General News

Wanganui Chronicle, Volume 86, Issue 68, 21 March 1942, Page 4

General News

Frost in Waikato. The first frost of the year was experienced in the Waikato yesterday, 5.3 degrees being recorded.—Press Assn. Price of Eggs. The wholesale price of eggs in. Wanganui yesterday was 2s 6d for first grade, 2s 2d for mediums and Is 9d for pullets. Wanganui Patriotic Appeal. Subscriptions to date for the appeal for Wanganui’s £9OOO quota for the National Patriotic Fund have already passed the £5OO mark. British Art Exhibition. The second exhibition of the Empire Art Loan Society’s collection of twentieth century contemporary British art, which has been in the Sarjjeant Gallery since January 22, is still iopen and creating a 'fair amount of interest. Visit from Palmerston Rotarians. Unless anything unforeseen happens members of, the Palmerston North Rotary Club will pay a visit to the Wanganui Club on Wednesday, April 1. This function will take the place of the usual Monday luncheon for that I week. • Home Guard Units. I To-morrow units of Lhe Wanganui I Home Guard Battalion (Lieutenant- •! Colonel W. S. McCrorie, E.D.) will be ■engaged in trench digging and training in areas allotted to them. The I units have done much work in preparI ing trenches necessary for the dei Yr.ce of various sectors. I Early Bird in Third Place. ‘‘l want to be the first Io subscribe ■ to Wanganui’s Patriotic Fund.” said a | visitor to the campaign oilice at 9 i o’clock on Wednesday morning. He i had to be content with third place. I The first subscription in the campaign ■ was received by mailed cheque from I Brunswick. i Collegiate School Sports. i The annual sports of the WanI ganui Collegiate School will be held I during Easter, commencing on Saturday, April 4. and continuing on Easter I Monday. The committee of the Wanganui Collegiate School Old Boys' Association have decided to abandon the annual ball this year. Inter-House Rowing. Wanganui Collegiate School interhouse rowing contests will be continued to-day on the Wanganui River. In the first series of races, rowed on I Thursday, Harvey beat Marris. and | Solwyn won from Hadfield. Further ; races are to be held on Monday. I Wednesday and Friday of next week. I Vegetables Plentiful. Local vegetables were in good supply at Wanganui marts yesterday, and met with a keen demand. Cabbages were again in over-supply. Marrows brought 3s to 5s a dozen; parsnips 2s and 3s a dozen, and spinach Is to 2s a dozen bunches. Peas made 2s 6d a pock, and beans 3d a lb. Potatoes sold at 8s to 9s for 561bs. Head-of-River Rowing. Crews of the Aramoho and Union Boating Clubs' junior eights have been seen out on the river several evenings this week. This activity is in preparation for the head-of-the-river title which will take place on Saturday, March 28. The senior head-of-riv'e’r race is Io be decided on a date to bp arranged later. Steel Helmets Ordered. A preliminary order for 200 steel helmets has been sent from Wanganui by the E.P.S. authorities. Further orders will be forwarded as the section controllers make known their needs. The helmets cost about 10s each, half of which is paid by the Wanganui City Council and hall by lhe Government. E.P.S. personnel in Wanganui totals about 4000. R uin in Wanganui. Heavy rain fell in Wanganui on fhursday night and again Yesterday, conditions out of doors being very unpleasant. In 24 hours, up to 6 p.m. yesterday, the rainfall recorded at the New Zealand Friends’ School, St. .John’s Hili, was I.46ins. A sligm. ITesn was in the river and small quantities of driftwood were coming down. Fewer people than usual on a Friday came in to the city for shopping, but trams and taxis were well patronised. Camouflage Nel .Making. It is possinle that me Wanganui Boy Scouts’ Association will be usKea to agam lake up the wotk ol camouflage net making iov lhe army, lhe various troops in the Wanganui district have already been responsible for delivering almost 100 nets, three feet wide ana 50 feet long, made from material supplied by tne Public Works Department m Wellington. The work was stopped because iwine and wirenetting were not available. Oftemiing Motorists. Police constables were busy in Victoria Aceiiuc iu.< .... .. . o o motorists who were not < omoi mmg with lhe headlight regulations, .-i number of motorists, mostly from the country, were using their vehicles whh both headlights full on. and when stopped prolesseu ignorance of the restrictions. Very ±ew ol lhe motorists inlerrogateu carried headlight masks, wnich must be lilted lor use in emergency. Good Variety of Fruit. A goou variety oi iruit was offered at Wanganui marts .yesterday. Quality tomatoes met with a good demand, hothouse bringing 8s a 1210. case anti outside 6s a case. There was a fait supply ol ooking peaches, but choice lines of dessert, were scarce, the cookers bringing 4s 6d to 6s a case. Grapes made is id a lb. Cox's orange apples sold at Government fixed prices: eadng 5s 6d to 6s 6d, and cooking 5s 61 a case. Bananas brought up to 28s a case and pears 15s a case. Raetihi Road Blocked. As a result ol heavy rain during Thursday night and yesterday the Wanganui-Raetihi highway has been rendered impassable in three places. A slip covers the road near tne 30mile pig and another occurred between O'Neil’s and R.aetihi. It was reported late last night that the mail service car is stranded between these two slips. The road in the vicinity Oi Lake Hill is a sea of mud and is impassable. It is thought that it will be Monday before any traffic will be able to get through. United Services Club. The W’anganui United Services Club, which is situated behind Young and Collins’ premises, in the Avenue, is being well patronised by members of Army, Navy and Air Force, and on some evenings as many as 70 have been in attendance. Although tne club is open on Friday, Saturday and Sunday nights, the latter is recognised as the main night, when the 7 boys arc entertained with a concert by local artists, community singing and games. Last Sunday a sit-down tea was provided by the hostesses and was much appreciated. Imlay Works Test.

With a view to testing the speed and efficiency with which employees at the New Zealand Refrigerating Company’s works, Gonville. could evacuate buildings in an emergency, a trial alarm will be sounded on’the works whistle this morning. The actual emergency signal—blasts of 10 seconds, with five-second intervals, for two minutes—will be used. Immediately on hearing the signal employecg; are expected to vacate 'he buildings and retire to positions already allocated. The time of the alarm has not been stated. Tests have already b~en carried out at Imlay but thjs will be the first full-scale evacuation trial.