LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Stratford Evening Post, Volume XXVIV, Issue 38, 20 January 1916, Page 4

LOCAL AND GENERAL.

The meeting of the Taranaki War Relief Association which was adjourned from last Friday till to-mor-row, has been postponed until January 28. At the Stratford .Magistrate's Court to-morrow morning only one case (an application for a prohibition order) will come up for hearing. The Court will be presided over by a Justice of the Peace. Weather forecast.—The indications are for westerly winds to gale and backing by west to south. Expect dull weather with much mist, and fog in parts. Rain probable, with mild and hazy conditions. Barometer unsteady.—Pemberton, Wellington. There appeal's to be a slow method of formulating a policy in Taranaki of investment of funds raised for relief of wounded soldiers (remarks the Opunake Times). There are a" good many hundred pounds in Taranaki notearning interest owing, probably, to no definite scheme of action. This should not be the case. ()n c of the first proposals that the TaranaKi executive should attend to is to see that all moneys raised is interest bear-! ing. When a young Maori "woman" was before the Court at Wellington a day or two a.go I reports the New Zealand Times) on a charge of having insufficient lawful means of support, "sue" was convicted and ordered to lie kept separate from other prisoners. The person gave ''her" name as Margaret Hagara, and strenuously objected to 1 being undressed. When means were adopted to ensure that Hagara should conform with tlie regulations, it was discovered that the prisoner was a male masquerading as a female. The Rev. H. Mason expressed the opinion .some time ago that a waterbasin exists underneath Pukekohe Hill. The local Borough Council made efforts to bore for the water from the summit, of the hill, but had to giy e up the venture on account of the hard basaltic rock encountered. That the theory of the existence of the water was correct would seem now to be proved, as Mr S. E. Hoddinnott has had bores put down on his property at Pukekohe, and after going through hard Milestone rock, at a depth of 22J feet got a flow of water equal to ISO gallons per hour. " There are a large number of figures in khaki in Stratford and district at present, men being on leave from Camp and invalided soldiers, and 0 valuable suggestion has been thrown out that a route march on Saturday night in the streets of the borough, followed by patriotic speeches from the steps of the Post Office, should be undertaken in the interests of recruiting. The proceedings would certainly be novel and interesting, and it is widely conceded that the sight of khaki in column swinging along the road has a wholesome patriotic effect upon most of us nowadays. Perhaps the Mayor and "the powers that be' will favorably consider tlie proposal. The time is short, but most functions of the kind go off all the better lor being impromptu in nature. Eye-witnesses of the coronation of the Emperor of Japan describe the ceremonies as magnificently managed iliu l inexpressibly picturesque, A large number of costumes copied From ancient pictures were worn, and ~-ere greatly admired—the men in red, b'ue and black, carrying swords, daggers. halberds, and bows and arrows. The ladies were dressed ill vivid and harmonious colours, and the city was magnificently illuminated and decorated. After the Imperial rescript was ,-pm'l, the Prime Minister, Count Okuma. replied in suitable terms, and then gave three "banzais," which were to be the signal for the whole country to break out into acclamation, orders I having been given for the warships to salute railway engines and steam factories'to start their whistles, and the poopU lo "banzai" at this moment. Owing to a slight delay in the performance of the ceremonies, however. the (iiv became a iiniidomoniiim bc,o,-„ die Prime Minister htvl 'misled his speech, and the bst -riods were h i'i to the imagination. A Bargain. For quick sale, one 2soater Motor Car fit! "1 with electric lighl and self-starter, fully equipped. Anplv ".Voter." Si rat lord Evening l lw '

