LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Stratford Evening Post, Volume XXVIV, Issue 87, 18 March 1916, Page 4

LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Last year's mineral output in New South Wales was valued ;it £3,321,BGI, being an increase of £318,581 over the 1911 returns. , It is officially stated that, compared to February, 1915. meat in Sydney is now 52.7 per cent.. and ! other foods and groceries 18.7 per 1 cent higher. The usual patriotic market and tea rooms was conducted by the members of the Ladies' Patriotic Committee today. An excellent day was experienced by the promoters, and the committee's funds will benefit accordingly. " I Good work was put into the Methodist Church choir practice last night in view of the splendid programme to be given at the Salvation Army Hall on Monday night. Adjutant and Mrs Hughson arrive by to-night's express to conduct the harvest festival services to-morrow. With fine weather moonlight nights, and good programmes, everything should be a pronounced success. J It has been reported that vegetal les are scarce in the Military Camps, ■[ and the Stratford Patriotic Committee will be glad to receive any surplus supplies in the district. Donations may be left at Messrs Bellringer Bros, on Wednesday and Thursday next, but donors are requested to put the vegetables in sacks. Any local donations will be picked up Mr C. D. Sole if he is notified. \ How the war has stimulated the demand for horses is indicated by a recently published statistical record of the Union stock yards in Toronto, T n 1911 the number of horses that passed through the stock yards was 4557. 'n! 1912 the number rose to 56.07, in 1913, it fell to 2135. but in 1914 there was a big jump to 20,396, the great bulk oft the 'trade being done in .the part iof the year, while [the war was on, .But the figure,.for, 1915 is 122,091. ' Jjt. is reported, from Melbourne that the printer .of the, Commonwealth post- f age stamps has drawn attention to the fact that there may presently be -i shortage of the paper required for the purpose. The suggestion is accordingly made that, in order to conserve as far as possible the supply of stamps, where the postage on an article amounts to mere than a penny, stamps of a higher denomination should he made use of instead of pennv stamps. The printing of stamps at the present time absorbs 18,730 reams of paper annually for the printing of stamps. ' j

The annual Catholic social and dance which was held in the Town* Hall last night was well attended in defiance of' the inclemency of the weather. The floor was in excellent

' 'order, and a very enjoyable evening! was spent by all present. During the evening musical and other items we're contributed by Misses Tocker and D., Fitzgerald, Messrs G. Bradley, Kerry and A. F. Wilson. Mr IV Sullivan, in the capacity of M.C., did yoeman service, and is to be congratulated on the excellent way in which the dance was conducted. The music for the dance was supplied by Mrs Bianchi, and Messrs Parker and Bradley. Part of the proceeds of last night's function will be devoted to patriotic funds. i Mr Mata Jauovich, a Serbian, brought up in Dalmatia. and who was a sergeant-major in a Slav regiment before he left home, says many Slavs in New Zealand are anxious to help and fight with the Serbians, and would willingly enlist, but cannot speak English well enough (reports the Auckland "Star"). In many ; instances they cannot even speak ten words of English, and therefore can-, not enlist. "If the Government of , New Zealand brought out from Corfu, with the New Zealand wounded sold- j iers, three or four disabled Serbian ; officers who cannot go to the front, | and who would drill Slavs out here j and send them to Corfu to join the, , Serbian army, then," he says, "you j would see hundreds of them enlisting.j We would be only too pleased to enlist and fight together with the Serbians, as they are our national brothers. What is more, they speak the same language, and that is a lot to the fellows that cannot speak any other."

The two mortars .captured by Auckland soldiers at An/.ac from the Turks have arrived, and are on view at the Town Hall. In the course of a day or two (reports the Star) they will be placed in one of the public parks. They represent two different types. One is truly of a design which may he associated with the medieval. It is shaped something like the old-time arquehuse, except, that the barrel is shorter. Near the end of the gun is attached an iron-pronged fork,, evidently meant when driven Into the ground, to hold the wearmn in. position, while the stuck can he either titted into he r.rm, or hold in: the hands. The other mortar is more up-to-date, though the workmanship is rough and ready, and not o* Erupps' manufacture. Obviously, however: it has been put toge.luM- since the outbreak of the present war. There is a short metal barrel, mounted on a wooden platform, with a simple mechanism for securing the desired range :ii which the Ixmibs require to he thrown. A good deal of interest will centre round the exhibition of these trophies of glorious deeds!

