General News

Wanganui Chronicle, Volume 87, Issue 203, 28 August 1943, Page 4

General News

Rotary Club Speaker. The speaker at the weekly luncheon of the Wanganui Rotary Club on Monday will be Dr. Duncan Cooke, Palmerston North. The subject of his address will be “Populating New Zealand.” Opossum Revenue. The gross opossum revenue received last year by the Department of Internal Affairs was £7885 19s 9d. from which sum the department will allocate £l6OO to acclimatisation societies and similar bodies. Rugby Alteration. The curtain-raiser on Spriggens Park to-day will be played by the Kaierau and Pirate fourth grade teams. The original fixture, between Technical Old Boys and Waverley, will not be played as Waverley defaulted. Nearly 900.000 Electors. The total number of electors on the electoral rolls of New Zealand is now 897,17-1, but this will be increased by the numbers on the supplementary rolls, which close the day the writs for the election are issued. The numbers on the main rolls compiled in 1941 totalled 896.176. Rotary Conference. The Rotary district governors’ annual conference for the North Island of New Zealand is to be held in Wellington on Tuesday and Wednesday, September 7 and 8. The Wanganui Club will be represented by Rotarians W. J. Gilbert, T. S. Russell, E. H. Poynter, and F. H. Bethwaite. Signal Challenge Shield. An interesting game was played , this week for the Wanganui Indoor Bowling jXssociation’s Signal Challenge Shield, when Aramoho failed to gain a majority in the game against the holders, Trinity, the score being 21 all. Next week Trinity will be called on to defend 'the shield in response to a challenge from M.U.

Visit of Miltary Rind. Playing with military precision Ih< Waiouru Military Camp Band paradec in Victoria Avenue yesterday after' noon and created a very favourabh impression. The band, with the Wan ganui Garrison, wiil play selections a the Patriotic Trotting Meeting to b< held on CcYk’s Gardens to-day. To

morrow night the Waiouru Band wil give a concert in aid of patrioti funds in the Opera House.

Milk Powder for Cats. Mr. W. Goodfellow, advisory director of the New Zealand Co-operative Dairy Company, Limited, and managing director of Amalgamated Dairies, Limited, giving details of the London operations of the latter concern at the annual meeting of the company in Hamilton, raised smiles when he told of a special supply o-f milk powder for warehouse and factory cats in London. He said there was a definite market in this connection and the trade was profitable, although the turnover was not yet very large. Visit of R.S.A. President.

The newly-elected president of the New Zealand Returned Services’ Association, Mr. B. J. Jacobs, will visit the city next week, when he will attend the quarterly meeting of the Wanganui R.S.A. He will be accompanied by Mr. H. B. Burdekin, a member of the Dominion Executive, and Mr. D. McCormick, district vice-president (Wellington-Taranaki area). Among the questions for discussion are rehabilitation and the policy of the R.S.A. with regard to land settlement.

Year's Cut of 'Timber. The total cut of timber for the last year is estimated at 340.000,000 feet, an increase of 16,000.000 feet over that for the previous year, states the annual report of the Dominion Federated Sawmillers’ Association. The increase, adds the report, can be attributed to a full year's working on the extended hours o-f 48 a week coupled with concentration on purely productive effort by members to the neglect of proper maintenance and normal developmental work, such as tramway extensions. The production would unquestionably have been higher still had the normal complement of skilled operatives been available. Tasman Air Crossings. Since the regular passenger service with flying-boats was inaugurated between Australia and New Zealand in April, 1940, Tasman Empire Airways, Ltd., have flown 616,200 miles and have carried 6173 passengers. In addition the flying-boats have transported 372,9021 b. of mail and 128,6951 b. of freight. Of the 740 trips scheduled, only 10 have not been flown. Statistics supplied by the company also show that during the year ended March 31 last, 2259 passengers were carried and 101.7371 b. of mail and 33,9901 b. of freight were transported by air across the Tasman. The flying-boats covered' 192,960 miles. All the 144 trips scheduled were flown. Heavier Rails. Ten years ago the standard rail used on main fines in New Zealand weighted 701 b to the yard, but with the introduction of heavier locomotives and rolling stock the overall weight was increased and 851 b. was adopted as the standard on all main lines. The new rails which have arrived at Turakina for the deviation between there and Okoia, however, weigh 901 b. to the yard and have a length of 39ft.. compared with, the standard length of 42ft. In Australia, 1001 b. rails are used on certain systems. Rails of this type have also been laid in the new Wellington station yards, in the Tawa Flat tunnels and in the tunnel between Otira and Arthur’s Pass, on the South Island Midland line.