General New#

Wanganui Chronicle, Volume 87, Issue 2, 4 January 1943, Page 4

General New#

Welcome Shower The fine spell of weather which has prevailed in Wanganui since Christmas was broken on Saturday, when the> first rain for more than a week was experienced. The fall, however, was not penetrating enough to bring relief to parched gardens and pastures. Americans’ Turkeys.

All turkeys eaten on Christmas Day by American servicemen in New Zealand were brought frozen from the United States. In addition, except for vegetables and fresh fruit the major proportion of the foods served in the elaborate Christmas menus was also from America. Decorations for messes had been bought locally and some gifts exchanged were also New Zealand made.

Collapsible Tanks. To augment the supply of tank wagons for the carriage of fuel oil in the United States, synthetic rubber fuel tanks, an adaptation of aeroplane fuel tanks are being used. The flexible tanks can be made in any size, and an important feature of their use is that they can be rolled into compact bundles for return shipment, making extra space available for freight. Tramway Takings. Tramway takings in Wanganui for New Year’s Eve totalled £lBO, compared with £173 for the same day a year ago. Returns for New Year's Day amounted to £ll4, as against £72 for the same day in 1942. With threatening weather on Saturday the beaches for the most part were deserted and except for the picture matinees in the afternoon and the pictures at night the trams experienced a slack period. Grocer of the Future.

A prediction that the grocer of the future will be vastly different from the grocer of to-day is made in an editorial article in the New Zealand Grocers’ Review, which states that it will have to be recognised that the trade consists of something more than selling goods. A greater knowledge of the goods handled, and especially of their food values, will become essential. In the light of recent developments, the trade is likely to become a profession for which special training will be required. Purity of Seeds. A resolution urging that the question of the purity and germination of all seeds should be vigorously pursued, was carried at a recent meeting of the South Canterbury Farmers’ Union. It was also considered that drastic measures of control were necessary. “This is a very sore point,” said Mr. J. Woodhead, who quoted cases where farmers had, for instance bought chou mollier seeds, only to find that it turned out to be swede turnip. “Farmers want the seeds they order,” said Mr. R. G. Cleland, who presided. Back to Work.

For the majority of Wanganui citizens work for 1943 will begin to-day, when nearly all shops, factories and warehouses and many offices will reopen after the holidays. Bakers, butchers and grocery stores will probably be the busiest, after being closed for three days, as housewives will be eager to replenish larders which have been heavily taxed over the holiday period. Dairies, confectioners’ shops and milk bars have been among tne comparatively few shops open during the past few days. Members of the legal profession in Wanganui will not resume until Tuesday of next week. Another Fine Day. The general New Year holiday in Wanganui was brought to a close yesterday in beautiful weather which attracted large numbers to Castleclik beacii and i\ai iwi beach and other resorts. The excursion arranged by Wanganui River Services, iffd., to Hipango Park was well patromseu and two boats, the Waimane and the motor-vessel Wakapai, were fullj loaded when they lelt the wharf. The moonlight excursion last night was also fully supported by the public. When the year's work Degins to-day there may be many regrets, many sunburnt noses and many touchy shoulders.

Official Language An example of what the layman encounters when he delves into Government regulations is the following sentence from the new Lighting Restrictions Orders:—“While this Part of these Orders continues in force, the provisions of these Orders, as amended by this Order, shall, unless the context otherwise requires, be read as if—(a) references to the situation of any premises or shop window or open shop-front in any or the areas described in the Second Schedule to these Orders included references to any premises or shop window or open shop-front, as the case may be, fronting upon any road or part of a road forming part of any of the boundaries of that area . . .”

Civilian’s Obligation to Work “If a man who has been allotted work by the manpower oflicer will not do as he is told while engaged on army contracts, and therefore does not work in the best interests of the country, work might be found for him in a defaulters' detention camp,” said the chairman, Mr. S. L. Paterson, S.M., at a sitting in Hamilton of the No. 2 Armed Forces Appeal Board, when it was stated on behalf of an employer that he was prepared to waive an objection to the reservist being required to carry out his military obligation, for the reason that he was not working satisfactorily on the job allotted him. Actually the Director of National Service had lodged the appeal, and the reservist had indicated to his employer that he desired to join the armed forces. V-Mail by Airgraph.

American servicemen in New Zealand have available to them the advantages of an airgraph mail service. This is similar to a method of postal delivery which was inaugurated by Britain in April, 1941. The harnessing of photographic science to the postal services enables letters to be so reduced in weight that air carriage for the volume of letters customarily written by servicemen becomes easy. The Americans call their airgraph letters V-mail, and all the forms specially provided to their servicemen for this type of letter are prominently marked “V .. . —Mail,” to impress on letter writers that the use of this form oi mail, by the saving in space it makes possible, is a definite contribution to victory. Whereas 4500 letters weigh 1681 b., the same number of V-mail letters in film form weigh only lib. Tui’s Strange Instinct.

That a tui should make Jft habit of eating charcoal seems a strange action for a bird whose association with mar. has not been particularly close. While wonting in a clearin. - in the bush (writes a correspondent of tne Auckland Star), an observer of the habits of birds has often seen a tui wil l bulging crop swoop down unconcernedly a few yards from where people were working to gobble down numerous pieces of charcoal spread among the ashes from heaps of gorse burnt nearby. The puzzie is, when did the tui learn this habit Mi ips it was ingrained in daylong past, when volcanic action set fire to the bush, or was it more recently acquired from association with firemaking man; or again, does the tui think the charcoat suitable lor his gizzard? Whatever the answer Nature has given him a wonderful instinct in choosing such a beneficial article o£ diet to aid his digestion.