STRATFORD NEWS.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LVI, Issue 196, 17 February 1914, Page 3

STRATFORD NEWS.

FROM OUli &&SSD EWX BEPORTEB. Office and Job Printing Works: York Chambers (upstairs) Tekpkoa* Ho. 111.

STRATFORD MOUNTAIN CLUB AXi AI'SI'IC'IOUS BEG IX XIXG. Tln> fornmtion of the Stratford Mountain Club .should lead to the speedy popularisation of the Stratford Mountain House as a pleasure and picnic resort, ami a plaee of rest for the jaded business man. Already numerous enquiries are lining received from outside centres, the great attraction being the proximity to the railway line. A little over half an hour will take a car-load from the Stratford railway station to the Stratford Mountain House. The latest enquiry eomes from the Auckland Tourist Oflice to Mr. T. Kirkwood, the secretary of the club, who can give all particulars as to distances, fares, and so on. At the inaugural meeting of the club on Friday, the convenor, Mr. J. B. Richards, said the purpose of the club was primarily to promote a knowledge of the mountain by means of trips and excursions, which, under the auspices of the club, would be more easily organised and more freely attended. Mr. Richards' own view of the matter was that if the club would get the people of the town to take an interest in the mountain, it would be good for the district—particularly good for the members—and generally much good would result. The mountain as a means of recreation, physically and mentally, was not to be despised. The young people, he thought, were missing a great opportunity of learning the beauties of the bush in not making the mountain more of a hobby. livery colonial should be familiar with the bush. In New Zealand the busli was a wonderful thing. There were marvellous trees in the reserve there, and the scenery was worth travelling many miles to see. The particular advantage of the proposed elul) would be that excursions could be organised, and if any individual wished to go up the mountain he would be able to get sompanions who could act as guides and explain its beauties to less wellinformed persons. They would be sure to enjoy themselves, and the dangers of the mountain, especially those attending a climb to the top, would be considerably lessened. Mr. Richards suggested that these guides be given a badge to denote authority in any party. Apart from the climb to the top, there was opportunity for excursions in tlie bush to Curtis' Kails, and to other parts of interest. Then there was the matter of the discovery and locating of particular trees, and the great joy of gaining an insight into the iiora and fauna of the mountain. He himself had noticed a rata tree—unfortunately it had been burned—which had a straight face of hard wood measuring seven yards. It would be Yery 'valuable knowledge to possess if tho»<! remarkable treps, those nolile giants of the forest, could be located. Perhaps, added Mr. Richards, his view on this particular matter would not coincide with others, but for himself he wojild go to considerable trouble to see such a tree as he described. Another advantage of the club would be that tliev could assist not only the icgidents but also visitors. They would certainly be able to provide visitors with knowledge which would enable them to make the trip with much more comfort aml "convenience than was possible at the present time. The desirability of a club was, he was sure, quite apparent to all, and he had no fear but that they would have a good membershij. He moved that a club, to be called "The Stratford Mountain Club," be/formed for the purpose of promoting knowledge of the mountain, particularly by means of frequent and wellorganised excursions. The motion was seconded by Mr. i.

Kirkwood and carried. Mr. R. MeK. Morison, a member of the Mount Kginont National ParkBoard mid chairman of tlio local committee, expressed his pleasure at the remarks of the promoter. It was pleasing to meet someone who took such an interest and who showed his love and admiration for the I reed of New Zenland. Mr. Morison said he was not doing any mure than his duty in ing up to the House,'ami he went there very often, lull it grieved him to sc the' fern and beautiful trees damaged by cattle, or \y fire or axe. The trouble was the owners of the cattle did not seem to admire the'beautiful, and it made him fee! sometimes that he would like to shoot tin- cattle. Continuing, .Mi'. Morison said there were trips up the mountain the beauty of which few n-iili-ed. but Hratford people in the past had been very lax in the matter.

Mr. Morison, in coiiehi-ion, said he was glad to see they were waking up now. The Hoard had 1 n unfortunate in not being able to secure a caretaker for a long time, but now in Mr. and Mrs. Williams tin-y hud excellent managers—they were the right people in the right place—and he paid a special tribute to the service, of Mrs. Williams in her management of the House. The amount of the subscription was fixed at 2s (id, with no a„'c limit barring from membership. The meeting formed itself into a committee to canvass for members, and the permanent officers will be elected at the next meeting to be held not hil-r than >. fori night.

