GENERAL NEWS

Wanganui Chronicle, 5 October 1949, Page 4

GENERAL NEWS

Incipient Lire. A call to an incipient fire at the residence of Mr. E. D. Davis, 6 Moore Avenue, was received by the Wanganui Fire Brigade at 4.46 p.m. yesterday. No damage was done to the premises or contents. More Cement Expected. Cement supplies for Wanganui and district are becoming more regular, and the Flolmburn, which arrived at Castlecliff on Monday with a shipment from Tarakohe, completed discharge yesterday and was to have sailed lasi night on her return to Tarokohe. The vessel will load a further cement cargo at the Golden Bay port today and is due at Castlecliff again tomorrow. As the vessel has a cargo capacity of more than 500 tons for each trip, the situation so far as cement supplies are concerned should be eased. District Golf Title.

The Wanganui district golf championship will b e decided this week on the Wanganui Golf Club’s course at Belmont. The tournament will begin tomorrow when two medal rounds of 18 holes will be played. The first 18 lowest aggregate scores will qualify for the championship which will b e played off on match play on Friday and Saturday. The present title holder is A. R. Kitto, of the Castlecliff Club, who beat B. Bainfield, of New Plymouth, in the final. Kitto will be defending his titl e this year. Pukeko Worry Hens. A case ot pukeko worrying hens and stealing their eggs is reported from the Like Te Aute district, Hawke’s Bay. A correspondent states that a farmer at (he Pukekura settlement there has recently experienced considerable trouble as a result of pukeko raiding his fowl yard. Not satisfied with stealing hen eggs, the birds attacked a hen sitting on its nest, testroyed the eggs and injured the hen to such an extent that It died next day. Paradise ducks are also reported to be a nuisance in that they are attacking tame ducks.

Opening of Athletic Season. The official opening of the Wanganui Amateur Athletic and Cycling Clubs 1949-50 season will take place at Cook’s Gardens on Thursday, October 13, at 6 p.m., when a twilight sports meeting will be held. For the past few weeks a number of athletes have been training on the Technical College grounds under the club's track coach, Mr. J. D. Morgan. The Technical grounls will be used until Cook’s Gardens is again made available to the club. The club is endeavouring to arrange for the staging of the Wellington provincial cycling championships at Cook’s Gardens, on November 19. Cyclists of the Wanganui Club are now practising for the opening of the track season. Rainfall at Bulls.

After a wet winter, September was a comparatively dry month in the Bulls district. According to records kept hy Mr. K. W. Dalrymple (Parewanui), the total rainfall for the month was 1.40 in. on 14 days, compared with an average for September of 2.83 in. Last year the rainfall in September was 1.94 in. The fall last month, however, was the lowest since September, 1934, when there were l.OSin. On only one occasion, in September, 1914, when .92in. was recorded, has the rainfall for the month been below one inch, the highest for the month being 6.40 in. in 1943. During the first nine months of the year, 29.45 in. of rain fell in the district, compared with 25.55 in. for the same period last year, and an average of 26.75 in., ranging from 18.83 in. in 1919, to 32.93 in. in 1941.

Tennis Club Membership. The membership of clubs affiliated to the Wanganui Lawn Tennis Association last year was 1317, according to the annual report presented at the annual meeting of the association last night. The membership for the 194718 season was 1327. The club with the largest membership last season was Wanganui, with 140. Other clubs with a membership of over 100 were Victoria 120, Marton 118, and St. John’s 101. Last season there were 251 players affiliated to the Wanganui Minor Clubs’ Association. It was stated at the meeting that the Waverley Club wishes to withdraw its affiliation from Taranaki and join the Wanganui Association. As the New Zealand Association has given its permission it appears likely that Waverley will be playing in the Wanganui Association this season. Visit of Petone "Settlers.”

Highlight of this year’s soccer season in Wanganui, will be the match at Spriggens Park on Saturday between Petone "Settlers,” Chatham Cup winners, and the Wanganui representative team, holders of the Brown Shield. The Petone party, of about 40 people, will arrive in the cify on Friday night and will leave on Sunday afternoon. The visitors will be the guests of the Wanganui Football Association at a social anl dance in the Savage Club hall on Saturday night. On Sunday* morning they will be taken on a tour of the city and will visit Castlecliff, Virginia Lake and Durie Hill. The visitors will be entertaned to morning tea at Upokongaro. Before the match commences at 10.30 a.m. on Saturday, the two fearns will he introduced to the Mayor, Hon. W. J. Rogers, M.L.C.