In Town and Out

Wanganui Chronicle, Volume LXXXIII, Issue 20110, 31 March 1928, Page 6

In Town and Out

Work done by the Waitotara County Council in continuing Peakes Road to •Springvale Road should prove a bo< n to St. John’s Hill residents* who arc now provided with a short cut to Castlecliff and. the gilt’ links.

The following replies to advertisements are awaiting collection at the “Chronicle” branch office, Victoria Avenue:-—W3, Wl5, WIG, W2G, W2B, W 32, W 35, W.lOB, Will), WJ2I, W 122, W. 134, W.I3S, W 139, Wl5O, W 157.

A request has been made to Aho Wanganui City Council that a silent policeman be erected on the intersection of Springvale Road and Parsons Street. The spot has been the scene of three motor accidents during the last three weeks.

Progress is being made in erecting the City Council bins at Aramoho. The contractor (Mr J. Moye) has them practically completed, and Messrs Booth MacDonald and Co., of Christchurch, will shortly be proceeding with the installation of the necessary machinery.

There has been a reallocation ot work to Government relief gangs in t.he Wanganui district. All except ono party have been taken from the watershed road beyond the Te Tui Junction, the labour having been principally allocated to the Wanganui River road, where work is being pushed on past Pitangi.

Motorists are complaining that curves on the main North road are becoming corrugated. This is not only annoying for motorists, but dangerous, as it causes drivers to swing out on the corners to avoid the bumps. If two cars were to meet on a bad. corner an accident would be unavoidable.

Several pukekos have been noticed in a swamp at the side of the main North road at Westmere. The beautiful birds are not afraid of passing traffic, as they walk, along the side of the road picking up morsels of food. Another part of Wanganui where these native birds are common is the Okoia Valley.

Very few motor number-plates with the letter E will be seen after to-day. In future only lorries of the Main Highways Board, Public Works ami other Government, departments will bear a distinguishing sign. It will now be difficult for erring motorists to pick out ears belonging to inspectors on the war-path.

A backblocks settler who was in Wanganui yesterday mentioned to a “Chronicle” reporter that three holdings in the Kanarapoa Valley and two in the Ahu Ahu Valley had been abandoned recently. “Not that the land is no good,” he added, “but it has to be bought at a reasonable price. Most of it is what is now termed' ‘deteriorated’ land.”

Two Wanganui men who returned from The Main Trunk yesterday state that the rabbit season in the plains district has been comparatively poor this year. Last year rabbits were so plentiful that at least one farmer not only considered turning his farm into a rabbit-run, but did it. Probably the shortage will have the effect of forcing the price of furs up.

T.he principal of a well-known stock and station firm who has just returned from, a trip into Wanganui’s bacK country states that everywhere in the poor land the improvement made possible by the recent drought is now noticeable. Hundreds of acres of secured growth have been burned off and sown down in grasses and he is of the oponiou that if the dry season 's run in cycles, as predicted the backcountry will benefit greatly.

Man (and woman) is naturally a procrastinator and it takes a hard and long training to overcome The weakness. Wanganui contains many citizens who have evidently not overcome that failing. Chavannes Hot id yesterday was the scene of a seething crowd of motorists who had omitted to obtain new number-plates for the period commencing to-morrow. If the law is complied with the familiar black and yellow plates will disappear to-morrow to give place to the new white and maroon sets.

The day for practical joking has come round once again, and he who is wary will not go to bed to-night oblivious of the morrow, when those who do not consider themselves too sophisticated will doubtless be, indulging in the age-long rituals of April fool. So deeply has this ceremony been ingrained into the national character that April 1 never seems to lose its attraction, and doubtless to-morrow will see young and old Testing the good humour of their fellow men by whatever devices they think lit.