The firllowin;,' comprises the pi">visional i-<>ininitl<>o: --T. Kirkwood, 0. •W. Viiu-rlKiii. .r. Richard-, ('. L, Grant. T. .Tames, S. .lames, '. -I. Staples, and S. RuthorFurd.

Mr. T. Kirku'ood e.-.-is unanimously elected secretary and trca-urel'.

BERNARDS PICTURES On Friilnv si nil Saturday nights. Madame Bernard will have pleasure in presenting Hie fine's Company's J>tc;it production of >)m Vadir.'r'' This lilin is SOOHfI. ;'i)il occupies tile full eveninjr. One nf (lie Wt points of "Quo Viitlis?" is tlnil it throws a strong histoi'ical light on the liimv it portrays. Xoarly everybody has n . rt ,l of flic Coliseum ami many have seen it, lint few have imagination enough t» form a:i idea of what it [lonian ampilheatre was like when thronged with a turlmleiit Roman crowd with the lilood lust upon them. Xor c;iii Lhere iie any doubt as to the popular taste regarding the various gladiatorial shows. Alike in the time of Xero, and in the times of other Caesars, the lloman populaee loved bloodshed, am! as the Christians, were, as a sect, considered obnoxious, ■the authorities "killed two birds with the one si one" so to write, when they got rid of them and at the same time entertained. \oro him-cli' has been held up as the most cruel of men. but, as a matter of fact, he was only a cruder example of the loading men of the

times. So one should possibly, when viewing this picture, take into account the respective valife of a human life during the time of Nero and at present. All chairs Is (id, Stalls Is. STRATFORD RIFLE CLUB The following riflemen have been picked to fire against Kaponga on Thursday, at Kapoaiga, for the challenge shield:— Riflemen C. Jackson, A. 0. Wickham, A. E. Speck, N. F. Thorpe, A. Ferguson, A. Sangsfer, A. Maekey, B. Brocklebank. The following riflemen are requested j to roll up on Thursday at tie range 1 to practise for "B" team:—Riflemen W. j Brocklebank, J. MacMahon, W. Rogers, | R. Silk, V. Arden, G. Sangster, J. Ritchie, P. Hunter, J. Mitchell, E. New-i land. Rutherfurd, Pepperell, J. Voyle, 11. Voyle, T. Hopson. SWIMMING CARNIVAL 4 TO-NIGHT. , The Swimming Club Committee met at the bath yesterday morning, when reports showed that everything was going on well. Excellent arrangements for lisihtiHg the bath have been made under the supervision of Mr. W, J. Newton, and if found necessary, lumps aggregating a thousand candle-power will be used. Mr. IT. W. Dongjas has been appointed a call steward in plaee of Mr. Staples, who is unable to be present Light refreshments are to be provided for competitors, and friends of the club desiring to contribute edibles shOHl-] consult Mr. R. H. Kivelt, who has undertaken, to attend to this matter. At ; the previous carnival, the competitors were particularly pleased with the refreshments provided, all agreeing that a hot cup of coiTce and a "bite" is very comforting in the middle oE a strenuous night's swimming. Arrangements have been made for extra seating accommodation, so that there should be a seat for every spectator. CRICKET PUBLIC WORKS FIXTURE. The Whaiigamomona staff of the Public Works Department defeated the Stratford staff at cricket on Satirday. Scores:— Stratford, first innings—Alberteon, b Little 1: Stewart, b Little 10; Lowe, b Little 0; Thomas, b Little 0: Turner, b Little 8; Dawbcr, b Little 0; J. W. Junes, c TurnbuU b Woodrow 2; PKclolls, b Little 0; Tomlinson, not out, 1 Newton, b Woodrow 0; F. Jones b Little .0; oxtras 7; total 29. Second Innings—Albertson, 1> Woodrow 10; Stewart, run out, 28; Turner, c Woodrow b Rabone 0; Lowe, b Woodrow 8; Thomas, run out, 2*; J. Vf. Jones, run out 0; Newton, c and b Armstrong 0; F. Jones, not out, 24; Dawbcr, b Armstrong 1; Nicholle, run out, 0; Tomlinson, c Ingles 14; extras 15; tetal 130.

