying the foundation stone of the new Municipal Buildings will he performed by the Mayor o'lr J. W. Boon), at 8 o'clock to-morrow afternoon. The annual meeting of the'Stratford County Council will be held at the County Office, Stratford, on Wednesday next at noon. The* monthly meeting will be held on the same day at 11 a.m. The Senior Cadets and Territorials under Lieutenant Gray will parade at the Recreation Ground at 2 o'clock to-morrow afternoon' to lie present at the ceremony of laying the foundation stone of the new Municipal Buildings. Messages from Otira says that slips were more serious than was at first anticipated. A new road will have to be blasted before the »" llls can get through, and it i s probable the trains will be held up till Saturday.— P.A. The following team have been se-l lected to represent the Stratford Bowling Club in the banner match to he played against West End to-mor-row afternoon: —C. Martin. R. Cottier, J. Masters, J. McMillan (skip); 0. Jackson, T. C. Fookes, G. Smart, S. Sharp (skip); North, H. Eclgecumbe, R. McK. Morison; T. A. W. Nicholson (ski))); W. J. Lopdell, P. J. McDonald, W. McDonald, G. Songster (skip). Meet at P.O. at 12.45. j

The Otaki ha s arrived safely at Loudon. A private telegram received in Stratford regarding the Wellington wool sales, states that abnormal prices are being obtained for good crossBreds. The Home Defence Corps and National Reserve will parade to-mor-row afternoon in connection with the laying of the foundation stone of the Municipal Buildings. The Ladies' Patriotic Market will not be open on Saturday. Donors are asked to make a special effort for the following Saturday, when the committee will be opening their permanent premises. The following are the weather readings for the proceeding twenty-four hours, taken by the pupils of Standard 1 of the Stratford School:—Barometer 2:).2, raifall Gin, maximum temperature 61, minimum -!6. The Ladies' Patriotic Committee desire l to publicly acknowledge the following monthly subscriptions:—Mrs Good Gs Gd, Mrs Curtis ss, Mrs Prentis Ss, Miss Fowler 14s 6d. Mrs Crawshaw £5 os (sale of cakes). Also, tradespeople are asked to send accounts owing to the Ladies' Patriotic Committee immediately, care of Mrs A. W. Budge, Hon. Sec.

At a meeting of the Plunket Society held at the Foresters' Hall on Monday, it was decided to place a collection box on the showgrounds during the coming show, and also to hold a children's fancy dress hall early in February. It was also decided to arrange with the Hawera branch for the Plunket Nurse to visit Stratford once a week a.s formerly.

A meeting of the Stratford Patriotic Committee was held yesterday afternoon, when it wa s decided to call a conference of Patriotic Committees in the Stratford district to appoint a representative, on the Executive Committee of the Taranaki Patriotic Association. A letter was received from the Egmont Club, advising the Committee that it would be pleased to elect men, who had enlisted and were waiting to leave for camp, honorary members.during their sojourn in town.

The examinations conducted by the Education Department begin througnout New Zealand on the 23rd ( jnst., and end on the Ist December. At the Straford centre, eighty-throe, candidates are sittiiig r From the Stratford District School,, there are twenty-six candidates taking Dairy Science, ten in Agriculture, five in Metal Work, and sixty-three in Chemistry and Physics. This would' seem to indicate that the local school is working along the lines so greatly lauded last week by the Minister of Education. , The Town Clerk has received the following letter from the Prime Minister (the Hon. W. F. Massey): "I beg to acknowledge receipt of your letter forwarding copy of a resolution passed by the Stratford Borough Council protesting against, the telegrams which have appeared in the papers recently reflecting on the conduct, of the war by the British Government; and, iin reply, to inform you that I have taken steps to have the resolution in question transmitted to the proper quarter." At last night's meeting of the Stratford School Committee Mr Tyrer reported that the annual school concert would be held on Thursday, December 17. The school children would take up about forty minutes of the programme, Mr Foley would be responsible for twenty minutes and arrangements would have to be made for local artists to fill the rest of the bill. Mr Tyrer said that in order to do something for the Wounded Soldiers' Fund, it bad been arranged amongst the teachers to ask the children during the last fortnight of' this term, to bring a ll their pennies that otherwise they would spend and so augment the fund.

At yesterday's meeting of the Stratford Patriotic Committee, the following resolution was carried unanimously:— "That in view of th e fact that so many of our soldiers who went to the front with the Main Body have been wounded twice, and in some cases three times, while for the lack of men the Defence Department find it necessary as soon as they are recovered to again send them back to the firing line—notwithstanding there are thousands of men in New Zealand eligible for enrolment, but who refuse to enlist—this Patriotic Committee view with alarm the cowardice that exists among the so-called shirkers, and is of the opinion that, in fairness to those who have been fighting for the Empire during the last twelve months, and the others that have enlisted, the time has arrived when Conscription should be resorted to, „so that every man be called upon to perform any duties that lie is capable of which may be required by the Empire; that the Committee believes it is voicing the opinion of every section of. the community; ami that a copy of this resolution he sent to the Minister of Defence, also to the two papers circulating in the district, with a view to giving other Patriotic Committees r. load in this matter." A Monster Gift Stock Sale for Wounded Soldiers' Fund is being organised by the Auctioneers of Stratford and the Patriotic Committee. Promises of gifts will be welcomed, and every member of the Patriotic Genera] Committee is asked to work hard and make the sale an unqualified success. *