GENERAL NEWS

Wanganui Chronicle, 4 November 1949, Page 4

GENERAL NEWS

Drivers’ Licences. The Wanganui City Council last month issued 148 drivers’ licences and fees collected amounted to £37. Heavy' traffic licences issued by the same authority numbered 10 and fees totalled £7B. Skater Injured. Falling in a Wanganui skating rink last night, Mr. Clifford Brown, of Cornfoot Street, Castlecliff, suffered injuries which necessitated his removal to the Wanganui Hospital by ambulance. Provincial Anniversaries. Tuesday was the anniversary of the Hawke’s Bay and Marlborough provinces, the former being the senior of the two as it was founded on November 1, 1858. Hawke’s Bay can point to no actual date of its birth and therefore marks its foundation by observing the anniversary of its establishment as a separate province.

Customs Revenue. Customs revenue collected at the port of Wanganui from all sources last month totalled £40,533. This compares with £37,127 collected in October last year. The comparative figures, with those for October 1948 in parentheses, are:—Customs, £15,108 £13,428); sales tax, £lB,BlB (£16.711); petrol tax, £6470 (£6988); miscellaneous £137.

Girls’ College Terms. Terms for next year at the Wanganui 'Girls’ College, approved at a meeting of the Board of Governors yesterday, are as follow: —First term. Tuesday, February 7 to Friday, May 4; second term, Tuesday, May 23 to Friday, August 18; third term, Tuesday, Septempber 12 to Friday, December 15. The usual holidays on King’s Birthday, Anzac Day and Labour Day will be observed. In all there will be 394 half days of schooling next year. Erosion at Kakariki.

No further advice regarding protec tive works against erosion caused by the Rangitikei River at Kakariki had been received from the Soil Conservation and Rivers Control Council, said the engineer, Mr. H. Murray Reid, at the monthly meeting yesterday of the Rangitikei County Council. In the meantime, however, he had arranged for three badly eroded sections of the bank immediately below the swing bridge, near the council s roadstone mill, to be repaired, the engineer ad<jed. A recent inspection had shown that the river had deepened its channel below the works approximately live feet.

Re-sealing of Courts. The re-sealing and reconstruction of the St. John’s Tennis Club’s courts is expected to be completed in about eight days. With the conversion of the singles court the club will bo able to use seven courts for doubles. Four courts are at present in | se. The backs of the other three courts have yet to be sealed, but one of them can be used. The work of fixing up the courts has been carried out by the City Council, with the assistance of the club’s committee, who have also been gathering scrub for the side fences. About £350 has been spent on this work. The club will have to spend more money before the work is completed, but they hope to obtain a grant from the Government. Battle Of El A’amein.

Seven years ago today a special communique from British Headquarters at Cairo announced that after 12 days of ceaseless attacks by British and Dominion troops at El Alamein in the Western Desert, the Axis forces were in full retreat and more than 9000 prisoners had been captured. The battle marked the turn of the tide in the Middle East campaign. Two days later further progress was made and by that time more than 20,000 prisoners had been captured. The Eighth Army relentlessly pursued the German and Italian forces until they were driven out of North Africa in Tunisia. Giant Storm Clouds. Giant cumulo-nimbus clouds, which made a picturesque sight when they reflected the setting sun, filled the sky yesterday and brought with them electrical storms. Most of the bad weather, however, passed by Wanganui, but the flashes of lightning and the reverberations of the thunder were not far distant at times Throughout the afternoon there were occasional heavy falls of rain followed by periods of warm sunshine. The weather delayed airliners which encountered icing conditions on certain routes. Last night the storm clouds were being blown across the city by a strong westerly wind and showers were still frequent. Fish Supplies. Adequate fish supplies are available in Wanganui according to a restaurant owner, but there is lack of variety. These days the supplies are obtained from Wellington and the owner said that most of the fish' he received was terakihi. The pre-war days when fish could be purchased from the Town and Castlecliff Wharves have almost disappeared. The oyster season which finished recently, was one of the poorest on record. There is a good supply of flounders in the shops and more are expected to come to hand. Many of the flounders available in the city are obtained from Nelson. Whitebait is in fairly good supply, but the price is dear. The owner said he had received two large supplies from the Wanganui River. Much of the whitebait in the Wanganui shops is obtained from Waitara.

Remeniberance Day. Arrangements have been made with the Wanganui Fire Brigade to toll the fire bell during two minutes’ silence at 11 a.m. on Remembrance Day next Sunday, stated the town clerk (Mr. C. R. White) yesterday. The Government has asked that all churches arrange, as far as practicable, for the morning services to commence at 10.45 aun., and that the two minutes' silence be observed at 11 a.m. It is hoped that this procedure

will be carried out in Wanganui. The Mayor (Hon. W. J. Rogers) has asked that all vehicular traffic will observe the period of silence. Members of the ■Wanganui Returned Services Association will lay a wreath at the cenotaph in Queen’s Park. At 7 p.m. a special Rememberance Service will be conducted in Christ Church, whore the silence will he observed while the church is in darkness.