LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Stratford Evening Post, Volume XXX, Issue 31, 11 May 1916, Page 4

LOCAL AND GENERAL.

The mails which left New Zealand on March 16 arrived in London on May 6. There will be not sitting of the Stratford Magistrate’s Court to-mor-row. Reporting from Samoa, under date May 8, Colonel Logan states that the health of the troops is good, and there are no cases of illness to report.

The honorary secretary of the Soldiers Day Committee wishes .to acknowledge the sum of £o from Messrs Borthwick and Sons, Ltd.

The wholesale price of standard brands of butter in Auckland has been advanced by one penny, to. Is od per lb. The retail price will now be Is 7d.

Weather forecast.—The indications are for south-easterly strong winds to gale. Heavy rain is to be' expected, with rivers rising shortly. Barometer unsteady.—Bates, \Vellington.

A Gazette Extraordinary, declaring j certain firms to 'be enemies, ihtluue-ij Jio names of Rhodius and Co., Bui., 1 Christchurch,, and the Continental C. and (i. Rubber Company, Australia and New Zealand. Midhirst farmers are informed through our advertising columns that the lecture, which was to have been given by Mr H, G. Sergei, Agricuhi tural Inspector, to-night, is postponed. Mr Sergei will lecture at Beaoonsfield J Road to-morrow (Friday evening)'hit. 7.30 o’clock.

The monthly meeting of the Stratford Comity Council will he held at the County Office, Stratford, on Wednesday next, at 11 a.m. Cjr Baskin will move, ‘That the services of the County Engineer be dispensed with,” and Cr Christoffel will move, “That the matter of increasing the Engineer’s ' salary be considered.”

The' annual communication 'to the Masonic Grand Lodge was given yesterday afternoon, Mr Dougall, Grand Master presiding. The annual reports showed that the accumulated funds were £44,622s of"-which » £27,452 belongs to the annuity fund and £BSIO to the special, war benevolent fund. Mr Oliver Nicholson (Auckland) was elected Grand Master.

At the Fruitgrowers’ Conference at Wellington yesterday resolutions were passed asking the Government to facilitate the construction of roads and railways with a view to offering up fruitgrowing areas; that before permits are issued to Acclimatisation Societies the opinion of fruitgrowers should lirsfc he obtained ; that more inspectors he appointed in .view of the large increase in acreage under fruit.

A Press Association telegram today from Dannevirke states that the Queen Carnival raised £13,359 lor the Wounded Soldiers’ Fund. Miss Millseent Hunter (.Soldiers’ representative) was elected queen, Miss Myrtle Herbert (Anzac queen) being second. The principal donations to the winning queen were: Mr George Hunter, M.P.,-' £4050, Mr Paul Hunter £IOSO, Mr Cyril P. Hunter £525, while a race-j horse given by Mr George Hunter and disposed of by rafile brought in £1474. The art unions, including the horse, will he drawn next Monday. j

His lordship had engaged a new butler. A week later he gave a bail, and' the butler had to announce the j guests. “Hon. L. Drown, Ron. Mrs Brown, Master Brown, and Miss Drown,” called the butler, this got on his lordship’s nerves. “James, he said, “pray be more brief when ■ yon announce people.” r i be next arrivals "ere Mr Crown, Mrs ’ ‘oun. and Master Crown. The butler waved his hand to indicate wtiieh diiectioii they were to take, at the same time calling out—“ Fifteen boh.” The Waimate Witness states that a cowardly and most unprovoked assault is reported to have been com- j milted on a returned soldier in Manaia. a few nights ago. by three mtn. who were entire strangers to loin. Next morning the badly used soldier encountered one of his assailants am, after assuring himself of Ins identity punished him severely. Later in t today he came in eon.act with the otner two, and after accusing them ol the cowardice and unmaidines.s. oi , inm; conduct in appropriate terms. »m->‘d-ed to operate on the more" iorundable looking of the two, wiio. however, strenuously declined combat, taking refuge in .lirents of law and police, both availing themselves ol the lirst oppori unity of making i lnonser.es scarce.

Speaking at [lie opening of the Rongr.lea Show, Mr E. Newman M.P. for Kangitikei, stressed the fact that New Zealand had two important duties to perform—namely, to grow as much produce as possible, ami to go in for universal service. He said he would like to see people prosecuted for having large areas of land uncultivated, and conscription now seemed necessary to win the war. Particulars of the fire and explosion which occurred on the New Zealand trader Matatua in the middle of March, at St. John, New Brunswick, contained in letters received by an Auckland business firm, sliow (says the Herald) that the outbreak was undoubtedly due to the explosion of the gas generated through water coming into contact with the carbide portion of the cargo. When it was found that the lire could not otherwise be subdued, the steamer’s seacocks were opened, and it was in this manner that she was sunk. Practically no damage was done to the structure of the ship.

A Dunedin tradesman had the unique experience on Monday (states the Otago Daily Times), of receiving a sum of money from a youth who had been employed by him some time ago, and who had taken various sums of money, totalling several pounds. The father of the lad, a respected member of the Salvation Army, who accompanied him, stated that lie was happy to know that his son had been converted, but he (the son) felt that before he could make his peace with God, he must nn. . his peace with the man ho had wrong a. The tradesman kindly offered to hand tne money hack, but it was refused by the father, who said: “The money is yours, and that is all wo care about.” In reply to an offer to band the money to him for the Salvation Army, he said; “I am not collecting for the Salvation Army, and 1 am delighted that •my son has done the proper thing by you.” The tradesman, while suspecting that pilfering was going on in las shop, did not know to what extent he Had been a loser.

A serious accident befell the «tcamer Rimu on Tuesday night week (states Uio Settler), when attempting to leave Kawhia wharf on her return journey to Onehunga. 'lt appears that the vessel, in backing shorevaras to swing when casting off her l’’nes, went too far astern, striking the rocky ledge on the lower side of the wharf, where the beach precipitately drops into ffie or six fathoms of water, One of her propellers—the Rimu IN, a twinscrew boat — evidently struck this .tjhelf;

very .severely, and it was at first thought, in the engine-room that the; blades had been entirely stripped from! the shaft. The steamer was again berthed at the wharf, when investigation the following morning showed that the shaft had been fractured. The injured propeller shatt Was carefully secured to the vessel, and at 10 a.m. she . proceeded on her voyage, which included calling at Raglan, depending on her single screw foV power: Some difficulty was experienced in negotiating the bar when . entering the latter harbour, but eventually she succeeded in successfully teaching safe waters and discharging her cargo, arriving at Onehunga the following morning without further mishap. The Arapawa, which was in thi s port at' the time of the incident, was held in readiness to assist if found necessary.

Employment for Wounded Soldiers. —Men wanted for military employment to release staff for active service. Men wanted for tree planting at Rotorua. Postmaster for Charleston wanted. Further particulars from the Secretary, Stratford Patriotic Committee. x