LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Stratford Evening Post, Volume XXVIV, Issue 5, 9 December 1915, Page 4

LOCAL AND GENERAL.

A general meeting of the Scottish Society wiU be held to-morrow evening. The monthly meeting of .the Stratford County Council will be held ate the County Office. Stratford, on Wednesday next, at 11 a.in. The Battle of the Bullion Carnival at Wanganui was the means of raising over £ Go,ooo for the Wounded Soldiers’ Fund. i A Palmerston North telegram states: Lionel Thompson, eleven years of age, whose parents reside at Terrace End, was crushed between two trucks in it gravel pit and died a few minutes later. | In the report of the proceedings at the Stratford Patriotic* Committee meeting, published in yesterday’s issue. owing to a typographical, error, the Ngaire Factory’s donation to the Patriotic Funds read £2OOO, instead of €2OO. • ' i

“I admit the debt, you Worship.” said a defendant at the Auckland Magistrate’s Court. Mr E. C. Cutten: “Even though you admit it, 1 cannot give judgment against you, ■ because there is no appearance for the plaintiff. The case was struck out.” 1 The secretary of the Stratford Ladies’ Patriotic Committee desires to acknowledge the following contributions : Handkerchiefs, Whangamomona School find Pohokura Sewing Bee; Parcel of Towels, Mrs Albert. Perry, K ohnri at a hi. The £IOOO art union prosecution; -in * which the secretary of the Auckland Queen Carnival executive is charged ‘ with a breach of -the Gaming .-, AcCd, came before Mr F.t V. Fraser, S.M., on Monday morning, and on the application of defendant’s counsel, the hearing was adjourned till next Tuesday. | The Marco Road School prize distribution and concert and dance.takes place at Kohuratahi Hall on Friday. Thil* proceeds will he equally - bedween the prize fund and the'AVonn- ( dec] Soldiers’ Fund, , The .children ■ *wil) contributes several items, and ,a ‘grickl programme •-is promised, f. jOur. correspondent axhlsjithfiti Sejcrefjary Py • Wildarmoth bonds-tolbe able to, record , ' a bumper < surplus; for , these- ivevy de- , serving funds.;C *ml 'n>V- '-.lt | 1 i f t if,: ■: I; L: ..'ii- r-U -b ilßfi There, is onq: young lady pot IQy 1 miles from Bqlclutha who evidently dmijhts the truth of the .old adage that “'“a Jhird ip the hand is worth twq. jn the hush.” This lady had made up 'her mind to he married in a few ( weeks’ time, and the prospective busband had made all arrangement.s.iorj a neat and comfortable home. But, the, bride-to-be a week ago went off on [holiday to Dunedin. While there she, changed her mind and married another 'swain.

Aj’hen the roll of common juror*,yya% being* called at the Supreme Court on Wethlesday morning if.says the Sopbhhfn|l Tiine'si) Mr: Rdur - MahsqP/psked to pe, excused firorfl serving;* asnljie iohjected to the telemeht ofrehanee being introduced into the administration of justice, the ballot box being used to select jurors, and he further stated that he had been chosen three times running for juries. His Honor said that for the latter reason he would release Mr Malison. ' i

An influential farmer living a considerable distance from Wanganui intimated recently to one of, the regimental committees connected witlV tne Battle of the Bullion that if they sent out to his hosestead they would get a contribution worth going for (.says the Chronicle). The chairman and secretary of the committee in question soon afterwards hired, a strong and capacious car, and whirled out full of eager anticipation. They duly received, tbe contribution, which consisted eggs!

A motor lorry, owned by Mr L. Bunn, Eltham, while descending,the east side of the Mangamingi ridge with a load of timber on Tuesday caught fire by some means, and was soon totally destroyed, only the ironwork remaining. The driver, Rossiter, had a narrow., escape from being caught by the flames. The loss of the lorry at the present time is ]y unfortunate, for Mr Bunn, coming as it does right in the busiest part of the wool-carrying season. The vehicle originally cost £BOO,, and the owner, having a great deal, of wool carrying to do between Omoana and Kit ham, had just spent ,£GO in refitting it. The insurance--on'the lorry was £l5O. I

A very interesting memento of the war is the “Roll of Honor,” containing the names of the members ol the staff of the New Zealand Loan and Mercantile Agency Co., Ltd., who have volunteered for the front. Up to date no fewer than seventy-five members have enlisted, of whom four have been killed, one wounded, and ten returned as missing. Each branch of the Company’s service which has furnished its, quota of men will, we understand, he supplied with spare copies of the roll for distribution to relatives, who will undoubtedly greatly prize such an interesting document. The “Roll ol Honor” has been printed by Messrs Whitoombe and Tombs, of Wellington, and its general get up reflects every credit on the designer and printer. The Company are paying all their officers who have joined the expeditionary forces, half-pay, and are keeping their positions open for them. j

Weather Forecast.—The indications are lor variable and moderate breezes hut moderate to strong westerly winds prevailing. The weather will become u.‘inner, bm appears likely to be cloudy and unsettled. The barometer sliows little movement at present. Bates, Wellington. . A British soldier, writing from France of his journey to the front, says: At one stopping place w© spotted a refreshment stall, and the hoys made tracks for it. One chap, eager to show his newly-acquired command of the French language, said to the lady attendant, “Avez-vous le cafe, Mademoiselle, s’il vous plait?” She answered, “Yes, Sonny, in two ticks?”

