LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Stratford Evening Post, Volume XXVIV, Issue 24, 4 January 1916, Page 4

LOCAL AND GENERAL.

\lr (;. X. Curtis, Chairman' of the Belgian Belief" Committee, appeals for donations of clothing for the Belgians. Parcels nmy .be left at the Borough Council offices in Broadway.

The south express was about th.i tyfive minutes late in arriving )atj Stratford last evening. The largh an'ifmnt of traffic that had to be coped with was responsible for the delay. -

Weather Forecast. — !he indications are for: Southerly moderate id'strong winds prevailing. The weather will probably prove squally and changeable. The barometer lias a rising tendency, hut falling after about 36 hours, —Bates, Wellington. ~

“Don’t have too many rules in a society,” said Bishop Julius at the C.E.M.S Conference at Christchurch on Tuesday morning fsays the Press). “Many and many a society has been killed by reason of its by-laws. Throw them overboard as rubbish.

The year 1915 may he classed as one of tlie'dry years 1 in Wellington (States the Press Association). April was the driest month, hut in ten months the rainfall recorded was below the average for those months over a .period of sixty years. The total rainfall for the year was 27.83 inches, while the average for Wellington is 49.(50.

A Melbourne cablegram states that the Osterley’s New Zealand ;passengers include Messrs Bulmcr. Baldwin, Thomas, Kilgour, Vcnty. Munro, Mulgan, Mac Knight (3), Ivevdrn, lurkington; Mesclames Hertz. Worden, Munro. Mulgan. Kevcrn; Mpses ll.uf.sell, Worden', Thomas, ; Abbott, .Dawson. t Holmes and Williamson.

The vital, statistics for' Stihitforq ( for December afe as follows4D«atli/5 ,o hirth^lC/* marriages 5, The figures for the : tear 'and for the previous! twelve months Wreaths 41 Hast year 4(5); births,. 242 1217);; 'marriages, 01 ((52). Ten marriage were performed hy flip registrar dniing the O' * 1 year. { rtf • l ... ■ ■ -i ! I r. i, (i

if The Auckland Silver Band,; whose visit to Taranaki is in aid -of helping the Serbians, are to be commended, inasmuch as they travelled down from Auckland in the steerage; and by doling this' they have considerably helped to reduce the expenses and they ceitainly deserve the appreciation and slip bit of all in their’ "most ? pi aise- / ■ 1 worthy effort, - -

The apiary inspector has visited the Oxford district. 1 and condemned, for foul’brood, a {treat many'hives i says .the' honhspondeht of the Christchurch Press). In sortie cases’every hive was rotiiionhied. While there are wild bees in the bush ft would''appear an impossibility’ to 'eradicate foul brood, from tlm fiives. the process is'certainly an expensive one.

An auxiliary to a cure in Christchurch, not receiving a large remuneration, has had some pleasant surprises lately (says the Press). He was one day informed by two parishioners that his rent would be paid until fuitnei notice, and on Christmas Eve an express landed a ham, a turkey, a, plumpudding, and other viands at bis floor, with a great clatter’ to the delight and astonishment of the curate.

Rain was registered on nine days in Stratford last month, the largest amount recorded being on the, 26th, when I.2‘Oin. fell. Pain was recorded on other days as follows7th, .41* 16lb, .31 ; 17th, .08; 23rd, .68; 24th, .19; ‘2sth, .03; 27th, .08; 28th. .24. with a total of 3.22 inches. The. following are totals of the rainfall in the. different months of 1915 and the number of days (in parenthesis) on which rain fell January 1.61 m. (IE: February 2.13 in (8); March, 5-83 (14); April, 4.24 (7); May, 6.26 in (10); June. 10.22 in (22); duly, 16.70 m. '13): August. s.9Sin (10); September, 4.69 (16); October, 4.78 (16) ; November. 8.68 (18); December, 3.22 m. (9).

Mesdames Sangster'and Hewitt hold the clearing auction sal*' as‘advert iscd on Friday, 31st December, PdW'n tin* C'.B.A. Farmers’ Produce Gitll\ in t. There was a Jan attendance of buyers and competition was brisk. Mr Master!on acted as auctioneer and Mr X. It. Fletcher as clerk. The 1 odds nml ends sold well, realising &o Wo e-1 less expenses -Is Od. leaving a further sum of <X. lOs to be handed over to the Patriotic Committee. I'h‘s makes a nett total of .sales and donations for the week for the different funds of ClOo Is. It should bo mentioned that there were a good main odds and ends lolt over Jrom th. Nursing Sisterhood’s stall, and these| •,vc re so Id. and the proceeds inelndedj

in tin* amount now handed to > lO Patriotic Committee tor the benefit of the Wounded Soldiers’ I'nnd. In<•!;uled in the above, amount is the sum of Cl’ iSs donated hv the Kahouri Bridge Dance for v, hu h Die management o( the l' :l| m-

or.-' .Mart tender their thanr.s. I hc.\ also wish to specially thank Mr F. W. W-ike for his patriotism in allowing his buildings to he used tor tins and other rales, and Mr I'red I'olet for the use of the shoo fillings, also Messrs Dixon and Co. for the use of the piano.

Next month 30,989 acres of Crown land will be thrown open for selection. In addition. 2836 acres are already set apart fo>- disposal in February. "

The Argentine Legislature has passed a Bill providing for an issue of £2,000,000 in bonds to construct grain elevators in tbe interior after the model of the American country elevators. It is announced that an American syndicate has come to an agreement with the officials of the Argentine Agricultural Department on the form of a contract to be entered into with the Argentine Government by which the syndicate will erect the elevators at its own expense and operate them on tiie basis of the tentative agreement named. The latter was to he approved by the Argentine Congres_ in special session during November.