LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Stratford Evening Post, Volume XXX, Issue 44, 26 May 1916, Page 4

LOCAL AND GENERAL.

The first issue of Hansard for the second Parliamentary season f 1916, is to hand from the Government Printer.

The Patriotic Market and Tearooms will be open as usual to-morrow. The promoters, members of the Ladies' Patriotic Committee f will be pleased to receive contributions of produce, cakes, etc. '

Commissioner and Mrs Hodder are ( tine here on Tuesday next, to speak at ( night in the Presbyterian Church. Tlie | social work of the Army will be the subject of the Commissioner's address.) The Mayor will preside. !

The Borough Council has given the Ladies' Patriotic Committee permission to bold a euchre party in thel New Municipal Buildings on June B.j The Council.will also hold the monthly! meeting at 7.30 p.m. on the same : date to which all ex-Mayors and; Councillors are invited. J

"1 think that pricing your land on the present price of your products is ridiculous and absurd. A great number of people have been ruined by it. 1 only hope that the prices will be maintained after the war is over, and that there will not be a big drop. f have seen it before. Land that was said to be very good, fetching a high price, and some years later only bringing half the original price," said the Chief Justice (Sir Robert Stout) to Sir James Wilson, at the Levin-Great-ford Deviation Commission, sitting in Palmerston.

A pleasant function took place at Mr Kerrisk's residence, Wharehuia, on Monday evening, in honor of Mr (.;. Mann, who is leaving the district. Early in the evening, motor cars and gigs from far and near made an appearance. Dancing commenced at 8 o'clock in Mr Kerrisk's hue barn, and kept going till the small hours of the morning, about 40 couples taking part. During the evening, several songs were rendered, which were much appreciated. Alter an excellent supper which was provided by the ladies, Mr Felix Schumacher, after referring to the many good qualities of Mr Mann, presented liim on behalf of the residents, of Wharehuia, with a tobacco pouch and case of pipes. Mr Mann suitably replied. Orders have been placed with one of tiie largest linns in Egypt for the erection of suitable crosses, with brass inscription iiin.es giving full particulars of the rank and name of each soldier, whose remains are interred in Egypt and Malta, slated the Minister of Defence ii! answering Mr Poole. A similar system will eventually apply to Gallipoli. Where a large number have been interred in a common grave, a suitable imposing monument will be erected giving the necessary particulars on one large slab,, or if necessary on more •.ban one slab. The Department is organising a system for giving '< complete in.formation of the exact posi- | tion of the graves, and will furnish ' next-of-kin with a photograph of the grave where each soldier lies buried and r. monument is erected over the remains.

To-day there was no sitting of the Stratford Magistrate's Court, which makes the second occasion during the present mouth on which no weekly sitting was held. The census, which is due every five years, will be taken on February 17, 1917, this date having been fixed by the Government for the purpose. The work of preparing the necessary maps, papers, instructions, etc., lias already been commenced by the Departments concerned. At 9 a.m. on Friday (says the Gore paper) 10 days had elapsed without one point of rain being recorded at tne local meteorological station. This is the longest consecutive dry period for upwards of four years. Last year, between May 30 and .June 7. no rain fell for nine days, constituting the driest spell for 1915.

Potato-digging is now in progress in the Arrowtown district (Otago), and the Lake County Press i s informed that the crops are not turning out well. In some cases the crops have absolutely failed, and one local farmer, who planted 20 hags of seed, states that his crops will barely rea h that quantity. $

Mrs Asquith's reminiscence of the man who considered King" Solomon's harem a. charitable institution recalls one of Arch', shop Magee's stories (states an exchange). A lady in Gloucestershire wa s reading the Old Testament t.. an old woman who lived at the lock- of an estate, and Solomon's est 'lishment was the subject. "Had Soloi --I renlly 700 wives?" the old woman interrupted. "Oh, yes, Mary! It is so stated in the Bible." "Lor, mum!" was the comment, "what privileges them early Christians had!"

A pleasant time was spent in the Kahouri Bridge Hal! last evening, in honor of Corpora] Kerrisk and Private McCracken, who are leaving for the front. Mr G. Sangster presided, and there was a fine attendance. During the evening Miss Sangster sang two solos in her well-known pleasing style and was heartily applauded. Mr F. Foley, of Stratford, provided much amusement with his ventriloquia] figures, and great interest was centred in feats of card manipulation and other items. In presenting the two soldiers with wristlet watches, Mr Sangster referred to the recipients' splendid resolve on behalf of their country* . and wished them God speed ( stating that if J ' the deed followed the wish they would certainly come back, He pointed out ' that Private McCracken come of a';' fighting stock, as his grandfather' (Mr Willis) was an old Crimean veteran.' 7 An excellent supper was provided by 1 ' " the ladies of the district, and da'ricihg' ' was indulged in to music supplied by\ H Mrs Bianchi.

"I regret exceedingly the deaths that occur through accidents at level crossings," said the Minister for Railways (Hon. W. H. Herries), in the House of Representatives on Wednesday. "But a proposal for the abolition of level crossings involves a very big issue indeed. If the Railway Department were to construct subways or bridges at all the dangerous crossings in the Dominion the cost would be enormous, and I am not sure* that the

Government would be justified in undertaking such expenditure at this stage of the country's development." The Minister added that the Department was installing electric alarms at the dangerous crossings, but the work had been hampered by delay in the de- < livery of material from the United; Kingdom. The alarms appeared to be efficient. The Department had suggested also that the local bodies should place danger signals near the crossings, so that the attention of the public might be drawn to the lines before thev were actually reached.

An amusing instance of the persistency of New Zealand soldiers in getting their own way was related on Friday (says the Auckland Herald) by * Major Maguire in addressing the members of the Women's Patriotic League. While strolling along the streets of Cairo one day, he said, he came across some New Zealanders and Australians in heated altercation with the native conductor of an electric car, and on going across the street to investigate, he found the men insisting on taking a small donkey aboard the car. They explained they had taken a fancy/to it, and bought it from its owner as a mascot for one of the regiments, and not knowing how else to get it out £0 Zeitoun, they proposed taking it on the car. The conductor offered a most strenuous resistance to this unusual fare, but the soldiers finally became so urgent in their speech and action that the native perforce had to allow them their own way, and the donkey was duly taken aboard, a fare paid for it, and the men dismounted in triumph with their pet at the camp.

In the paragraph appearing in yesterday's issue with reference to the receipt* by the Rev. Howard (Stratford) of an altar-service book from Strat-ford-on-Avon (England), the sender was stated to be "Captain" Crawshaw. It is now understood that Lieutenant Crawshaw has not yet been gazetted to, the higher rank.