General News

Wanganui Chronicle, Volume 86, Issue 307, 30 December 1942, Page 4

General News

Grass Fires Two calls to grass fires were received by the Wanganui Central Fire Brigade yesterday. The first was to Smithfield Road and the second to Harper Street, Gonville. Trams and Buses Busy. With perfect summer weather prevailing, both bus and tram traffic in Wanganui was particularly good on Monday, Castlecliff beach being the chief attraction. The receipts totalled £123, compared with £lO4 for the corresponding day last year. Bowling Club Tourneys No allowance of tea and sugar will be made to bowling clubs for Saturday afternoon or club tournaments, according to advice received |iy the New Zealand Bowling Association from the Rationing Controller. However, a reasonable number of permits was promised for centre tournaments. ’Phoning Fire Alarms The need of telephoning the Wanganui Central Fire Brigade in the case of a fire in the city was mentioned bv an officer of the brigade yesterday. He said that in the past year two calls had. been put through to the Castlecliff Brigade when the outbreaks had been in the city area. This caused undue delay as it meant putting a call through io the Central Station notifying them of the vicinity of the fire. Defective Number Plato.

Motorists whose number plates have become so rusted as to make the figures’ not readily distinguishable might take a warning from a prosecution at Wellington yesterday. A nava. officer pleaded guilty to driving his car in Willis Street with a defective plate, and was fined 10s and costs by Mr. W. F. Stilwell, S.M. The police

said 'the figure 7 looked like 1. The defendant had since obtained new plates. Visitors at Taupo Fine weather has prevailed at Taupo over the holidays and 'tiany visitors are attending the resort. All hotels, cottages and lishing lodges are fully booked and in some cases report that they cannot accept half the bookings offering. The number of campers establisned in the motor camp grounds is surprisingly large Many have caravans. Fishing generally has been good. The fish are much smaller tnan they were last season, but are in excellent condition and are providing good sport. Higher Water Consumption The hot weather has been respon sible for an increased draw-off of vater in Wanganui, the daily consumption having risen to 3,500,01)0 gallons. Pumping from the Kai Iwi springs is being carried out daily to supplement the C’kehu supply. The acting-city engineer, Mr. W. J. Frethey, said yesterday that 17ft. 6in. of water were in the Westmere reservoir and the water in the Okehu dam was 10ft. 6in. below the spillway. Hosing restrictions have not yet been enforced, but will be applied if the hot weather continues and consum/tion increases. “Not Suitable for Broadcasting” Listeners to the news service from the national stations at one o'clock last Friday heard what was obviously a slip in the announcer’s room and something which, in the language of the Parliamentary announcer, would be classed as “not suitable for broadcasting.” Reception of the news from London was poor, and for this reason part of the bulletin dealing with the assassination of Admiral Darlan was read by a New Zealand announcer before a recording of the news was played. Between the announcement and the playing of the recording a voice was heard to say, apparently referring to the assassination: •We’ll give him a putty medal, mounted in bronze.” Fine Wool for Troops Comparisons of American with New Zealand military uniforms are frequently made and are not always complimentary to the latter wool. Experts know the difference at a glance. It is in the finer stuff fabricated for the American soldiers. Over 44 per cent, of the wool so used is merino, and the balance is of what are considered in New Zealand as fine wools. The British Army khaki, however, is made from strong wools, principally crossbreds, which constitute some 97 per cent, of the wool grown in New Zealand. Discussions are now proceeding between the military authorities and British manufacturers on the question as to whether the uniform renewals for American forces to be produced in Great Britain shall conform to the British or American standards. Swimming Popular A substantial increase in the number of people attending swimming baths in Wanganui has followed the marked rise in temperatures. Most of the bathers are school children. The attendance at the St. George’s Gate Baths reached more than 30U on Sunday, and on subsequent days this week attendances have also been high. The Gonville Baths have also had rr ood attendances, the figure for Sunday standing at. 300. The baths were emptied on Monday, but were well patronised yesterday. Durie Hill Baths, where swimming enthusiasts take turns in acting as caretakers, had an attendance of more than 100 on Sunday, the busiest day of the week. The Aramoho School Baths are also attracting many bathers. Youth Gets £l7 a Week Describing the tremendous growth in the shipbuilding industry at Portland, Oregan, Mrs. J. H. Hoppes, youngest daughter of the late Sir George and Lady Fowlds, says that normally Portland had about 350,000 people, but this number nas been increased by 150,000. To cope with the housing demand the Government is building thousands of small homes. In order to release more young men for the armed services the authorities are calling up thousands of married men in the first age groups and directing them to work in the shipyards. In one of these yards 30,000 are already employed, including hundreds of women. A boy of 17 who was working there during his vacation on a night shift was getting £l7 a week. Attracted by these high wages labour was hard to obtain for other lines of business and where these were petering out people were going to the shipyards. “Decrepit”

“What these neople can stand up to in the wav of work is amazing,” writes a New Zealand airman in a letter from London. “I’ve seen <;o--men in the Midlands and the North paddling down the dull drab streets, their hair full of bits and pieces thrown off from the machines, their whole bodies suggesting fatigue brought about by hours of toil in the factories and the mills, but their steps never falter; if they did some one would have to go short. Talk about heroines, there are millions of them right here in the heart of the country. They have made up their minds that they won’t stand for this Hitler guy. That’s why that Hitler guy hasn't a chance. No power on earth can break the spirit of these women, and these women are the soul of the nation—‘the decrepit Brirish islands’ —so decrepit I’m afraid that the Germans will have to change their meaning of the word, because here it means strength, faith, determination and invincibility.”