RUSHING THE WIRES. BUSY TIMES AT WANGANUI.

Evening Post, Volume LXXV, Issue 49, 27 February 1908, Page 8

RUSHING THE WIRES. BUSY TIMES AT WANGANUI.

After fhe sculling race -was over at Wanganui on Tuesday, hundreds o£ people had an intenso desife to spread the newb throughout Now Zealand. A 'Morse instrument had been installed in the -telephone bureau at Makirikiri, half a mile from the winning post, and to that important point a host rushed. In a very few minutes the little office was swamped; tho place was inundated with Webb's ■victory. Within twenty I minutes a hundred and forty messages were handed in, and then the- closurevas applied. That was as much business as the single wiro could take with any prospect of completion by dusk, and the tido of news distributers was directed to the main office at Wanganui, seven, miles away. A motor car landed The Post's representative at the Telegraph Offico in town well ahead of the crowd. The ", men in the front office were then cool ' and calm. They were getting a little . work, for the news had been quickly flashed to town, but not enough to ke^p thorn warm. In was the lull before the storm. Towards 6 o'clock thn cohorts arrived. By twos and threes and fours they invaded the office. They jogged one another's elbows ' in the compartments. Pens grated, and paper crinkled ceaselessly. They hurled the j result remorselessly at the unfortunate men behind tho counter. The operators upstairs staggered under the oom- ! bardment, but did not. desert their own t guns. Faithfully they stuck to their posts, for the satisfaction of curiosity from end to end of New Zealand and Australia.. The hours passed, the dinner went cold, and was not eaten. Right on till alter midnight the instruments were clicking, about the raco, over the earth and through the set. The number of messages totalled 1261, moie 3 than double the ordinary number for a. b busy nighfc The words in press mes- , sages' aggregated about 24,000, includ- - in.; 3354 in cable despatches The oftioo worked solely with its own staff. The superintendent (Mr. .Corliss) and all his assistants won credit for their achievement. The "rush" traffic at Makivikivi was under the direction of Mr W. A. Andrews, of Wellington, an d n ? liacl '" some hours oi very t ironuous work. t LICENSED MILK VENDORS. t • A pro«s moiSiicfp from Auckland to-day 11 states that the Milk Vendor..', Association 11 carried a resolution suggesting that, in conscquenco of tho scarcity of milk, tomf porary licenses be granted to farmers for 0 two months to supply licensed milk ven1 dors or rogLlercd milk suppliers. t Tho Secretary for Agriculture (Mr. J. c D Ritchie), speaking to a Post reporter II on the subject, said tho desire evidently v. as that any promises should he licensed s for milk supplying, ro matter whiit fhoir R condition. I ndor the now regulations, <-' which tho department hoped lo liave is-M-cii beforo lour;, all premises would bo required to conio up to a certain standard, and if they came up to that standard they could supply or not as thej pleased ,\,'k> the main eneel ol -fho Auckland te*ct?ram. he pointed out that tho department would have to insist on a certain „ fiandnrd of cloy Illinois and order before v planting c\ en a teinpuiar.\ license. tlo\vj over, so far the department had not been ,1 approached (jii the subject. j: The secretary of the .Marino DepartI ment, ilr. O. Allport, has received a I telegram from tho Harbourmaster at i" Manawatu Heads, stating that the ' steamer Wootton is stranded inside the s bar on the North Spit. It is expected o 1 hat she will float olf at to-night's tide, d The Wootton is engaged in the coastal » trade, and has a registered tonnage of '■ 151 tons, c Messrs Craig and Co., china and glass g importers, Mannors-ilreer, in an advertisemont in this italic, unncuiiri* the coin- :- niuneoment of fliftii anwual cloaring «ile i to-morrow morniug.