LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Stratford Evening Post, Volume XXXI, Issue 77, 28 October 1916, Page 4

LOCAL AND GENERAL.

The Press Association reports that the ex-licensee of -the Tinui Hotel was fined £2O at Masterton yesterday for filling a ease of whisky bottles with draught whisky. The Secretary of the Taranaki Provincial War Relief Association ack- 1 nowledges receipt of the sum of £2OOO from the New Plymquth Patriotic Committee on account of the Sick and Wounded Soldiers’ I 1 und.

Both‘the Mart and the Ladies’ Patriotic Rooms were busy to-day. Unfortunately, the rough weather affected the attendance in the town, but loyal patrons, as usual, made their regular weekly visit to assist the local patriotic efforts.

W To-night at His Majesty’s Theatre, thvough the courtesy of Mr McAllister, photographer, a new batch of photos of “Our Boys” will be thrown on the screen in addition to those already being shown. The innovation of screening “Our Boys” is thoroughly appreciated, anti is now one of the most interesting items on the programme. «: In common with other similar institutions in the Dominion, the ranks of the Stratford Municipal Band have been depleted owing to the enlistment of members, but the organisation is still alive, and will hold its annual meeting on Monday evening. All past and present members are invitld to attend, and the secretary (Mr Geo. Bradley) will explain the petition of the Band.

Writing from Bulford (Salisbury Plains, England), a Wellington soldier says that the march' over the Rimutaka from Featherston to Trentham is child’s play compared with what the men have to do in England in the “hardening off” process before leaving for the front. As it is necessary that every man shall be as “hard as nails,” they send out companies on 15-mile route marches, eacli man with 641 b on his back, but instead of vkceping to the nice, smooth roads, the column has to tramp over ploughed fields, ditches, etc., to get used to the broken country in the Western theatre of war. “After one of these i tramps,” ; . says a writer, “everyone j feels r.ohdy for bed, but the exhilaration of perfect fitness on waking at 4.36 the ‘ next morning is compensation for it all. These days of tramcars, motors, and bikes have been, making a soft nation of us all—now we are getting back to that kind of I man that made England what she is —and always will be.”

During the assault case yesterday Mr A. Coleman (for the prosecutor) asked Mrs Asplund if she considered that her son had. a good temper. She replied: “Yes, a good deal better than Mr Jakes!” Mr Fookes (who represented accused) said the whole trouble was that the principals were an' “ill assorted combination.” Prosecuting counsel said it was the right of a British subject to have recourse to law if he had pause to think he had been wronged. : Mr Coleman pointed out that there 1 hath been first a threat, and then a I throwing out of effects. Jakes sought [the protection of the police. Accused never applied for protection. Aftei the assualt Jakes returned for his coat. Now, wlien any British subject was prevented from going to and from *t place that in itself was an assault. In order to preserve Ins right under the agreement, he must go back to the premises and he was entitled to ask to go back there under the protection of the law. The decision of the Bench was a fine of £1 for assault and on the damages claim the plaintiff was non-suited. A full , report of the case appears on page 7.

The following information has been received from Discharged Soldiers’ Information Department, Wellington; extract from progress statement as at 24th October. —Total number of men on register (a) disposed of, 4822; (b) under action, 544; (c) not ready to l ' action (including men recently cently returned), 373—total 3733. Particulars showing how the cases were dealt with : (A) cases di posed of men re-enlisted or returned to military duties, 2029; (2) men placed in employment, 1137; (3) men "ho ha\e signed assistance not rcquiicd, *139, (4) left jS' ew Zealand or address unknown, 145; (5) men who have not responded to applications, and men who have accepted positions, but failed to commence work, 402—total 4822. (B) Cases under action: (1) reports upon cases not yet returned by officers making enquiries, 104; (2) awaiting further advice, including men not yet ready for work, 265; (3) at present on “employment wanted” register, 175—total 544. (C) Cases not ready for action, men convalescent, not ready for employment, and not yet discharged from forces, 373. There are at present five men in the Taranaki district on the Employmentwanted Register requiring work as follows ;—Two light work, 1 clerical, 1 light farm work, 1 light outdoor work.

The Victor Prince Rcvuo Vaudeville Company appear in the Town Hall to-night.

A conference of school teachers with those specially engaged to deal with agriculture was held in the Technical School, Stratford, this morning, when fifty-six teachers and Messrs Browne, Sergei and Ellis were present, Mr Browne, in half an hour’s speech, urged the wisdom of Agriculture being taken as a school subject generally throughout the district, and outlined a course of Nature Work which would

lead up to that subject. After a general discussion on the matter, in which many teachers took part, it was decided to ask Mr Browne to arrange a fortnight’s course of work, at which the attendance of all teachers should be obligatory, and that this course of instruction be given at Easter next.

An American correspondent writing on the capture of Conrcelette, says: “Then there were the New Zealanders. They,are known from the Australians by the coloured band around their campaign hats. The little country they come from is 18,000 miles away. ‘Proud, ’anghty lot to look at,’ said a London cockney. ‘You might think they was all lords, but when you gets to know them, they’re human and most generous with their ’igh pay.’ The New Zealanders also had their orders of the “go-there-and-stay-there’ kind. They went, and, later on the situation was such they were warned tint they must try and bold against a heavy counter-attack. The staff wondered if they could. Out of the clouds of shell smoke, in which the bullets an- 1 fragments of steel screamed and whistled, it was ns difficult to glean information as it. would be to learn what a man in tiie n'ext block was doing in an earthquake. Finally word came back: “We have stopped counter-attack and taken sonic more Germans, and are going to bold it.” This cheered the staff as much as the sight of the columns of German prisoners filing by. Then the British Guards “went over the lid” of the parapet, and in one mighty rush dashed and captured first, second and third objectives, a colonial vainly trying to halt them by blowing a silver hunting horn. All past records in ferocity of fighting seemed to have been surpassed during the latest British advance. So freely was life given and so wonderful was the courage shown on both sides - ' that the whole thing seems unreal to the spectators. Verily, conclhßedJfm^A H American 1 chronicler, it was a~“tremondons offensive, with the British . * * \ -j, si - excelling all past records of, their | splendid .history.