According to the Manawatu "Stnnv- ''aid ' there i s strong probability of '• v Dr. A. A. Martin, cf Palmenion ■'-' -North, author of "A Surgeon in "■ Khaki," leaving for the front shortly |S for -en-ice in the held, but nothing definite ha. yet been do, ided. ft is more than likely thai his next war " work will be undertaken in connection j with a Now Zealand unit. I When the transfer ol Captain Lionel J.Halsoy from H.M.S. New Zealand and the appointment of Captain John F. h. Green were announced several months ago, the Minister for Internal '" Affairs (Hon. (.'. W. Russell) wrote to (> Captain Green congratulating him upP on iiis appointment, and stating that 1 the people > f Ww Zealii.nl woi.ld be :l glad to provide anything in the way t of trophies, etc., that the vessel might s require. "Thank you very much for -i your very kind and friendly letter con- - gratulating me upon my appoint--I ment," says Captain C.Veen, in a re- - ply dated November 22nd. '-J realise t- the deep interest taken by all New f Zealanders in this ship, and I feel i- sure that when the time comes as _> come it will, this ship will give a very good account of herself. Thank you j very much for your kind suggestions as to doing anything for the ship in the way of trophies, etc., but we seem to have everything we want, as New | Zealand has looked after the .ship so i generously already." !' A lady in Hawera this week Cstates . the Star) received a letter from a . friend in Florence, which contains an j interesting paragraph throwing light ion the conditions now prevailing in :■ Italian life. The writer says: "In i Italy we are reduced to the simple life I indeed. The horses are taken petrol i ( is too dear for one to be able to use I a motor much, and there is no coal to Jbe had. The men are already called I uj) or wailing to be. So we just shut 1 "up half the house and camp, hoping it will not be a severe winter. Everyone 'lis busy roiling up newspapers which ' are then cut into cylinders and boiled 'in fat; two little bits of this are en"l ough to boil a soldier's ration a>t the front. It is a very clever Japanese j! invention. The newspapers meanwhile ■ the very ugly reading, and one is glad ■ they carry a little comfort at the last." The writer further says: N "Several of the Australian and Eng- | ish officers wounded at the Dardanelles are in Florence for their conval- ' escence, and there is to be a big con'l vale'scent Camp in Sicily. There are ' so many sick at Malta that they are ' almost falling over the coast of the .island." ■I The Stratford correspondent of the j Taranaki Herald says: We have now ' two invalided soldiers in the Public Hospital, one of whom is to be transferred to ttotorua. It is to be feared that as the war goe.s on the system of relying upon ordinary hospitals for the treatment of sick and wounded ' will break down, and it would probi ably have been better is. as soon as \\ the unprecedented nature of the war ,J became apparent, the Government had J established camps for the reception of '' all undischarged soldiers, it would, of course, have cost money, but- so will the present loose method of deal- » ing with them. The Government per- - haps is not aware of what the pre.'sent method is costing the soldiers - themselves, both in health and pocket. >'A camp with light duties suited to > their condition of fitness would ceri tainly give them far better chances of j.'speedy restoration to health." I Discussing the motives of that ridi•culous person Henry Ford, a corres- '■ pendent says: "I do not think it is fair to jump to the conclusion that Mr Ford is pro-German. 1 heard him speak the other day, and the.impres- ; sion that he gave was one of pathetically ignorant- sincerity. Ten years ; ago Mr Ford was simply an unectuca- ., ed artisan. Since then he has been imi' mersed in business, and has had no i time to educate himself or think. His i enemies say that he realises tjjat his * great hold on the cheap motor-car - trade is threatened and that he is i turning his attention to farm, machi- * nery, and hopes by advertising him- ■ self as a peace advocate to impress ' his provincial customers. Possibly " such a suggestion might appeal to his 1 business sense; quite probably he will i become pro-German when he finds that 1 the Allies will not accept immediate ) peace, simply because his mentality is not likely to be able to grasp that such ' a peace would he n German peace. But * ! believe that at present his antics I should be regarded mainly as the proI duct of megalomania." Newton King, local agent for the Shaw, Savill and Albion Shipping Company, Ltd., has received advice that the sailing date of the R.M.S. 1 "Corinthic" has been postponed from ' the '2oth to Wednesday, 26th inst., at Uti u.