STRATFORD.

Taranaki Daily News, 5 April 1918, Page 3

STRATFORD.

(Prom Our Own Correspondent.) [All communications, letters, etc., lert with Mr. H. J. Hopkins, bookseller, will receive prompt attention.] WELCOME HOME AND FAREWELL SOCIAL. Stratford, April 3. It is not a difficult matter to learn the reason for Toko's success in the entertaining line, which may be summed up in the one word "Thoroughness" On Tuesday night the Coronation Hall was crowded with an interested and delighted audience. The presence of so many soldiers in uniform partly advertised the fact that it was a soldiers' night, and these men in khaki thoroughly appreciated the efforts of the committee to ensure all being made at home. At an interval of the dancing _Ylr. W II Were said they all recognised the objcrts of the gathering that evening. He was not going to make a speech, but would call upon Mr. E Walter, chairman of the County Council, to do so Mr E. Walter said it was a pleasure to him to- welcome back to Toko Captain Hine, Sergeant Iteid and their comrades, In the past Toko had established a record in enlistments that made them all feel proud of those who had gone and were still battling for them at the front. They were proud to seo the men still imbued with a sense of loyalty and eager to do their duty, so that'we "should still continue to keep the Empire Intact. x 'o doubt some would be a bit timid at the position of the men at the front, but they could rest assured that in the end their cause would prevail. They were under a deep debt of gratitude'to the men who had fought and were still fighting for the grand old hmjun.. Thev had seen one of their great Allies go under in the hope of obtaining peace and happiness, but w 0 desired a more permanent peace than that, and would continue fighting even if we hud to take the growing child and veteran to accomplish this He contrasted the voluntary action of their member and others to that of another member of Parliament who preferred to undergo two years' imprisonment rather than fight for his country. Mr. Walter concluded by expressing the very best wishes to those being farewelled that evening and wished them all t!ie bust of luck and health (Applause). Captain J. B. Hine, M.P., met with a very flattering reception, and after the applause had subsided, expressed his gratification at the handsome reeeption'acoorded him and his comrades. Regarding the great battles being fouglit on the Western front, he could' assure them that the prestige of the British Empire would be sustained. Being pitted against the strongest military nation they must expect reverse.?, and perhaps some of these very severe, before thev could *<.- cure a permanent peace He regretted the absence of Captain Murrav = Urq»lmrt that evening as he wa« a main body man. These were the men that were entitled to our respect and gratitude. They had accomplished a remarkable achievement in those early days, and it would always remain a' wonder that they could, with such small numbers, hold up such formidable forces. Theii' work in 1914-15 was remarkable. Since then it had become a case of stalemate on the Western front. He firmly be lieved that the present German offensive j was a dying kick, and when the counterattack was made they would hurl the enemy back and recover the lost territory. The Germans would lose heart As things stood at present there was not much to say but they should not be pessimistic They should also note with pleasure the success of our troops in Palestine. The holy eitv (Jerusalem! had been wrested from the infidel Turk, and in such a manner that the Turk i had to retire without desecrating those thing? that meant, eo mucK for the Christian. On behalf of the soldiers \#ho were away he desired to thank the Toko peopla for the kindness and consideration shown to the mothers, wives, and children.

.Sergeant Keid said he was thankful to bo bank in their midst once more, Im'i )t hurt him in looking round the room to miss some familiar faces that were dea>- to him. Jt made him feel that ho should like to so back again, and, given the health and strwrgth, he certainh' would l&c to return and help his comrades to fight till the finish. (Applause).

The following soldiers were then presented with wnstlef watches: Privates Bain, Cleur, Linn, Caskey (2), Downes, end Griffin. Another Toko lad, Geoghan, was unable to be present, having'been detained in Wellington. Each man saluted the audience and thanked the committee for the gift The returned soldiers present were Captain Hine, Sergeant Eeid, Privates 'Divehall, Chaney and Caskev, whilst Private Beere is in the Wellington Hospital.