An Eltham farmer (reports the Argus) says lie is having an awful time in making up his income tax returns. According to his reading of the forms they are not completely filled up unless they give a true record of all the jsheep that he killed during the year for home consumption, also all the vegetables that he used out of his own garden. He has failed to keep a record of the carrots, potatoes.,.that he used, and is afraid that his return may lie returned to him as incorrect.

Two very interesting mementoes of the war recently sent to a Dunedin lady by her brother, who is fighting at the Dardanelles, are two Turkish letters, found on the dead bodies of Turkish officers. They are none the less interesting, although up to the present she has not found anyone able to translate them. The brother naively remarks in his letter (states the Otago Daily Times), that, if she can translate them, they may possibly explain how to force the Dardanelles. Whether tlipy do or not must remain unsettled until someone is found with a knowledge of Turkish writing. . e The School Journal came in for a rough handling at the meeting of the Teachers’ Institute (says the Napier Telegraph). - The adoption of American spelling received nothing but condemnation. The erratic use of capitals and tlie erratic spelling of certain words were held to prove either careless editing or careless proof-reading, or both. The mutilation oft literary masterpieces was dealt with in vigorous terms. The criticism altogether was not of such a nature as to flatter those who are responsible for the journal, which; is in daily use in every schooilUiiiithe Dominion, |j >» ’.. -1 i. ii : i ■ iii. • •• A| r/ecruit who. recently enlisted' at; iue National ,Reserve Soldiers’ Club in Auckland desired to u),4ke ! , l 'Qie ! two Reservists in charge his heirgp as ( -he. had no relatives, and in the event*of his career being cut short, by an enemy bullet he thought somebody should get the money due to him. The natural modesty, of the pair forbade acquiescence, but the persistent recruit would take nothing but “yes” for an answer, and after much hesitation the soldier got his own way. The sequel was prompt, surprising, and effective. It was that his heirs should lend him “a few.bob’’ to tide him over the present financial difficulties.

I ll ''Cardiff News.—On Thursday next a, patriotic concert and dance yi aid of •thie | Wounded Soldiers’ Fund is' to be held and should pYove a success (wriItfts jour correspondent). Mr F. Foley, 'of His Majesty’s Theatre, has kindly. , consented to’ take half the programme. His, contributions—sleight of hand, ventriloquism, etc., should lie a draw in itself. Mr J. Howe, of Stratford, will also be present. Local talent will fill in the remainder of the pro-

j gramme. Mr J. B. Hiue, M.P., will 1 occupy the chair.—The annual school . picnic- is to be held on 17th Decem- | ber. A fair amount has been subscribed,. and given a fine day the children should-have a very enjoyable time.—Cardiff is justly proud of its hero, Corporal C. Barker, D.C.M. He has, I believe, to report himself for medical examination on 24th December.—Mark Wallace, who joined the Expeditionary Forces from Cardiff, and who was invalided home some time ago, will in all probability pay, a „i"msit to Cardiff before long. He also lias to report for medical examination on 24th inst.—The school was visited on the 7t)i by Mr Hooker, truant officer, under the Taranaki Education Board. Those concerned should seriously consider his advice.

Regarding the Volunteer Sisterhood, concerning the operation of which local opinions, are at present in conflict, the Christchurch Sun states:—ln view of the fact that that some people seem to have become firmly convinced that no woman can possibly be of any use in the hospitals in Egypt unless she is a fullytrained nurse, it may he interesting to many to hear that Dr. Agnes Bennett, who has been working in the New Zealand Hospital at Cairo, expressed the highest praise of the volunteer women workers who assisted in the hospitals there. Without their help, she said they would have lost more Jives, and many nurses would have -broken down under the strain. The volunteer helpers saved the nurses many little jobs which must he done for the patients, and for which it is not necessary to hav,e a fully trained nurse. “Without them,” said Dr. Bennett, “they would never have got through the strain of the big rushes, which is the time when their help is needed. Before New Zealand sent any trained nurses to Egypt our men had to be attended to by nurses from other countries, and felt, as some of them expressed it, that they were sponging on others, so now that we have the trained nurse there we still allow the ‘sponging’ with regard to the volunteer helper, although there are many women Milling to go and assist without remuneration.”