General News

Wanganui Chronicle, Volume 88, Issue 7, 10 January 1944, Page 4

General News

Men serving on active duty in the South Pacific have their own version of a certain popular song. They sing "Praise the Lord the ammunition passed me." Combating Fly Menace.

Housewives who have become exasperated in a losing figl.** against the fly menace will appreciate the following simple recipe forwarded by a subscriber who claims to have used it with great success. The materials required are formalin and sweetened milk mixed in equal parts and spread on wet blotting paper. Cricket Points.

The following is the position of the tfams in the Wanganui senior cricket championship: Marist 42, Collegiate A 32. Technical Old Boys 19, Wanganui 18. Collegiate B 13, Technical College 6, Combined 4- Because of the holidays the school teams have withdrawn from the competition until •next month when they resumed. So far this season in club matches Collegiate School A has an unbeaten record. Americans’ Christmas Gifts.

A total of 7,479,988 Christmas packages were distributed to members of the United States naval service on duty at sea and overseas. A Navy Department statement which has been received in Auckland states that 3,479,988 of the packages were shipped overseas and the others were delivered on board ships at American ports. AU the gifts were from the friends and relatives of the men on service. Joan of Arc’s Trip.

Information received in Wanganui at the week-end indicated that the motor-canoe Joan of Arc, which left. Aramoho last Tuesday, had gone beyond Pipiriki. Five members of the Aramoho Boating Club, including the owner, Mr. D. Holmes, are on board lhe Joan of Arc. They are wellequipped with camping gear and provisions. The Joan of Arc is a powerful canoe with a length of 38 feet.

Hay Baling Record. What is understood to be a record tally for hay baling for Hawke’s Bay was established on a farm in the Waipukurau district on a recent morning, when a gang of harvesters baled 11 bales of hay in 50 minutes. For a normal working day of eight hours 600 bales is considered better than average, but this particular gang of men have been averaging 1200 bales daily for a 12-hour working day. Interest in Athletics.

In spite of depleted ranks through membere being on war service, the Wanganui Amateur Athletic and Cycling Club is continuing to mainenthusiasm, particularly among younger runners and cyclists. Keen interest was being taken in the twilight meetings before Christmas and it is expected that there will be some good competition when running and cycling events are resumed on Thursday evening of this week.

Moonlight Excursion. Her decks thronged with excursionists, the paddle-steamer Waimarie left Hatrick’s Wharf shortly after 8.30 last night on a moonlight excursion, the principal diversion being dancing on the after deck. The night was fine with a light north-westerly wind and a full moon. About 170 people made the trip. A similar number travelled by the Waimarie yesterday morning and spent the day at Hipango Park.

Aged Police Station. Wanganui’s central police station in Bell Street has reached a ripe old age. How long the building has stood there is a matter for conjecture and nobody seems to know just how old it is, but an indication of its longevity was given recently. Constables removing a piece of linoleum in the muster room found a copy of the “Chronicle" published in December, 1881. The paper had adhered to the linoleum and was in a good state of preservation.

Special Stock Trains. Two special trains, one from Waverley and the other from Marton, arrived at Wanganui last evening with fat lambs for the Imaly Freezing Works. The special from Waverlev had 16 wagons and the other train had 25. As killing operations are reaching their peak fat stock traffic on the railways is increasing and specials are being arranged to cope with the demand for transport. To ensure that the pens would be full when work was resumed at Imlay this morning, the wagons loaded with fat lambs were sent out to the works last night.

Children’s Sweets. Following the announcement that the Napier branch of the New Zealand Returned Services’ Association was refused a permit for 121 b. of sugar for the purpose of making sweets for a children’s Christmas party the office was besieged with offers of amounts varying from 121 b. to 11b., states the Daily Telegraph. Napier. “Although we refused the offers in view of the fact that the amount had been found previously, we none the less appreciated the generous gestures which were made," said a representative of the branch. He added that two or three furlough men who had just, married had also offered the amounts required.

Malicious False Alarm. A malicious false alarm from a call box at the corner of Gonville Avenue and Heads Road at 2.30 a.m. on Saturday was responsible for a machine from Central Station turning out, but when the brigade arrived in the locality no trace could be found of the person responsible for sending the call. Because of the excessive number or grass fires during the past week the men were enjoying a night’s rest. Their feelings can best be imagined. At 10.22 last night the Central and Castlecliff Brigades received a call to another grass fire in .Puriri Street. Gonville. The outbreak was extinguished before any damage was done. Irresistible.

A soldier, a pineapple, a crowd of between 200 and 300 persons and, finally, lhe police, caused some excitement outside a fruiterer's shop in High Street, Lower Hutt, on Friday evening. The soldier, standing on one side of the doorway, had on a piece of paper at his feet a cut open rotten pineapple, which he had previously purchased at the fruit shop, the proprietor of which had refused to refund the cost on the grounds that tne pineapple had been sold Io him by the Government and he was not responsible for its condition. 'Die crowd, which was obviously on lhe side of lhe soldier, heartily cheered the police on their arrixal. and ultimately the weight of public opinion prevailed and a refund was paid.—Evening Post.

Extensive Grass Fire. An extensive grass lire at the end of Karaka Street, Castlecliff, late Yesterday afternoon, occupied the attention of the brigade for more than three hours. The outbreak occurred near the city and county boundary and at one stage about an acre of lupin, bracken and grass was burning merrily. Two machines, one from Central Station and another from the Castlecliff sub-station, responded to the call, received at 4.35 p.m. Before the outbreak was under control 1600 feet ol hose had been run out. 'Die men returned to their station at 8.5 p.m. Al 4.23 p.m. on Saturday a machine from the Cast Iccliff sub-station attended a small grass file in Mosston Road. Beaters win used and no proper’}