LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Wanganui Chronicle, Volume LX, Issue 16892, 6 February 1917, Page 4

LOCAL AND GENERAL.

The Mayor (Mr. C. E. Mackay) as communicating with the owners of the wrecked Stormbird ,in a,n endeavour to secure the steamer's bell for the .'ocal Museum.

A. conference is to be held at Pahn(.Tston. North of local bodies between Otaki and Marton, to discuss a hydroelectric supply for the interested districts. An invitation has a.]so been extended to the Wanganui Chamber of Commerce to send a delegate, and tho local representative will be Mr. A. R. Harris. On March 7th a conference of a. more extensive nature, representative of local bodies between Paekakariki and Now Plymouth, is to be held at Wanganui, when the Minister of Public Works and Parliamentary members along the Coast, will be invited to b.e present.

A jovial spirit was in evidence at the farewell function tendered to the members of tba 26th Rp.infarc-kP.mo.nts at the Drill Hall yesterday. Ono strapping recruit, Avith a voice of the basso-pro-fundo order, and not altogether unmusical, rose to the occasion ond gave an exceptionally vigorous rendering of a. patriotic cVtty which mafo unldnrf reference to the TCaispr, and proclaimed tlinb the Twenty-sixths were out for "yio-W-oo." Tho recruits from the Main Trurk centres and tho ]o<-al men fraternised cVerl'isly, niul Vfom le<irvnEC the hall, on +lie mil nf Liputonant Dixon. +liev gave three hearty chews ior^fcho local ladies, who dispensed the afternoon tea.

The Matarawa ladies' Red Cross Guild are holding a produce stall tomorrow in the Avenue. There will be a good supply of home-made bread, cakes, butter, cream, eggs, sweets and fruit.

Through the courtesy of the George Willoughby company, the returned soldiers are invited to be present at the performance of • "Why Smith Left Homo," at the Opera House this evennig. The commitee of the Red Cross Depot is in receipt of £3 from some ladies at Tayforth. This amount is the result of a cake weight judging competiton. The correct weight was 51b. Oioz., and it was won by Miss uvlaggie Barnes, of Mossbown.

In acknowledging a copy of the annual report of the Wanganui Chamber of Commerce, the High Commissioner (Sir Thomas McKenzie) says: "May I express the opinion that no town in New Zealand has a greater future than Wanganui, and that time is on the side of the town."

An appeal is being made for running shoes and gear for the use of soldiers in F.eatherston camp when competing at athletic gatherings promoted for their entertainment. The Wairarapa. Amateur Athletic Society has consented to receive donations of gear from any part of the Dominion.—Press Association. . i

Mr M. Hogan, jun., secretary of the local Patriotic Association, has received the following letter from Messrs. Watt and Cohen : "We have-much pleasure in enclosing as a contribution to the patriotic funds our cheque for five guineas, being our fee received for the preparation and conduct of tho recent case of Ruscoe v. Caldwell."

Domestic affairs receive a rather full investigation by the Military Appeal Board. A young man aged 20 years, who appealed yesterday, was asked liis mother's age. "Thirty-five," he replied. "Thirty-eight," promptly corrected a woman's voice from the back of the court. Witness, in support oi his appeal, sadd he was tfhe eidest of tho family, and that he had eight brothers and two sisters.

Remunerative employment appears to be found in the vicinity of \Vano-a---nui. A young man, aged 20 years,°in giving evidence before the Military Appeal Board yesterday, said he was earning Is 6d an hour, and averaging £4 2s. par week, at labouring work at the lmlay Freezing Works. Two of his brothers were also employed there, — one, aged 17, was earning Is 6d an hour, the same as witness, and the other; a lad aged 13, was receiving 15s. a week.

A disability which local business houses labour under was pointed out by Mr L. E. Bassett at the meeting of the Chamber of Commerce last night. It appears that it is impossible to get telephone bureau communication with centres above Taihape durin"1 business hours. It'was decided to draw attention to the fact that Wanganui is at present under a serious disadvantage in regard to telephonic communication with her natural markets, and to urge on the Department that access to the wire to places in the Waimarino district should be given during some portion of the business hours of the day.

A man of fine physique and youthful appearance, a drover by occupation, came before the Military Appeal Board yesterday and surprised the members by stating that his age. was 46 years. In proof of his statement, the appellant produced the family Bible, where the date of his baptism was recorded! The appellant indicated his brother, who was standing at the back of the court, and who, despite similarly youthful looks, was 48 years of age. "Are there any of your brothers at the front?" asked the Chairman of the Board. "No," replied the appellant, but some of my brothers' sons are." The appellant was freed from First Division military obligations, but he made a sporting offer to help in any possible way.

At the recent Junior National Scholar shiup^ examinations, a Mangaweka State School boy, Geoffrey (Montalk, ]3 years of age, succeeded in putting' up a Dominion record of marks. His total was 716 out"of 800. In arithmetic he obtained the possible 200, in English 291 out of 300, geography 82 out of 100; history 81 out of 100; and in science 62 out of 100. The "N.Z. Gazette," just issued, shows young Montalk as beating the next best in the Dominion (Daniel F. Aitken Hawke's Bay, 637) by 79 marks. He beat the best of Canterbury by 86, Wellington 92, Auckland 94, Nelson 94, Otagb 109, Southland 115, Taranakj" 164. while the next best in the Wanganui Education Board's district (S. M. Goodridge, West End School, Palmerston North) succeeded in obtaining 617 marks, or 99 behind young Montalk.