Apart from the dances, a very fine programme of musical items was rendered. Mrs. AlcLarcn had a royal reception, and her items all received undeniable recalls, whether the items were songs or recitations Probably the host were "Rose of My Heart" and "Spotty." Miss Sangster, also a popular favorite, was heard to great advantage in ''Humeland,'' and Mrs. Thomas, of Douglas, also scored successes in her two item:;,' "The Jay Bird.' Mr. Tom Ranford struck the popular fancy in his solo, "The Coming of the King/ "and his recall numher, "I Fear No Foe," was well suited to his tenor voice. "Home to Blighty,-' by Mr B. J. Peters, was also a very good number. One would like to hear Mr. Peters in quartette work, as he possesses a very powerful bass Mr. Tom Wilson also hit the popular taste in '-The Veteran," and ftillv deserved the applause that followed. There was a little comedy element, and this was in the hand* (and feet) of Mr. J. Andrews, New Plymouth, whose Irish song and danee, "Patzy MeCann," secured an undeniable recall, which was responded to by the patriotic recitation, "Fags"' Mr. Frank O'Connor. Hawera - , also delighted the audience with a dramatic recitation, "England's Glory,' and Toko would like to see more work from this artist.

The accompaniments were in the capable "hands of Messrs Charles Fox and T. Ranford, whilst the latter also contributed a fascinating extra to the danco, the music for which was played by Mr«. Rianchi (piano) and S. Parker (cornet). Messrs Max Gcrnhoefer and Kilpatrick were the M'sC and to these two gentlemen and Mr. Were the thanks of all are due, whilst a wom of praise is due to the ladies for supervision of the supper room. At the railway station on Wednesday morning tho Mayor, Mr. J. W. McMillan, and Captain Cainnioa. farewell-

Ed the 40th Reinforcements leaving that morning. The names of the men leaving were Rogers and Carlick, whilst Gillick, Midhirst, was also present.

At the Toko entertainment on Tuesday evening Private Caskey was welcomed home, and his two brothers farewelled There are four boys in the family, the fourth being engaged in battle for the Empire in some part of France. During his farewell to tlie boys leaving for tlio front, Captain Hine gave them some sterling advice. Their lirst consideration, ho said, should be the care of the liealth. This was the most essential thing m the soldier's life. Next to this was discipline and respect for the The latter had to command the respect ot his men, anil a good officer could get his men to follow him anywhere- When travelling' they must ateo remember that it was not wisdom to overstay leave at wayside ports. This meant a late arrival for the culprit, if nothing worse, but also reflected on the comrades of his company. He knew the Toko boys would behave themselves, but his advice was always to take every possible precautions with regard to'their health, and they would not do go bad. AN INTERESTING LETTER.

Captain Murray Urqubart, 2nd We 1 lington Regiment, was imr.We to attend the Toko social on Tuesday evening, and forwarded an interesting letter to Mr. W. H. Were, chairman of the Patriotic Committe". He was a Main Body man, and the reading of bis letter created a great deal of interest, in his letter, \v said that the men who have gone set up a very high standard The toll had been heavy, but they had the satisfaction of knowing that each one had done bis duty fearlessly and well. ' Some might think war was degrading to the finer instincts, but this was not so. On the contrary, it brought out all that was best in a man, and he was convinced that those who had been spared would be better men in every way The spirit of self-effacement wag developed, and men learned to think seriously, and have higher ideals. The New Zealand Division was acknowledged by the authorities to be one of the best in France. NMy own unbiassed opinion is," he said, ''that the New Zealand soldier is tht best in the world- New Zealanclers have : their credit the honor of never having lost a trench The essential qualifications of a soldier—discinlme, courage, initiative and tenacity—are very higbl. developed- It is a thing to be proud of, to have commanded such men." He mentioned two instances to show the unquenchable spirit of our men. The first referred to a man from Oils district, who, lie regretted to write, had since made the great sacrifice. The morning after the landing at Gallipoli, his phitoon was holding an almost untenable but vital portion of our line. During the ensuing night a volunteer was aske lo* to carry out dangerous and arduous duty as n runner or messenger. This lad came forward, and gallantly did what was required. In the early hour of the morning they were relieved and moved.out over difficult' ground u- the beach Towards the latter end of the march be fell out, explaining that ho wished to remove his boot, as his foot was hurting him, and would join us up. On examination it was found that m was shot through the loot, and on enquiry it was found he had peen wouuewd the previous afternoon, and. «M eot mentioned the fact to anyone.

