Town Talk

Wanganui Chronicle, Volume 75, Issue 151, 29 June 1932, Page 6

Town Talk

Mayor as Advocate. “If ever 1 get into difficulty I know who I will engage as my advocate. It will be His Worship the Mayor,” said Cr. J. Robertson, at the special meeting of the City Council last night, after Air. Armstrong had shown how imperative it was at the present juncture that the administrative staff of the city should be maintained. Naive Admission. “You heard your wife say that she is scared of you?” asked a solicitor in the Magistrate’s Court yesterday of a man in the witness box who was the defendant in a separation case. “Yes,” ieplied the husband, and then added, “Well,” she is not afraid of much then, is she?” “Certainly not,” replied counsel. Fraternity in Sport. Evidence of the fraternity which exists between kindred sports in Wanganui was evidenced once again on Saturday when the Wanganui Metropolitan Rugby Union provided dressingroom facilities and showers for the Masterton and Wanganui harriers taking part in a cross-country race. A letter of appreciation was revcived by the Management Committee of the Rugby Union last night. Mortgagor and Mortgagee. Concluding its Wanganui sitting yesterday, the- Wellington District Adjustment Commission will proceed to Marton and Taihape. The chairman, Mr. H. Mclntyre, stated that a vast amount of accumulated work had already been done by the commission and a large number of amicable arrangements had been made between mortgagee and mortgagor. The chairman added that the solicitors of Wanganui had been very helpful to the commission in bringing about the adjustments. Duties of a Mayor. There are many duties which fall to the lot of a Mayor, several of them that do not reach the searchlight of publicity. One is that of appending his signature to documents requiring the endorsement of the municipality. When the recent city loan was raised on London several debentures had to be signed and the work fell upon the town clerk and the Mayor. “That took nearly the whole of one day,” said Mr. Armstrong, at the council table last night, “and Mr. Murch, having a shorter name, got well ahead of me.” (Laughter).

Under Many Titles. In the brief space of 15 minutes the Wanganui City Council, at a special meeting last night, assumed five distinct identities. First it sat as a Council. The next minute it was the Castlecliff Domain Board; two minutes later the Williams (Domain Board, then the Gonville Domain Board and finally Queen’s Park Domain Board. Each of these meeting was an annual one, and tho annual report and balance-sheet were adopted in each case. In two instances the brief intimation was that there was no return to make, and that tho work of the board was being undertaken by the City Council. Clothes Drive. Generosity is expected of Wanganui citizens when contributing to the clothes drive for necessitous cases in the city being organised by the Ministers’ Association for Saturday. The drive will be for clothing, rugs, boots and shoes. Districts covered will be Aramoho, the City area, Springvale, St. John’s Hill, Durie Hill, Gonville and Castlecliff. Members of the Boy Scouts’ Association will be combining with members of the Wanganui Automobile Club to canva? each street. The Ministers’ Association asks that the parcels should be ready by 10 a.m. The need is great, and the Ministers’ Association is expecting a ready response to the appeal. Children’s Effort. As a result of a suggestion made by the managements of the Regent and Majestic Theatres, Wanganui children will have an opportunity, next Saturday, of affording assistance in a practical manner to the unemployed. A matinee performance will be given at each theatre, commencing nt 10.30 a.m., and admission will bo free to those children bringing a donation in the form of vegetables, groceries, butter, eggs or similar produce. All this produce will afterwards be handed over by the managements of the theatres to the Mayor’s Unemployment Relief Committee, who will undertake the task of distribution among the unemployed. It will be interesting to note the support accorded this unique effort. Christians and the Press.

Commenting that the newspapers formed the best advertising medium, Rev. D. B. Malcolm, of Gonville, in the course of a sermon last Bunday, pointed out that continued success was dependant upon the goods advertised being kept up to standard. The newspaper had the greatest influence of all because the majority of people did not think out the problems of the day but relied on the thinking of those entrusted with the writing of the articles in the newspapers, which were maintained at a high standard. He thought that Christians, when they read articles of a high moral tone in the Press, should write and commend the newspaper for its standard. Similarly, if Christians read articles that were opposed to religion they should write in defence of their belief. They should be “doers of the word and not hearers only.” Cruelty Alleged. Allegations of cruelty wore made in a ease in the Magistrate’s Court yesterday in which a young wife proceeded against her husband for a separation order. She said that he had hit her with his fists and with a strap. On one occasion, she said, he had punched her and split her lip. and her nose had boon injured. Evidence given by a boy in support of the appellant was that hardly a day had passed when the husband had not struck his wife and at one time he had given her a thrashing. At another time the husband had kicked a cat and broke some of its ribs. Appellant had remonstrated with him and he had punched her. The husband said in tho witness box that ho had not at any time in his lifp laid hands on his wife and stated that the whole case was planned by tho appellant, and her mother. Ho said that ho had been on relief work as a married man but had not sent his wife any money. She was living away from him and ho had been forced to pav board. The case was eventually adjourned for a fortnight to allow tho taking of evidence on commission in the TfTranaki district, where the couple had been living.