General News

Decrease in Road Accidents “New Zealand is the only country in the world showing a decrease in the number of motor accidents with an increase in the number of cars on the road,” said the Minister for Transport (the Hon, R, Semple) at Kaiapoi last night. Red Cross or Cross of St. John What he claimed was an error in the road safety posters recently distributed throughout New Zealand was indicated'by Mr C. S. Falconer, secretary of the Commandery of _St. John in New Zealand, at the annual meeting of the St. John Ambulance Association (Canterbury and West Coast Centre) last evening. The posters showed behind the upraised hand of a man the Red Cross emblem on an ambulance, he said. That was wrong, because the New Zealand Red Cross Society was the only body entitled to display that emblem, and it maintained no ambulances in New' Zealand, Where the emblem was displayed on ambulances it was used in error. The emblem that should have been used was the cross of St. John. Beautifying and Telephone Poles It is not possible for the Post and Telegraph Department to accede to the request of the Christchurch Beautifying Association to keep telegraph wiring underground _in future extensions of the service in the city and suburbs, according to a letter received by the association from the Postmaster-General (the Hon. F. Jones) as a meeting last evening. The Minister stated, however, that the department was prepared to co-operate with local authorities in providing single power and telegraph poles at the backs of sections to avoid the erection of poles along the roadways, and that arrangements had already been made along these lines with the State Housing Department. Kyle Avenue? A suggestion has been made in Government circles that one of the streets for the State houses in Riccarton should be named Kyle avenue, after the Mayor and member of Parliament for the district (Mr H. S. S. Kyle). During a discussion at the meeting of the Riccarton Borough Council last evening a councillor said, amid laughter, that there would also be a space for a statue of Mr Kyle. The Mayor said that he thought there might be enough streets in the State house area for each one to bear the name of a member of the council. New Timaru Airport The new Timaru airport will be officially opened before the present council relinquishes office in May. This advice was received at last night’s meeting of the council, when it was stated that the airport had been granted a B licence. The Mayor (Mr P. B. Foote) said that word had been received from the Controller of Civil Aviation (Group Captain T. M. Wilkes) that the airport had been inspected and could be used by pilots with B licences and light aeroplanes during the daytime. The present area available is the same as that in use before work on the new airport was begun, the Mayor added. After a brief discussion it was decided to open the airport probably in the first week in May, and to invite a number of aviation officials, aero clubs, and the Government to be represented at the ceremony. It was left to the Mayor and Cr. W. H. Hall to fix the date in consultation with the engineer in charge of the construction. “Disease-minded New Zealanders” “We in New Zealand are disease-minded when we should be health-minded,” said Mr C. S. Falconer, secretary of the Commandery in New Zealand of the Order of St. John, at the annual meeting of the Canterbury and West Coast Centre of the St. John Ambulance Association last evening. “We spend money putting u£ large and expensive hospitals, but not on the promotion of health. We have more doctors in proportion to population than any other part of the world, and we also have a larger proportion of mental cases.” “Fossilised Bridge” at Kaiapoi “The Kaiapoi bridge has a bump on its back like a monkey scratching out of a bowl. It’s fossilised,” said the Hon. R. Semple at a public meeting at Kaiapoi last night. Big Trees In Small Gardens “Many gardens in the city,” said Mr M. J, Barnett at last night’s meeting of the Christchurch Beautifying Association, “have too many forest trees. The smaller the bungalow the bigger the tree. It is like putting a parrot in a canary cage.” Mr Barnett also spoke of the great beauty of the little wild, moss-like plants that could be found among the stones in river-beds. These planted in the interstices of crazy paving made a path of great beauty, he said. Farmers Buying Water Although it has not yet become serious, the shortage of water which has been manifest for more than a week in the country district of Papatoetoe has already forced some small farmers to buy water from neighbours. The shortage is a result of a long period of dry weather, which has not really broken for about six weeks. In some cases tanks depending on rain water are reported to be exhausted and in others private bores are giving trouble. The price of the water being bought was said to be from about 2s to 2s 6d for 1000 gallons. Here again, however, some of the settlers have been given supplies free. Evidence of the long summer is not confined to areas without reticulation. Although water is plentiful in Auckland city and suburban town areas and no restrictions have been placed on its use, many gardens for several weeks have been showing signs of the unbroken heat.—“ The Press” Special Service. Gardening at 91 For all his 91 years, Cr. A. W. Owles, the senior member of the New Brighton Borough Council, can still wield a scythe in workmanlike manner. In a discussion before last night’s meeting of the council, Cr. Owles was congratulated by councillors on a job of scything he had done on his own property. Further proof of his gardening ability was also contained in congratulations Cr. Owles received on his work in digging-in and replanting a lawn. Cr. Owles, disclaiming any special merit in the work, said he did it himself because he would not be satisfied if anyone else did the job- ■ , “Medical Socialism” “The doctors are to be the next industry to be socialised,” remarked Mr S. G. Holland, M.P., in a political address at St. Albans last evening when attacking the Government for its interference with private enterprise. “Each doctor will have so many persons on a panel, and if you want 'another doctor you will have to pay so much mileage. If you happen to have an appendix for which you have no further use and your doctor is not particularly good at that particular job it will be just too bad,” went on Mr Holland. “There is a consolation, though. He will be under written contract to the Government and therefore winbe bound to give it a go.” (Laughter.) * First Award of Bursary • The first award of the Casement Aickin Memorial Bursary, founded last year, was made by the Auckland University College Council to Mr G. J. Taine, of Remuera, at present a medical student of the University of Otago. Mr Taine was placed first of four applicants by the Faculty of Science, with the endorsement of the Professorial Board, and the proposed award was approved, as required under the rules, by the president of the Auckland branchof the British Medical Association. Dr. Frank Macky. The bursary has been endowed with a fund of £SOO subscribed by the public as a memorial to Dr, Casement Aickin, a well-known Auckland surgeon, who died in 1936.—Press Association. Sporting Clubs and Ambulances •How the Christchurch racing clubs in 1917 presented the St. John Ambulance Association with its second motor ambulance was recalled by Mr B. J. McKenna at the annual meeting of the St. John Ambulance Association last evening. The racing and football clubs—especially the Rugby football clubs—made, more demands on the services of the association than any other section of the community, he said. It would be a good idea, he said, if in 1938 there could be some similar action to what was done in 1917.