LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Stratford Evening Post, Volume XXVIV, Issue 35, 17 January 1916, Page 6

LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Master Broderick Wilson who went to the top of Mt. Egmont via the Stratford House yesterday, states that the track i s in good order. Master Wilson who has no mean leputalion as a climber, piloted a party ol three and a very enjoyable day was spent. The day was clear, and the outline of the South Island was clearly discernible from the summit. The road leading to the reserve is being re-con-structed, and is now ready tor metalling. At present, motor cars can be driven right up to the Stratford house.

After spending a very enjoyable holiday in the South Island, Mr W. J. Lopdell, the County Engineer, returned to Stratford last week. While in Invercargill Mr Lopdell inspected the Straker waggon and found it to be in first-class order. With the ln-

specter of machinery he gave the waggon a trial run and was well satisfied with the result. Mr Lopdell ■ made arrangements to have the waggon consigned to Stratford where it will arrive in the course ol a week or two. Iho waggon will he used lor carting purposes especially tor the conveyance of cement.

The hearing of a charge of alleged cattle-stealing at Invercargill the other day had an unusual sequel. The case against the accused person was dismissed, and immediately the decision was announced two ol the witnesses—Archibald Duncan Johnston and Mrs Johnston —were arrested in court, charged with receiving the live cows, the subject of the case, knowing them to have been dishonestly obtained. Archibald Johnston, who, after being treated as a hostile witness, had been twice warned that he was liable to be committed for contempt of court, was thereafter , sentenced to three days’ imprisonment. Mr Jackson. J.P.. remarking that the youth had placed himself in an awkward position. He had asked to be allowed to go into the witness box. and said he would tell the truth. The chance was given him, but he had changed his mind and refused to speak. Ihe court was not to be fooled. An extraordinary!' instance of official bungling resulted in a most unpleasant incident in Palmerston on Wednesday (says the Manawatu Standard). Some months ago a well-known local young man volunteered for active service, and went into camp. Aitei undergoing training, tl |e effects of an old injury made themselves felt, and after a period of sick leave, during which a serious operation was Informed, he was discharged early in November as being unfit for military service. Since "f ien he has been recuperating. On Wednesday he arrived at Palmerston from the country, intending to proceed to the Wairarapa. Judge of hi,* astonishment when he was almost immediately arrested by the civil police at the instance of the Wellington authorities on a charge of desertion from the forces. The police; who, of course, had no option but to obey their instructions, handed too young man over to the military "authorities after he had been in thencustody a short time. His discharge was unfortunately,in Wellington, whither it had been sent attached to an application for a position, but by means of the telephone any doubt as to the existence of the document was set at rest, and the local military authorities speedily restored his liberty to tiie victim of somebody’s carelessness. It is presumed, adds the Standard that a deserter of similar name \uis- sought for, and that a mistake was made by whoever gave the order for the arrest.

Whilst driving a mftb of cattle on Awarua Bay beach—an isolated spot on the „ South Westland coast—on September 15, Mr H. McKenzie, son of' Mr 1). McKenzie, of Glenorchy, picked up a bottle containing a scientist’s note. The bottle wag not sand worn, and was coated with barnacles on the hollow end. The note, which is dated Hobart, Tasmania, January 15, 1915. was shown to a Lake County Press reporter, and is a s follows ; “To the finder of this bottle.—This note and bottle is one of 50 which have been-dropped into the Tasman Sea, between Tasmania and New Zealand, by *he undersigned, who is making up extended tour ol the world. This is done tor scientific purposes ; it is done to study the a< - lion of the ocean currents in the different parts of the world. > Mill the finder of this bottle be kind enough to communicate the discovery ol the same and forward this note to Ihe San Francisco Kxaminer, San Francisco. California, P.S.A., by registered letter,) if .possible, stating when, where and by whom it was picked up. Very gratefully yours, H. I. Nager. care of W. F. Sawyer, Macdonougb Building, San Francisco, California, U.S.A.” In accordance with the writer’s wish’ the note is being sent to its author.

Private D. Corkill, writing to his people under date 29-11-1915, irom Aerodrome Camp , Heliopolis, says they were tfl move off on the morrow “for the front,” but they did not know where that was to be. Ihe second battalion had gone a week before, and had been fighting the Bedouins, ( a desert-wandering tribe somewhere above Alexandria. The New Zealanders ha<f oeen told that they were good lighters, and never to allow them to gel to grips, as they were experts at close quarters'. It was possible, said the writer, that they would follow the Seconds, but they were told absolutely nothing and heard no news ol any description. “There has probably never been a more noteworthy expansion in the trade of any particular port in .such a short time than has occurred at Archangel' during the last year.” writes the American Commercial Attache at Petrugrad. “"From a comparatively unimportant port about a year ago, dependent chiefly upon its sawmills and fishing fleet for prosperity, it has suddenly become one ol the most important ports in the world, rivalling even New York in the number and tonnage of ships arriving and departing between May and the close of the ice-free navigation. At the time of my visit in August about 120 huge steamers were in port, and about 300 had arrived since May. An immense number of boats and barges are also engaged in river and canal navigation, many of them carrying as much as 2000 tons each; these have been diverted largely from the lower River Volga traffic. Larger preparations than ever are being planned to meet the traffic for next spring, and it is hoped that the facilities may then he sufficient to take care, with reasonable promptness, of the enormous business that has developed. If Archangel were free irom ice during the winter it would be one of the finest ports in the world, since it lias 60 to 70 miles of river frontage available for ships drawing up to 23ft. Moreover, through the magnificent system of inland, waterways with which the Dvina River connected, it is posihle to ship freight from Archangel by water to nearly all the principal towns of Russia.”

The extraordinary rise in the.price of American quinine from between 25 to 40 cents, an ounce to two dollars and a-half and over is the result of a hold speculative effort on the part of a corner in New York. It is estimated that of the total stock of some 200.OOOoz. now in the United States, as much as 160,0000 z. are in the hands of New York dealers. Men who are known to be interested in the cornel assert that before long the price will rise to five dollars the ounce. Java is practically the only source of supply now , available to tbe United and, owing to the action of tne Java plantation convention made by the Java plantation owners in 1913, shipments of cinchona bark are down by someth’ng like 50 per cent. That convention agreed to fix a rate of 6 1-5 cents (Dutch) per unit of bark, and to ship no bark under that price. The effect was an immediate rise in the price of quinine salts, the commercial form of quinine, to 25 cents, and the war has caused a further rise to the neighbourhood of 40 cents. This was the top price, however, till a leu weeks ago, when the present extraordinary speculative movement began. The quinine gamblers are already declared to have cleared 100,000 dollars in their own market and. 1,500,000 dollars abroad as profits.