LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Stratford Evening Post, Volume XXVIV, Issue 86, 17 March 1916, Page 6

LOCAL AND GENERAL.

A'Masterton Press Association message states that two cases of infantile paralysis, an adult and an infant, have been reported, but they are riot serious.

Weather* Forecast.--Easterfy strong winds to gale and veering by east to south. Expect dull weather with much mist and fog in parts. Rain probable. The barometer has a falling tendency, but rising after about 16 hours.—W. R. Morris, Wellington.

' At the D'unedin Police Court on Monday William Gilchrist Grawshaw was convicted and fined £6 for selling two totalisator tickets to art infant, who will be twenty-one in June. The defence was that the police sued the Avrong seller/* The'fine wVs' ih'cre'aseti jrom.£s to £6 to allow of an appeal.

A good story is going the VcmmT" of the,; clubs. The Australian Light Horse in Gallipoli had-a whim' to protect their trenches witli a quantity of barbed wire just thrown down in a ; tangle between their lines uv;d the Turks. One dark night the Turks came out and stole the lot. In exchange the Turks left a letter in English, which read something like as follows: 'Australian Light Horse. —This is to' request that the time you put out barbed wire for our use, you: will it in shorter lengths. We found the long pieces you put out extremely itteS&Veyftent for removal. Your} kind attentfolfrto this request will greatly oblige.—Your old friend, AbduL"

i '<"* t' : ''' ; '■ ' "'"'• Eufop:^sJKr America Ho-'day fafce'vthe danger ol^^ing.*srt pit •ifrojircable mih ;a Londox\ st «:'a'b'hJ to "a paperj o?gf el;,n'ia.iV linking put business nrysteriousy, it is uselesislft the bottom of the' ocean the remaining lines have been ed with great masses of cdmmuiiication daily. The possibility of Europe losing cables to America is not remote, for it is rumafed that a'new submarine, equipped for cable cutting, may he working off the west coast of Europe.

A munition factory has been started at Coventry which is unique, for it employs women only, and the number of ,'women is,, only limited by the number' of machines available fr r their fee. The firm feel that, by proving that it is practicable for a factory' 1 of this sort to be worked »:ica rekl con'tribution to the solution of the pressing difficulty of .ncreasmg the supply of shells, and rhe> hope is that their example will he widely followed in other/towns. Trio workers are all of a well-educated i>ue, and their employers were astonished to find how rapidly they learnt the work. The supervisor reported:— "You find them every now and then hitting upon some plan for doing the .work more efficiently that you only see the experienced mechanic doing. Moreover, I don't think a single error has been made yet."

The special meeting of the Ladies' Patriotic Committee held last niglit was well attended, and it was decided to hand over all funds now in hand to 1 the Stratford Patriotic Committee. It was also decided, to fohn- a lied Cross Fund, instead of a Wounded Soldiers' Fund, so that the work which is urgently needed can be done out of the money collected. The Ladies' Committee also conducts a Countess; of Liverpool Fund, the money which is donated thereto being used absolutely for comforts for the men at the front. It was decided to send away-a number of gift parcels each month to the men in the trendies. The parcels are made up of \ socks, lib'tins of jam, meat extract,' curry'powder, bovril, coffee and milk, cocoa, toilet .soap, towels, etc., and anyone wishing to contribute to the i parcels are asked to leave their donaUion at the Ladies' Patriotic Com--1 mittee rooms in Broadway not later than the 25th of each month. The Committee also decided to form sewing l»ees for the purpose of making pfjumas; which are ardently needed.

, A resident of Wellington, Mr F. A. Kuskop. who is well known abroad as >Jew Zealand's blind composer, has been awarded the second prize at the chess problem tourney promoted by the Good Companion Club, Philadelphia. THirty-two competed. The win-, rfer was a resident oi' Buenos Aires. 1

As at January 31st, 1916, the number of old-age pensions in New Zealand was 19,800, tho amount of the pensions totalling £465,000; the number of widows' pensions was 1920, the total amount being £37,500; and the number of military pensions was 1333, aggregating £48,000. During the nine months ending December 31st, 1915, the amount actually paid in respect of the above pensions was £441,636.

I At east one North Oiago dairy far- ; mer, in order to save his herd from J death, owing to the proonged drought in the Waitaki and Waihemo counties, has had his cows trucked to Wyndham, thence taking them to a belt of pasture he had leased (reports the "Farmer"). A small cottage on the property serves as a habitation for the ; members of the family who have gone ' south to attend to the cows and convey the milk to the dairy factory. Although the yield was woefully small at .first, thanks to delightful weather, an abundance of succulent grass, and plenty of good running water, the cows are responding wonderfully, and the plucky "emigrant" is now striking an encouraging dairy, factory tally. It js reported that other North Otago men have made similar arrangements, and are railing their milking stock to the Lower Mataura immediately.