LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Stratford Evening Post, Volume XXVIV, Issue 98, 31 March 1916, Page 4

LOCAL AND GENERAL.

R.H.S. lonic will leave Auckland for London during April.

To-day is the seventy-fifth anniversary of the landing of the first settlers at Moturoa.

Farewell services will be conducted at tlie Methodist Church on Sunday by the Rev. A. 0. Harris, in the morning, and the Rev. A. Reader in the evening.

At the Methodist Sunday School on Tuesday evening a farewell function will lie held in honor of the Rev. A. Reader (who has been resident in Stratford for about four years, and who is leaving for Thorndon), and of the Rev. A. 0. Harris, who proceeds to Elthain.

On the 21st instant the Now Zealand Dairy Association, Ltd., distributed amongst its suppliers the sum ot £SB, 561 11s. This covered 982,4071bs of butter fat suppled during the month of February. The amount distributed for the corresponding month last year was £44,344 15s 7d, thus the increase for the month was £14,2X6 15s sd. Stratford district is maintaining its reputation in the matter of recruiting, and on a percentage basis it compares favorably with any part of New Zealand. A number of men have enlisted and been medically examined during the last few days, and the latest recruit to be passed as lit is Mr M. A. Chiney, of Toko.

Five cases of infantile paralysis were reported in Gisborne during the last two days (reports the Press Association). The Health Department having stated that there was no necessity to keep the schools closed any longer the Education Board ordered them to be re-opened on Monday, but the School Committee, with the support of the Mayor, are declining to do so.

Hoji. Recruiting Officer, Mr C. D. Sole, is in receipt of a letter of thanks from Military Headquarters, Featherston Camp, for four sacks of vegetables, which arrived in good order and were much appreciated by the men. A suggestion has been made that a ton of swedes would be a nice change for the men, and Mr Sole is taking up the matter. He asks farmers to supply sacks of this vegetable by Thursday next, so that the consignment will reach camp in time for Sunday’s dinner for the soldiers. He has had private advice that the soldiers are looking forward to having “mashed turnips” on the menu on the Bth prox.

The harvest festival sale of work and produce, held in connection with the Methodist Church, was opened in the Sunday School by His Worship the Mayor (Mr J. W. Boon) at 2.30 p.m. yesterday. During the afternoon and evening a sheep-guessing competition was conducted. The different stalls were well supplied, and when the effort is completed throughout the circuit, it is estimated that the proceeds will reach a three figure sum. The success of the sale was due to the secretary and the committees, the members of which were untiring in their efforts to make the sale such a success. At the conclusion of the sale Mr T. Lamason auctioned the balance of the unsold goods..

A meeting of the committee of the Whangamomoua Medical Club was held on Tuesday, and it was agreed to secure the services of a resident nurse at a salary of £152 and a free house. On Wednesday, at a public meeting, held in the Whangamomona Hall, the patriotic efforts of the district were consolidated by the appointment of a Patriotic Association, with an executive committee of the following members: Messrs Bradley (chairman), H. F. Sharpe (secretary and treasurer). Bovis Long, Comrie, Mills and Stromborn. It was agreed that the minimum entrance fee as a member of the Patriotic Association be 2s 6d, and that all men going to the front from the district should be given a suitable farewell, such to take place when on their final leave. —Correspondent.

A smash occured (hiring the retirement from Belgrade, in which one of the nurses sustained a feature of the skull (states a correspondent in an English newspaper). She died during the ensuing night, ft happened that this sister had been a great favorite with the Serbians and had herself expressed a wish to live and die in their country. At the time of her death the unit was passing through a lovely valley, and on one of the wooded knolls a little roofless Christian chapel was discovered. The Serbian soldiers bore the dead sister’s body up to it, and there English and Serbian prayers were read over her. At the end of the service the Serbian priest honored her with an oration , recounting her brave work, and concluding with the words, “Salve Caroline!” In response all the Serbian soldiers tootc up ttie cry as one voice, answering “Salve Caroline! A

strange and moving ceremony

To-day was observed as a holiday by the banks and Government offices in Stratford, the occasion being the anniversary of the province of Taranaki. The Patriotic Market and Tearooms will be conducted 'as usual by the members of the Ladies’ Patriotic Committee to-morrow. Gifts of produce, cakes, etc., wil] he welcomed by the promoters. It is stated on what seems good authority (says the Mauawatu Times) that Mr Hiley, General Manager for Railways, has purchased a block of 4000 acres of first-class land in close proximity to Palmerston North, owned bv a member of Parliament.

