LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Stratford Evening Post, Volume XXVIV, Issue 6, 10 December 1915, Page 4

LOCAL AND GENERAL.

hii extraordinary general meeting of shareholders of the Mfclhirst'Dafry Co. will be held on .Monday to discuss the question of the Company undertaking the manufacture of cheese, and also to consider the matter of a contribution from the company tor wards the Patriotic Fund.

Judgment for plaintiff by default was given in the following undefended civi] cases at the Stratford Magistrate’s Court this morning':—Sahniel Pivac (Mr T. C. Fookes) v. Charles McKee, £2 : 2s, Court costs ! 14sV'Thos. Robertson (Mr C., Wright) v ! . Daniel Fabian, £8 Bs. (11s). .

1 \isa tiler Fotfebast.—iThe 'indications are fr r 'and moderate breex? es ; In t “riortherly moderate; to strong, winds prevailing,,, Expect ;iWarmi'and; iWilnid (;«)idit,jp,i)s ; l bpfc aWCfttkov* clgujjf. “<!’ •ejjpij'flin,! latpr ,{Che l .l>a ! •iJiatsoa filing jteiJ.dfncy fjqop.— Bates, • tWeliington.; { ecc : ttvhc-f voih ■' ~V • <'.-/) •- , At the Supreme Court at Palmerston North to-day James Fitt> aged 6£j, was convicted on the theft of 314 sovereigns from Hum Kee, most of which were recovered. Prisoner was admitted to eighteen months’ probation. Counsel promised that j the shortage would be repaid.—RfA.

At the annual meeting of the Swifts Swimming Club in Wellington, it was announced (states the Times) that 6 'members and ex-members of the club had gone to the front, Recontly tlie dub resolved- to be quite sure of being on the safe side.as re-, gards its officers, so elected as secretary a boy of seventeen, and as treasurer a man of forty-five. But the £>9 efforts were in vain, for the lad managed to get away with the 7th Reinforcements, while the ovyr-ygc gentleman .lias succeeded in getting into the Tunnelling Corps, and is now in camp.

' Some of the experiences of the police are, to say the least of it, strange (states the New Zealand Times). Quite recently one of the local police stations- was /invaded-, at 3 o’clock in the morning, by a mw who carried an overdose of strong spirits and wore the King’s uniform. The soldier., on being asked his business, produced a pass which shoved him to be two days overdue at canip.j He airily explained this away. and | then demanded some cigarettes. The members of the force happily possessed some of the milk of human kindness, and gave him half it-dozen or so “smokes.” His next demand was to he “put onto” a decent bed ; .this request was also complied with, the,visitor departed, with all s i troubles vanished quite away. (

Under the heading “Some Business,” the Auckland Star reports that the profits of the carnival, which has just been brought to a conclusion in the north, amounted to about £215,000. while the expenses were only about £(300. Giving the approximate figures, which only can he quoted until such time as the official bal-ance-sheet is struck, it is computed by the executive (says the Start that tiie most usurious profit ever exacted by trading undertaking has been »voii by the carnival. Of the profit?;, over £200,000 has already been handed over.to the parent body, while the difference between; the addition and the £2(34,000 represented by the final poll, a sum of £40.000 odd, are mo tiers contributed directly biff utilised for voting purposes. If is emphasised that £(300 represents the 'fabulous cost of making Queen .street, gay tor carnival week, the salary of,the organiser and other paid, members ot the staff, the hire of coronation garments and staging effects, and the whole administrative expenses over j the period of ten weeks,

The monthly meeting of the Ngaerd W C.T.U. was held on’ Tuesday. A. letter of thanks from Lady Liverspool was received and read, A unanimous resolution was passed that the Dominion Convention be held as uknal next year. It was resolved to send a box of Ciiristinas cheer to the Boys’ Home, Eltliam. A sura of money was voted for prizes for the best temperance essay . written in the Ngaere School. An avenue for the collection of patriotic funds that the womenfolk have come to regard as peculiarly their own in Stratford exists in the direction of holding patriotic markets weekly. That so much success has attended these in the past speaks volumes for the initiative and energy -thrown into the management, and is also a strong argument for continued support by the public as long as the market lasts. The ladies in charge of to-morrow’s display will be pleased to receive donations of produce and foodstuffs as usual at their shop (late Mrs Brooking’s) in Broadway, and , fox- which, they state, there is always *a splendid demand.

