LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Stratford Evening Post, Volume XXVIV, Issue 76, 6 March 1916, Page 4

LOCAL AND GENERAL.

The District Officers of the Manchester Unity of Oddfellows will attend the fortnightly meeting of the Stratford Lodge in the Foresters' Hall tonight. The fcommittee of the Stratford Gun Club have arrangements well in hand for a shoot on Nelson and Green's property, East Road, on Thursday afternoon, the programme commencing at 1.30.' Two Stratford young men, both of whom are but nineteen years of age. being disgusted at the number of "shirkers'-' who are not coming forward to offer their services, filled in the enrolment ca'rds before Mr C. I). Sole (a member of the recruiting committee), on Saturday. A Press Association' telegram from Gisborne states that the Union S.S. Coy's steamer Tarawera met with a mishap to her machinery off Tolog* Bay on Saturday night, and is proceeding at half speed to Auckland. It is expected she will reach there this evening. Eight wounds in the thigh, one in each of his legs, and one in the right eye—all received at Gallipoli—is the sum total of the injuries received by Private M. M'Grath, who is at present a patient in the Palmcrston North Hospital. A finger was also disabled. A machine-gun was responsible for these wounds. He belonged to the Main Body, and spent four months in tbe trenches, two months in Erehsham Hill Hospital, Surrey, England, ami one month on furlough. He has undergone three operations: one on the Italian hospital ship going to England, one in England, and the third recently in the Palmcrston North Public Hospital,

An unusual runaway, namely two horses dragging a hearse, caused some excitement in Whataupoko the other afternoon. Fortunately there was no ( oitm in the hearse or maue/s would have bordered on the tragic Mournful reference was made at the meeting of the New Zealand Methodist ■Conference at Auckland on Friday "(states the Star) to the enhanced cost oi' the Church paper, the Times, owing; to paper having risen from £22 to £42 per ton in consequence of tiie war. 1c was stated that higher prices would require to be charged. ''While in Wellington recently," said the .Mayor of Christchurch to a reporter, "1 was conducted over the Base Records Office. 1 had no idea it was such a vast affair. There are fifty officers and clerks at present employed, and there will be sixty next week. The records contain the history of 52,000 enlistments, and any name asked for can be turned up in less than half a minute. The system seems to be a splendid one and it is working out admirably. Commenting on the small attendance at the quarterly meeting of the Eltham Chamber of Commerce °n Thursday night, the Argu s remarks: We think that the business people of this town make a mistake in not affording a more active support to the Chamber. It is highly necessary that such an organisation should be kept alive, for the meeting together of business men is frequently productive of much good. The Martinboough Star says: "A resident of Martinborough the other day whilst cleaning underneath the hedges surrounding his home made a lucky find, unearthing a gold watch and chain. On submission to a watchmaker the chain proved to be a very valuable one, whilst the watch was in good repair and on being wound started going. The articles had the appearance of being a long time under the earth, and it. would be interesting to know the history of the same, there being no marks by which to identify them or indicate from whence hey had come. At the conclusion of the farewell social held in honor of Mr J. B. Hine, M.P., and the men of the 14th Reinforcements at Toko on Saturday evening, Or Paget, after being absent from the Hall for a few moments, returned and related the following to those present; "A friend of mine who was resting in my car said that while we were in the hall, two men came alonp;, and after listening to the speeches, one of them said: Let "Charlie" (referring to Sergeant Fin chain) go, it is too dam dangerous for me!" Dr. Paget, continuing, said. "I do not know who the men were, but if you find out, make it too \mi dangerous for them to stay in Toko."