In Town and Out

Wanganui Chronicle, Volume LXXXIII, Issue 19983, 28 October 1927, Page 6

In Town and Out

The freighter Atholl, which completed discharging her New York cargo at Wanganui this week, is to load phosphates at Ocean Island shortly for New Zealand. The vessel is at present bunkering at Westport.

Thursday evening sports meetings are attracting keener interest among the public. Although only four of these meetings have been held since the opening of the present season, there was an exceptionally lorry nurnbr of spectators at Cook’s Gardens last evening at the Pirate Club’s meeting.

“In fine condition,” was the observation of a local official in athletic circles last evening on the appea.ra.nee of the Cook’s Gardens playing area. The tracks on the reserve are in excellent order for the initial evening sports meeting to be held by the West Coast (N.I) Amateur Athletic Centre on Monday night.

Calmer weather during the past few days has had a noticeable effect on the seas on the coast, and the more moderate conditions have permitted a resumption of shipping activities. Good progress, in consequence, has been effected in the loading operations on the freighter Pakcha, in the Wanganui roadstead. The shell rock of which the ‘Durie Hill war memorial is constructed is a general subject- of comment by visitors. An American visitor to the city yesterday described the structure as an “ oyster-shell tower.” Incidentally, he stated that the memorial was one of the most striking he had seen and he also remarked on the excellent views to be secured from the tower. Tenders were called recently for the erection of a brick store at the rear of the Wanganui-Rangitikei Electric Power Board’s offices in St. Hill Street, and that of Mr A. Pepper has been accepted, the contract price being £l,Oll. The building will be used as a store for electric ranges and meters, a testing room, and a sub-station to house transformers that are now erected on poles near the office. “Providence has put more money in the hands and the pockets of the Presbyterian people than any other people; and the job of the Maori Mission Committee is to put their hands into their pockets and extract £6ooo.”—The Rev. J. A. Asher, convener of the Presbyterian Maori Mission Committee, speaking at the laying of the Maori Girls’ College foundation stone at Marton yesterday.

“The objects of this college are not to endeavour to make Maori children into pakeha women, but to make them fine Maori women,” said his Excellency the Governor-General (Sir Charles Fergusson) at the laying of the foundation stone of the Maori Girls’ College at Marton yesterday. “We want to give them all the advantages of civilisation to enable them to take their place in whatever sphere of activity their lives lead them, whether they be pakeha or Maori. The influence of the school has been proved by the women who have passed through the Turakina College and who have sent their daughters to be educated there. Some of them have found vocations >n various activities of life, and the others (most important of all) have gone- back to start homes of their own and are sending tfreir daughters to the school. Than this there could be no better testimony. ’ ’