Whangamomona, first innings—Rabone, run out 2; Ingles, c Stewart b Thomas, 29; Hill, b Albertson, 2; Little, b Stewart, 2; Keller, c Lowe b Thomas, 15; -Woodrow, b Stewart, 9; Armstrong, b l.owe. 7; TurnbuU, h Stewart, 12; Fryer, run out, C; Rogers, not out, 0; extras. 11; total, 95.

Second Innings.—lngles, st Newton b Lowe, 1: Woodrow, c Albertson b Stewart, 0; Little, not out, 40; Rabone, not out, lf>; extras, 5; total two wickets 70. "DREAM AND REALITY

T slowly awoke to consciousness, and raising my head, looked round me. I was reclining on a soft, downy eoudi, and around me was spread a beautiful panorama. Immediately in front of me, was a magnificent building, its front ornate with carving flnd paintings, while streams of gaily clad people were entering its front portals. Behind this palace was a well-kept lawn, and behind the lawn were pens crammed full of cows, calves, sheep and horses. After the. crowd liad seen these cattle and horses they crossed to a lawn-like field. This field was gorgeous with colors. The green of the grass was relieved by a beautifully blended coloring' of .women's dresses and gaily colored tciits and flags. A constant movement was going on amongst the crowd, and I saw that competitions were being carried on. Men were round in a circle, on horseback, jumping over hurdles to the accompaniment of applause from the people. Other men and ladies were engaged in other competitions. As 1 gazed, a train thundered in and disgorged thousands move people, who immediately were swallowed up in the various congregated throngs. The whole place was seething with life and movement, and 1 wondered as I lay there where I could be. Visions of English fairs, gigantic .gymkhanas, Egyptian religious festivals. Aztec sacrifices, all crossed my mind, but I put them all aside. .Still seeking for some cluo as to the reason of this huge concourse. 1 strained my gaze on a gorgeous sign adjacent to the large building. After gazing awhile, I could make |it out. I knew then, that by some pleasant and easy means of transport, most likely by the special train scheduled, I had been transported to tiic Toko Settlers' Show. That knowledge was .sufficient, and I immediately rushed down and joined the crowd watching (he dog (rial.—Contributed.

GENERAL NEWS Tlii' .special tiMiii service in connection wilh tin' tirsit animal show of tlii' Toko "Si'tlli'iV Association on Thursday next leaves Stratford at 1.30, stoppiii" at Skinner Road. On the rot urn jounicv it 1 leaves Toko at .1.30 p.m. Tin. usual 12.10 ti.in. train from Puhokura' will not run, tint it train will lcav the latti'i' station at 10 a.m., nvriviiiif Toko at nnoii. 1-i'liiniiiif; at tlie ordinarv lime. There was a liiy jiallipi-iiij; at the .s-tratforil Mountain House on Sundav. when the Eltham l!nir»s Hand rendered an excellent programme of music. The Mountain Clnli was lin"clv in eviilenec. anil covered quite a lii« area of the i mountain side. Material is on tlie j.'l'oiiiii] for fenciiiT I'emln'ok" Iloail at (he had place, and this will onaJile the vond to lie kept clear of wandering si nek. The followinp' amounts are lieing paid nut this month hi' local dairv factories: Strafford £O4OO. X«ai-M £3-1-12, Lowpirtli £2024. Cardiff £2200. _ Tile ordinary meeting of tlie Strat-

ford School Committee will be held on Tuesday, 24th inst, not to-night, as previously notified.

Housewives and others are (levply iu-len-ted in the disposal of Mr. A. "-pence's assigned stock of drapery and clothing. Out of fTrfmU worth, about £IOOO worth of bargains have already found homes, and there are hundreds of genuine snips left in this big stock, which has to he sold in the next few weeks. To facilitate the sale, prices have been ruthlesslv cut down.

Eight sticks of dark Havelock tobacco for fls; eight sticks of Derby, (is; eight 2oz tins liavelock, 7s Od; eight 2oz tins Derby, 7s Cd. These are specimen prices from' Stan. Sharp's stock of smokers' requisites. Next Bellringer's, Stratford. A gift to please those yt t would favor with a mark of your personal esteem—your -portrait. Nothing could be more appropriate. Make an appointment with Mr McAllister to-day. Broadway, Stratford. There is no questioning the fact that "The Kasli" is the best place in Stratford for men to supply their clothing and mercery wants. Quality and price tell their own unequalled story in favor of the store, r