Weather Forecast.—The indications arc for moderate to strong south easterly winds prevailing. Expect dullweather, with much mist and fog in parts. Rain probable.—Bates, Wellington.

The Postmaster-General announces ! that i; has been decided not to re- : quire the payment of the halfpenny war tax postage on postal packets ad- ' dressed to soldiers, either in camp in New Zealand or on active service abroad. The cost of this concession is estimated approximately at but the Minister (states the Press Association) is decidedly of the opinion that the correspondence between the soldiers and iheir friends should be provided for on the simplest possible terms. • The value of lucerne to the farmer is far too slowly being recognised by the average farmer in this country. The experience of a New South Wales farmer as reported in the Sydney Daily Telegraph goes to show that farmers can hardly give too much for lucerne land that is capable of producing seed. For the seed from 30 acres, one man's cheque amounted to £637 12s. Taking into consideration as well the number of cuts of hay he also took off during the year, this represents a highly profitable proposition. He hoped his friends would not be shocked when he told them that ne was rather fond of seeing two welltrained contestants in the boxing ring, said the Hon. Dr. McNah, in the course'of a recruiting address at Ellerslie on Wednesday night (states the Auckland Star). He likened the war to a boxing contest, and said thafc during the past nineteen months Germany appeared to have been getting the betier of things because she was the best-trained contestant. Nineteen rounds was a long way for such an event to go, but up to now Germany appeared to be still going strong. He thought, however, that the present stage marked the turning of the tide, for aftar the lapse of nineteen months the Allies had got into a state of fitness which would enable them to take complete charge in the closing rounds of the contest.

A very hearty welcome, ( rpceplion was given ,to "the officers and members .lot the AV.C.T.TJ. attending the annual conference at Wanganui on March .15. Addresses of welcome were given .by Mrs Blamir.es (President "Wanganui W.C.T.U.), His Worship the Mayor, Mrs Sampson for Women's Societies, Rev. Radford for Ministers' Association, Mr MoColl, Temperance Organisations, and Hon. G. Carson, M.L.C. Mrs Don (X.Z. President), responded in a very able speech. About 100 officers and delegates are assembled for the week's conference. The following resolution was passed :—Resolved, that the Dominion W.C.T.T. urge all their unions to collect funds for patriotic purposes, and that all temnerance .organisations be invited to con tribute funds; such funds to be acknowledged in the press to the credit' of the organisations contributing that the Y.M.C.A. be asked to administer the funds.

! Captain A. F. Wafxmlin, formerly master of the Union Go's. Wellington tug Terawbiti, who went Home to of- , fer his services to the Admiralty and was placed in command of one of His Majesty's patrol warships, writes to a friend in Wellington :—"Things are going very well with us just now. We are very busy after the enemy out here and we have done some very good work. . . Once we exploded a mine which had been dropped in a chase. We hit it, and it exploded a few seconds too late, allowing us to deKr it by about a hundred yards.We got a fairly good shock; it broke the chartroom windows, damaged chronometers, and also did other slight damage. It must have been a full charge of guncotton. . . Another time they brought us under fire of a shore battery and rifles down in. . . We had to turn in a very small space, and meanwhile they made the lire fairly hot having been prepared beforehand. Many S.O.S. (emergency wireless calls •for help) signals are picked up from ships on the trade routes. After a very strenuous six months we now find ourselves once more enjoying the honors of war, and are having a few days' rest in port while our ship is getting a refit. However, we will very soon be off again, and will most likely have a new job." "Is the pro-German sentiment really so strong in America?" was a question put to Mr Ben J. Fuller the other day. He replied emphatically that, as far as his observations went, it was not. Just the reverse was the case, judging by the "gags" ho had heard at the various theatres he had attended. "The Health Department is going to get after the Ger* mans," was one remark he heard a performer make on the stage, and the reason given in reply to the interrogation by the other artist was "Because they are a long time cleaning up the Allies!" Another favourite sally was "Neutral! I should say I was. I don't give a who beats the Germans!" With the exception of one theatre in North Chicago, an absolutely German district, when there was any reference to the belligerent nations, any display of Hags, or any impersonation, of the rulers, the applause was always in favour of the Allies. Mr Fuller, to give point to his impressions, mentioned a business friend of his in New York of German descent, who was, not unnaturally, a pro-German. One day mother pro-German came into hi- office gloating over the Lusitania horror. The other man immediately jumped np and knocked him down, mid had ever since been a sympathiser with the Allies.