LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Stratford Evening Post, Volume XXVIV, Issue 72, 1 March 1916, Page 4

LOCAL AND GENERAL.

I i The resignation of .Mr Sidney Ward as a,l nstice ot the Peace is gazetted. 1 Tlie vita! statistics for Stratford for Lebrunry were:—lsiit!is IS, marriages 3, dentils I. , The painting contract in the renovation of the ideal Post Office was secured bv .Mr 11. A. Nuttal, of Eltliain. 1 Work was coninieoced this morning. I I Ha in was recorded on nine days in ' Stratford last month. the heaviest fall being on the 4th. when 2,(id inches was recorded. Rain fell on oilier days as follows:—3rd, .ofin ; Otb, .21; 9th .d2: 2dth, ,03; 2dth. .01 ; 27th, ,2d’ 28th, .02; 29th, .20; total, 1.44 inhes. The treasurer of the Stratford Fire ■ Brigade acknowledges tlie receipt of ■ two guineas from On Keo and Co. in ■ recognition of the services of the Brigade at the recent outbreak of fire on their premises. I • Owing to the Stanley Hoad School having been destroyed by fire cm Monday evening, the social which was to have been tendered in honor of Messrs H. Guppy and A. Harmcli, of the 11th Reinforcements, to-morrow evening, will not now he held. A presentation will be made to the men during the afternoon, at the picnic to be held in Mr Husking’s paddock. Members of the local recruiting committee are at present interviewing those men who have signified their - willingness to enlist for active service through the National Hegister. i Yesterday the following signed the enlistment cards: Ernest Brocklebank, .Carrington Garlick, Wilfred Thomas Cuhbon, I l ’, A. Sanne. and Bernard Whelan. Ihe last two have been passed as medically fit, and will proceed to camp on Monday morning. The local committee has secured the services of Miss Mickleson. instructress in dressmaking at the Technical College. Now Plymouth, and intends opening a class in dressmaking in the j Stratford Technical School on Friday, I 17tli .March, with that lady in charge. Miss Mickloson had considerable experience in Auckland, where she was trained, and her work in connection with the College at New Plymouth is giving every satisfaction. A most extraordinary peculiarity was revealed at the meeting of the Otago E-duration Board recently (says the Otago Daily Times), when two members who had visited tlie Mature wa School stated that, the writing of one of the scholars, Frederick Miles by name, was shown to thein, and it was all upside down. The boy starts to write with his left hand at the hot-' tom of tlie page, and forms his letters the reverse way. He gradually works his way to the top of the ptige, and when the page is turned round the characters are revealed as perfectly’ made and true in every respect, and the sentences are easily read. He isi adjudged to be the best writer in Ins' class, of which he is the dux. The boyi has never written any other way. No, apparent explanation can be given.] Samples of bis writing are going to be procured by members of the board, j “I have suffered a great deal since this conference opened,” remarked the Rev. T. G. Hammond, of the Maori Mission, when speaking at the .Methodist Church Conference in Auckland on Saturday. Such a statement immediately claimed the closest atten-1 tion of the members, whereupon Mr Hammond explained that his complaint of suffering was caused by the' mispronunciation and wrong spelling of Maori names. He moved that the native ministers present be constituted a committee to correct the spelling of Maori names on the agenda paper and in the minutes. ■ He suggested it might be extended so as to teach members the proper pronunciation ol native names. The Rev. W. dittos, in seconding the motion, said the whole thing would be simplified if the hyphens were inserted in the proper places. The motion was adopted by the conference. Captain W. 3. Hardham, V.C.. speaking in reply at the civic reception accorded to him at Wellington on Monday night, said lie thought that, the war was going to take many more of their men yet, and the sooner they went the sooner the war would he ended. (Applause). H was absolutely wrong for any young man who was physically fir and had no ties to bind him to stand around looking on. Tire war was his job, and fie ought to be in it, (Applause.) 1 here was no question about it. had they had the men in sufficient •numbers at Gallipoli the> would have won through. (Applause). He said that because while he was there they were lighting great odds. Never once did they have a fail * and equal go in men. guns or mum- : lions, or in any way. Still, those men | fought it out, took it mid stood to ;t. Thev were at the front to play the game, and they played it. (Loud ap-1 plause).

A Press Association telegram today from Hastings states that tho tbroe-venr-old son of Mr Cartwright was removed to the Napier hospital suffering from infantile paralysis. . A Press Association telegram from Gisborne states that James Pyke, station manager at Te Arai, was C thrown from his horse into the Otara River, near Opotiki, yesterday, and d rownod. The repairing of the road to fho Stratford Mountain House is nearing completion, and it is expected tlie work will be finished by the end of the week. Motor cars can now drive right up to the hostel, and during the last fortnight qnife a number of motorists fiave visited tlie bouse. A boy -named Clem Devernity, of Waitara, who is only five years of age, and, who was staying at the Stratford Mountain House last week, walked to Dawson’s Falls and back, a distance of seven miles, without being carried or helped in any way. Though the ladies who accompanied him were -j very tired, “Clem” arrived at the Stratford House fit and well.