LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Stratford Evening Post, Volume XXX, Issue 12, 17 April 1916, Page 4

LOCAL AND GENERAL.

1 The Kaponga Athletic Club /'has handed the whole of its credit balance (over £l-i>, to the Wounded Soldiers' Fund. Householders and parents through* out Xanana lei are reminded, that the annual meetings, for the election of School Committees take place at the various schools tins (Monday) evening, at 7.30. A meeting of the Ladies' Patriotic General Committee will be held in the Committee's rooms this evening, when the reports from the various subcommittees, which are working in connection wi;h "Soldiers Day." will be handed in. At the Patriotic Market on Saturday a gramaphone was offered as the prize in a guessing competition for the correct number of records in a box. The winter was found in Miss Mona Paget, who guessed the correct number 87. The market will not be run next Saturday on account of the Easter holidays, but will be opened as usual on the following Saturday.

A soldier who was about to leave Napier for "Wellington evidently appreciated the old saw, "A thing that's worth doing is worth doing well," for in saying good bye to a ' number of his. acquaintances he kissed no less than eighteen young ladies. As a fitting finale to this feat he bestowed the chaste salute on one of his male friends. •' •

,A record head, said to be the finest ever obtained in the Dominion, has been secured in the Otago Central deer forest by Mr Theo. Russell, of Oamaru. It is a twenty-two pointer, with a massive trunk and a beautiful spread. It ivaV secured in country towards Mount Aspiring, about 7000 feet above sea level. The stag was of enormous height and in magnificent condition.

"I have boon informed by an officer of the Agricultural Department of a rumor, to,the effect that a portion ot the cheese which the New Zealand Government contracted 1 with the Jm-' perjal authorities to, supply for the troops is being utilised tor commercial piy/posqs," .rsaid the Prime Minister. " I wish to deny the rumor. The whole of the cheese is being used for the purposes of' troops, and* in m> other v/ay."V.;;:: /;.' * \ / ;' .' ','. ''

A resident of-Stewart Island has in' his possession a fine saMple of molybdenite, which was recently discovered on the island. Particular interest is attached to this sample of the famous .steel-hardening mineral, so much coveted by Germans prior to the war, and used by a't Esseiu !v lne specimont was found in Stewart Island quartz, and the same sample returned on assay'some 'soz of silver to the ton. Mplybdeuito has the dull 'appearance 'of : lead.

".New Zealand," said Mr Ashraead Bartlett in his lecture in -Wellington on Thursday, "lost one of its 'most •gallant andHfihost fighting officers at the' highest -point of '.Rhododendron 'Ridge—Colonel Mnlone. He had done ifiore than aW other officer to establish Quinn's' Post. ; He djed on the topmost trench encouraging his men with a rifle in his hand." At this announcement there was a great applause.

The final rehearsal of the Stratford Christy Minstrels has been held, and the whole combination is reported to be well Tip' to "concert pitch." The Minstrels' first appearance before the public will be made at Toko to-mor-row night, for which entertainment an excellent programme has been arranged. The whole company, inclucb ing the orchestra will journey to Toko to-morrow night in six motor cars Which have been kindly offered for the occasion. As the entertainment is in aid of Patriotic Funds it is a foregone conclusion that the Coronation Hall will be full to overcrowding before, (he curtain rises to-morrow night.

In connection with the decorated classes for the Carnival, on Easter Monday, it is desired that all entries should be on the Showgrounds not later than one p.m., so that the exhibits can be judged before the grand precession takes place. It may be stated that pap?r flowers or any other form of decorations may be used for, the decorated events. At the outset some twelve motor cars were proniised for the decorated section and others would willingly have provided cars for the purpose but the question of procuring flowers was a stumbling block. Fortunately, this barrier has been removed through the generosity of Mrs R V'TC Morison and Mrs T. Reader, who will supply all flowers 'required for the decorated events, and those requiring flowers for the purpose can get them between for the purpose can get them between the hours of 10 a.m. and 11 a.m. on Saturday morning next. The donors of the flowers, in throwing their gardens open for the purpose certainly deserve the '-ery best thanks of the committee. Mrs Moon, who has charge of the children's decorated classes, reports exccllen- progress, with entries coming in fr«eh'.

There is another clever example of surgery in the patching up of the arm of .Sergeant Oppenheim of Lyttclton, who returned by the Turakina. The arm was twice injured and was bent round in an apparently hopeless deformity when; he reached England. Thanks to the skill of the surgeons in .i Ibjmcr hospital the limb was scraighta silver supporting plate was let into the flesh on each side of the bone, and to-day Sergeant Oppenheim carries several shillings' worth of unpawnable silver about with him.

The family rite of naming a baby devolved on Mr F. V. Frazer, S.M., at Auckland, on Wednesday last (states the Star), in the course of his magisterial duties, the unprbtesting" subject . to the.operation being the'infant'that I been found, about th>ee weeks agV),''abandoned on a section adjoining .Mount Eden Hoad. His Worship bad the assistance and advice of Mrs Hutchison 'matron of the Door of Hope), Miss ; Jackson (manageress of the Mount Albert Industrial School), and Mr A. Herbert Jones Charitable Aid Board Relief Officer), lv &o, attended , the baptism. As abf,ol> tely no inlorImation was at hand tonperning the ' fluid's parentage, there t va s a w.uldwide range of fancy before his Wor- ' ship in the matter of name, but he ; decided.to pu-si- t'-e reasonable j. course.of makii.g t/io tmnie Uar some j relation to the eircum-tnnres, ? nc \ de- | cided that the foun'uliug should be | known to the WO vV\ }IR Oliver Eden—a delicate all; so n :,,' tI)0 Christian name to the ?:•,,<),' of Mr :t Eden, in which suburb t'i o child :ls found, and the surname more de.fi.litelv commemorative of the borough associated with the little fellow's nativity! In the, more difficult .problem of fixing a birthday for the foundling, His Worship was; guided by the statement of a doctor at the time of the discovery on March 20 and the expert opinion of the ladies present at the.baptism, with the result that March «J was decidede on. Then came the prickly point of religion. His Worship, after some considerable discussion, decided to settle the matter by chance Fixing on eight of the principal denominations in the community, he pirt „i ips of paper bearing these in a Hat, and tie first shp drawn .destined that the child.'should Vubmughtiup. in 'the <- nurch of England religion. Thus 1 named and catalogued according to" civilised,rites, ithe little Oliver Eden \ "■as. banded, over to 'the We of the ' £M$ per medium of-Jtho ''Auckland Industrial, School, to be convertedint-i .a.good.and true citizen bt New Zealand, ...