LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Stratford Evening Post, Volume XXX, Issue 60, 15 June 1916, Page 4

LOCAL AND GENERAL.

The Stratford Dairy Co. will pay out on Saturday the sum of £3938 for May butter-fat.

The-annual meeting of the Stratford A. and P. Association will be hold on Saturday next, at 1.30 p.m.

A four-horse drag was sold at a public auction sale in Masterton for £lO, and a cab for £o. The day of the horse vehicle is apparently passing in that district.

Four Stratford and Midhirst boys will arrive in Stratford by the mail train on Friday on their final leave. These are: Privates A. Cameron, J. H. Bennett, A. Borland and T. Askew.

Fresh tenders have been called by the Stratford Borough Council, for the lease of the tea-rooms in the new Municipal Buildings. Particulars will be found in our advertising columns.

To-morrow night at Midhirst, is the last chance of hearing Prof. Wragge on "The Eternal Universe and the War." Those who were disappointed at Stratford on account of the bad weather, are invited to attend.

Weather forecast.—The indications are for northerly winds prevailing and freshening. The weather is likely to be cloudy to overcast, and misty rain is to be expected. The barometer has a falling tendency.—Pemberton, Wellington.

A Timaru lady has received a letter from an English soldier, which mentions a remarkable family record. The

writer, Rifleman 8. C. Taylor, of the 2Jst Loudon Regiment, states that he has 10 brothers, and all are serving with the Kind's Forces, and are "doing well." Tlie Daily Sketch recently published a picture of these 11 blethers who have given their services to toe Empire, and the King has taken a personal interest in this remarkable family. The Wanganui Harbor Board last night (says a Pi-ess Association message)* decided upon a vigorous policy tf) complete a deep water harbor scheme, which will enable the berthage of eight Home liners inside the river mouth. Recently, Mr W. Ferguson. engineer to the Wellington Harbor Board, inspected the contemplated harbor" works, with the result that he has approved of the scheme, and of the plans prepared by Mr C. H. Howarth, the local Board's engineer.

Tlic cases set down for hearing at the weekly sitting of the Stratford Magistrate's Court to-morrow comprise :—Fifteen civil, one judgment summons, two informations for breach of the Stamps Act, one for excessive drinking, two for disobedience of orders under the Destitute Persons' Act, two informations against six persons for throwing stones, and mischief, one for allowing a chimney to catch fire, an two against boys for having firearms in their possession. A much-needed improvement lias been made at the approach to the Stratford A. and P. Association's showgrounds by the erection of two substantial wooden gates. These were presented by Mr E. Jackson, who has always been known a« a hard-working enthusiastic member of the Association. Tlie gates were also painted and erected at Mr Jackson's expense. The old iron structures have been in use for the past six years, and are beyond repair. There is no doubt the new gates will greatly add to the appear-! ance of the main entrance. \

Better progress, says an Aukland message, was made with the trial ofj Rua yesterday, and thirteen witnesses) for the prosecution have now been di»-| posed of. There are still sixteen more' witnesses for the Crown. Several con-J stables testified to what occurred dur-, ing the fight at Una's stronghold, ami as to the search for arms. Among, them was Constable Wright, of HuJitly. who was shot in one shoulder. He said that lie had been ill ever since,and j on Friday last took a turn for the] worse. He was suffering from pleurisy and internal bleeding and had been ordered an immediate rest. At the present time he was very ill. The Wiiangamomona Patriotic" Commtitee desire to acknowledge the sum of £3 from Mr J. KunneU, which sum is to be equally divided between the Belgian and Serbian Relief Funds.— Trooper Wallace, who is now on final have, is to be farewelled by the Whangamomonn residents on Friday evening.- A st:vet collection in -id ol' i'h'J re?c;M British naval widows orphans ivas taken up on Ka. unlay eve sling in the township's main street, am! realised l:"> 10s, towards which a number of employees in town from tinrailway construction vorks. ol Koliura.ahi aecl Tahora, helped materially. —On the 9th hist., a dance was held in the Wh uigamomoiia Hall in aid of | funds to improve the public school grounds. --Correspondent • 1 For Children', Hnckiii!.' Cnw/h. Woods' ('{real IVppermu,! Cute

included in the list of performers at the concert advertised to take place u St. Andrew's Hall this evening are Mis;-; iulwards (recently of Auckland), Misset Hopkins. Mr F. Foley (hand shadowgraphs, etc.), Mr Walters, and Eaul'ord Bros.

A Press Association telegram from Dunedin states that a tent ocupicJ by John Devlin, employed on t|R Clyde-Cromwell railway works, was burnt down this morning. Devlin was found dead in a sitting position on the bed. Death was evidently due to the tire.

Tauranga reports that while a gang of seven men were engaged in cutting rhuu cocks for the railway, about five miles from the Wairoa river, about forty tons of earth came down. Four of the men got clear, hut J. Roberts and two natives got caught. Roberts was badly shaker, and bruised. Kaui's leg was broken in three places ; Taukiwaho had a number of ribs broken, which pierced his lungs. He lies in a serious condition.

f Once again electricity comes to the ; aid of the Arno cin agriculturist. For '■ some time p: -i he has utilised elecI tricity (produced by a windmill or water wheel) to light and heat his j house and do small jobs round the J farm. Nov, . nnes the news that a wireless me -ological service for the farmers in Me States has been organised, and i proving a great boon. Farmers i ; soluted districts have a small wire', s receivng plant /costing ! but a few • dlars) attached to their houses, :• at specified times each day met'.- ! .' il weather reports are sent out slowly in tiie Morse code I from the weather office.

A report on the climate and resources of Macqtiarie Island by Mr A. S. Tulloch, who was meteorological observer there for the year preceding the abandonment of the station in Decem-

ber last, was tabled in the Tasmanian Legislative Council recently. The weather seems to consist mostly of wind and rain, varied by falls of snow, During the year which Mr Tulloch spent there only about 30 days' passed without rain or snow falling. When Mr Tulloch wont there some ducks and fowls, and also a number of sheep, were landed. The fowls did not do very well; it was too cold and wet for ihem, but the pucks fared better, and in the last month four of them laid 120 eggs. The sheep adapted themselves to the conditions, and there were a number of lambs, though some of them perished in the cold, wet weather. Mr Tulloch expressed the opinion that sheep, once they became acclimatised, would do fairly well on the tussocks and Maori cabbage of the island, and that the island would maintain a good many thousands of them. The value of the Navy to the British Empire cannot be estimated in figures, and until the history of the War is written can the splendid victory which was won for us in the North Sea recently against the representative ships of the Hun or the work of the heroic sailors who met their doom be even moderately gauged. Coming home to these Dominions, it will be admitted that the Navy has everything to be thanked for in the safe conduct of our. produce, frozen meat, butter, cheese, wool, etc., and the mere mention ot this protection will start in the breast of every farmer and settler, every town man and woman, the well-spring of gratitude. An outlet for such sentiment, it may be mentioned, is to be afforded in Broadway on Saturday afternoon, when the popular Anzac Minstrels will give an open-air performance in aid of the widows and orphans of the gallant men who lost their* lives in that great battle off Jutland on tiie memorable 31st of May. The performance commences at two o'clock sharp. x