Town Talk

Wanganui Chronicle, Volume 83, Issue 15, 19 January 1939, Page 6

Town Talk

Beacon Washed Away. Buffeted by huge waves breaking on the bar, the beacon on the end of the South Mole at the harbour entrance was washed away during the recent storm. The beacon on the North Mote is unscathed, but even yesterday, when the wind had considerably abated, heavy seas were bursting right over the moles. New Fordell Station Yard Work on the new railway station yard at Fordell is to be advanced during the next few days. A mechanical navvy, "The Speeder," has been removed from the northern end of the Turakina tunnel, where it has been doing good work, and has been brought to Fordell. The site of the new station will be in the Matarawa Valley, below the present site of the present yards.

Dispatch of Cables. The general office at the Wanganui Chief Post Office did not close at nine o'clock last night«s usual but remained open until seven o'clock this morning. This was for the convenience of buyers operating at the first Wanganui wool sale of the season to-day. Cables were exchanged between the buyers and their principals abroad throughout the night.

Junior Tennis Tourney. The New Zealand junior lawn tennis tournament will be continued at the Wanganui Club's courts to-day. Entries for the plate, for which competitors eliminated in the first and second rounds of the championships are eligible, will close at 11 a.m. today. Arrangements were made at a meeting last night for a dance tomorrow night in the Savage Club Hall in honour of the visiting competitors.

Budding Champions. “Judging by the standard displayed here to-day New Zealand should have some splendid tennis players in a few years’ time,” commented an official to the Wanganui Lawn Tennis Association yesterday at the New Zealand junior lawn tennis championships. “These young people have a good grip of the game and in two or three years will be seasoned players provided that they train in the right way. Wrong training can easily ruin their game.”

Railways Profit on Weather. The old proverb “It's an ill wind that blows no one good” is well substantiated by the considerably enhanced revenue of the Railway Department as a result of the stormy weather holding up shipping. As the South Taranaki Shipping Company’s coastal vessels are unable to work at Patea, large quantities of cheese from the surrounding districts are transported by rail to Wanganui, where they are shipped to Wellington.

Five Miles Long? Experienced travellers on the New Plymouth-Auckland highway may be surprised to hear that one bridge crossed is five miles in length, but that is so according to the Automobile Association figures. At the Mokau River bridge, the distance to Auckland is stated at the Taranaki side as 186 miles, but where one enters the Auckland province at the other side of the river, the signpost indicates that that distance has been shortened by five miles, “Auckland, 181 miles” being the inscription.— Taranaki Daily News. Waterside Workers Idle. Owing to stormy weather bottling up coastal vessels in port, making it impossible for overseas ships to enter and preventing work on homeboats in the roadstead, a particularly slack period has been experienced by Wanganui waterside workers in recent weeks. The British freighter Polzella, which was scheduled to discharge a cargo of phosphate at Castlecliff, has now been diverted to New Plymouth, and the homeboats, Orari and Cumberland, which are to load frozen produce in the roadstead, have been delayed several days.

Home Liner Delayed. The New Zealand Shipping Company’s 10,000-ton liner Orari, which arrived off the port of New Plymouth on Sunday night, is now due in the Wanganui roadstead on Saturday. The Orari has been unable to berth at New Plymouth because of high winds and has been cruising up and down the coast. The Federal Company's liner Cumberland is lying somewhere off the coast near Wanganui waiting for favourable weather to start loading in the Wanganui roadstead. The a.m.v. Hauturu was unable to leave Manakau Harbour because of heavy seas on Monday and is now due at Wanganui until tomorrow. Motor Trade Interests Under the auspices of the Wanganui Petrol Re-sellers’ Association and the Wanganui Garage Proprietors’ Association a meeting is to be held in Wanganui to-night of garage proprietors and allied trades. Its ourpose is to discuss matters arising from the recent regulations fixing prices. It is also intended to consider a new proposal for the fixation of prices for the re-sale of tyres and similar equipment for motor-cars. The meeting will be addressed by representatives from Wellington and delegates from Palmerston North, Feilding, Marton, Hunterville and Waverley are expected to attend. In all, 60 are likely to be present.

New Cycling Track An indication that there is to be rivalry between pedestrians about the use of the new concrete cycling track along Heads Road, from Sarjeant Street to Carlton Avenue, was given this week An elderly man was walking along the new track when he was passed by a boy cycling in the same direction. Annoyed at what he believed to be a breach on the boy's part in using a pathway for pedestrians, the man called the cyclist back. "It ever I catch you on this path again with a bicycle, I'll take this stick to you,” the man declared, brandishing his walking stick. The boy retreated hurriedly, so eager to get away that he forgot to tell the man that it was he who was in the wrong. The track is for cyclists and pedestrians still have the gravel pathway nearer he section frontages along Heads Road. Pedestrians using the cycling pathway expose themselves to danger.