LOCAL AND GENERAL

Wanganui Chronicle, Volume LXXXII, Issue 19434, 21 October 1925, Page 6

LOCAL AND GENERAL

The Railway Department adversite in this issue particulars of train arrangements in connection with combined schools sports at Wanganui on Saturday, 24th instant.

The Works Committee of the City Council reported to last night's meeting that it had referred considerations of the erection of the public morgue pending the receipt of further information and data.

Sir Maui Pomarc always savs he is Scotch,” remarked the Prime Minister at Kaikohc, “and when asked to give his genealogy says it was a process of absorption—one of his ancestors ate a Scotsman.”

The Town Wharf presented a busy appearance yesterday, when three coastal vessels and an intercolonial steamer were berthed. -The full complement of waterside labour was employed in working the vessels.

Mr Lyons, the Reform candidate for Lyttelton, giving some advice to his opponent:—lf you write a letter to the newspapers, keep it for a night and think it over. Then keep it for another night. After that put it into the nre and burn it.

I am afraid that our friends from Auckland have had their nerves frayed by the leopard, ’ ’ said a speaker at the Justices of the Peace Conference in Christchurch, when the Auckland delegates had become somewhat heated.

From October 1, seven square miles of coral-grit territory in the Pacific Ocean came under the control of New Zealand, instead of under the Colonial Office. The Tokelau Islands will be administered from Apia, by the Administrator of Western Samoa (MajorGeneral Sir George Richardson).

Sawmillers in Southland, and to a lesser extent in Gatlins, are complaining o£ a lack of orders, and some of the mills are closing down. The increased railway freights make timber from the Pacific Coast of America a better proposition than the locallygrown article, and the position will become accentuated as time goes on.

The Wanganui City Council has under consideration the matter of the erection of bill-boards with a view to providing additional municipal hoardings. This fact was mentioned lat the Council meeting last night as a result of an Application having been received from a local firm asking permission to erect public hoardings.

Objection to schools being used as polling booths in districts where a hall is available was recorded by the Taranaki Education Board. The matter arose through one of the members stating that the returning officer for the Wife tern Maori District had intimated that the Okaiawa school would be required for the Maori election on November 3, although there is a suitable hall in the township.

"My opinion as a man of considerable experience is that you had better let the ladies have what they want, ” said Mr David Jones, Government candidate for Ellesmere, when replying to a question as to whether he was in favour of women entering Parliament. “You can quite understand that while half the electors in Ellesmere are ladies, I cannot afford to take any other view,” ho added, amidst laughter.

“I would suggest to the Labour Party that they had better go into the backblocks and start a Communistic settlement. Then wo should see how their new-fangled notions would*work. They would be much better off than the old pioneers, who had no railway to help them. The. experience would be valuable, and much better than their continual agitation about economic affairs.” —Mr John Massey (R), Manukau.

It will interest pear-growers to learn that the first consignment of parasites of the pear-midge arrived in New Zealand on August 25. These insects were secured in Europe through the agency of the Imperial Bureau of Entomology, London, acting under a request from the Department of Agriculture. The attempt to rear these parasites and ultimately establish them m the pearmidge infested areas of the Dominion is being carried out by the Biological Laboratory, Wellington.

The supplementary electoral roll* for Wanganui closed at 6 o'clock last Thursday, and included 680 names, making a total of 11,245 electors registered in the city area. There were 10,248 citizens on the roll compiled for last election. The increase of 997 names noticeable is largely attributable to the stipulation enforced by the Government in regard to compulsory registration, but is also due to a certain degree to the increase in population in the city during the past three years.

The Christchurch City Council has circularised the various local bodies throughout the Dominion requesting them to oppose the proposal to establish a board to consider local body loan proposals. The Wanganui City Council, at last night’s meeting, on the recommendation of the Finlance Committee, decided to support the South Island body in protesting against any suggested interference with the rights of the ratepayers to sanction their own loans.

The question of the classification of roads in tho confines of the city for heavy motor traffic was referred to ht last night’s meeting of the Wanganui City Council consequent upon a report submitted by uie Works Committee. The report pointed ©ut that the committee had considered the communication from the Public Works Department on the matter of classification of roads, and it agreed with the Department that motor lorry traffic should not bo unduly restricted. It therefore recommended that the Council should not classify its roads for use by motor lorries. The suggestion was agreed to.

A farm worker, Mr J. A. Paterson, had a miraculous escape from serious injury by a wild boar recently at Mokareta (says the “Southland Times"). A boar was seen among Mr M. A. M‘Rae’s sheep, and Mr Paterson, with a fellow-employee, set out to drive the brute off. They were unarmed, save for a few stones that they had gathered, and their dogs were not specially trained for pig-hunting. Generally a pig makes off on sight of a man. Not so this one. The barking of the dogs only served to annoy him, and when the men threw their missiles af him he charged Mr Paterson, knocking him down. He was returning to the charge while Mr Paterson was lying prone on the ground, but the dogs were incited .to make a counter-demonstra-tion, and this gave Mr Paterson time to rise and get out of the way.

■The Wanganui Cricket Association has been granted the use of Cook’s Gardens on the usual terms during the forthcoming season.

