Town Talk

Wanganui Chronicle, Volume 79, Issue 66, 20 March 1935, Page 6

Town Talk

Driftwood in Biver That it does not require a flood in the river to produce a harvest of driftwood was evidenced yesterday when several acceptable "hauls’’ were made by residents in the vicinity of the banks of the river. One took advantage of portion of his lunch hour to secure nearly half a cord of wood, a garden hoe being used to arrest the branches and logs in their journey toward the open sea. Ladies as Oarsmen "Should you call them oarswomen or lady oarsmen?” asked a member of the Wanganui Rowing Association last night when the entries for a race were being discussed. The event is the ladies’ fours, to be decided on Saturday aftcrnoojj as an added attraction for the Head-of-the-River eightoar racing. Five crews have entered for the ladies’ race and considerable interest is being displayed in the event. Challenge From Coxswains The four coxswains of a local rowing club were permitted to participate in a training spin in a clinker four* last week-end, and in spite of catching a few "crabs’’ they were considered to have acquitted themselves well. One of the lads, on his return to the pontoon, was overheard to remark, "Another couple of training spins like that w'ould make us certainties if we challenged the winners of the ladies’ i fours next Saturday.’’ ’’Send a Man ’ "There is a lot of smoke coming from the building next door. Could, you please send a man to see about it?” This was the text of a nc-te sent to a fire brigade station in a South Island town by a woman, according to a story related to the Wanganui Central Fire Brigade superintendent at the gathering of firemen at Blenheim recently. Furthermore, the message was carried by a boy on a bicycle who had to travel well over a mile to the fire brigade station. The superintendent suggested that it would not do for Wanganui householders to follow the example set. Telephoned Fire Alarms.

A word of advice to those who t lay some time have reason to give an alarm of fire by telephone was spoken by the superintendent of the Central Fire Brigade yesterday. As soon as the number 19 is dialled the fireman on duty answers; "Fire Brigade speaking,” on the alert to receive particulars of the call. "Frequently,” stated the superintendent, "the person calling asks the then unnecessary question: ‘ls that the Fire Brigade?’ It is not, perhaps, realised that every second saved over the telephone may prove of immense value in preventing the spread of the flames.”'

Direct From England. An arrival of more than usual interest in the Wanganui roadstead will be the Commonwealth and Dominion Line’s steamer Port Pinie, which is due this morning direct from New-castle-on-Tyne. The vessel is coming out in ballast, having left England on January 30, and proceeding to New Zealand, via the Cape of Good Hope. A steamer arriving in the roadstead direct from the United Kingdom is not particularly rare, vessels on several/occasions during the past few years having made this roadstead their first "port of call” on the New Zealand coast. The Port Pirie will begin loading frozen meat, wool and dairy produce to-day, sailing for Opua on or about March 25. Eight-oar Rowing The provision of finance to enable Wanganui to be able to send an eightoar crew to Dunedin next month was discussed at a meeting of the Wanganui Rowing Association last night. It was stated that some £lOO would be required, and of this a proportion would be forthcoming from the individual clubs in Wanganui. Several donations have already been promised and a committee of members of the clubs will circulate subscription lists throughout the city and district with a view to obtaining the remainder of the sum required. The importance of Wanganui's representation was stressed by several speakers last night, for the Hallyburton-Johnstone Cup, the premier eight-oar trophy in the Dominion, was won last year by the Wanganui crew at Wellington and an endeavour will be made to retain the trophy. Increased Tonnage During the past few months there has been a marked increase in the amount of cargo handled at the port of Wanganui. As an induction of the improvement in trade generally, coastal vessels which once took only a few hours to discharge, load and clear the port, now require more than twice as long to complete their work at the town wharf. Most of the vessels arriving from South Island ports are bringing full loads and lifting a large amount of cargo at Wanganui. Yesterday the Canterbury’s Company’s motor-ship Breeze arrived from Picton and via ports with 500 tons for local discharge. The vessel was being worked until a late hour last night and will not be ready to sail for Wellington until to-day. At the gas wbarf the Gabriella, which arrived direct from Sydney on Friday, was still unloading coal. Before she finally sails, the intercolonial freighter will take on board a quantity of timber. The Gabriella is clue to sail for Sydney, via Grcymonth, to-morrow. Engineer Athlete ft is not generally known that Mr Arthur Halligan, second engineer of the Canterbury Steam Shipping Company’s eoastal steamer Holmdale, a frequent visitor to the port of Wanganui, was at one time a champion hurdler. Mr Halligan represented Great Britain and Ireland in the Olympic Games in 1908, where ha won the 120 yards hurdles title for that year. At the time of the championships in 1908, Mr Halligan, who is a New Zealander, was serving his time as an engineer’s apprentice in the shipyards of Messrs Denny and Company, Dumbarton, Scotland. Mr Halligan had then been resident in Scotland for two years, hence his representing Great Britain and Ireland at the Olympic Games. After his return to New Zealand, Mr Halligan competed in the New Zealand Amateur Athletic Championships at Wellington in 1914, where he won the 220 hurdles title. This, incidentally, was the last time the engineer-athlete competed in the field of sport. Two years later he was serving as an engineer in the naval transport service. Mr Halligan is married and has his home in Wellington. He has been on the Holmdale for the past eighteen months.