LOCAL AND GENERAL

Wanganui Chronicle, Volume LXXXIII, Issue 19731, 28 December 1926, Page 6

LOCAL AND GENERAL

The police in Wanganui had a very light task during the Christmas holidays ami only one “drunk” was arrested. He appeared at the Court yesterday morning and was fined the amount of his bail, 12s (id. ■■ on buildings affected by fire in Wanganui during the quarter ending this month totalled £14,515. macle up of £10,300 on buildings and £4215 on contents. Actual fire loss during the quarter amounted to £477. The Wanganui Fire Board year, which usually ends on June 30. will end on March 31, 1927, in order to synchronise with other local body years. The next election to fill vacancies on the Board will take place in February. During the quarter just ending the Wanganui City Fire Brigade has received 25 calls. Six were to actual fires, seven were to grass fires, and two were to burning chimneys. During the quarter one justifiable false alarm and three malicious false alarms wero given.

Yesterday’s comparatively sunny skies were a welcome change from the rain-laden clouds of the preceding days, and many more people went to more distant pleasure resorts. Kai Iwi as usual claimed a large number, and a river excursion to Hipango Park was well patronised.

A large crowd of picnickers assembled at the Wanganui and Aramoho railway stations yesterday morning to join the trains running out to Matarawa. where the annual picnic of the Wanganui United Friendly Societies was held. A most enjoyable outing was spent.

Quite a number of touring motorists are camping on the Wanganui Automobile Association’s sites. The camp at Aramoho presented a busy scene yesterday when week-end campers were occupied parking their gear for trips onwards either to New Plymouth and To Kuiti or south to "Wellington.

I A young British coal minor who arrived at Port Chalmers on the Athenic, ‘slated to a “Daily Times’’ reporter I that before the coal strike commenced I he was “working at the face.” and the wages were 30s per week. He was indined to express himself harshly in regard to his native land, stating that “England is now a rich man’s country. ”

Members of the Castlecliff Surf and Life-Saving Club have had nothing to engage their serious attention during the Christmas holidays. On Saturday and Sunday a strong undercurrent was experienced, but bathers generally experienced no trouble. During last year’s holidays the club was kept very busy and a number of rescues were effected.

A large crowd of holiday makers was attracted to Castlecliff beach yesterday morning by the beautiful sunny weather. Trams running out to the beach were crowded and the Department was compelled to run extra services. The chilly surf tempted a few bathers, but in spite of this a great day was spent, especially by the children. A man riding a motor cycle with a lady passenger on the carrier seat is a very ordinary sight in Wanganui, and is not likely to excite comment from i pedestrians. The position was reversed . vesterday, however, when promenaders :in Victoria Avenue were not a little • surprised to see a motorcycle ridden i rapidly by a member of the fair sox, I with a mere man as passenger on the ] carrier seat. • The now Dennis fire engine used by j the jVanganui City Brigade is proving | an excellent machine and is giving onI tire satisfaction. No difficulty has | boon experienced in handling the machine, and no accidents have been reported. Three officers suffered injuries while handling No. 1 machine and wore off duty for varying periods. These men. the deputy-superintendent, the foreman and a motor driver, have since j resumed duty. ■ The people of Dunedin still retain their reputation for demanding full “value for their money. A lady entered |a. shop, says the “Otago Daily Times.” land asked for “a penny comic,” and .when this was being produced she i asked for a calendar —which, by the wav, cost the vendor Is 7d. When informed that the supply of calendars was exhausted and that the request could not bo complied with, the would-be purchaser declined to take the “comic.”

Satisfactory repairs have been ef'i fected to the washout on the Rangi--1 tatau highway caused by the cloudI burst on Friday evening. The road j is now in fair order for holiday traffic, i but a good deal of work will be rej quired to restore the highway to its »former permanent condition. Tn conversation with a “Chronicle” reporter I yesterday, Air T. Dix, engineer to the [ Waitotara County Council, stated that j holiday motorists would experience I little or no trouble on the road to-day. I Tn Christchurch there are 17 blind I people who have, free use of the Braille (books in the Public Library (states the | “Lyttelton Times”). Of these, six I are heavy readers, but the remainder do not read a great deal. By paying £lO 10s a year to the National Library for the Blind, London, the library receives 80 books a year in quarterly consignments of 20. These remain in Christchurch for three months before being posted back. The Dunedin, Auckland, and Wellington Public Libraries work under the same system and there was a. proposal that a system of exchange should be instituted among the libraries, but so far nothing has been done in the matter.

A protest against the appearance of policemen in uniform in Children’s Courts was made in Christchurch a few days ago by Mrs. A. E. Herbert, a member of the Court there. Her remarks were supported by Mr. E. D. Mosley, S.M. He said he thought the title, “Children’s Court,” was a misnomer. Anything which tended to make children think that they were going before a Court should be dropped. The Children’s Court should be a place of correction and advice to children and parents alike. Tn the other Court it was necessary that police should be in uniform to make an impression and that all the formalities should be observe?!, but the so-called Children’s Court should be apart and he felt strongly that the police should appear out of uniform.