LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Stratford Evening Post, Volume XXXI, Issue 29, 1 September 1916, Page 4

LOCAL AND GENERAL.

A London cablegram stales that as the result of a court-martial, Liontenant T. Fitzpatrick, Otago Regiment, has been dismissed from the service. The directors of the Waikato Cooperative Dairy Company, Ltd., have decided not only to reinstate every married man going on active service, but to insure each man for £SOO. The company will keep all the premiums paid up until Ihe men’s return

Mails which loft Now- Zealand on 21sl duly, arrived in London on 2Bth hist. The vital statistics for Stratford for the Month of August were: Births 31, marriages 3, and deaths S. A large concourse of people assembled in front of Mr T. G. Grubb’s window in Broadway at 11.30 this morning to witness Professor .Norwood hypnotise a young woman. The subject will sleep in the window till; 7.30 p.m. and will then he taken to the Town Hall where she will be awakened at 8 o’clock. Procrastination may give a careless or neglect man some time in prison, fader the Military Service Act a Beservit who does not send by registered letter to the Government Statistician a timely notice of change ol address may make himself liable to a charge of desertion. Amy post-office will supply the necessary form, cards, information, and help. “Within fourteen days!”: , These ‘are words to he heeded by any hesitating or dilatory man who is required to enrol under the Military Service Act, or to report a change of address to the Government Statistician. Neglect or ’delay in this duty may give a man a sad memory of the number 14 for the rest of his life. The, Act has penal clauses to impress that num- , her 14 indelibly on the mind of a de- | linquent.

With reference to the appointment of Mr William Joliffe. as censor oi cinematograph films, the Hon. G. • Russell states that the censoring will be carried out entirely in Wellington. A building for the purpose is being prepared and the cinematograph plant belonging to the Agricultural Department will be employed. '1 he Act requires that all films shown after October 1, must be approved by the censor, but as the strict enforcement of this provision would mean the closing of, a number of picture houses it has l)ooii decided to issue a renewal of tile approval of all films on circuit on that date, reserving the right to call in for censorship any picture concerning which information may he received suggesting that it is of'doubtful character.

Xcw Zealand’s Government expects that every man of military age will do his duty under the Military Service Act between now and the ,10th September. The law provides that men who are not registered under the National Registration Act of last year must enrol by the 16th September, and that men who are already registered must inform the Government Statistician if they have changed their abode since registration. Neglect to report such a change may make the Reservist liable to a charge of desertion. The authorities are giving Reservists all possible encouragement and facilities uvt any ami every post office) to do their duty, voluntarily, but it is important for men to remember that the Act provides heavy penalties for a breach. In every case under the Act onus of proof is on the defendant. A plea of ignorance will not ho available as an excuse, because elaborate precautions are being taken, by posters, placards, and lantern slides, advertisements and other statements in the Press, to explain the position thoroughly.

A correspondent, who states that his nnm de plume may be printed “True Sport” or “Bastard Sport,” as the reader wishes, writes as follows: “Pigeon pie” has figured on the menu card in quite a number of households in the district for two days The savory dish tickles the palate, the while tlie diner laughs at the heterodoxy of some people who read cruelty in to the orthodox practices of our food supply. Age may not wither nor custom stale the infinite variety of a good chef’s concoctions, but pigeons and other game relieve tire dreadful monotony of beef and mutton at every meal time. The epicure at any rate will have kindly recollections of the Stratford Gun Club’s first venture into the field of live-bird matches, and it is also safe to say that the verdict of the crowd wdio witnessed the match on the Showgrounds without exception would not be antagonistic to the attitude taken up by the Club. This much must lie said, however, that the executive had matters well in hand, and they are to he congratulated on the success attained. Probably through an oversight, the valuable services of the referee. Mr H. Woplven, was not referred to in your report of the proceedings yesterday, and I take this opportunity of righting the omission. Also, the excellent luncheon provided under the Brooking management deserves special mention both for variety and the condition of the edibles as well as for the attention shown to diners.

The total quantity of butter in cool store on August 31 was 30,92(1 boxes, compared to last year’s 15,500 boxes, and ihe previous year’s 17.116 boxes. The recent flood in the Manawatu was the means of unearthing the remains of an ancient forest on the riverbank close to Palmerston., about a mile above Fitzroy bend. At this point the river cut into the bank to a depth of from one to two chains, and in doing so laid hare numbers of huge trunks, about ten or twelve feet below the surface. The great majority of the trees are totara, with a few rimus, and some other varieties of native 3ora. The state of preservation of the totara trees is remarkable .says the .Standard), when it is remembered that they have been buried some ten feet underground; and on the surface another forest of similar growth has sprung up, and was in existence up till a few years ago, and numbers of large trees of this period are still standing near by. The exhumed totaras, however, some of which- measure as much as five feet through, and are of corresponding length, appear to have deteriorated little iti qua lily, in spite of their long imprisonment in the soil, and several of the trunks have been cut and converted into posts by the farmers in the vicinity. Except that the posts are a little sodden with dampness, they appear as durable as when the forest tree- grew in all their profusion hundreds of wears before.