General News

Wanganui Chronicle, Volume 80, Issue 306, 27 December 1937, Page 6

General News

Nelson’s Fruit The prospects are for a heavy fruit crop in the Nelson district this year, but it is early yet to forecast that it will reach the record of over a million cases exported in 1934, report? the Nelson Evening Mail. All ths orchards are looking well and carrying clean crops which will facilitata the work in the packing Reason. There are some particularly fine crops of Cox Orange and the export of this variety at least should be a record. The first overseas vessel for export fruit will be the Port Taranaki, loading from February 4-9, and taking 13,500 cases, of which Nelson will supply 10,000. The bulk of these will be Gravcnsteins.

New Educational Trust Fund The national committee of the Ne\sr Education Conference has set aside £5OO as a trust fund for educational purposes, and it has been suggested by the committee that in future other conferences might be held, and a fund would be valuable to meet the preliminary expenses. The conference Trf held at Auckland in July was highly F successful, and the committee has stated in a report issued yesterday that there are prospects of similar conferences being held at the time of the centennial celebrations in 1940. Accident to Bishop’s Car When Bishop Fitchett, of Dunedin, and Mrs Fitchett were motoring into Queenstown they met with an accident on the Frankton road, within a mile and a-half of the town. Fortunately, the accident was not attended by any serious injury to the occupants, but slight damage was done to the car. It appears that at the spot where the accident occurred the road had recently been graded, and the surface was somewhat soft, owing to the dry weather. Travelling at a speed of 30 miles an hour the back wheels skidded and sent the car across the road and on to the opposite bank. The car was resting on its left wheels, and the bishop and Mrs Fitchett had some difficulty in leaving it. The bishop had then to walk to the nearest telephone and convey the news of his predicament, and help was soon forthcoming. Price for a Draught Horse. Is £6O an excessive price to pay for-** a draught horse? This question was debated for a few minutes recently by members of the Christchurch Drainage Board, when it was reported that the chairman (Mr. J. S. Barnett) had authorised the purchase of a draught horse for the sewage farm for £6O. “Ridiculous,” and "tremendous” were terms used by the Mayor (Mr. J. W. Bcanland) and Mr. H. G. Livingstone to describe the price, the Mayor remarking that the City Council had recently bought four draught horses for £45 each. The chairman, of the works committee (Mr. W. J. Walter) explained that tenders hart been called and every horse offered had ben inspected, the lowest price being £45. The Hon. G. R. Hunter, M.L.C., to whom members appealed as an expert on horse values, upheld the chairman’s action and the discussion lapsed.

Dunback Boys* Progress. Frank Murphy, of Dunback, Otago, who was sent, to London by public subscription for an operation on the brain, continues to progress. After a holiday on the Channel coast where >4 the fog horns “made noises like cows \ and,” he writes, “remind me of Brindle, Jersey, and Darkie,” he has returned to London. He has joined his mother at the Toe H Hostel, attends the London Hospital daily for X-rays, has joined a troop of scouts, and has commenced work at Sir John Cass School. There are 500 pupils and he finds the hours, 9-4, “much longer than good old Dunback.” Mr. Alan Churchcr, organiser for Toe H in New Zealand, had arrived in England and visited the boy whom he had escorted from Otago to Wellington last August. On his thirteenth birthday he went to the pictures for the first time, and on to see the Cenotaph, the Lord Haig statue, and a museum. His eyes are still affected to some extent and, as the surgeons desire to keep him under observation for several months, no plans can yet be made for his return.

Toll of .Marriage

Loss of women teachers through marriage had severely taxed the efforts of the Education Department to increate the supply of teachers and reduce the number in classes, said the Minister for Education, the Hon. P. Fraser, addressing the Wellington branch of the New Zealand Educational Institute. During the slump young men had not been able to marry, but since good times returned, many had been able to afford to do so, and in consequence a loss of young women trainees had been noticed not only in the teaching profession but also among nurses and dental nurses. “But even if from time to time they counteract our efforts, we are glad to see the marriages taking place,” said Mr. Fraser. Insurance Against Meather. “Has anyone considered insuring against the weather for this month?’’ asked Mr J. Jacobs at a meeting of the management committee of the Conterbury Cricket Association when the Plunket Shield game against Otago was being discussed, states the Press. “We have discussed that time and time again, and cannot make much of it,” replied Mr W. L. King who presided. “The insurance people seem to have a different view from X ours of what is a good thing as far jP as insuring a cricket match is concerned. What I would like to do would be to insure against the gate, but that would only be posible if we could succeed in getting Bradman over from Australia,” he added. Nc action was taken when the discussion