General News

Wanganui Chronicle, Volume 90, Issue 55, 7 March 1946, Page 4

General News

Starvation and Education “You can't educate people in financial matters while they have money in their pockets,” declared Mr. W. D. Ayson at a meeting of the Wanganui Electors’ Association last night. “The only time they think about monetary reform is when they are starving, and we don’t want to see that. The process of education in such matters is a iong one, and time is short.”

Southerly Abating After its third clay, the southerly experienced in Wanganui since the beginning of the week abated to some extent yesterday, but the weather was still cold and a considerble sea was running at Castlecliff. The day was fine, but cloudy with only intermittent sunshine. The barometer was rising slowly, the reading at 3 p.m. being 30.18 ins.

Knocked Down by Horse. Rib injunes were received by Miss Shirley Jenkins, aged 16, Marton, when she was knocked down by a horse she was leading on the Marton Racecourse about 7.30 a.m. yesterday. She was brought to the Wanganui Public Hospital by the St. John Free Ambulance. Her condition was reported last night to be quite comfortable. Saturday Morning Rugby.

Because of the full holiday on Saturday, junior grade Rugby football in Taranaki might be played on Saturday morning, Dr. G. H. Thomson told the Rotary forum at New Plymouth. Dr. Thomson said that he hoped that this would result in an improvement in the standard of the game. “The boys in the junior grades will then be able to watch the senior players in the afternoons and profit from the tactics and play of the better players,” he added. Double-Yolk Record?

With eggs the price they are at present every little extra ounce of nourishment a hen can provide is appreciated. A Wanganui housewife was therefore pleasurably surprised to find that three of the four eggs she broke into the pan were double yolkers. Next morning provided another surprise—one of the remaining two eggs was also double yolked. All the eggs came from an ordinary purchase of half-a-dozen from the grocer. Eight-oar Rowing Senior and junior eight-oar boat races for the “head of the river” title, will be decided on the Wanganui River on Saturday afternoon. The senior contest will begin at 3.15 p.m. and the junior event at 3.45 p.m. The senior race will be over two miles and the junior one and a-half miles. The finish will be at Calver’s corner. The winner of the senior race will represent the Wanganui Rowing Association at the interprovincial eight-oar race, to be held in Wellington on March 23. Final Meeting of P.P.C. Responsible for a valuable service during the war years in working for the maintaining and increasing of farming production, District Primary Production Councils throughout New Zealand are now in the process of being wound up. The final meeting of the Wanganui district council is to be held at the office of the secretary, Mr. A. R. Donaldson, Ridgway Street, at 10.30 a.m. on Wednesday, March 13. The chairman, Mr. W. S. Glenn, at this meeting will take the opportunity of thanking all who assisted during the five and a-half years of the council’s existence. Coaster's Rough Passage

After leaving Wellington at 11 o’clock on Tuesday morning, the Canterbury Company’s coastal motor-ship Breeze encountered a gale in Cook Strait, with particularly heavy seas off Cape Terawhiti. The passage to Wanganui normally takes 10 hours from Wellington, but the Gale did not arrive off Castlecliff till midnight. She remained outside all night and crossed the bar at 11 a.m. yesterday, berthing at the Town Wharf. The vessel has general cargo Timaru and Wellington. On completion of discharge to-day she sails for Wellington, Lyttelton and Timaru. Gumboots Still Liimted.

Although gum-boots generally will be in limited supply until the world prodution of rubber and cotton fabrics returns to normal, the quantity available this year is likely to be larger than during the war years. Import licences are being issued to permit the importation Irom Canada of an estimated total of 25,000 pairs of children’s gumboots, according to the Government economic information service. It is not expected that the present restriction on the sale of adults’ gum-boots will be lifted until supplies exceed the needs of essential users such as farm and industrial workers.

No Further Power Cuts No further restrictions on the use of electric power in this district have had to be imposed although the load in the Wanganui-Rangitikei Power Board’s area has still to be cut by approximately 10 per cent, daily for an indefinite period. The emergency which arose on Monday due to a breakdown at Arapuni has passed, the board’s engineer, Mr. H. Webb, said yesterday. The public were co-operat-ing well in Wanganui, where the load had been reduced by the required •amount. In Hamilton there had been an increase of 10 per cent, in the supply instead of a reduction of that amount, said Mr. Webb. “If consumers continue to exercise their present economy and keep the load down to below the required maximum we should be able to manage, but from information I received to-day there may be further restrictions after the end of March,” he added. Fatal Road Accidents

According to statistics compiled by the Transport Department, 12 lives were lost in New Zealand last month as the result of motor accidents. The toll of life was heavier than in any other February in recent years. Five vehicles ran off the road (one resulting in a double tragedy), a collision occurred between a car and a motorcycle at a city intersection, another fatality was due to the door of a moving bus opening and a passenger falling out, a boy riding a cycle was killed when he collided with a car, and another boy was killed when he ran out and collided with a truck. In addition, there were two other motor-cycle accidents. In February, 1945, there were only six deaths. Just before the war, when motor traffic was at a peak, however, the monthly figures were a good deal heavier, 2x deaths being recorded in February, 1938, and 23 in February, 1939. Cigarettes and the Customer Notices displayed in most tobaccoretailing premises—“ Sorry, no cigarettes, no tobacco”—or the verbal equivalent given by the tobacconist or his assistants are accepted without demur by more than 90 per cent, of smokers as indicating a true state ot affairs. There is, however, a .minority group who, by their conduct, do little lo ease the lot of vendors of “smokes.” “Most of the people who come in seeking tobacco or cigarettes realise the position and take the philosophical view when we have to decline them.’ commented one assistant in Wanganui., “Unfortunately there are a few—only a small percentage—who take a different attitude and seem to hold us personally responsible for the shortage. Some of these think nothing of abusing us. They can gain nothing by this conduct. Why they don’t follow the example set by the greater number (of people and show a little patience is hard to understand.”