General News

Wanganui Chronicle, Volume 88, Issue 3, 5 January 1944, Page 4

General News

No Bankruptcies.

Indicating that times are more prosperous, no petitions in bankruptcy were filed in Wanganui during 1943, compared with three the previous year. This represented a steep decline since 1941, when there were 13 petitions in bankruptcy.

Matriculation Results. Matriculation examination results will probably be handed to the Press Association for distribution throughout New Zealand late on January 20 or early on January 21. This is the usual date when the pas list is published.

Black Currant Crops. It is reported from Hawke’s Bay that, though some difficulty has been experienced in obtaining the necessary labour for picking, there are satisfactory crops of black currants in the district. “A lot better than last year,” is the general comment. The demand, too, is good at prices almost on a par with those ruling over the past three years. Work Resumed.

Most ol Wanganui’s citizens returned to business yesterday alter a Christmas and New Year holidayperiod notable for brilliant weather. While some classes of shops were perhaps not as busy as usual, butchers, bakers, grocers, and other types of business were remarkably active, for larders generally had to be replenished. A noticable indication oi the return to normal routine of shops was the re-dressing of windows which had Christmas and New Year displays. It was a busy day for the windowdressers and also for employees concerned in the replenishing of stocks. Quinine for Servicemen. Servicemen in the South Pacific will benefit from the results of a quinine drive which was recently held in the United States, according to the Kiwi Times. Contributors included chemists, wholesale druggists, and hospitals. The goal was 100,000 ounces, and the drive exceeded this mark by nearly 50 per cent. As a result, there are 11,000,000 five-grain doses being distributed—“a quantity,” adds the Kiwi Times, “which should help very considerably in the campaign against malaria in tropical islands where servicemen are fighting the Japanese.” From Onehunga Direct. With sugar and general cargo the Northern Company’s auxiliary motorvessel Hauturu departed from Onehunga at noon yesterday for Wanganui direct. Tne vessel is expected at the Town Wharf this evening. Onehunga is 243 miles distant from Wanganui by sea and provided she encounters fine weather the Hauturu should make the passage in about 25 to 27 hours. Ihe Ancnor Company's collier Ticoki, which arrived at Castlecliff on New Year’s Day from Greymouth with a full load of coal, completed discharge yesterday and sailed early in the afternoon for Westport. For the remainder of the week the waterfront at Wanganui is expected to be quiet. Bottle Shortage. The difficulty for distributors in replacing bottles, particularly for beer and n./*., has now become acute. “Restrictions on the output of beer bottles have left all breweries in New Zealand short,” said an authority, “and consequently we have had to restrict the saie of oeer to the hotels/’ Bottled beer to-day was issued only in the local area and not to outside depots as was the practice before the war, so that the demand was not so great. The issue of bottles to breweries was all controlled by one company. The shortage of mihe bottles is definitely acute, although there is very little difficulty 'encountered in the returning oi them.

Call Him Grumpy’ He was an ola, but spry man and it was apparent that his mood was rather out of tune with the Christmas spirit. He found a seat just to the rear of the middle of the tram and opened the offensive with a loud-voic-ed complaint to the conductor that two trams had passed him. A soft answer turned away his wrath, but a moment later he sniffed loudly and stepped up one seat. “They can have their smoke to themselves,” he announced, and was about to continue in similar vein to the man in front when he spied three cigars sprouting from his too pocket. He sniffed again and stepped up three more seats. “Is it asthma?” asked someone, “or would you just be happier dead?” More Heavy Trains. Express trains passing through Aramoho Junction were again very heavy yesterday and extra services were run between Wellington ana Wanganui. The southbound New Plymouth express, running about 30 minutes late, had 17 cars and a van and again required three locomotives. This train had more than 600 passengers. The relief special which ran ahead of the ordinary express to Wellington had nine cars and a van. The northbound New Plymouth express yesterday was about 55 minutes late and also a heavy train. Railway officials expect that the holiday rusn will extend well into next week. To cope with the volume of traffic extra trains are also being run between Wellington and Auckland. Delay to Railcar. Delayed after striking a bull about a quarter of a mile south of Ohau, on the Manawatu line, on Monday evening, the northbound railcar which left Wellington at 5.13 p.m. reached Aramoho at 3.25 a.m. yesterday, almost, six hours behind schedule. After the mishap, which occurred on a level crossing, it was found that the leading bogie of the rqilcar had been displaced. In order to maintain the service a relief railcar was despatched from Wellington and arrived at New Plymouth at 6.26 a.m. yesterday. The damaged car was returned to Wellington. The Limited express which leit Wellington at 7.15 p.m, and a relief express which departed at 7.40 p.m. for Auckland were delayed while the hne was being cleared and passed through Marton Junction early yesterday morning. New Zealand Bowls Tournament.

The programme of the New Zealand bowls tournament to commence in Dunedin on January 12 contains the draw for the singles (544 entries), the pairs (486 entries), and the fours (246 entries), showing plainly where competitors are playing each day, and there is also a useful index of all the players, indicating the competitions in which they are playing. In a foreword the president of the Dominion Bowling Council (Mr. J. Forster) says: “The record total of 1276 entries, h-fcs, of course, presented problems both in the matter of living accommodation during the tournament and green accommodation for the games involved. With regard to the former the Dunedin public has given us generous assistance, and I trust that visiting bowlers who have been unable to find hotel accommodation will nevertheless enjoy their visit to this city as the guests of those persons who have made accommodation available for the occasion.”