The members of the Ladies’ Patriotic Committee, who are baking for Soldiers’ Day at Stratford, would be glad to receive donations of any cooking butter or eggs, which may lie left .at the Ladies’ Patriotic Rooms, I Broadway.

The members of the Stratford Volunteer Fire Brigade ran off two events at Victoria Park \esterdav afternoon. The one-man ev nt was won by Custodian B. Burgess, and the threeman event will be run over again at an earlv date.

'Hie inquiry in Wellington concerning the allegati us made against Lieutenant A. H, Grier- -'., New Zealand expeditionary lories, ua • brought to a close on Thursday. The Commissioner (Mr 4, D. Thomson) will present his n non to the Minister for Defence, pro! My in about a week.

I Weather l< , 3ca«t. The indications are for easterly moderate to strong winds. There is a prospect of fair to ' cloudy weather, with increasing haze ' and cloudiness. Barometer little movement, but has a falling tendency. —Bates, Wellington. | The men. who have been notified to j proceed to camp by Monday morning’s [ mail train will assemble at the school ground at 8.15 o’clock sharp. Owing to the short notice given to the men it has been practically impossible to organise a farewell social, but the residents of Stratford may show their appreciation of the men’s patriotic spirit in volunteering to fight for the Country’s liberty, by attending on the railway station and giving the men a hearty send-off.

A commendable instance of the enthusiasm displayed by a Gisborne Native in bis desire to join the Maori Reinforcements came under the notice of Mr Hooper, the Maori recruiting agent, last week. The Native in question, when told that he would have to find his own fare to Auckland, promptly placed on the recruiting officer’s table two £l. notes, and requested that his ticket should be obtained. “You had better take the money now while I have it, or I will only spend it,” he remarked.

Gossip in political circles does not suggest that the session can possibly he a short one (reports the N.Z. Times). The Conscription Bill, to apply a rather crude title to a measure that may not be particularly sweeping in its operation, is sure to provoke a long and vigorous debate. It may even produce a determined stonewall, though the number of members unwilling to admit the necessity of compulsion under any circumstances is not expected to be at all large. The attitude of members may be influenced considerably by the events of the next six or eight weeks in Europe.

States the Patea Press; New Zealand will probably think twice before

she sends any more exhibits to “expositions” in the land.of the wooden nutmeg, as the recent exposure of Yankee methods of doing business must have caused no small amount of disgust amongst exhibitors. It appears that exhibitors who were credited with having won gold medals m the recent Panama Exhibition have been notified that these medals will he cast in bronze and the winners if they wish can have them gilded and engraved at their own expense. Such a state of affairs is no doubt on a par with the Yankees’ notion of business morality but it cannot be expected to raise their country in the eyes of the outside world and for this reason so far as New Zealand is concerned, Cousin Jonathan may as well write down his exposed exposition as on absolute and downright failure.

“One Who Was There” supplies the following report of the dance in the Midhirst Hall last night:—After an enjoyable day at the sports a very successful dance was held in the Public Hall. In the large crowd present were many people from Stratford and surrounding districts. Air J. Shotter carried out ail the duties of M.C. necessary to make an enjoyable evening. The floor was in excellent order, and the music was a pleasure to dance to, being played by Miss Anderson (piano), and Air Parker (cornet). Extras \pere played by Aliss Spriggins and Aliss Peterson. During an interval Air Peterson (chairman of- the committee), briefly thanked the gathering for the splendid attendance. He remarked that Midhirst was a very patriotic township, having contributed over £75 to the Patriotic Fund, and had further increased that amount by the proceeds from the sports and dance. He expressed the hope that when the next annual sports were held the war would bo over, and >v© would have our soldiers back again and spend an enjoyable evening with them. Dan Y. Pat tie, late principal comedian in “The Will-o’-the-AVisps,” the famous African combination, contributed items of much interest, including “Devil-May-Care,” and “The Green Eye of the Yellow God ” Persons uninterested in dancing, thoroughly enjoyed themselves at cardplaying. An excellent supper was supplied by the committee The dance was kept going till 2.30 a.m.