GENERAL NEWS

Wanganui Chronicle, 24 October 1950, Page 4

GENERAL NEWS

Tennis Interest. Members of the St. John’s Tennis Club held a combined handicap tournament yesterday and it resulted in a win for P. McGeever and Miss E. Ferris. The winners in the plate competition were H. Jackson and Mrs. Wandsborough.

Labour Day. Fifty years ago, on October 10, 1900, Labour Day was observed for the first time as a legal holiday in New Zealand. It originated as commemoration of the initiator of the eight-hour day in this country, Samuel Duncan Parnell, a carpenter, who arrived at Port Nicholson on February 7, 1840.

Shops Reopen Today. After being closed since Friday night, shops in Wanganui and suburbs will reopen this morning. With housewives seeking to replenish larders after the heavy demands of the holiday period, provision shops will be kept busy. The Labour Day week-end is the last holiday break before the Christmas and New Year holidays.

First Solo Flight. To fly solo in a Tiger Moth after only 2'i hours’ dual was the achievement of Mr. Owen Perry, a youthful member of the Wanganui Aero Club, during the week-end. Only just over 17 years of age, Mr. Perry received his instruction from the club’s instructor, Mr. K. Efl Fenwick. Under the Air Navigation Regulations in New Zealand, the youngest age at which a pilot is permitted to fly solo is 17 years. Carrier Pigeons Useful.

In spite of these more advanced days of radio, carrier pigeons can still be useful for conveying messages, par- ' ticularly over difficult country. This was demonstrated at the week-end when a party of Wanganuik Rovers carried out exercises in rough bush country near Atene. The Rovers had gone to an imaginary plane wreck and it was necessary to despatch a message to Wanganui in a hurry. Thij was done by carrier pigeons, the tine taken from the bush to the pigeon loft in Wanganui being exactly 25 minutes. Cyclists Injured. Three cyclists were injured when they fell from their machines in different, parts of Ihe city yesterday. They were Mr. B. Reteurs, 31 Halswell Street, whose accident occurred in Victoria Avenue at 1.24 p.m., Mr. E. C. A. McKay, 19 Lewis Avenue, who had a fall in Bell Street at 3.15 p.m., and* Mr. J. H Campbell, Springvale, who rr.et with an accident at the corner of Fox Road and Fitzherbert Avenue at 5.30 p.m. All three ! were taken to the Wanganui Hospital by ambulance, but with the exception of Mr. Reteurs, were later able to go heme. Mr. Reteurs received concussion and a fractured collar bone.

Waterfront Quiet. The Port of Wanganui has been quiet over the holiday week-end, with only one coastal vessel, the c.v. Storm, at the Town Wharf. She arrived at Castlecliff on Friday evening with produce and general cargo from Lyttelton direct. Scheduled to leave Timaru today for Wanganui is the Breeze, due here on Thursday with general cargo. Also due on Thursday are the Gale, from Dunedin, via Wellington, the Wairau from Picton and the Holmdale from Dunedin and Oamaru, via Wellington. The Rata is expected at Castlecliff about the end of the week with 800 tons of coal from Greymouth.

Night Passenger Train. Consisting of eight cars and a van, a special passenger/train to Wellington left New Plymouth at 9.15 last night and was expected to arrive at Aramoho Junction at 1.26 this morning. The train was arranged for the convenience of people from Wellington and the southern portion of the North Island who wished to s*?end the Labour Day week-end in Wanganui and Taranaki. On the outward journey on Friday night the train had more than 300 passengers and the return train was expected to have about the same number. Two cars from Wanganui were to have been added at Aramoho early this morning. Difficult Scout Test.

Boy Scouts from various troops in the Wanganui-West Coast district went through a Sandford certificate training course at the Glasgow Eagles camp site, Aramoho, at the week-end. The certificate is the highest which a Scouc patrol leader can gain. The course extended over three days and was by no means easy. Successful candidates bad to qualify in a wide range of practical Scouting subjects, including first aid and the handling of stretcher cases, the construction of temporary bridges for crossing streams, rescue work from a fire area heavy with smoke, travelling for 15 minutes blindfold through thick scrub, and path finding under other difficult conditions. The course extended over Saturday, Sunday and yesterday. The number of candidates totalled 32.