Town Talk

Wanganui Chronicle, Volume 83, Issue 143, 20 June 1939, Page 6

Town Talk

Incipient Fire The Wanganui Fire Brigade was called out at 4.53 p.m. yesterday to suppress an incipient fire at a house on Somme Parade. Optimists’ Club The speaker at the Wanganui Optimists’ Club luncheon to-day wilt be Mr. J. B. Bonnett, M.A. The subject will be "Random Thoughts on Presentday Education.” Deer Stalking A deer stalking expedition on the Haast was described at yesterday’s I meeting of the Wanganui Rotary Club j by the Ven. Archdeacon J. R. Young. The expedition was a culling one, the. i. is the shooters were trying to weed out the deformed and weaklings among the deer herds and leave the good heads alone. The horses were excellent beasts and could gallop along a river bed covered with big loose i boulders without faltering. Wanganui’s Rugby Win. "I would like to congratulate Wanganui on that line football win you had the other day,” said Colonel Puttick, D. 5.0., officer commanding the Central Military District at a public meeting last night. ”1 have to be careful, what I say about it, of course, because Palmerston North is in my district too, but I am told that it was a good win because, at halftime, the team was well down.” (Applause). Collegiate Team to Travel. A feature of the Wanganui Rugby Union’s club fixtures in the junior grade next Saturday will be the visit of the Collegiate School first fifteen to Kauangaroa Pa to play the Kauangaroa junior team. Approached on the subject of allowing the boys to travel, the headmaster of the Collegiate School, Mr. F. W. Gilligan, said that he was only too ready to help the union in any way and the team would be prepared to do any travelling within reason. Importance of Material. Addressing a public meeting in Wanganui last night, Colonel E. Puttick, officer commanding the Central Military District, stressed the importance of material in regard to war. He pointed out that if war was declared not one gun would be landed in the country, and the country could not make guns. The difficulty about landing guns would not come from enemy ships al sea, but because, in the event of war, every other country would want, the same things New Zealand would.

Harbour Depths. Soundings taken at the entrance to the Port ot Wanganui during the month of May, as reported to a meeting of the board yesterday, by the harbourmaster, Captain F. G. Taylor, were: May 5,20 ft. 9ins, (high water spring tides), 17ft. 9ins. (high water neap tides), 12ft. 9ins. (low water, ordinary spring tides). On May 17 the depth al high water spring tides was 20 feet three inches. "The | depths are apparently being main- [ ’ained,” commented the chairman of I [the board (Mr. N. G. Armstrong). i I | Forcing Manures. The wholesale use made of forcing manures ir modern farming was . commented upon by Mr. J. 13. Colterill, M.P., in addressing young J farmers attending the camp on the ‘ Wanganui Racecourse last, night. The , manures affected pastures in ihe same manner as too many artificial; foods affected a human being, said Mr. , Cotterill, and the sooner farmers real- ] ised that basic manures v/crc best, the sooner better stability in primary ] production in New Zealand would be ‘ brought about. Dredge Kaione. Good work is being done by the Wanganui Harbour Board's dredge ' Kaione, at Nelson. In a letter to the managing secretary of the board (Mr. 1 W. J. Gardner) the engineer on the dredge. Mr. T. J. Atchison, slated that it was estimated that 25 acres had been reclaimed at Nelson. The dredge is expected to remain in Nelson for another five or six months, j If she is kept in commission on its I present task for that length of time., the Wanganui board will obtain some ] £3OOO to £4OOO revenue from hire. That sum will swell the amount available for dredging at Wanganui. Port Activities With no lower than sewen coastal vessels scheduled to discharge and load at. the Town Wharf between to-day and Saturday, waterside workers in Wanganui will be fully occupied this week. The Gale arrived with a large consignment of general cargo from Wellington last night and the Kapuni is expected to-day from the same port. Westport coal will be discharged by the Rata to-morrow and the Titoki on Thursday, when the Storm is also due with general merchandise from Picton, Expected arrivals on Friday and Saturday are the Hauturu from One- : hunga, via New Plymouth, and Ihe Breeze and Holmdale from Wellington. Drift From the Land. One of the finest purposes served by young farmers' clubs throughout New Zealand was that of counteracting the drift from the land, which z »ad become a serious problem in recent, years, said Mr. J. B. Cotterill. ■ M.P., welcoming visitors attending j the educational camp week on the | Wanganui Racecourse last, night. | Many young men and women born ! and bred on farms were throwing away their natural heritage for the more sedentary town life, added Mr. Cotterill, and' as the Dominion depended largely on ils primary productions it was good to see so many keen young men playing the part in a national way.

Balgownie Swamp Leased. A lender of £42 a year from Mr. W. R. Harding, No. 2 Line, was accepted by the Wanganui Harbour Board yesterday for the lease of Balgownie Swamp for a period of five years with a right of renewal for a similar term. One other tender, £33, was received. The tenant, in addition to paying the rent is to pay rates on the property and to maintain drains, fences and other appointments and keep the land free of noxious weeds. He intimated that he intended to use the land for cropping. Mr. W. J. Rogers, a member of the board, said that he was concerned with the progressive development of the city and he hoped that the lease would not be tied up for too long a term, which might involve paying compensation to determine it if the land was wanted for loading at some future date.