GENERAL NEWS

Wanganui Chronicle, 29 December 1947, Page 4

GENERAL NEWS

Flying Activity Curtailed. The boisterous westerly wind during the week-end curtailed flying activity at the Wanganui Airport. On Saturday the Percival Proctor was flown to Tauranga by Mr. J. Pettigrew, who was accompanied by three passengers. He returned to Wanganui yesterday. There were three visiting Tiger Moths yesterday, two being Nelson Aero Club machines returning from Auckland, and the third a Hawera Aero Club aircraft.

Shops Reopening After being closed since 10 p.m. on Christmas Eve (Wednesday) shops in Wanganui and suburbs will reopen this morning. Housewives have experienced difficulty in keeping larders going oyer the lour-day break and they will be out in numbers today to replenish depleted stocks from grocers, butchers-and bakers. Late night this week will be observed on Wednesday (New Year’s Eve), when shops will close at 9 p.m. Another closed period of four days will follow New Year's Eve.

Week-end Weather The Wanganui district was lashed by a strong westerly wind during the week-end, which made conditions unpleasant out of doors. Damage was light and was mostly confined to gardens and wireless masts. The strong wind seriously affected those engaged in outdoor sports, particularly sailing, rowing, cricket and bowls. The strong wind was the result of an unusually deep depression which moved across the Tasman to cover a portion of the Dominion. A Year Ago.

It will be a year ago tomorrow night since the Rutland Hotel fire. The outbreak occurred at about 10.10 p.m. on the night of December 30, and the flames spread with such rapidity that soon the whole building was engulfed in a sea of fire. The full resources of the Wanganui Fire Brigade, both personnel and appliances, were fully taxed in preventing the fire from spreading to other buildings. Fortunately there was no loss of life. The fire was the most destructive In Wanganui since Foster's Hotel fire, which occurred in February, 1918.

Cycling Spills There were several cycling accidents in keenly-contested events at the Electric Light Sports held on Cook’s Gardens on Saturday night under the control of the Wanganui Amateur Athletic and Cycling Club. The most serious fall was in a handicap race, when R. Sproule, a visiting competitor, crashed heavily when the field was bunched. He was given immediate attention by the St. John Ambulance officer in attendance, and later was taken to the Wanganui Hospital by the ambulance for attentjpjrr He was allowed to leave after having his abrasions attended to.

Scouts Due Home Today. A party of five Wanganui Scouts, who were members of the New Zealand contingent which took part in the jamboree in France, will arrive by the Rimutaka at Wellington this morning. The party on the Rimutaka consists of 37 Rover Scouts and Scout and is under the charge of Commissioner McKenzie, of Lower Hutt. The Wanganui members are Senior Air Scout (King's Scout) W. J. Main, of Gonville; Scoutmaster J. J. Bate, of Gonville; Assistant Scoutmaster R. D. Tait, of Gonville; Scoutmaster R. R. Babbage, of St. George’s Troop; and Assistant Scoutmaster E. W. D- Lethbridge, of the Wanganui Collegiate School Troop. The latter four paid their own expenses to the jamboree. Drinks For Cricketers. Spectators at the Hawke Cup cricket match between Wanganui and Taranaki on Cook’s Gardens voiced their disapproval yesterday when drinks were taken out to the players late in Lite afternoon. Slow and unenterprising batting by the visitors in their second innings when they were making a weak effort to catch Warganui's score was trying to the onlookers, but when a Halt for drinks was made they considered it the last straw. The management committee of the Wanganui Cricket Association originally considered the provision of these drinks unnecessary but the two team captains may reach a mutual agreement to do so. British Grocery Account. To most people the following grocery bill for one person for a week’s ration in England, which was received by a Wanganui district resident, will seem fantastic. How the British manage to exist on their rations as compared with those in New Zealand is a miracle. Their belts must be pulled to their last notch. Here is the bill for one person issued by a grocery store in Great Finsborough: 4 ounce of bacon 2Jd, 2 ounces of butter 2d, 4 ounces margarine 2id, 2 ounces of cheese 2Jd, 1 box of matches lid. The bill came to IOId, and the food for that is certainly a starvation level.