Town Talk

Wanganui Chronicle, Volume 79, Issue 305, 26 December 1936, Page 8

Town Talk

Spurious Five-Pound Note. The Wanganui Detective Office ha been notified that a counterfeit £ Reserve Ban’: note, was passed int< ! circulation at Wellington on Christ : mas Eve. The note is stated to hav I been a reasonable imitation of i i “fiver.’’ Wanganui Wool. I Woolgrowers in Ihe Wanganui dis i trict report that this year's wool cli| I is going to be much lighter than last It is hard to account for the discrep i ancy in weight, except, perhaps, tha last year was inclined to be a recora || One clip is down six bales this sea | son, another four and a third two oi J- three, indicating that the fleeces an l much lighter than usual. |i Motor-cyclists Injured. |i As a result of their motor-cycle coljj tiding with a motor-lorry while thej !. were proceeding to Castlecliff aboui {; 1 a.m. yesterday, William Christensen |j of Westmere, and W. Holmes, of 4C I, Plymouth Street, were admitted tc | the. Wanganui Hospital by the St [I John Free Ambulance. Christensen h suffered a fractured thigh and abra- | sions and Holmes suffered from conI cussion and an injured ankle. Maori Canoes. i One of the outstanding attractions •at the combined carnival regatta at | Sandy Hook to-day will be the Maori ' canoe races. Special transport was I provided to bring the ancient Maori i craft downstream. Poi dances are to [be a feature also, the Carnival Com- ; mittee taking care to ensure that the i association of the Maori with the | river is not lost in the period of jollii fication. I Carnival Centre. I The question has been asked as to what locality will be regarded as the j centre of the current Wanganui Car- ; nival. It is readily answered—Cook’s Gardens. It is there that the carnival atmosphere will lake shape as from to-night, a special Carnival Fair having been organised. It will be provided by local effort and all the sideshows imaginable will be in full swing. The fair is to be opened tonight by the Mayor (Mr. W. J. Rogers). R.S.A. Christmas Tree. Owing to the Health Department's ban on the assembling of children, the function usually held by the Wani ganui R.S.A. at Christmas time for the distribution of Christmas gifts to the children of necessitous returned soldiers had to be abandoned this J year. The association, however, did l not allow the children to suffer from this circumstance, except so far as the loss of their “parry” is concerned, as the gifts were distributed to the parents from the secretary’s oflice. The public response to the art union to raise funds for this purpose was particularly gratifying and those who contributed may have the satisfaction of knowing that they helped to bring Christmas cheer into many homes. Regatta at Sandy Hook. Final preparations for the big rowing regatta at. Sandy Hook to-day were made yesterday by a working bee of rowers. The barriers on the road on the left bank of the river, the tents for stalls, dressing sheds and other purposes and the general cleaning up of the site were carried out so that only a few minor jobs remain for to-day. The majority of the rowers from outside clubs arrived yesterday. The programme for the regatta, which commences at 11 a.m., includes 10 rowing events, speedboat races, canoe races and Maori war canoe races and hurdling events. The opening of the Christmas and New Year carnival will take place at the regatta and will be performed by the Minister of Agriculture, the Hon. W. Leo Martin. A

programme of children’s events has been arranged. Busy Railways. Heavy trains, particularly on the Trunk, were the order on Christmas Eve, when the rush period on all lines reached its peak. It is anticipated that returns will reveal an exceptionally busy Christmas. The Wanganui railway station presented an animated scene all day and several extra trains were necessary to cope with heavy passenger bookings. Relief expresses between Wellington and New Plymouth relieved the congestion which would have been apparent on ordinary services. Marton Junction was a busy centre also and the refreshment rooms experienced a very brisk period and served hundreds of people. At one stage on Christmas Eve six passenger trains were at Marten during the same time. XX'anganiii Sailing Club. Following the usual custom at Christmas and New Year, the Wanganui Sailing Club is not conducting Saturday afternoon races. Preparations are now being made, however, for the New Year Day regatta, when five races will be held on the lower portion of the Wanganui River. Class handicap events will be resumed about January 16. when a further race will be held for the Studholme Cup and other trophies which are being competed for simultaneously. The holiday period is being made the most of by boat owners and their friends, however, and although Saturday racing is not being held pleasure cruises on the river are proving as popular as ever. The membership of the club Is gradually increasing and more boats are on the river now than ever before.

Patronage of Camping Site. Thousands of people this season are spending the Christmas and New Year holidays out of doors and a motorised pilgrimage to the scenic resorts of the island has commenced. With the general improvement in trade many people have found their finances better and consequently have been able to enjoy the luxury of a motor-car. There was a continuous stream of traffic along the main roads north and south of Wanganui on Christmas Eve and yesterday. However, the real rush will commence today for many people prefer to spend Christmas Day at home. Last night all the hutments at the Aramoho motorists’ camping site were in use Between 40 and 50 tents were in use by other motorists, many of whom were conveying their luggage in trailers. Parties were still arriving at the park after darkness had set in, but there will be a big influx of visitors to-day. Some of the visitors are spending only a night or two at the camp, but others will make their residence there for a week or more.