“A nym once called me an agitator —land he thought he hurt me! ” —Mr. J. Roberts at the Opera House last evening. t

“Oh! That is election day,” hastened to explain counsel at the Court yesterday mdrning, when Mr J. S. Barton intimated that he would adjourn a civil case , until November 4. The Magistrate: “Well, we can all do our duty to our country in a few minutes.”

At last night’s meeting of the Wanganui City Council the Mayor (Mr. Hope Gibbons) expressed his thanks to Crs. C. W. Poynter (retired DeputyMayor) and C. P. Brown (the present Deputy-Mayor) for the manner in which they had executed their respective duties during his absence abroad.

There is a movement to connect Tipai Street and Kitchener Street, and at last night’s meeting of the City Council the Works Committee reported that it had considered an offer from the owner of a portion of the Hand necessary to connect these streets, and recommended that he be informed that the Council would require the whole of the proposed street to be dedicated to it free of cost. The report was adopted.

The City tramway employees recently made an application for an increase of a penny an hour in wages. The application has been considered by the Tramways Committee. At last night’s meeting of the City Council the comI mittce reported that the agreement with the union did not terminate until February next, and that the rates of wages therein were in excess of the Court’s recent pronouncement. Had such not been the case they would have favoured reviewing the position. No one rejoiced more in the glorious weather of yesterday than did the business-man of the city, and especially the drapers. The unbroken spell of sunshine, which caused pedestrians to seek the shady side of the street for the first time this season, betokened summer’s arrival. And that’s what caused the hearts of the soft goods sellers to rejoice. There will soon be a big demand for summer clothes. “The last three months period has been deadly to the trade,” said one draper yesterday. “The big slump was a king to it,” he added.

At last night’s meeting of the Wanganui City Council the president and hon. director of the Wanganui Astronomical Society (Mr. J. T. Ward) intimated that as a result of several conversations with the more active members of the society, they proposed, with the consent of the others, to make a gift of the Observatory, with its telescope and fittings to the City of Wanganui, providing the City Council accepted the gift in trust for the citizens. The proposal met with the Approval of the councillors generally, who recognised the value of the Observatory to the city. The offer was eventually referred to the Finance Committee for consideration.

Mr H. D. M. Haszard, F.R.G.S., formerly Commissioner of Crown Lands for Canterbury, but now resident at Waihi, considers that he is on the track of a parasite that may eventually wipe out the blackberry pest from New Zealand. Mr Haszard states that for some time he has had under observation patches of plant that were evidently attacked by some foe. “The disease,” said Mr Haszard, “first appears in small silvery streaks on the extremities of the branches and gradually works its way to the ground, killing the wood as it travels. The roots then send out vigorous shoots, but these again are attacked, and sooner or later the plants become so weakened that many of them now under observation are apparently in death throes.”

At the Magistrate’s Court yesterday morning before Mr J. S. Barton S.M., judgment by default was given for the plaintiffs in the following undefended cases: A. C. Whitehead and J. Stone v. Christian B. Chandler, claim £2 13s, costs £1 8s 6d; Lauchlan and Co. v. Robert Hardie, £8 J6s 6d, costs £1 10s 6d; H. I. Jones and Son Ltd. v. John C. Patton, £2 2s, costs £1 14s 6d; same v. Geo. Powell, £8 12s 6d; costs £1 10s 6d; same v. Mrs K. Jonas, £9 10s. costs £1 10s 6d; same v. P. E. An slow j £3 15s, costs £1 3s 6d; same v. F. j. Taunton, £l, costs ss; same v. Frank Ansley, £3 15s, costs £1 13s 6d; same v. W. H. Moss, £2 12s 6d, costs £1 3s 6d; and same v. Herbert I. Gee, £7 19s, costs £1 19s 6d.

A judgment debtor at the Magistrate’s Court yesterday morning described himself as a traveller, who was at present engaged “travelling” for a local agent. Prior to that he had been occupied at selling cars on commission, and he sold three cars in three months for one man, the commission on the first car sold for £llO, being £3; and on the second car, which he disposed of for £195, £2O. The third vehicle was sold for £7O, but as yet he had received no commission. The arrangement he had was to take 50 per cent, of the profits. Before dealing in cars he travelled for drapery, and in this connection bad debts amounting to £3O had been owing to him, but he had since collected about £2O. There was about £6 owing to him, while his debts would probably aggregate £2OO. He was a married man with five children, and had no property of his own. The Magistrate, after reviewing the circumstances of the case, decided not to make an order.

The improved , weather conditions that have been experienced throughout the district during the past week or so [have had a remarkable reflection in the jbutter-fat returns compiled by the various factories. Evidence of this fact was supplied to a “Chronicle” reporter yesterday by the secretary of one company who pointed out that for the first ten days’ period of September, 19,000 odd pounds of butter-fat were I received, as compared with 32,000 'pounds of butter-fat for the last period. The returns for October had revealed further increases in production. Naturally, the returns were expected to rise at this time of the year, but the increases as a rule were not so generally marked. He considered that the succulent growth of grass that was now beginning to be found as a result of the more seasonal weather had aided production considerably, but he sounded a pessimistic note by declaring that the producers, of this district at least, would not make up the leeway caused by the unusual early spring.