Town Talk

Wanganui Chronicle, Volume 76, Issue 287, 5 December 1933, Page 4

Town Talk

’Plano Damaged. A mishap occurred to one of the Western Federation ’planes at New Plymouth yesterday when it collided with a fence. Some damage was caused to the wings of the machine. District Rainfall. According to a gauge kept at Waikoupu, Okoiu, rain foil on 14 days during October and the volume amounted to 258 points. In November 205 points of rain fell over a total of 12 days. Grass Fire. At 5.14 p.m. yesterday the Central Fire Brigade received a call to a grass fire in Liverpool Street Extension, near the railway line. The fire was extinguished without damage being done. Prize Days. The Wanganui Technical College will celebrate prize day on Friday, December 15. Mr. I. H. Howell, 8.A., B.Se., will be the speaker. Speech day is to be held at the Friends’ School on Saturday afternoon next. Competition Lambs. The overseas vessel Port Gisborne, now loading in the roadstead, will take aboard a special consignment of fat lambs which were killed under direction of the Wanganui Agricultural and Pastoral Association. These carcases will compete in the New Zealand Meat Board’s North Island shield competition. A Clean Sheet. Contrary to the general lule, there were no police cases before the Magistrate’s Court at Wanganui yesterday morning when the weekly sitting was hold. Neither were there any pro cecdings taken against motorists. Maintenance cases provided the chief business, and these were finished in a short period. Strawberries Selling Well.

There is a very heavy demand for jam strawberries in Wanganui. One vendor picked 4001 b. of fruit on Thursday and a further 5001 b. on Friday. He has sold the lot. He says that there is not an exceptional sale for dessert fruit in the city and has found it more profitable to send that class to Palmerston North.

Afforestation Camp. At the monthly meeting of the Wanganui Chamber of Commerce last evening a letter was received from the ■Wanganui Youths’ Afforestation Camp Committee stating that several bodies were being approached and asked to appoint a member to sit on a committee to control the camp’s affairs next vear. The chamber was asked to appoint a delegate. Nfr S. J. Goodey was nominated, and will represent the chamber. A Valuable Road. “It is an excellent trip up the road, and I think it is going to be of great value to Wanganui as well as to the settlers,” said Mr A. E. Rankin, who presided at the monthly meeting of Wanganui Chamber of Commerce last evening, when referring to the opening of the Ruapirau Stream Bridge, which took place last Saturday. A member remarked that he had heard it stated that the country beyond the bridge was •capable of carrying 40,000 cows. In the Roadstead. There arrived in the Wanganui roadstead yesterday the Commonwealth and Dominion Line’s vessel to load cargo for the United Kingdom ports. She is to sail again to-day for New Plymouth, from where she will leave for Gisborne, Lyttelton and Wellington before sailing on December 17 for London. The cargo taken from Wanganui is: 9000 carcases of lamb, 2161 carcases of mutton, 1823 quarters of beef, 50 tons of boneless beef, 30 parcels of pelts, 10,000 boxes butter, 2000 Crates of cheese and 188 bales of wool.

Visitors to Airport. In consequence of the successful crossing of the Tasman by Flight Lieutenant C. P. Ulm, the Wanganui airport had a number of callers yesterday who were en route to New Plymouth. Squadron Leader Findlay arrived in a Puss Moth and Lieutenant Somerset-Thomas in a Hawker Tomtit. Messrs. Clarke and McKay, Timaru, of New Zealand Airways, were at the ’drome last evening and departed for New Plymouth shortly after half-past seven. Miss Trevor Hunter, Wanganui, who accompanied Mr. E. F. Harvie on a record flight from the North Cape to the Bluff was expected back yesterday, but a slight mishap to the ’plane at Kaikoura delayed their arrival.

Interesting Cricket Match. A strong Rotarian cricket team has been selected to play St. George’s i School to-morrow afternoon. Judging by press comment available on the respective players the Rotary Club intend to field the boys will stand mighty little chance of winning. Rotarian G. S. Gordon is the captain and, to be sure that a good team will be fielded, the following have been selected to appear on the grounds at 1.30 sharp:— Rotarians J. R. Young, R. L. Thompson, F. Trcloar, A. H. E. Wall, W. Webb, A. McSkimming, S. R. McCallum, W. E. Wilson, R. G. Taiboys, D. A. C. Lilburne, R. E. Hewat, W. J. ■Stone and L. Brinkman. The “Chronicle” cricket scribe, after a hurried glance through the list, remarked that most of them are bowlers. The Teaching of History.

Some criticism of the teaching of history was made by Canon A. H. Norris, when he was a'ddressing the boys and girls who had won Navy League prizes or certificates at Christchurch says the Press. The word “history” must sound very dull indeed, and* he did not wonder at it, if they were approaching matriculation standard as some of them would be. Canon Norris said he did not think there was anything more futile, or ridiculous, or damaging to the mind of a girl or boy than the system of teaching history which was encouraged by those who set the subject for matriculation. It was simply impossible For any bov or girl of matriculation ago to learn the history of the Empire over a period of nearly 200 C years as they were expected to do. and to learn it in such a way that they would really know something of the manner of living of past generations. They could learn nates of battles, reigns of kings, and a number of dry facts about, parliaments,but no boy or gir’ could learn in the right way the history of 2000 years as they were expected to do at present. They could learn history and find it most intensely interesting if they obtained history books telling of the lives of men and women of past generations, and they would find them just as thrilling as any of the books of Eduar Wallacal