LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Wanganui Chronicle, Volume LXI, Issue 16676, 8 July 1916, Page 4

LOCAL AND GENERAL.

The Waverley Patriotic Committee have voted a subsidy of £10 a month to the Wanganui Returned Soldiers' Club.

The Harbour Board have decided to pay their carpenters in the terms ot the cai'peniers' award for the district.

To-morrow evening an intercessory service will be held at 8.30 at His Majesty's Theatre. The collection is to be devoted to the Red Cross.

We beg to acknowledge the receipt of £2 Is. 6d. for the Naval Widows' and Orphans' Fund, this amount being subscribed by the staff and old people at the Jubilee Home.

Advice was received yesterday that Mr Taylor, who has been appointed organising secretary to the Wanganui V.M.C.A., expects to finish his work in Christchurch about the 15t'h inst., and will take up his local duties a few days Jater.

In connection with the complaint of confusion of lights at the harbour entrance, Mr W. G. Bassett stated that on a report by the late Capt. Todd in 1907, the Shaw, Savill Co. did not favour any alteration of the lights. The chairman said that so many lights had sprung up of late that a distinctive light was now necessary. It was decided to point out to the Chamber of Commerce that an electric lighting system was now being arranged for.

"We are very apathetic until an epidemic comes along," said Mr. W. G. Basett at the Harbour Board meeting last night, in expressing the opinion that Board was indebted to Cr. W. Hall, of the Borough Council, who recently brought forward several matters in connection with sanitation. The Board have appointed their engineer (Mr Howorth) to represent them in tlie proposed rat crusade which is contemplated.

One of the scenic attractions near Kakatahi in the winter months is a waterfall with a drop of about 100 ft. The site is, however,, a somewhat awkward one, as the waterfall is situated on-a high cliff, and the water tumbles on to the roadway below to the discora_ fort of passers-by. The Wanganui County Council, uer medium of their engineer, Mr. R. R. Dawson, have decided to take steps to abate what some people might truthfully describe a« a picturesque nuisance.

Mr J. P. Holloway, president of the local V.M.0.A., informs us that, with further voluntary contributions received yesterday the gross proceeds of the lecture delivered by Mr. W. H. George on Thursday evening totalled £81 8s 9d. The collection at the Wellington Town Hall, when Mr. George delivered hJ6 lecture before an audience of upwards of three thousand people, totalled £75. Yesterday's contribution to the lecture fund included £20 from Miss Parsons, and £5 from Mr H. D. Bates.

The falling of a big Australian gumtree—one of the finest specimens of its kind in Wanganui—on the College Estate yesterday afternoon occasioned a good deal of interest, particularly as traffic in the Avenue was suspended during the final operations. The tree, wh'ch grew alongside the side-walk, was well scarfed on the inner cside, |md the finishing touches were put on with a crosscut saw and a mallet wielded in turn. The chief interest of the crowd of spectators was the off-chance of the tree toppling oyer into the roadway, but it eventually fell in accordance with the plans made, and crashed into the unoccupied section behind.

A conference of representatives of every school committee in the district being severed from the Wanganui Education District was held at Haw era on Thursday, delegates being present from every committee. At the request of those present, Mr F. Pirani presided. It was decided to form a School Committees' Association to safeguard the progressive system adopted by the Wanganui Board. A number of speeches were made complimentary to tiie present Board, only one of those preseint, who was from Eltham,' defending the efficiency of the Taranaki Board. Votes of thanks were passed to Messrs ODea and Dixon, local Board members, and Mr Pirani.

In his report to the Harbour Board last night, the harbour-master (Capt. P. Mclntyre) reported: "I obtained soundings at the entrance twice during the month, on the 10th and the 29th. On the latter date the soundings were 18ft. 6in. at high water ordinary springs, and 15ft 6in. at high water neaps a slight shoaling having occurred about 100 ft outside from the end of the moles, caused by the recent flood in the* river, which brought down a considerable amount of mud, besides cutting away a spit on the south side, which had formed out beyond the stone wharf. The shoaling is not a serious one, and should scour out again during the present springs, to its usual depth. In the river channel, the minimum depth is now 13ft 3in. at high water springs, and 10ft 3in. at. high water neaps."

The thermometer at various stations in the Dominion at 9 a.m. yesterday read as follows: —Auckland 55 deg., Manuka v Heads 57 Tauranga 58, Taupo 44, Gisborne 50, Napier 46, New "Plymouth 51, Patea 48, Wanganui 52, Foxton 47, Wellington 52, Westport 44, Greymonth 43, Christchurch 28, Trmaru 34, Oamaru 38, Dunedm 34, Bluff 40, Queenstown 36.

The possibilities of a well-established system in the United States, the selling of debentures of local bodies to provide funds to build roads and also bridges, weer touched upoi by Cr Allan Robinson at the Wanganui County Council meeting yesterday. The system is one which has sprung up with the advent of the most desirable of all highways —th© reinforced concrete road, which costs 5s 3d per square yard, or £2800 per mile. Cr Robinson pointed out that if the system were 'in vogue, settlers could buy debentures if they wanted a road.

At the meeting of the Wanganui County Council yesterday, the Chairman (Mr T. A. Bamber) moved : " That this meeting deplores the death ot Lord Kitchener, the greatest organiser the Empire had." He lived a solitary life, and he died a solitary death. Proceeding, the chairman said: The best way to perpetuate his memory and to honour him is to act up to the signal that Admiral Beatty flew at the Horn Reef Battle, "Take up your battle stations," and there is no one of us or of our community who cannot take up his battle station and do his duty according to the direction of his conscience, his country and his God. —The motion was carried m silence.

At the Magistrate's Court yesterday P. Managh (Mr Gascoyne) was cJit>;ged with failing to keep a proper wages book. For the defence it was sxaied that the Government had uot suppbVd a fresh wages book to take the- place of the filled one. The Magis trite vv. Ed that a technncal offence had boon ci-m-, mitted, and fined the defendant 10s H. Tompkins (Mr Mackay) was charged with, acting as a land agent w:+iiout .beiing licensed. The defendant sold two farms in April and did not take out a license until after the second sale. He- had a previous license, but it had lapsed. For the defence it was submitted that the sale of two farms did not constitute a business. After hearing argument the defendant was convicted and fined 20s, without costs.