Town Talk

Wanganui Chronicle, Volume 75, Issue 77, 1 April 1932, Page 6

Town Talk

Port Activities. During last month 35 vessels arrived in the port of Wanganui including the Port Pirie, Port Hunter and the Port Brisbane. All loaded in the roadstead for the United Kingdom ports. Gallery and Museum Attendance. No fewer than 1422 people visited the Alexander Museum at Wanganui during tho past month, while 802 visited the Art Gallery. Last year, during March, 683 people visited rhe Gallery. Abu Ahu Valley Picnic. In Wednesday’s report of the Ahu Ahu Valley picnic reference to tho splendid work of Mrs Howie was not mentioned. In the capacity of organiser she was primarily responsible for such a successful event and her efficiency was the subject of praise.. College Girls’ Sports. Tho Wanganui Girls’ College are holdi j athletic sports on their grounds at Wanganui East on Friday April 15. In tho junior tennis tournament, recently held at tho Wanganui East, courts, tho collego girls won the senior and junior doubles and were runnersup in, both singles. Car Drops 20 Feet. Except for a sprained thumb and a few minor bruises, Mr L. Pleasan s escaped injury when his car left the Para para Road on Wednesday /nd dropped over a 20-foot bank. The enr overturned and came to rest on its hood. Mr Pleasants was fortunate in escaping serious inju-y. Another Store Entered. Between six and seven o’clock on Wednesday evening, Mr Sharpe ’s store, on the Mosston Road, was broken into and £5 in cash stolen. Two men wore seen by a storekeeper and they were 'Ubscquently arrested, but Detective J. Walsh stated that thqy were not connected with the theft. A Good “Bag.” Exceptionally good fishing at the delta of the Tongariro River during the past week is reported by Messrs C. Bird and F. Swan, of Wanganui, who returned yesterday from ti five days’ fishing holiday. They claim to have landed one of the biggest “bags ’ <>f the season, catching between their two rods 130 fish, including one weighing lUlbs., five lOlbs and one weighing 121bs. They state that lidiing weather was idea ami that the trout were in wonderful condition. Five-Shilling “Tote” Until a few years ago patrons of the Wanganui Jockey Club were restricted to a, minimum of £1 when making their investments on the totalisator the tenshilling unit being introduced when the post-war boom had receded. Now comes the announcement that fiveshilling tickets i -ay be purchased at the forthcoming meeting of the Wanganui.Trotting Club, to be held on Saturday of next week. The five-shil-ling unit proved a success at tho Takapuna races a couple of years ago, while at. New Plymouth racing and trotting meetings it has also been a popular innovation. Wanganui Girls’ CollegeReporting to the meeting of the Board of Governors of the Wanganui Girls’ College yesterday Miss A. C. Tizart .principal, stated, that there were now 383 pupils at the school. Included in that number were 75 boarders, 26 primary pupils and 46 pupils learning the piano. With favourable conditions the girls had • done good work at swimming this year under the tuition of Mrs. Cleland. During the season, which closed at Easier, 90 girls gained certificates for swimming lengths varying from ,12yds. to a mile, 40 girls swimming a mile. Life saving results were:—Elementary 20, proficiency 19, bronze medallion 11, teachers certificate 6, honorary instructor’s. 6, award of merit 9, and bar x to the award 3. Down River by Canoe. Two Wanganui lads, Owen Rogers and Ivan Danielson, have just completed a down-river trip by canoe. They had their craft carried to Atone by motor car, and from there conveyed by river steamer to Pip-iriki. Under favourable weather conditions they paddled down stream, taking their time and studying the many beauty spotsi along the fam cus waterway. Both are entirely satislied with a novel Easter holiday. Negotiation of rapids required care, they said, particularly at one point where a bend in the stream is rounded and straightway a craft is in the swift eddying currents for a stretch of ap proximately 300 yards. At pitangi paddles touched bottom in places. The boys left Wanganui on Wednesday before Good Friday and got back to Wanganui on Easter Monday. “It is an 11l Wind.” There is still no trace of the escape'd prisoner Charles Bennett, who, with Roy Norris, alias E. W. Allen, broke custody at Hautu prison camp at tho end of February. Norris was captured by Detective J. Walsh, of Wanganui, ar. Waverley early in March. Bennet!; was reported to have come back to Wanganui and then ravelled north again through Taranaki in motor cars which he managed to lay hands on. He G stated to bo a -first class motor mechanic and one Taranaki car owner, who had his vehicle removed, said that ho had to thank who ever had taken it for making the engine behave bettv. 1 than it had done for years. He had tried to locate a fault but had been unsuccessful. When his car was returned to him through tho agency of tho police, however, it- was found to bo running beautifully. Museum Accessions. xYccessions during the past month to tho Alexander Museum at Wanganui contain tho following:—A largo collection of shells from Mr- G. Archer, Fiji; old view of Wanganui from Die left bank of tho Wanganui River opposite Moutoa, from Mr. Barker; large ■ centipedes from a case of bananas, from Mr. Shipman; collection of birds’ eggs, shells, 3 Maori tikis and a “sun horse,” from Master Harold Denton; stone-handled club from New Guinea, donated by Mr. J. R. Foster; Indian pipe, from Mrs. Pannifer; brass Londo livery badge dated 1807, from Mr. J, Hannigan; microscope slides and books on microscopy, from Mr. C. W. Lee; Java finch, from Mr. A- AndcrsL and a largo moth, from Master John Rowe. Several people deposited articles of interest and among them are three large blue china vases and a pair of bronze incense burners from Japan, deposited by Mr. F. Denton; a collection of old coins by Mr. E. B. Gilbert!; a Maori greenstone car pendant by Mr. T. W. Downes; certificate and bronze medal for life-saving presented by the Royal Humane Society in 1901, deposited by Itu Tokeha.