Town Talk

Wanganui Chronicle, Volume 79, Issue 280, 26 November 1936, Page 6

Town Talk

Incipient Fire. At 1.35 p.m. yesterday the Wanganui Central Fire Brigade received a call to an incipient fire at the corner of Glasgow and Bell Streets in a dwelling occupied by Mrs. Harwood. The outbreak was suppressed before any damage was done. Fann Labour. "There is no agreement at present for farm labourers, in spite of what some union officials will tell you,’’ remarked Mr. Lloyd Hammond when the question of farm labour and wages was under discussion at yesterday’s meeting of the New Zealand Farmers’ Union (Wanganui Provincial Executive). Mail for England. Considerable more outward mail for the Old Country has been dispatched this year when compared with last year’s consignments. The four outward Christmas mails have carried between them 23,068 pounds of letters and 125,836 pounds of packets, parcels anw newspapers. Last year’s figures were 18,467 and 91,310 pounds respectively. Inspection of Scouts. During the week-end an inspection of Boy Scout units in the Main Trunk area, which is under the jurisdiction of the Wanganui district, will be made by Metropolitan Commissioner H. Christie, District Scoutmaster S. Edinger and District Cubmaster F. J. Gaze, together with Ihe metropolitan secretary. The area to be covered extends to Horopito and includes Taihape and Ohakune. Matarawa School. Jubilee celebrations in regard to the Matarawa School, which are to take place on Saturday, recall that that school was probably the first school of its kind to be established in the Wanganui district. It is stated that the only school in existence prior ot. its establishment was the Industrial School at Wanganui. Seeing that Matarawa has associations dating far back to the early days, it is anticipated that the gathering on Saturday will be of unusual interest to city and district. Sheep Stealing. An assurance that slops were being taken to prevent sheep stealing was given at yesterday's meeting of the New Zealand Farmers' Union (Wanganui Provincial Executive) by Mr. Lloyd Hammond, who stated that an endeavour was being made to comJ pel the use of consignment notes with all stock travelling by road. In addition it was hoped to introduce a system of night patrols in districts where sheep stealing was prevalent. “ The Commissioner of Police had been approached on the matter and would __ do all possible to assist. Farmers’ Problems. "Colonel Closey is louring New Zealand and in no locality has he met with opposition,” declared Mr. Lloyd Hammond, group representative of the New Zealand Farmers’ Union, when speaking at yesterday’s meeting of the Wanganui Provincial Executive. "He has met with support' from all shades of political opinion and is receiving the greatest possible assistance from the dairy companies, who are, in fact, financing the cost of the campaign. The real object of the ; tour is to educate the people as to; the actual position farmers are in to-| Telling Their Age. The age of trees is gauged by th? number of rings in the trunk and that of animals by the number and condition of the teeth, but it. may not be generally known that, the age of fish is determined by the scales. This fact was made known to members of Ihe Waimarino Acclimatisation Society, when it was decided Io gel. a comparison of the ages of trout in the Manganui-a-te-Ao stream and that of the Mangawhero, in an endeavour to ascertain the reasons for the diffei ence in size of the trout, in the two streams. Scales of trout of similar size and weight, are to be taken from these streams and forwarded to the Scientific Branch ol the Department of Marine for this purpose. Eradication of Cress. Following a request to the Cawthron Institute, asking for some method whereby a weed which flavours cream could be eradicated, a reply was received at yesterday’s meeting of Ihe New Zealand Farmers’ Union (Wanganui Provincial Ex ecutive) advising that this was an annual weed known as the lesser "Swine's Cress” or "Twin Cress.” By some authority it was considered to flavour meat, as well as milk and appears to be associated with heavy or trodden land. "I am not able to obtain information concerning the eradication of this weed,” the director of the institution pointed out. "As the plant is of soft, sappy growth, however, 1 should imagine that, harrowing would help to control it. Perhaps it would be worth while trying a mixture of ground limestone and sodium chlorate in the proportion of 7-1, given at. the rate of 2cl. per acre, or alternatively a mixture of ammonium sulphate and iron sulphate in the proportion of 2-1, used at the rate of lewt per acre. I am unable to give any assurance, however, that these treatments would be successful. Shearers’ Hours. A discussion on the matter, of shearers not being allowed to work after noon on Saturdays took place at yesterday’s executive meeting of Ihe New "Zealand Farmers’ Union (Wanganui Provincial Executive) and was referred to the Sheepowners’ Federation. which body will probably discuss the matter with the Shearers’ Union at a meeting to be held next week. The subject was introduced yesterday by a letter from the Waimarino branch, complaining that considerable hardship was being caused through that portion of the award' which referred to shearers' hours. "In a district such as Waimarino, where there is much rain, it would often be a hardship on shearers, farmers and the sheep to have to stop shearing at noon on Saturdays when part, of the week has been wet,” the letter slated. Sheep farmers in this district are compelled to take advantage of every possible hour owing to frequent rain. We consider that when the men have not been able to work the full complement of hours for the week, shearing should be allowed to continue for at least the full period of 44 hours.” Members of the Wanganui Provinc'al Executive were of the opinion yesterday that the Government had made a mistake. It was considered that when shearers and owners were willing to continue, Ihe work should be per-, mi t ted.