GENERAL NEWS

Wanganui Chronicle, 6 March 1947, Page 4

GENERAL NEWS

Destruction of Rabbits. According to a report before the Patea-Waitotara Rabbit Board at its monthly meeting yesterday, 2549 rabbits were destroyed in the district last monto. It. was stated that this report was from four of the board’s rabbiters. Makirikiri Sports. Plans for an even more elaborate sports meeting than ever before were made at the annual meeting of the Makirikiri Committee. Mr. E. P. Vaughan has been re-elected president and strong committees have been set up to make all arrangements for a bigger meeting than last year. The date allocated to Makirikiri by the combined sports organisation is March 22. Cars Collide In Avenue.

At 10.15 a.m. yesterday morning a 12 horse-power car and two eight horse-power vehicles were involved in ?. collision which resulted only in damage to the bigger vehicle. From observation, it appeared that one of the smaller cars, in pulling away from the kerb, opposite in Victoria Avenue, caught the front left mudguard of the larger car. The elderly passengers in the damaged car were dazed, but no injuries resulted.

City Valuation. It is anticipated that the valuation of the City of Wanganui will be completed by the end of the month. Purely revisionary work is being undertake at the moment by the valuers, about seven in number, who have been engaged on the task. Their work has not been easy, but, generally speaking, householders have co-oper-ated with them. A New Lease of Life.

Drew’s Avenue has been re-metall-ed.As a thoroughfare it has had its fair share of traffic, heavy vehicular traffic, and cyclists and pedestrians—taking advantage of the short cut, have combined in wearing the surface down, and the runnels both on and alongside the roadway were pitfalls to the unwary, particularly at night. The widening of the roadway will be very much appreciated, and it is pleasing to see that road repairs have been undertaken, in view of the foitcoming Anzac Da/ celebrations.

Change in Weather. After a long spell of dry weather, Wanganui experienced a change’ yesterday, when there was a light, but steady drizzle for the greater part of the day. Visibility was poor and at Castlecliff it was impossible to discern objects beyond a mile or so out to sea. There was no wind, however, and the water was calm. Though falling slowly, barometric pressure remained rather high, the reading at 2 p.m. being 30.32 in.» compared with 30.40 in. the previous day. S.P.C.A.’s Many Calls. At the monthly meeting of the Wanganui branch of the S.P.C.A. held on Tuesday, the inspector (Mr. W. Harris) reported that between the dates of December 10 and February 28, 402 telephone calls were received. Arising from these 58 animals were visited. Over the holiday period two horses, 18 cats and 10 dogs were attended, after having been injured by vehicles on the roads. A few of these were alrady dead, the inspector said, others were painlessly disposed of, a/ci the remainder were treated for their injuries. Rabbit Board Rates.

Rates levied by the Pate.a-Waitotara Rabbit Board for the year totalled £l3Bl 7s 9d, and by February 26, the last day for payment before the 10 percent. penalty was imposed, £1329 Is 8d had been collected, said the secretary, Mr. S. L. Orr, at the monthly meeting yesterday. He added that the percentage of rates collected by February 26 was 96.45, compared with 94.84 per cent, for the corresponding period last year. The board decided to instruct lhe secretary to write to those few ratepayers who had not met their obligations and request payment by March 31.

Southern Cargo To-day. Two coastal traders with produce and general cargo from southern ports are expected at Wanganui to-day. They are the m.v. Breeze, which departed from Timaru at 3 p.m. on Tuesday for Wanganui direct, and her sis-ter-ship, the m.v. Gale, which departed from Lyttelton on Tuesday night. The Gale is also coming to Wanganui direct and both vessels are expected on this morning’s tide. They will berth at the Town Wharf. After discharge the Breeze sails for Wellington, Lyttelton and Timaru, and the Gale will most likely go to Wellington and Dunedin. Collier Next Week.

On her first visit to Wanganui since undergoing annual overhaul and survey, the Anchor Line's collier Rata is due early next week witn 800 tons of coal from Greymouth. The vessel is scheduled to load there to-morrow or Saturday. She was last at Wanganui about a week before Christmas, after which she was withdrawn from the coastal trade for two months while undergoing overhaul. The Rata will be the third collier to discharge at Wanganui in a little more than a week. On Monday the m.v. Storm completed discharge of Greymouth coal at Castlecliff, and on Tuesday the s.s. Holmlea finished unloading 600 tons cf coal from Westport.

Maori Cooking. One of the attractions every year at the Parikino sports is the wild pork cooked the Maori way, in hangis. The Maoris are adept at the art, placing the food on hot stones, then covering it with cloth and leaves, leaving the retained heat of the stones to reduce the flesh to a sweet tenderness. Poultry is very nice cooked this way, and many a distinguished visitor to Parikino has gone away with memories of the Parikino menu. Wild pigeons (protected birds now) served the Maoris well for their diet in the early days. When the hinau berries are ripe the pigeon is cooked without removing the inside, and Europeans who have tasted them after they have been cooked this way their insides removed since cooking) have marvelled at the flavour the tang of the berries against the tender flesh of a fat pigeon.