The Press Association agent at Auckland slates in a telegram to-day: The Maori King, Te Kata, denies having called a meeting to he held at Waahi. Huntly, to-morrow, but states that he has called a meeting for December 18 to discuss matters concerning the welfare of the Natives generally. Tex Rata declined, to express any opinion on military service or the attitude of the Maoris towards conscription. He said-lie was no antimilitarist, and denied having sent a letter to King George asking His, Majesty to take steps to stop thecruel war. He recognised that the Nations must fight to a finish.

“Moana” in The Bulletin: It happened at the Trentham training camp m Maoriland. A party on Saturday night leave had spent it in town with the cup that cheers and hiccups. Still, when they fell off the last train they were all, except one, able to walk •steadily past the guard. The excep- , tion was helpless. He wa s unable to Aland, let alone walk. His mates were beginning to despair when genius of the-party suggested off one of the victim’s boots and binding up his foot with several handkerchiefs. This was done, and he was carried triumphantly past as a case of badly-sprained ankle.

The extraordinary popularity of swearing amongst the New Zealand troops was alluded to by Major Pnrfhas in the course of a lecture to the l Crapunar School Old Boys’ Association at Auckland on Wednesday j V night, i and was illustrated by an amusirig: story (states the Star); Dr. Purchas observeda he was amazed at ,the ,way "in-twhiclr lit caught;, >on amongst our>nien. The; example was not. set by thei Officers,' .except in. one ca&e. This officer used such dreadful language that,,the Ofiicer-Compjand-ing had occasion, strongly to object. On one occasion.bugler sounded the wrong call and the officer explosively started tp address him: “You, you .” he commenced, hut catching the eye of the Officer-Comamnding, he continued, “You, you —— naughty little hoy.” After that episode, it was alleged, swearing became almost obsolete amongst his men.

At a.recent concert in the Ashburton district a flag, presented by a local resicfcmt, was submitted to aucteion, and realised over £ISOO . The first purchasers gave £BOO, and after being sold many times at prices ranging from £5 to £SO, the flag was - ottered for sale finally. On the bids reaching £29, Mr C. W. Nicol said that he would bid £1 if thirty others would each put in a similar hid to secure the flag for Trooper Knox, who had returned from the Dardanelles, I so as to enable him to take it home to his mother. Mrs Knox Had sent three sous to the front; one had just got there, one would never come back, and one was with them on that occasion. Mr Xicoll’s. offer was accepted, and the Mayor of Ashburton (Mr Robert Galbraith) then presented Trooper Knox with the flag, stating that it would be something for his mother to be proud of. The Auckland Star reports thaijfc two specimens of the hard-case* youngster appeared before Mr E. C. Cutten, S.M., on Wednesday morning. They were ten-year-old boys . who on Sunday afternoon broke into the stationery shop of J. Anderson in Paterson Street, Freeman’s Bay, and stole stationery to the value of , £3 13s, in addition to a little cash. They then visited McKcown and Son’s plumber’s shop in Union Street, geV tyig in by means of the .back-door j key, which they found hidden in a re- ■ cess at the rear of the building. There they smashed a gas-meter and stole Is. Pursuing their investigations, they got into some City Council premises in the same street by means, of breaking a ■iud nv, and there stole sixpence. The 'outhful burglars did not go home on Sunday evening, but took train to Henderson and walked on to Kimieu. throwing the stationery down on the railway line between these two stations.

What money they had spent at Kum- , eg, and being stranded, were put in .charge of a- railway official, througli whose good offices they were returned to their homes at Auckland. On Wednesday Plain-clothes Constable** •Maguire, who was investigating In© burglaries, got on their track, and arrested them. Both lads had been convicted of similar misconduct last month, and were on probation. Sentence of them was deferred until the Education Department had been commnnieated with, and had intimated whether the hoys should go fo Weraroa Farm or Burnham . Industrial School. - ♦