LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Stratford Evening Post, Volume XXVIII, Issue 76, 29 November 1915, Page 4

LOCAL AND GENERAL.

A London cablegram states 31)hat wheat is firm, Australian being olfi ciallv ,6d clearer.

The Stratford Auctioneers’ notily by advertisement in another column, that their premises will be closed, for the Show on Wednesday afternooncand all day Thursday.

The Stratford Home Defence Corps and National Reserve will parade this evening at the School at half-past seven. A good attendance is requested.

On Thursday next (Show Day) the pictures at His Majesty’s Theatre will commence at 6 p.m. and run continuously until 10.15 p.m., thus screening a full programme twice, over a thrilling war drama entitled “War vs- Hell-’ will he the principal attraction for that night.

The Patriotic Market held on Saturday by Mrs Curtis, assisted by Mrs Good and Miss Dingle (members of the Ladies’ Patriotic Committee) was instrumental in augmenting the Laid-’ ies’ Fund by about £l3 Bs. The inclemency of the weather during the morning marred business to a certain extent amongst country people, but the Market was in every detail an unqualified success. The guessing competitions for a dressing gown and a doll’s house were won by Miss Capel and Miss Curtis, respectivjy.

Attention is directed to the adver- j tisoment with reference to the Military Concert to he held in the Town Hall on Wednesday (first Show night). An attractive programme has been arranged by the Senior Cadets, by wlldiii the Concert has been arranged, and they will give several displays, including Swedish Drill and Physical Drill with rifles, for which selected squads have been practising, for some . time. The Egmont Club Orchestra with its usual generosity has promised,to assist, and several leading vocalists are to sing. .Altogether, the programme is attractive and varied, and given a fine night, a full house is confidently anticipated. The School Concert, is ala ays.a, welcome event, not only-to, dm children ■tihemselyes, but to their parents. and tliA community.: This year the; ;preparatioijs ha ve, been under weigh! : fcr fcome- time, and it is sure /it hat the children’s ;half of thel programme will -be an unprecedented'■ success. Several action songsj solos 'and choruses are 'on the! hill, and are being practised uith gj'eafc enthusiasm by the scholars. Physical drill will' be demonstrated by the■ Cadets under Lieutenant Gray. Ihe second half of the programme will consist of vocal and instrumental items by the leading performers in Stratford, while Mr Fred Foley will delight and amuse the audience with his fascinating and risible ventriloqualifeiji ’and', slight-of-hand magic Dating tile the prizes for the year u|ll be presented.

i The following amusing story of Jog-' •puJling; and is’Sequel is ! 'admitted hy‘ : thei Ellham Argus: A short tiiiiV ago - tluli'e has a scarcity of rlieeselnalcers J a.t/jthe Mangatoki Dairy Factory, and 1 some new;,qaid .* mss|>sjfesjed \ •wove put’bii. By way of a**iocat P joke amongst the factory hands, feminine! names were given to the new hands, such as “Matilda,” “Bridget,” etc.' We had a local some time ago men-! tiouing that the “girls” at the Man-1 gatoki factory were giving every satisfaction. The joke was quite well understood at Mangatoki, but not else-1 where. Our local went the rounds of the newspapers, generally without l acknowledgment, and this morning the! Taranaki Daily News bursts forth' with a leader entitled. “Preparing for ' the Inevitable.” It is an excellent article based upon the employment of female labor at the Mangatoki factory, but unfortunately for the argu-, mcnt advanced therein there are no girls employed in the Mangatoki factory,, and there „ never have been. I “Bridget,” “Matilda,” and Co. enjoy the joke immensely

The Wellington military district's quota for the Eleventh Reinforcements totals 778, of which 537 are infantry and 126 mounted. This time the quotas for the various groups are being allotted on a population basis. The population of the Wellington military district is estimated at 335,000, all ages and sexes, the estimated population of each group being:— Group 5 (Wellington city and suburbs). 90,330; Group 6 (Manawatu. including Wanganui), 73,550; Group V, (Hawke’s Bay), 50,120; Group 7a (Wairarapa), 52,510; Group S (Taranaki), 65,550. Accordingly, the quotas for the different groups, for infantry and mounted rifles, for which the greatest demand exists, have been fixed as follows:- Group 5, 111 infantry and 31 mounted; Group 0, 120 infantry and 28 mounted; Group i • 8(1 infantry ami 20 mounted; Group 7a. 83 infantry ami 20 mounted; Group 8, 110 infantry ami 24 Mounted. 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 General Committee is asked to work hard and make the sale an unqualified ■ success. *