Town Talk

Wanganui Chronicle, Volume 79, Issue 124, 27 May 1936, Page 6

Town Talk

Unlighted Cycles. Now that darkness is setting in at an early hour the offence of cyeliu r without a light is becoming very pr£ valent in Wanganui. Many worker cycle home from work each night in the dark without lights and not only endanger their own lives but the lives of other road users. Substantial fines are inflicted on those cyclists who arc caught but do not seem to act as a deterren to others who continue to flagrantly break the law. Tramway Repairs. City Council workmen were engaged yesterday in sealing and filling in Guyton Street where excavation work was recently undertaken for the extension of the double tram racks from the Avenue on the Gc-nville and Castlecliff lines. The old points are now being removed and in the course of several days the work of sealing the remainder of the roadway will be completed. At the present time the roadway at the inersection on the left hand side when proceeding toward St. John’s Hill is in a rough condition. Queen’s Park Hill. The suggestion that the present unsightly hill at the side of Queen’s Park where the carriers’ shelter is located could be beautified by the planting of evergreen trees was made to a •‘Chronicle” reporter yesterday by a Wanganui resident. The present trees, he said, assisted in making the hill presentable but the planting of another 50 or so trees would make the slope a beauty spot instead of an eyesore. He mentioned that last year several of the carriers had. planted the slope with bulbs but they had been unrooted by vandals before they burst into flower. Rugby and 40-Hour Week. Adjustment of Rugby football to meet the suggested extra leisure likely to be available under a 40-hour week was mentioned at a meeting of the Wanganui Aletropolitan Alanagament Committee last night by Air. Waiter McElwain. He said that the matter was already being vigorously taken up in Canterbury and he threw out the. suggestion that Wanganui become active also. Perhaps a committee could be elected to frame a report on how Rugby could cope with the extra leisure available. It was a matter for the Wanganui Union itself, he said. Rabbit Poisoning. Strychnine poisoning of rabbits is now in lull swing in the WanganuiWaitotara district, results obtaine 1 to date being very good. Over 600 have been accounted lor. The number are not so great as was the case last winter, this being due to the intensive work carried out during the past 12 months. Rabbit boards in this urea are staled to have very efficient staffs working under the advice and guidance of the district stock inspector. Boards are hopeful that when the systematic poisoning now in progress has been completed the rabbit pest will again be und’Cr control. Succession of Frosts. Wanganui has been visited by a series of exceptionally heavy frosts during the past week and conditions out of doors have been on the nippy side each night. So much so that even those hardy individuals who boast how few blankets they have on their beds have been forced to increase their usual number. The morning cold bath has taken some courage to get into and quite a number of people who resolved at the beginiing of the -winter to have a daily cold plunge have decided that discretion is the better part of valour. The one consolation for the cold nights is the fact that they have been followed by warm and sunny days. “No Unemployed.’’ “It is slated that there will be no unemployed after a certain date in the near lutuie, and gate o-rarges are 11 thing we will have to look into,” said Air. A. C. Danielson, chairman of the Management Committee of the Aletropolitan Rugby Union last night. '] he union has a special provision whereby registered unemployed are admitted to matches for a charge of threepence. Air. J. Aloye: How many suc.li tickets were issued last Saturday? Would it be round about 700? The secretary (Air. <C. S. »Swan) said that the matter could be looked up and report made to next meeting. Air. Alan Lockett. J. understand that relief work terminates on June .1, and 1 take it that any scheme of reduced admission charges for relief workers will automatically go too. Mr. J. Aloye: You cannot d" anything until relief work terminates. The committee agreed, and the subject was dropped for the time being. Shortage of Farm Labour. Concern is being felt by :larmors that when. the GoveriuircnUs new public works policy is brought into operation, many men at present engaged in taiin work will be attracted to public works camps by the better wages being offered. For some months now lae.u has been a good demand for iarm workers ami the advertising columns of the daily newspapers have earned a substantial number of advertisements for rural workers. The question of coping with the auticipated shortage has uceu discussed at lucctings ol a number of branches of the New Zealand Farmers’ Union, including the Wanganui provincial executive, and, it is understood, that the questions v.iil be debated at the annual mferprovrncial conference which opens at l-eild-in»r to-day. Various measures nave bevn suggested from time to time including tuc re-introductiou of immigra tion and the provision of cheap money lor farmers in order to enable them to build houses in which to accommodate married workers. Farmers’ Union Conlercnce. Delegates from branches ol the New Zealand I’armers’ Union in the lowei half of the Nort.h Island are meclieg at Feilding to-day and to-morrow lor the annual interprovincial conference. The meeting will open at nine o’clock inis morning when tlie visiting de,c•’•a.tes will be extended an official welcome by the Alayor of Feilding. ibc lengthy list of remits, which deal with every aspect of the problems facing tic piimury producers of the Dominion, have been considered by a committee and approved for discussion by the conference. Last night a meeting of pre sidents was held to arrange for the time limits ol’ speakers and matters affecting the conduct of business. T-’e AVanganui district delegates left 101 Feilding yesterday by car and by tram and will stay in the town until the conclusion ot the conference business. The Dominion president of the union, Mr. W. J. Polson, M.P., will attend the conference and will deliver an address on farmers’ problems anil legislation affecting the future of the primary industry.