LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Stratford Evening Post, Volume XXVIV, Issue 44, 27 January 1916, Page 4

LOCAL AND GENERAL.

The first day of the Takapunn races has been, further postponed till Saturday, owing to the steady rain. At the meeting of the Taranaki Education Board yesterday, the Education Department notified that a national competition would be held in 1916. and it was hoped to hold the examinations in art as usual. Weather Forecast.—The indications are for variable and strong breezes with southerly strong winds to gale prevailing. Expect dull weather with much mist and fog in parts, llaln probable. Barometer unsteady.— Wellington. • “Accountants are persons who add up columns of figures—wrongly/’ remarked counsel in a forgery case at the Magistrate’s Court, Christchurch. “Bank tellers, like lawyers, know nothing about accounts,” was the retort that came, later in the proceed-j ings, form the Government audtor in- 1 specter. Mr T. F. Martin,, solicitor to the Municipal Association, of Wellington, has been retained on behalf of the Napier City Council to fight its case in connection with the Commission which is to sit on the Westshore bridge question. The Council is asked to pay £IO,OOO towards the cost of the bridge but proposes to oppose the claim. Two Government co-operative experiments under the superintendence of the Agricultural' Department are attracting attention in the Bird Road district, where Mr J. T. Walsh has a fine crop of White Ligows oats, which have just come into ear and at present are fully oft. Sin. high, and also a large plot of potatoes, which are promising very well.

A record in sewing bags has been established in the Walla Walla district by Mr Edmund Paech, son of Mr H. A. Paech, of Walla Park (writes the Albury correspondent of the Sydney Daily Telegraph). He has sewn up to 330 bags of wheat in a single day. His Daily average is given at between 260 and 270 bags. For some days past he has been able to keep well up in sewing all the bags of wheat brought in by three harvesters working on a ten-bag crop. A jelly-fish measuring about 3ft in diameter was washed up on the beach at Taint mi, and was the subject ol some (furiosity (says the Nelson Colonist). Several young men, in endeavoring to turn the medusa over, partially disintegrated it, and were bespattered with its juices, which set up a violent irVitation and caused them much discomfort. One young man who was splashed in the face had a particularly bad time. The sufferers learnt by painful experience that, being beset with myriads of stinging cells, these “blubbers” may make bathers who come intocontact with them more than uncomfortable. “Atticus” tells this story in the Melbourne Leader of a couple of shirkers in one of the semi-rural suburbs down Brighton way. The two young men are in the same line of business, they are of tin* same age, and are credited with having centred their hopes in the same girl. Being well-built, likely-looking lads, they were often asked: “When are you going to enlist?” Brown’s answer was: “I’ll go if Smith goes. Why should I go if Smith won’t go?” Smith’s answer was; “I’ll go when Brown goes. Why should I go if | Brown won’t go?” This went on for two months. About a week ago Smith, while mounted *>u a motorcycle, contested the right of uay with a timber jinker. and came off so much , the worse that he sustained what pro- 1 mises to he a permanent injury to his left knee. Among the first callers at the bedside when be was fixed up was Brown. Brown was not symoathetie; be was very indignant. “Why the devil didn’t you look after yourself?”, he snorted. “Now what am I to say to the pestilent brutes who want to know why I don’t go to the front ? A pretty bole your confounded carelessness has let nie into.”

flic well-known V\ irth’s Circus will pay Stratford a visit in about three weeks’ time.

Says the V\ aitara Mail: Assuming tlilit a bale is worth £2O tiie took away from this port on Monday £48,210 worth of wool. The Minister for Internal Affairs lias convened a conference of representatives of Patriotic Societies administering war funds, to be held in Wellington on February 17th. It is not commonly known that Belgium has actually, or had for a while, a small university still in existence—in Cambridge. It was established in 1914. Some 30 professors and their families were maintained and six Faculties were organised which gave instruction to about 130 students. Such of the latter as are of military age have since gone hack to fight for their country, and those who are ineligible for military service are now making munitions. But many of the professors and their families are still in - Cambridge. In all the town and the county together contain just under 600 Belgian refugees. The results of the Matriculation Examination, as far as the Taranaki Province is concerned, are published in another column. These show that the pupils of the local school have done quite satisfactorily. The matriculation examination is the standard set for general knowledge for solicitors, medical students, and students in engineering—with these conditions —Students may pass Matriculation by taking with the other necessary subjects any one language as well as English. To pass “solicitors,” Latin must be taken; to pass Medical preliminary. Latin, English and another language are necessary; and to pass Engineering, drawing is compulsory. The examination is based on the work of four years ’training in a secondary school and consequently the passes of Misses Thompson and Gibson, and Master Lawn, who have been only three years at High School work, are somewhat meritorious. Mr J. E. Wall, who arrived in Christchurch from England a short time ago, discussing the war (the Lyttelton Times states), said that he was somewhat surprised at the merrymaking in which the people of Christchurch and other centres indulged. It was very marked to a person who came from England, where all that kind of thing, by public consent, had been put on one side, he was surprised that sports were Held in New Zealand, as if no great war was being waged. ’The people in England were not downhearted, but they were 'serious, perhaps even solemn, in the face of the crisis. In England there here no excursion trains, no annual holidays, or very few, no race meetings, no festivities. no merry-making of any kind. The air and bearing of the people in Christchurch and New Zealand sad-* deneff him. He did not like to see amusements in full swing, as if the Empire was not at danger. He was convinced that the New Zealand public did not realise how serious the .position had become, how desirable it was to cast aside pleasure, and bow necessary it was to do everything that could he done in bringing the Empire successfully through the hour of trial.