General News

Wanganui Chronicle, Volume 86, Issue 227, 26 September 1942, Page 4

General News

Brownout Time. The time for the drawing of blinds in Wanganui to-day is 6.45 p.m. Egg Prices. The wholesale price of eggs in Wanganui this week wa* is B£d for first grade and Is 7d for mediums.

Rotary Club Speaker. The speaker at the weekly luncheon of the Wanganui Rotary Club on Monday will be Mr. G. F. Saunders, a member of the Wanganui Technical College teaching staff. The subject of his talk will be "Greek Art.” Sale Affected.

Poultry and vegetable entries at a Wanganui auction mart yesterday were very poor. This, it was stated, was due to the proposed E.P.S. trial, farmers being reluctant to bring in their supplies as they did not wish to be caught in the evacuation to trenches.

Rotary Conference. The directors of the Wanganui Rotary Club have agreed to write to the District Governor, Mr. Fred Hall Jones, suggesting that because of the present circumstances the 1943 Rotary conference be not held. But for the war Wanganui would have been the venue for the 1942 conference. Maori Prisoner of War.

"To the Society, please pardon my poor scribbling, but all the hopes are that anyone should kindly receive this poor note as it leaves this poor prisoner waiting for an answer, i may be a stranger to you by name, hut during this position we are with you all at home.—Your, etc.” The foregoing was a quaint postcard message addressed to the Red Cross Society, Hamilton, from a Maori soldier who is in a prison camp in Germany.

Road Cycling. The 1942 season of the Wanganui Amateur Road Cycling Club is drawing tc a close and to-day members wiU have an 18 miles contest for the Boomerang Cup, last major trophy to be competed for. Besides deciding the winner of the Boomerang Cup, today’s race will also result in the disposal of two more of the club’s trophies, the Adamson and the Falconer Cups. In addition there will be special prizes as the result of a contribution made by a former club, member, Lance-Corporal W. Pidwell.

Noxious Weeds. When noxious weeds were under discussion by the Horowhenua County Council last week the chairman, Mr. G. A. Monk, said that they would in a very short time be a major problem in the Dominion. Labour for their manual eradication was unobtainable, and weedicides were a rapidly diminishing quantity on the market. After the war great expenditure of labour and material would be needed to bring farms back to their forme” fertility. Shortage of fertilisers was also deleterious; grasses would not flourish without fertilisers, but weeds appeared to thrive on nothing.

Chimney Fire Dangers The dangers of chimneys causing fires, particularly after recent earthquakes, was stressed yesterday by the superintendent of the Wanganui’ Fire Brigade, Mr. N. M. Ross. Care should be taken to inspect chimneys after earthquakes, said Mr. Ross. One of the best methods was to place a damp sack over the top of the chimney and light a small fire which was capable of throwing off heavy smoke. The chimnev should then be examined between the roof and ceiling for fractures. Mr. Ross added that the brigade treated calls to chimney fires with urgency.

Floodlit Wounds. New surgical instruments which "floodlight” the interior of the bodyare being used by some Army surgeons in the Middle East. Equipped with a set of these unbreakable luminous instruments, medicos can perform field operations under a tree or a lean-to shelter, without worrying about aircraft overhead and with better lighting in the wound than in an operating theatre. Made of a transparent plastic material like glass which transmits light round corners, does not conduct heat and can be thrown on the ground without breaking, the instruments are made in about 30 different shapes, to suit any kind of wound or operation. Vegetable Prices.

Good supplies of vegetables came forward at city markets during the

week and created a good demand. Cabbages showed a slight decline on the previous week’s quotations bringing from 4s 6d to 6s 6d a dozen and 8s to 9s a case; cauliflowers (top grade) 14s sack, second grade 3s to ss; lettuce, good quality, Ils, inferior ss; parsnips 2s dozen bunches; swedes, 2s 9d to 3s 3d sugar bag, chapman bag,. 7s 6d; onions, 18s sugar bag; carrots, 7s to 9s sugar bag; silver beet, 2s dozen; beetroot, Is 6d dozen; turnips (white) Is 6d dozen; spinach, 3s 3d dozen bunches; rhubarb, 6d to 8d bundle; celery, 10s to 12s dozen bunches. Asparagus and green peas are making their appearance in retail establishments and are realising high prices. Fiji Coin Shortage. >ndian hoarders and New Zealand soldiers collecting souvenirs are blamed for a shortage ot silver coinage in Fiji, where the Government has issued paper money to alleviate the situation. The past few months have seen the appearance of notes in the shilling and two shilling denominations and recently penny notes have been placed in circulation. The shilling and two shilling notes are approximately 4iin. by 2iin. in size, while the penny notes are somewhat smaller. Their wearing qualities are much inferior to the bank-note. Previously the larger business firms had to issue printed credit cards owing to the lack of small change, while small shopkeepers made use of postage stamps. Fiji coinage lacks a threepenny piece, with the result that greater use is made of the penny, a nickel coin, smaller than the English penny, with a hole in the centre. It has been much in demand as a souvenir, as also has been the halfpenny, a small edition of the penny which Indian profiteers sell as a curio at up to six times its face value. The halfcrown does not exist in Fiji currency, but its absence is partly compensated f)r by the five shilling bank-note.