Town Talk

Wanganui Chronicle, Volume 79, Issue 11, 14 January 1936, Page 6

Town Talk

Gorse Must be Cleared Property owners in the Waitotara County, who, in future, fail to clear gorse from their road frontages will be prosecuted. A resolution to this effect was carried at yesterday’s meeting of the council. It was pointed out that gon'se was becoming a menace in sevcial localities.

Law Offices Open. After being closed for the summer vacation, the officer, of law practitioners in Wanganui were opened yesterday morning. The solicitors, in many cases, found themselves faced with a large volume of accumulated business to deal with, and many clients awaiting their return to work. Good Sea Fishing. After several weeks of poor deep-sea iishing, several Wanganui launch parties met. with considerable success during the week-end. A number of launches have been out during the past few week-ends but little success was met with, although conditions were quite often favourable for iishing. Two launch parties were iishing off the coast in the direction of Kai Jwi and, according to a member of one of the parties, the fishing wats excellent. Upokongaro Ferry. No further developments have taken place in connection with the reinstatement of the Upokongaro Ferry. At yesterday’s monthly meeting of the Waitotara County Council it. was resolved that the Finance Committee should wait on the Minister of Public Works (Hon, R. Bemple) when he visits Wanganui. The council is still in favour of the ferry being continued providing the Wanganui County Council contributes half the cost. No Settlement. No scttl’einent ha.' yet been reached with regard to the question of the Waitotara County contributing towards the cost of the River Road, in the Wanganui County. At yesterday’s meeting of the Waitotara Council, the chairman (Mr. Wm. Morrison) stated that the matter had been discussed with representatives of the Wanganui County, but nothing had been decided. Following a discussion on the matter, the Waitotara County considered that £25 per year for three years would meet the care. It was felt that the Wanganui County’s suggestion of £5O per year for three years was too high. Holidays Almost Ended Witfli the opening of the law offices yesterday, school teachers and pupils are now practically the only sections of the comiiiun'ity who arc enjoying the sumancir vacation. A. number of employees of different business houses, local bodies and Government offices are fortunate enough to be on holiday still, while their numbers are swelled by those who arc sufficiently well provided with the necessities of life that thev do not have to labour. The general workers have Anniversary Day to look forward to and then a long spell of work until the arrival of the Easter holidays. Many Sultry Days. A. feature of the summer months to date has been the large number of overcast and sultry days that have been experienced. This type of weather has rot been common only to Wanganui, for in many districts in the North Island the summer has been marked by an absence of many cloudless days. Yesterday the weather was threatening and' with a high temperature, was oppressive. Conditions were not so bad out of doors, however, I ut. those who were working indoors found it difficult to be energetic, and vawning was a common complaint. Several light showers in the latter part of the after.X'ii served to cool the atmosphere considerably. New Air Record. Shrinking the distance between Christchurch and Wellington seems to be easy to the Miles Falcon of Union Airways (states the Christchurch Press'). The time of Ihr 22 min set ten days or so ago seemed startling, but two da.vs later eight minutes wa? clipped off that. On Wednesday, in an ordinary flight with the engine turning over only at its normal cruising revolutions, the time was again lowered. Mr. t*. R. White, one of the company's chief pilots, was flying the Falcon. His passengers were M. M. C. McGregor, service manager of the company, and Wing-Commander T\ M. Wilks, Director of Air Services, who kept a close eye on his watch. From the moment the machine began to taxi on Rongotai till it stopped at Wigam was only Ihr 10 min. Sonic day the Falcon will have a following wind all the way. The Ahu Ahu Road'. The metalling of the Ahu Anu Road was the subject of a letter wftich wais received from the Minister of Public Works (Hon. R. Semple) at yesterday’s meeting of the Waitotara County Council. The Minister stated that the records of his department indicated that the matter had beea closely investigated. He pointed out that it waa not expected that any new works no provided for in the estimates would be commenced in the near future. “It appears likely that the first opportunity to consider this proposal again will present itself during the preparation of the next estimator, “ the Jotter added. “Your council will then be able to schedule the work in its order of urgency.” The Finance Committee was appointed to meet the Minister on the occasion of his visit to Wanganui, when the metalling of the Ahu Ahu Road and other matters will be -discussed with him. Accent of New Zealanders. "I think both New Zealand and Australia are in danger of developing a harsh nasal intonation that is very trying to listen to,” commented Mrs. T. R. Barter, of Masterton, on her return to New Zealand on the Maunganui. ‘‘After the mellow, pleasant voices of the cultured English—l do not refer to an effected intonation such as the so-called ‘Oxford accent,’ which is really a dialect —it was noticeable on the boat, where passengers were almost all New Zealanders or Australians, what a number of hard voices there were. Though such voices are not general, it is a tendency of which we have often been warned and our educationalists shouhl give it their attention. A letter appeared in fl’hc Times, stating that •listening to New Zealanders in London, one would say thev had all been born within sound of Bow Bells.’ In the correspondence that ensued, Lord Bledisloe took up the cudgels on behalf of New Zealanders. The average education there was high, he said, and the only people heard to drop the letter ‘h’ were the immigrants. In spite of such kindly support I do think we should watc-h our accent.”