LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Stratford Evening Post, Volume XXX, Issue 99, 28 July 1916, Page 4

LOCAL AND GENERAL.

English mails, ox Wimtnora at Wellington, are tine in Stratford today. j Mails which left New Zealand on June 18 arrived in London on the afternoon of the 21th inst. Bread is to he reduced a penny per lib loaf in New Plymouth next week. It is now lOd delivered 9d over the counter. Weather forecast:—The indications' arc for south-easterly moderate to strong winds, and hacking by east to north. Weather probably cold and changeable. The night will probably be very cold. Barometer little movement, but falling shortly.—Bates, 1 Wellington. In England much less care is taken to have tuberculosis-free herds of milch kine than in New Zealand.! Knowing this Sir Thomas Mackenzie took the precaution to investigate the condition of the herd milkto the men at the New Zealand Hospital, Walto.n-on-Thames. The result of the tests taken, in accordance with New Zealand practice, was to .. find one-third of the cows to he affected with tuberculosis'. These cows were at once removed. Additional regulations, under the War Regulations Act, have been ga/.- ! ettcd to make it unlawful to import goods, from any country other than; United Kingdom, British possessions.; or territory in the military occupa-j tiou of Britain, or the United States.! ’except under a license issued by the Controller of Customs; also to prcmit trading for the complecou of contracts, etc., made with enemy subjects in neutral countries before the war, and to extend the prohibition of the export of sheepskins carrying wool to skins with or without wool.

A remarkable story, for which we can vouch (says the Mangaweka “Settler”) is told of a young New Zealander from this district who went Horne to England and enlisted in an Imperial regiment. He had spent over fourteen months in France* without receiving any injuries whatever. When he heard of the arrival of Ne.w Zealanders in Europe, not being able to obtain leave, he left his battalion and tramped over 200 miles to shake hands with the boys from “Down L ruler. On return Ire was immediately arrested for' desertion, but luckily escaped with the very light sentence of three days’ detention in lien of the death penalty, which may be imposed for this military crime on active, service.

The members of the Stratford hire Brigade living at the station were awakened at about 2.35 o’clock this morning by the ringing, of, the bell, The men hurriedly dressed, and when they opened the door they were annoyed to see their informants making off at no slow pace down Broadway. A glance oyer the town from the top ot tire tower showed that the ringing of the bell was a false alarm, ■ One mem* her of the brigade, who objected to being called at that hour of the morning for a false alarm, tracked the persons who rang the bell, and. demanded an explanation. The spokesman of the party, there were three young women and three men, stated that they weie returning from a dance and had been told that one of the banks was on fire. The fireman wouh], no doubt, have accepted this explanation had not one young woman called out: “What ho, the Eire Brigade” and “hard luck for the Fire Brigade.” The name of the person who gave the alarm was obtained, and it is understood that a prosecution will follow Section IS of the Eire Brigade’s Act, 1908, reads as follows:—Every person who, whe-. they in a lire district or not, interferes with any fire alarm without lawful justification, or wilfully gives or causes to be giv.cn, or attempts to give or causes to he given, to any lire brigade any false alarm of fire commits an offence, and is liable to imprisonment for a period not exceed.ag one month, or to a lino not exceeding £SO. Alter ; reading the foregoing, the offenders will see that.* they committed a very serious act. and will, no doubt, in future, leave lire alarms alone. From north to south, from east to west, I tour the world with tireless zest, Mid tropic heat or Arctic snow, My health to simple means I owe, Through all I have one faithful friend, In storm and stress prompt aid to lend, That fortifies me to endure, ’Tis world-famed Woods’ Peppermint Cure.