Stratford News.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LIV, Issue 135, 29 November 1911, Page 3

Stratford News.

STRATFORD DISTRICT HIGH SCHOOL THE FRIDE OF THE DISTRICT. • The Stratford District High School, a new portion of which is now being erected, is the pride- of the district. We reckon we've got the best school in Taranaki, and the best man possible in charge of it, too. This has -been the opinion for many years, and it doesn't fade, l'eopfc are just as warm in- their desire for making the school, "go" as ever they were. The present committee is as pertinacious as ever our committee has been in its requests to the Education Board. And the people "play up to tliem." Remember when we talked about technical education first, and someone suggested a technical school for Stratford. Where was it to go? The- directors of the Stratford Dairy Co. were quick to size up the matter, and to see that technical education was going to be a good thing for town and country alike. The Ktratford Borough Council, J remember, was composed of a pretty live set of men, too. Now the company had a lease of a .borough reserve. They gave it up, and the council gave the land to the education authorities. Then up sprang our technical school, the first in the field. (Weren't we proud? And we're as proud,' to-day. Why, there was trouble in somebody's "Amen corner" .because parents in an adjoining district sent us their children in preference to sending them to the district high .school in their own town. We get boys and girls all the way from Waitara and Inglewood. Our school has'the biggest average attendance ini Taranaki, and it has record of scholastic, successes by its pupils that many another town would be as proud of as we are.

In 188!) the school had an average attendance of 00 pupils. On the 22nd .October,' 18t>7, it was made a district high school. The attendance at that date was 380 in the primary department and 3(> in the secondary. At the, present' time the average attendance is from 600 to 050, and on Monday, when we had our big function, there were 640 children present. It was the first school in the Dominion to establish and work satisfao'torily a course of rural work, tliis work being taken concurrently with the ofdb> arv classic-ail course. The Hon. Mr. Fowlds, when speaking at Stratfqrd, gave' the opinion' of his departmental officers that it- was- the best school of its kind in the colony. Quite a number of' the old boys are making a splendid reputation in .engineering, medicine; hiw,. and!

other walks of life. The authorities realise that "all work and no play mate Jack a dull boy"; also that there's some-thing-good-in athletics, as it tends to fostej: a pride in the school as well as' to .develop the faculties and sinews of * the -pupijs.j- 'So' the, school has a swimming bath, . tennis, courts, and every con. veiuenec for the welfare of the pupils. Mr. Tyje'r .and his particularly able> staff educate the pupils from kindergarten up to the. junior university standard, and New ; Zcjftlanders elsewhere may either ph-yj-'usj,our .success, or vie with Us in e ( \preSHing'pride that such full advantage is, takeii "i/i the great education system uf,.this favored Dominion.

. ~,' '.EXPENSIVE GLAZING. '" '. WINDOW-BREAKERS HAVE TO PAY. A window-smashing incident occurred at Midhirst during Friday night. The courty proceedings to-day did not disclose ■ft great many of the details, and, there was ,uo u - confirmation of some of .the ruln.orsf that, had been flying around the town. - The 1 offenders were two respect-at>!e-to,»ki-ng- young men named George Tre,*ek,ranil August Uhlenberg, and they were .charged, before Mr. C. D. Sol'e, J.P., .witji having on 24th November wilfully "iUwn,ngi'(l a'window at the Mount Egmori't • Hot,el, Midli'irst, the property of James' O'C'pnneil. Both pleaded guijty, and'the evidence of the hotclkeeper,. who - had been oJummoned, was not necessary. -Serrt'eant McjXeoly. said the charge was laid tfaf<fer_'section (i of the Police Offences Act-, - -'-whose heavy penalties .indicated, tfiat the offence was looked Vippn by the legislature as. one of u serious nature, tl* maximum penalty being a/ term of /three? /months', imprisonment, jn ia h-btel sjidi an' 'offence -became doubly serious. '.He'understood that these : two young 'Men had been outside the, hotel aniT: faib "ing'toi get. tho licensee to break 'the Jicehsiifg la\V by -supplying 'them with Hij.ij.or ..after, hours, had revenged t'hem-'..«oves,-.IM- . breaking the windows; lie would i;iy' litis, in favor of'theni, that wjien 'tackle i.l by the ]).olicc they owned ,np to. being, the culprits.. He 'bpl'ieyed ' ttiev were iriore or less intoxicated at the. time, ami .would not ask'for a'heavy penalty, lnn.it must be shown that lic{mfy;e> were to be .supported when endeavoring., to. carry out tfie.j licensing law's. ."• . -'■ i

./In. answer to the Bench, 'the two - accused .gave their ages as-22 5 . and 27'. respectively, upon which His ;Worship r remarked that they were nq ! t boys, 'and therefore should know that, even in-this km! of boa-led liberty''one man's iib.e'r,ty ends \)-hw'i- another's "begins,' amj .that'if .they'chose to misbehave in'this way'in a Miia-ll'piarc like Midliii-st! they-'were just a.s amenable to the law as if they .were ill one »f ,the large' cities.-. It'had been'urged .in i-;. - tcunation that they were partly drim!. ;:t the time,, but tlijs .was really no excuse, and was'discreditable to young f liov,-. j[e looked - upon their conduct as being serious, but wis loth to send such men to prison, especially in (he face o. (lie sergeant's plea-.jn tlluir behalf. He had power to fine them-up to £lO, or to -,nd Hum to gaol for three months, bn; i„ con.Mileradoh of-their youth lie. w.. ,i;[ 01J |y li,ilie-L a' line ofi 20s and 7s cost-in each case, they tu sharethe wiliK's- expenses and par for the damage done. ' .

