LOCAL AND GENERAL

Wanganui Chronicle, Volume LXXXI, Issue 18783, 17 May 1923, Page 4

LOCAL AND GENERAL

The levy required by the Wanganui Hospital Board is 18s 6d in every £lOOO of the capital rating value. The Taihape Hospital consumes 14 gallons of milk per day, and Wanganui 25 gallons. A public meeting of farmers at Gisborne, addressed by Mr W. J. Polson, Dominion President of the Farmers* Union, on the subject of agricultural banks, unanimously endorsed the proposal. Something of a novelty in the way of bands has been introduced by the formation in Wellington of a Chinese band. Among the Chinese in the Empire city there are several musicians who in their own country had professional status. They recently combined to form a bund, and instruments have been imported from China at considerable cost. The uniforms, which are being made in the city, are said to be very elaborate The band will make its first appearance in Wellington at the end of the present month.

A notice of interest to jurors and ■witnesses summoned to attend the next sittings of the Supreme Court appears in another column. A petition for a Magisterial recount into the recent water-loan poll (£100,000) has been lodged by Mr C. H. Burnett. It is understood that the petition will be heard within 11 days.

Wanganui Hospital Board estimates show that it costs £23,000 per annum to conduct the local hospital. Taihape costs £6OOO, Raetihi £l9OO. and the Jubilee Home £2OOO. Charitable aid for the whole district, it is estimated, will absorb £3500.

The Eatox proprietors have every reason to be pleased with f.he success which attended the opening of their shop in the Avenue yesterday. The shop opened at 7.30, and from then till closing time it was besieged by customers, nearly 1000 of whom were served. Tito supply of beef had to be replenished in the afternoon. and two extra butchers had to be engaged. The work of completing the fittings of the shop is proceeding satisfactorily.

The chairman of the Wanganui Hospital Board (Mr P. B. Lethbridge) expressed the opinion that all contributing bodies should know more about the hospital and the scope of its work than they do. It was decided that all contributing bodies be asked to visit the hospital, on a day to be arranged, so that the opportunity, may be taken of showing them over the institution, and of demonstrating the great growth of its work. A meeting of ladies was held in the Town Hall, Gonville, on Tuesday afternoon to discuss ways and means to raise money to improve the Gonville school grounds. It was decided to hold a three days’ carnival in June. A strong committee was formed to carry out the duties. Apologies were received from several ladies who were unable to be present. but who offered their services to assist in every way to make a good playground for the school children .

The New Plymouth Hospital Board has its own farm in connection with the institution, and from which it draws supplies of eggs, poultry, milk and meat. The secretary of the Wanganui Hospital Board, Mr L. V. Kerby, will shortly visit New Plymouth in order to make a study of the methods by which the Taranaki Board conducts its purchasing of supplies, and to gain any general information which may be applied with benefit to the local hospital.

The scheme inaugurated by the Hon. C. N. Barwell, Premier of South Australia, for bringing out British boys as emigrants, is apparently working satisfactorily. The Bishop of Willochra, who arrived in Wellington by the Maframa from Sydney, said the boys, who were known as

‘'Barwell boys,” were arriving in batches and going on farms. They were doing extremely well, and were a very good class of boys. They seemed to be well educated and willing to work. Some British girls were coming out as well.

Mr R. G. Mac Gibbon, Electrical Engineer, Public Works Department, who is in charge of the Lake Cole ridge hydro installation, informed a representative of The Press on Monday that No. 6 generator had come successfully through the final test, and was now in full commission. This means that the total output at the Lake Coleridge powerhouse is now 12,000 k.w. "For the first time practically since the installation of the plant,” Mr Mac Gibbon added “there is now a decided surplus ot power available for all purposes, and there should be no difficulty experienced by any person in the city who wants power, heat, or light, in ob taining it.”