GENERAL NEWS

Wanganui Chronicle, 17 January 1948, Page 4

GENERAL NEWS

Pipe Band Concert. The Wanganui Highland Pipe Band under Pipe Major E. C. Morgan and Drum Major, D. A. Almond, will parade at Durie Hill to-morrow afternoon and present a programme of music.

Trade Activity Considering that retailers in Wanganui are carrying larger stocks than usual, initial trading with wfiolesale merchants in the New Year has been very much greater than expected. Retailers’ turnovers increased considerably over the Christmas period and they were not in the position to replaces sold-out lines until the warehouses reopened after the holidays. With new goods arriving, merchants expect a very busy month. H.M.A. Conference. Wanganui will be represented at the annual conference of the New Zealand branch of the British Medical Association which will be held in Dunedin commencing on February 3. The official guests are Sir Hugh Cairns, Nuffield Professor of Surgery at Oxford, and Dr. Orton, one of Australia’s leading specialists in anaesthesia. The Minister of Health (Miss Howard) has accepted an invitation to attend the conference.

Minister to Visit Patea The Minister of Health, the Hon. Miss Mabel Howard, will visit the Patea district next Thursday and will carry out an inspection of the Patea Hospital. The Minister, who recently visited Wanganui to carry out an inspection of Institutions under the control of the Wanganui Hospital Board, is making these Inspections so that she will be in possession of firsthand information regarding the requirements of hospitals. Rotary Link With Wales.

Mr. George Miller, of Wanganui, has received the following in a letter from his brother, Mr. J. L Miller, Newport (Wales): “At the Rotary Christmas lunch yesterday a goodwill message was read from the secretary (Mr. Poynter by name), of the Wanganui Rotary Club. It was read to the members. The president’s name was Dr. Robertson. If you come across either of them, particularly the secretary, tell him that I, as an ordinary member, reciprocate the good wishes. The club will doubtless acknowledge in due course.”

Women and Honea A correspondent writes to the effect that the modern generation can perhaps be excused for not being horseminded. He refers to the accomplishment of Mrs. S. Freeman, Mosston Road, in riding a horse over hurdles on the Wanganui track. “This is a motor age,” he writes, “whereas the age Mrs. Freeman knew was the horse age.” Mrs, Freeman says that the horse she rode was Ocean Gold, which was jumped for the first time. She intends to jump her at future shows. Ocean Gold is not the dam of Balkjs, as incorrectly reported yesterday.

Rain Improves Lamb Market. Yesterday’s light rain and the forecast for' further showers developing resulted in the lamb sale at Waverley yesterday being the best-conduct-ed this season by Freeman R. Jackson and Co., Ltd. All classes of lambs sold freely with animated competition and the values of black-face lambs rose to 32s 8d and shorn ewe lambs made up to 30s 2d Prices generally were welt ahead of other sales conducted throughout the district and a stock agent said that it was due to the prospect of the drought breaking.

Tokelau Island Stamps. The Post Office advises that philatelists who wish to obtain first-day postmarks for the new series of stamps for the Tokelau Islands in the Union Group to be issued in April should send their covers and remittances to the postmaster at Apia, in Western Samoa. The remittances will have to be posted to catch the mail leaving New Zealand by the Matua on February 12 and all remittances should be made payable to the postmaster. The stamps are in three denominations, half-penny, penny, and two-penny. They are special issue for the Tokelau Islands. Special first-day covers will be issued by the Post Office.

Rain Follows Warmth. After two days of sultry weather, rain began to fall in Wanganui yesterday afternoon and brought some relief from the humid conditions which had been prevailing. The rain was only light but for its coofing qualities alone it was welcomed in the city. Pastures and lawns are brown and dusty after tlie long spell of dry weather and two or three days’ heavy rain would be welcomed by farmers. One effect of the dry weather has been big increases in the number ot lambs drafted for freezing works, the freezing works at Imlay alone killing in the vicinity ot 8000 lambs dally. Rowing Craft Collide. Two racing craft belonging to the Aramoho Boating Club were involved in a collision one evening early this week when the club’s two senior crews were in training for to-day's Jury Cup regatta. One crew was rowing up the river and the other crew was returning downstream into the sun. The boats met almost headon and one craft was badly damaged. It has since been repaired and will take part in the regatta to-day. Th? Aramoho Boating Club has been dogged by misfortune this season and has had several boats badly holed by snags which abound in the water north of the Aramoho railway bridge. Sugar tor Jams. Although there Is an abundance of fruit for jam making, especially stone fruits, there has been a delay iu the arrival of supplies of sugar to meet the extra ration given for jam making. The Northern Shipping Co.’s Hauturu is due at Wanganui during the week-end with a shipment of sugar and this will enable retailers to meet the demand. Yesterday one grocer sold more than half a ton of sugar. As a result of the recent allocation against each ration book of an extra three pounds of sugar, there has been a rush on grocers and only a few have been able to meet the needs of their customers. The Colonial Sugar Refining Co.'s Chelsea works were closed for three weeks during the Christmas and New Year holidays or January supplies would have been to hand earlier.