..:3RAL NEWS'' It slionli. I::ivl' W:n mentioned that the lovely :..,n(|iH;U presented by Mrs-. .\rdeii to lb -,:,ool committee, atu'i afiei-wai-il- hnii.-:..i to Lady and }]i.ss.Eileen Ward by 11;. little .A|is-„;< So/,. and HU"Imid, were .opposed of red and white l"«ers an.' .i.-.l with ribbon's of sijaijar shade, Hi..- bei,,,, the sel|oo|. colors. J hoy were ■.,,■>• .in nerally admired, and might liavi mi situ in tlie'l'rime .Minister's rail • earriaoe when it passed tlirouoh Si --..i-d j- 01 . u le so j, t]l , '''"■ >;: " ' ■•■■ "'as h'ft at Anck!:""'l "" ■ ■■,. Ou Mond'av night it lonneu p;, ~f the express] train passm.u' tliroi.."i here. The secretarial staff must have welcomed it, for'there Is no fun in wort-inn- a typewriter in an ordiiuirv .'ar:.;.;. Xo on,. ', lot .«» ;«] le know has a;,, ; .,;, T !ion „f the amount ol leieuiaphie -..1 ot ! K , r eof respondenee

From Our Resident Reporter.

tliat the Prime Minister has to attend to when on tour. The mallet and trowel presented to Sir Joseph Ward on Monday were splendid specimens of workmanship, and were unique in more ways than one. Firstly, there was a distinct departure from the usual style. Secondly, the materials of which they were composed had a historical value. The head of the mallet was of teak taken from a piece of timber out of the Orpheus, which was wrecked in the Manukau harbor a great many years' ago, and was beautifully inlaid in New Zealand woods. The handle of the trowel was composed of a portion of the wooden fittings of the ill-fated ship- Boyd, whose crew was massacred by the Maoris in the Bay of Islands somewhere about 70 or 80 years Each bore a suitable inscription' on a silver plate. The mallet and trowel were made by Mr. Sid Clarke, a member of. the district high school committee, andpresented by him 'to the committee. Mn Louis Robertson,.the hero of the Taranaki wrestling, world, had intended retiring from the sport after the match with 'Stoker Pennv on Monday night, but now a match is to be arranged between him and any other man of his weight for a New Zealand championship belt. The.contest is to be held at Stratford, and the proceeds devoted to the local hospital funds. Mr, Robertson has

quite captivated the clean-living aiid sport-loving portion of this community. He wrestles for the love of the thing, and is always willing to meet'a man whether for a stake or otherwise. There is no "funny business" about him. The' man who meets him knows he toas to wrestle all the way, and that there will ' be no "beg pardons," and no chance of Robertson conspiring to "work a slinter" on the' public. Of course, this is as it should be, but the fact that it is yorthv)

of chronicling is a proof, that matters in our athletic world are not always as they should be. In my rush to get away reports of Monday's doings I neglected to mention that, the' Premier and party were the guests of the school committee at dinner in the County Hotel. Mr. W. P. Kirkwood's reputation as a provider of good things suffered nothing from the manner in'which the whole of the dinner was served, and the function was a very enjoyable one. At the conclusion of the repast the healths of the Premier and of the Mayor and chairman of the schooJ committee were honored. The afterdinner speeches were of the usual type, and Sir Joseph was especially happy in his remarks.

The condition of Mr. William Stewart, injured in accident at the railway bridge on Sunday, is still critical. The old wooden bridge over the Patea river is ' •being replaced with a steel structure. During the operations on Sunday a trestle fell and struck Stewart a slantjag Wow on the head, fracturing his skufll at the base. 'On. SunVtay night Dir. Carbery (acting medical superintendent at the hospital) performed the operation of trephining to relieve the pressure on. the brain. The unfortunate man's home is at Wawrley. BUSINESS ANNOUNCEMENTS MCALLISTER'S STUDIO. ■- Mr. J. McAllister's photographic studio is better known. in this district tha/a the town clock, for the town clock hides! its light under'a dark verandah, ■ no' .bushel being near for it to utilise. Mr. McAllister's studio is in . Broadway • north,-and his work is in nearly every , house in the district. He has been here : a long time now, and has from time to time added to and improved liis studio and his plant until now his establish, , ment is as up-to-date as any on the coast, a new .camera and accessories having been, added very recently. An adver" tisement concerning the undoubted value of a photograph as a Xmas gift appears' in. this issue.

LEWIS' BOOT WAREHOUSE. : i Be correctily 'shod 'lor the' show. - If you want to look quite" the'thing, enoase your feet in good-looking, well-wearing •boots or shoes, and get them from Lewis' boot and shoe warehouse in Broadway. That is the gist of the- message conveyed in the advertisement elsewhere on this ■page. Special attention, is directed to the new colored canvas shoes (the "Albany") for women and girls. These when properly selected set off 'a summer dress'>to■perfection. For men also a line of boots is • specialised /from the newly imported stock. '- ' ' MR. J. B. RICHARDS. ilr. J. .B. Richards' land agency advertisement appears .in this issue. He needs but little introduction to the people of Central Taranaki, as he was for .some time in charge of Mr. Newton King's land _ department here', and has since figured .prominently as secretary of the Chamber of Commerce, lie is able to. place at the disposal of investors a full knowledge of the quality and values of land throughout Taranaki. v ' SPENOE AND STANFORD. Messrs. Sperice and Stanford, barristers airf solicitors, of Stratford, have a professional notice in this issue. Inglewood .is visited every Wednesday.