Town Talk

Wanganui Chronicle, Volume 74, Issue 190, 13 August 1931, Page 6

Town Talk

“The top Hue says ‘A Huge Sacrifice’—it docs not say for whom,” said Mr P. E. Baldwin, at tho Supreme Court yesterday, when reading out an advertisement about a farm for sale. Rugby Visitors.

Members of the Canterbury Rugby team arrive in Wanganui by this afternoon’s Wellington mail in readiness for their match on Saturday. To-night they are to be the guests of the Putiki Maoris.

A Broken Railing. The railing which protects the sidewalk in front of Shakespeare’s Cliff has been broken at a point close to the river and there is a certain element of danger for pedestrian traffic at night. It is considered that the damage has been caused by vandals. Hockey at Church.

Ihe Wanganui Hockey Association, referees and players, have accepted an invitation of the Rev. 11. G. Goring, and will attend in full strength at the Ingestro Street Baptist Church next Sunday evening. This is one of the Hockey Association's annual fixtures. Dahlia and Gladioli Show. Of recent years the growing of dahlias and gladioli in Wanganui has developed greatly, and the Wanganui Horticultural Society feels that a show featuring those blooms would do much to popularise their cultivation. The society has accordingly decided to hold a show featuring dahlias and gladioli in February. The Sunshine Club. The Sunshine Club which gives food and clothing to the deserving poor of Wanganui, is promoting a Popular Lady Competition. The Garrison Band has contributed to this competition by donating the proceeds of last Sunday evening’s concert. The -candidate and th“ residents of Wanganui East are very appreciative of this aid. Mounted Rifles. Matters are in train for recruiting volunteers for the Queen Alexandra Mounted Rifles (W.W.U.) Regiment and the first parade under the new conditions is to be held at Westmere on Saturday. There is to be a headquarters unit and one troop stationed at Westmere and one troop at Waverley. The enlistment age is 18 and volunteers may serve until they are 32. Watching Expenditure When the executive of the Wanganui Automobile Association was last night considering whether delegates should support remits to come before the next North Island Motor Union Conference, several were thrown out summarily on the ground that they would mean more Government expenditure and that at the present time such should not be entertained.

City Rates. Next Monday will be the last day on which the ratepayers of Wanganui can obtain a discount on whatever amount is paid on account of their city rates. It is not generally known that the discount of 2i per cent represents an equivalent of interest at 5| per cent per annum, for the period from August 17 until the time the usual 10 per cent penalty is enforced.

Foot and Mouth Disease. Farmers in the Wanganui district ex press great satisfaction at the decision of the Government to continue the embargo on stock imported from the United Kingdom. Strenuous opposition wasvoiced to the recommendation of the Board of Agriculture that the ban should be lifted, and fresh outbreaks at Home of the dreaded foot and mouth disease ensured that the protests have not fallen on deaf ears. Tribal Ownership. In outlining a case at the Supreme Court yesterday, Mr A. M. Onglcy, of Palmerston North, said that a man had offered a freehold in 1350 acres at Koroniti at £2 an acre, but it was found later that the man, a Maori, owned onesixth of a share in a total of 215 original owners. At the present time there were 306 owners of the land, said .Mr Onglcy, and his Honour, Mr Justice Blair, said that the number of owners would be increasing as the owners died. Life Assurance. A remarkable result of the value of a life insurance policy in these times of stress was recently brought to light when a local resident applied for a meet future premiums. He was granted a fully paid up policy for £3OO plus paid up policy owing to his inability to bonuses already declared, amounting to over £lOO, and tho new policy will continue to benefit by annual bonus additions until the date of his deaf I. The : total premiums paid by the life assured under the old poliu - amounted to £147. Tobacco Thieving. Twelve months’ probation was imposed upon a man named Ogier at the Magistrate’s Court at Wanganui on Tuesday for thieving cigarettes and tobacco to the value of £6 from Mr N. Nixon. The evidence showed that Ogier was a frequent visitor to Nixon’s shop at the lower end of Victoria Avenue. When nobody was looking Ogier would take packages of tobacco and cigarettes from tho stock room and plant them in the back yard amongst a heap of rubbish. Ogier had admitted the thefts. Ho was ordered to make restitution of tho goods and to make such payments as the probation officer thought fit. Unique Football. There is always a humorous note about a Maori football match. The natives seem to play the game purely for the spirit of it and the touch-line barrackers play their parts with far more abandon than the average European. Yesterday’s trial match between the Maoris of Hawke’s Bay and Wan ganui was no exception to the rule. The boys on the field tried tc make the play open and there were many incidents which brought the crowd to hilarity. The Rev. Wanoa, the ’Bay’s representative hook, playing first as five-eighths and then as rover, appeared to enjoy himself to the full. He was the most surprised man on the field, though, when once he broke away and was overtaken by three powerful Wanganui defenders and brought down in a style reminiscent of ‘'sacks on the mill.” The spectators enjoyed breaks of this sort as much as they did any other phase of the play. There was a special appeal, too, in the way the Maoris the line appealed to their players to win. The Hawke’s Bay team stayed at Katana again last night and leave for home this morning. A great night was spent at the pa, right royal entertainment testifying to the hospitality of the Ratana-ites. Mr Ike Robin, the well known Maori wrestler, was manager of the visiting team.