Our Stratford Paget

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LIV, Issue 222, 18 March 1912, Page 3

Our Stratford Paget

| Stratford, Saturday. STRATFORD A. & P ASSOCIATION MEETING- OF EXECUTIVE. At a meeting of the executive committee on Friday night there were' present: Messrs. W. P. Ivirkwood, president (in the chair). R. Dingle, Porritt, Sangster and Healy. Mr. J. E. Armstrong, District Traffic Manager, wrote in reply to the association's application for special train arrangements for the Gymkhana on Easter Monday. Trains would leave stations for Stratford as follows: —New Ply-j mouth, 6.30 a.m. and 8.40 a.m.: Waitara,! 0.25 a.m. and 8.40 a.m.; Hawera, 7.20 а.m., 11.15 a.m. and 1.40 p.m.; Te Wera, б.15 a.m. and 12.15 p.m.—A resolution was carried thanking Mr Armstrong for making such complete arrangements. Mr. P. Hunter was warmly thanked for his kindness and liberality in judg : ing the dogs at the recent show free of charge. THE GYMKHANA. The secretary was instructed to write to owners of horses reminding them that entries for the gymkhana close on March 30th. It was reported that good entries would be received for the motor-car' events. Arrangements in all departments were stated to be well forward for the Easter Monday sports.

PROPOSED CONFERENCE. The secretary reported having received replies from several associations to his letter suggesting a conference of West Coast associations to discuss matters 'of interest. Feilding and Wanganui had not replied, and second letters will be sent 'to them. Mr. Arthur Cliff, secretary of the Taranaki Agricultural Society, wrote: "At a meeting of the committee of this society the subject was fully discuued, and' it is with pleasure that 1 now notify you that my society is. of opinion that such a conference would be beneficial to the general working of the several A. and P. Associations on this coast. My committee also have pleasure in suggesting that the conference should be held at New Plymouth during the winter show which takes place on June 1 5., 6, 7, and 8; also that my committee think it advisable to have all business to be placed before the conference tabled about fourteen days previous to the arranged meeting." A meeting of the general committee will be held next Saturday at Messrs. C. and E. Jackson's office for the appointment of a secretary to succeed Mr. E. Jackson, resigned.

GENERAL J The meeting in connection with- the j formation of a Stratford branch of the.' North Taranaki Hunt Club will be held: at the Stratford A. and P. rooms on t Tuesday evening next. It is hoped there I will be a good attendance. i A young fellow whose potations made him drowsy over-shot his destination on Friday night's mail train He should have got off at Eltham, but when Stratford was reached he was still on the train and was riding without a ticket. He refused to pay the necessary eightpence, and was handed over by the stationmaster to Constable Bleasel, who provided him with a cab ride and a, night's lodging at the country's expense, i This morning, in company with another! first offending drunk, he was convicted and discharged. The employer of labor has many Worries. First of all, there's the worry attached to obtaining a servant that will suit. This is particularly difficult in the case of domestic servants. Then there's all the bother of pleasing the employee, the arranging of regular "nights out" and half-holidays; the liability of the employer under the accident laws; and the ever-present danger of the einployee going off without warning. But these are only some of the worries. What of the man who finds a skeleton key in the possession of one of his (domestic helps? A Stratford gentleman has just found this state of • affairs existing, and it suggests such tremendous possibilities that employer! I should be on guard. , There's an old saying about the wonderful sights w.e see when we haven't got a gun. In a like fashion .people rush up to a pressman and say, "Oh, you should have besn down in such-and-such a street this afternoon. You would i have got something for your paper, I can tell you." It's unfortunate, of j course, that the reporter isn't able to |be everywhere at once and that therefore many remarkable happenings fail ;to find record in print. But there was 'no such circumstance on Friday morn- | ing, when a "sensation" was promised ; and provided at the railway station. I The morning train from Ilawera to New ! Plymouth was standing at the Stratford j station when I wandered on to the platform. The passengers in a couple of the carriages were being worked up into a great state of excitement. The stationmaster could be seen making some evidently important request of the train-examiner, but the T.E. shook his head, and the S.M. returned to the guard. With a do-or-die expression the guard boarded one of the carriages. "What's up?" queried somebody. Ind the direful tale was told. There was & case of suicide! Where? An excited individual conveyed the news that shortly after leaving Ilawera a man had entered the lavatory on the train, and locked himself in. * By now Jie was probably" stiff and cold, for could any other construction lie placed, upon such | a deliberate and remarkable act? The guard was about to burst open the door and reveal the suicide in all its horrors, when the door flew open, and disclosed—nothing. It had merely been jambed! Pencil and notebook* were promptly put away. There was a "sensation," but one of disappointment. The members of the Gun Club are favorites for the match between the Gun Club and the Rifle Club, the first stage of which will be fired next Thursday at the racecourse. The first shoot will be at inanimate birds with the Gun Club's guns. On the next Thursday

* From Our Resident Reporter. * •I. Office: No. 3, York Chambers, Stratford. * * *

the riflemen will receive the gun club men down at the range, and they will have a target match. Many of the gun club members are old rifle shots, but none of the riflemen have tried the pigeon business, so the odds are in favor of the Gun Club. The home club in each instance will provide afternoon tea. A motor cyclist was travelling down Broadway this morning at a great speed, when one of the many wandering kuria got slightly in the way. The cyclist had a narrow eseape, but went on as fast as ever. The dog went faster than ever in his life before. The prosecutions in the S.M. Court on Friday for crossing the railway yard | brought up again the necessity for access to Juliet street direct from Central Broadway. But the Government Departments are not paying out much money just now. Owing to. St. Patrick's Day falling on Sunday this year, the holiday is to be observed on Monday. AH the local banks will honor the holiday by shutting their doors for the day. A number of our local sporting enthusiasts will make the trip to Pihama for the Opunake races. In the evening the day will bei fittingly concluded by the Catholic social which is usually held on this day, and I for which complete arrangements have] been made. 1 Just before midnight the water-main ) at the junction of Broadway and Romeo) street, hurst. The borough overseer and staff got to work promptly and had repaired the damage in two or three hours in ample time for residents to have their early tub.