Tlie second incident happened during the advance on Krithia, May S, 1(113. In this instance, although subjected i heavy shrapnel and inachiiio .-nin lire, our men advanced in better formation than ever they had done on peaceful manoeuvres in Egypt. The late ueim. commander, Lieut.-L'u! Malone (Wellington Regiment) on seeing a much, mutilated and mortally wounded man','asked him if he was suffering much painThe man replied, "Xot much, Sir. 'Are you satisfied with us now?'' Tim desire to know that the regiment had fillfilled the expectations was strong even in bis dying momenta. The quality i (he men who had reinforced the division had never deteriorated, which, he thought, was remarkable- He could assure the men farewclled that night tim a hearty welcome awaited them from their comrades at, the front They would find theii platoon or company commander, who might appear somewhat awesome on parade a very human and sympathetic man, always desirous of doing everything possible for his men Ho wished them God speed and a safe return, with duty done.

HUINGA'S SOCIAL. Stratford, April 4. A very pleasant evening was spent at the Toko Road Hall, the occasion being the opening of the new cheese factory at Huinga. While it was to celebrate the occasion of the suppliers of the Stratford Dairy Company going in for cheese, it also served the purpose of farewelling three soldiers—Privates Marfell, Smith and Gall, while the financial results are to go to the Raetihi Bush Fire Relief Fund. With this object in view, the first cheese made at Huinga was submitted to auction by Mr. W. H. H. Young, of the New Zealand Loan and Mercantile Agency Co., and the result of this "sale" was £73, which, together with a cake and one or two other articles, is expected to swell the total to over £loo—a splendid result. At the request of the chairman of the Toko Road Patriotic Committee (Mr. Marfell) the duty of farewelling the soldiers was entrusted to Captain Hine, M.P., who delivered a brief but very optimistic address to the soldiers and settlers. A very fine programme was submitted, encores being numerous. The veteran piper and dancer, Mr. Joe Wade, w;as in great request, and on the bagpipes played a lament. He also footed a sailor's' hornpipe and sheauntreus in true competition style, and fully deserved the generous applause accorded him. Mrs. McLaren also followed up her Toko triumph by receiving several recalls, her singing and personality making her a popular favorite. Misses Sangster and Monnsley also received hearty.recalls for their 'items, while Miss Rowe fully merited the applause that greeted- 'her elocutionary work. Messrs. G. T. Walters and l'». AiUa>n were pleasing in their solos, and the comic element, entrusted to the veteran comedian, "Johnny" Rowe, was in capable hands, his funiosities convulsing all present. Mr. Fox was a most efficient accompanist, while Mrs. Bianchi's dance music was "the best ever."

GENERAL. Mr. R. K. Cameron has on view in Mr. C. Martin's shop a fine ironbark pumpkin, weighing (Hlbs (Sozs. This was grown on ground that bad not been fertilised, but was evidently well sheltered. It is only one of many, showing that the season was a good one for this class of vegetable. The pumpkin is going to the patriotic committee. i Gordon S. Bowers, who has been farm-

ing at Ngaere for several year 9, has joined Mr. Newton King's Stratford branch in the lands department, as travelling representative.

At the Toko social.on Tuesday evening, Veteran Rutherford, who took part in several Maori War engagements, attended and unfurled the Union Jack, which was stated to have been through the war. Attired in the red coat, blue trousers and spiked helmet, the veteran delivered a long harangue, in which several interesting statements were made. His remarks were cheered to the echo, T, LAMASON'S WEEKLY REPORT. Last Saturday our usual sale wag held at the mart, when a very fair quantity of poultry was listed. The quote is as follows": Hens Is 3d to 2s, pullets 4s Gd each, ducks 2s to 3s, geese 3s (id to ss, cockerells Is (id to 2s, apples (cookers) Ss to 7s, dessert 2s fid to Bs, pears 3s Od to 4s fld, tomatoes 4s 6d ease, od per lb., quince 4s to 6s fid, potatoes 8s cwt. ; furniture and sundries at usual auction rate*.

T. Lamason'o usual sale of poultry, produce, furniture, etc., ig advertised for Saturday. Don't spoil that picture or photograph for want of a frame. Rather enhance its value by purchasing a photograph frame at C- E. James' fancy goods warehouse. He will fit all sizes so don't hesitate to make enquiries. Have you seen the Ucan Haircutter. Cuts to any degree of length. Just the tiling for the soldier in the trench, and for the home.