Town Talk

Wanganui Chronicle, Volume 75, Issue 177, 29 July 1932, Page 6

Town Talk

About £2O will be handed to the Mayor’s Relief Fund as the result of the Charity Ball of last night, organised by the Wanganui Rotary Club. Savage Club’s Contributions. The .sum of £74 has been handed to the Mayor’s Relief Fund by the Wan ganui Savage Club, that amount being the result of a korero and two community sing gatherings. The community sing of last week brought in £l5. Third Community Sing The third Wanganui community sing in aid of the Mayor’s Relief Fund will be held in the Opera House next Wednesday night. Like the last, this effort will be organised by the Wanganui Savage Club, assisted by the Wanganui Rotary Club. Song-leaders will be Mrs. T. L. Spurring and Mr. L. Travers. Mr. A. Sutcliffe will again be at the piano. With the success of the last still fresh in the public ment ory, the crowd at the Opera House next Wednesday should be even greater than on the former occasion. Increased Subsidy Notification was received by the Wanganui Unemployment Committee yesterday that the Unemployment Board had decided to increase the sub sidy on the No. 4b contract scheme from 33 1-3 per cent, to 50 per cent. It was stated that the increase would not be made applicable to those contracts already in existence, but would apply to new contracts. The 4b scheme provides for developmental work to be carried out on farms on a contract system. The farmer engages the contractor and pays him for the work done and then applies to the Department of Labour for the subsidy. S.P.O.A. Activities. Since February 19 there had been 38 cases investigated and a number of prosecutions made, Mr E. F. Lifiitou, secretary to the Wanganui Society for Prevention of Cruelty to Animals reported to the annual meeting of the society. The cases included the use of horses that were unfit for work, cruelty to a pig, starving horses and cattle, and ill-treatment of dogs and cats. In one instance three goats were chained together so that they could not get any food. It was reported that th 0 membership stood at over 50, and that an effort was to be made to increase this number. The work of the past year, he said, had more than justified the existence of the society.

Operatic Society The support which is already forthcoming for the locally-written, com posed and produced operetta, “Moonflower,” is very gratifying. Although there are twelve days yet before the opening night, over 400 seats have been booked during the season. The promoters of “Moonflower” are optimistic concerning the whole venture and are looking forward with confid cnee in so far as the financial side is concerned. This is fortunate, because it now gables attention to bo concentrated upon the production with no disturbing thoughts to intervene. The artists are rehearsing assiduously and the play can be already regarded as an assured success from an artistic and musical standpoint.

Disturbance—Then Applause. “No man is more in touch with unemployment matters in Wanganui today than Mr. Gohns, ’ ’ said Mr. E. A. Halligan to a deputation of unemployed which waited on a meeting of the Wanganui Unemployment Committee yesterday morning. When Mr. Gohns had commenced to address the deputation there wag a slight disturbance and Mr. Halligan, the chairman of the committee, asked that Mr. Gohns receive a fair hearing. Continuing, Mr. Halligan said that the resources at Mr. Gohn’s disposal were limited and that he could only do certain things. The unemployed should do all they could to support him because there was no one who had their interests more at heart than Mr. Gohns. He was doing everything he could. Mr. Halligan’s remarks were applauded and after Mr. Gohns had addressed the deputation for several minutes he was also applauded in a hearty manner.

Maori Marriage Discussion with regard to Maori marriage ceremonies took place at a meeting of the Wanganui Unemploy meat Committee yesterday morning, resulting upon a circular being received which stated that no Maoris should be given relief work unless they were married men and had been mar ried according to European law. Mr. W. J. Rogers raised the question of whether it was right to penalise a Maori because he had been married according to the traditions of his race. The Rev. J. Paterson that that the Maoris could intimate to a minister that they were married or wished to be married by filling in a declaration form, which was afterwards forwarded to the registrar, thus legalising their marriage. Mr. T. Dix said that if the regulation wore rigidly adhered to 75 per cent, of the Maoris would bo pre eluded from relief work. He considered that if a Maori had a child ho should be classified as a mkrriod man and should receive any benefits. Mr. N. G. Armstrong pointed out that the relief scheme was governed by the white man’s regulations, and that if the Maori wished to participate in the scheme then ho should conform with the regulations governing it.

Kauri Gum at Upokongaro Specimens of a “sugary” type of kauri gum, found near Upokongaro, were yesterday shown to a “Chronicle” reporter. Mr. J. Higgins, who produced the specimens, said that while digging post holes he had found a good deal of evidence of the gum being there. Talking of reports some time ago that gum had been found on the banks of the Wanganui River, Mr. Higgins said he could quite believe that, as it might have been borne there by sea and tide from northern districts, but that which he had found was between two and three miles from the river bank and on high land. It ran in a seam. Such a fact, he thought, might show that it had boon washed over a hard strata, and then covered by silt. In the specimen brought to the “Chronicle” there were streaks of good gum clearly marked. Regarding kauri trees in Wanganui, Air. Tucker, the city gardener, stated yesterday that ho had received three from Mr. M. Kyne, of Foster’s Hotel, and these would be planted in suitable places. There are several kauris growing in city reserves, Mr. Tucker stated, notably on the banks of Virginia Lake, in the Wanganui Fast Esplanade and in the city nursery. Some of the trees are 20 feet high.