Town Talk

Wanganui Chronicle, Volume 74, Issue 58, 10 March 1931, Page 6

Town Talk

Lost Handbag. A black handbag containing a key, some cash and a tramway pass made out to Mrs Walsh, was left on the seat by the Wanganui Post Office yesterday. It is the property of a Hawke’s Bay refugee and the finder is asked by the local committee to leave the bag at the Drill Hall. Fourteen to One ‘‘No country would like to start a war when 14 other powerful countries had sent a wire to ask the/1 to wait until they had seen what the trouble was,” said Major E- Harston, who addressed the Wanganui Rotary Club it their weekly luncheon yesterday on the League of Nations. Adjourned Inquest That Eileen Frances Snell had died on February 6, on the Parapara Road from a broken neck, the result of a motor car accident, was the finding of the Coroner, Mr J. H- Salmon. S.M., at the adjourned inquest held in Wan ganui yesterday. The Coroner added that there was no blame attachable to the driver, Harry Snell. Valuable Sympathy. “They have my sympathy,’’ said Cr. Parley yesterday at the, Waitotara County meeting when a letter requested a financial contribution of £5 to the Boys and Girls Agricultural Chm movement in the Wanganui district. Cr. A. R. Richardson: We can give them that. A voice: And it should be worth five pounds. (Laughter). Long-Tailed Cuckoo. Being mow comparatively rare in the Wangantn district, a long-tailed cuckoo was seen on a Tokumaru West property recently. The bird was described to a reporter as being about twice as big as the shining cuckoo, and having a grey, black striped tail, eight or nine inches long- The hi east was said to be a •‘whitey brown.’’ President Punished ‘‘l am going to fine you two shillings,” said the Scrgeant-at-Arms, Mr O. Holst, to Mr J R. Foster, president, at the Rotary Club luncneOn yesterday‘‘One shilling for forgetting to introduce your guests and one shilling for mispronouncing the name of to-day's speaker.” The president then threatened to fiiie. everybody if they did not stop laughing-

Evidence Appreciate-!. A lady witness in an action brought against a motorist by the police at a sitting of the Magistrate’s Court at Wanganui yesterday, stated in evidence that she had noticed a certain car travelling too fast towards an intersection. “That.” said Mr -1. H. Salmon S.M.. ‘‘was good evidence. If the lady had said that she saw the car travelling at 23.3 miles an hour, 1 would have disregarded the evidence.”

Charitable Aid! “IDo you know what charitable aid means?’’ remarked Mr J. IL Salmon, S.M., addressing a defendant in a main tenance claim heard at a sitting of the Magistrate’s Court at Wanganui yesterday. “It means that the ratepayers of the community are shouldering your burden. Now aren't you ashamed of yourself?” “Yes” replied the defaulter. “You don’t look it” was the Magistrate’s final comment. During his evidence, witness had stated that he believed that his wife was getting charitable aid and at the same time wanted him to pay up arrears in maintenance.

Parihaka Campaign of 1881 On November 5, 1881, the Hon. John Bryce, then Native Minister, descended upon the Maori village of Parihaka. for the purpose of arresting To Whiti and Tohu, the Maori chiefs, whose followers had long been obstructing settlement along the coast. A very large number of volunteers from all parts of New Zealand were brought together for the occasion as a precaution of eny serious resistance to the arrests being made. It is now suggested that a reunion of survivors of the “Siege of Parihaka” shall be held on the fiftieth anniversary of the event and preliminary steps are being taken in that direction. Worried by Joy-Riders. “It would make a splendid approach to the Waitotara County and would keep the drunken joyriders away from my house.’’ So wrote a Waitotara County ratepayer to the Council yesterday in support of an application to take over a piece of unused road near his property in Virginia Road. The applicant stated that his intention was to plant trees in the area, fence it and make it a beauty spot. The Council was all for inspecting rbt spot, but it was pointed out that a deviation made some time ago had created it part vf the city of Wanganui. The ratepayer concerned was advised to approach the City Council. Liquor and Eyesight.

“What you want to find out is how many glasses of Leer a man can drink in a day. There is more danger in the beer than in the eyesight. You very seldom see a short-sighted man taking liquor.” This was how Cr. K. Farley referred yesterday to the latest regu.l,ifion under the Motor Vehicles Act which insists on satisfactory eye tests before a driver’s license can be issuedCi W. Morrisor raised tne point tha’, an inspector who granted a license to a man who had defective eyesight might be liable to be invoiced in a.y c'aim arising as the result of an accident caused directly as the ot the driver’s disability. Breach of Award. Charged with employing shop assistants for extended hours and with failing to notify the Inspector of Awards. R. Babbington was fined £3 and costs by Mr -I. H. Salmon S.M.. at a sitting of the Magistrate’s Court at Wanganui yesterday. Mr A. Barton, who appeared for the defendant, said that, iiis client was manager of Kernohan's Ltd., and that he was under a misapprehension in regard to the necessity of notifying the inspector The mon were working on a Fri'!:’;,' night and after closing time had mnu inod behind n order tn c< pe with th' 1 nish of ord >n getting jarcels roa iv L.r dolive-y <n the folhming m'l-.ii.i? - . It was nc. a case of the employees being victim ised. There were 28 employed and they were all being paid above award wages. None of the men were unionists and they had an uneasy fooling that the prosecution was being instituted by the secretarv of the union who had tried to get tin' men to join the union. The inspector denim! that this was so, stating that the action had been brought bv the Dopa-tment of Labour because it considered that the motiv'd nrovidml unfair competition with of hoi (iiiiis. Tn imposing the fine, the Magii trate said that he did not view the mat