LOCAL AND GENERAL

Ashburton Guardian, Volume 69, Issue 77, 11 January 1949, Page 2

LOCAL AND GENERAL

Swimming Bath Seats Installation of seats .along the west side of the Allenton baths had been completed recently at a cost of nearly £IOO, members of the committee of the Allenton District Amateur Swimming Club were told at a meeting last ■evening. The seats would he a great asset when carnivals were held.

Canadian Team for Empire Games Canada will send about 05 athletes and 10 officials to the 1950 Empire Games in Auckland}. The team will leave on December 22, and will he away from Canada for about two months. The Canadian Government will he asked to pay the team’s expenses—about 100,000 dollars. Ottawa, January 9.

Ashburton Youth For Army Included among the 90 youths, aged between 1G and IS, who will enter the Army School of Instruction at Trenthem on January 19, as the second draft of Regular Force Army cadets, is T. R. Dawson, of Ashburton. The party assembles at Burnham camp on Monday and crosses to Wellington the following night..

Royalty in Denmark ' She had seen the King of Denmark on horseback in one of the main streets of Copenhagen waiting for the green light to flash and had seen the Danish princesses riding unconcernedly in the streets on bicycles, ■said Mrs S. M. Russell, an Auckland woman who returned yesterday on the Empire Star from a long tour of Europe. —P.A,

Air Services Delayed

Air services between New Zealand and Australia were dislocated yesterday by bad weather and low cloud at Sydney. Both the Rose Bay flying-boat terminal and the Mascot aerodrome could not be used until ablaut 3 p.m. Neither the flying-boat which was scheduled to leave Rose Bay for Auckland nor the one due to leave Auckland for Sydney were able to leave their respective bases. The Skymaster under charter to Tasman Empire Airways which was to- have left Mascot at 1.30 a.m. for Whenuapai did not, take off until 3.20 p.m. It arrived at Auckland shortly after 9 o’clock last night.

Plane Returns for Milk Bottle An -infant accompanied by its mother was on board a Dakota aircraft which left Taieri yesterday morning for the north. The Dakota took off and was doing a, preliminary circuit before heading north when the baby’s feeding bottle broke. The mother had no spare bottle, but when the pilot heard about the accident he turned the aircraft back and within five minutes of -leaving Taieri the aeroplane was back there again. National Airways employees quickly procured another feeding bottle and, 10 minutes behind schedule, the aircraft was again airborne carrying with it a happy baby and a grateful mother. P.A.

Termites Leave Power Pole Thousands of Australian termites flew from a power pole in Three Kings Road, Auckland, on Thursday night. They swarmed into houses across the road, and disappeared in tress. This is the first time this sum.; mer that such a flight has been reported. Mr G. G. Rountree said the swarm appeared before dark on Thursday. Thousands of insects flew in his front door and circ.led about light globes. He and his family closed the doors, switched off lights, and used insecticide from a spray gun. Next morning the floors were covered with dead termites. Except for a few cracks the power pole seemed sound. —P.A.

Carolling Result a Record , Though exact figures are not available, the response to -the recent carolling tour by the Ashburton County Scottish Society’s Pipe Band is a record by a, very substantial margin over any previous year. The band covered the whole of the town area, Fairton, Tinwald and all other areas between the Rakaia and Rangitata Rivers. Practically every house in the county wafe visited and everywhere the pipers were given an enthusiastic welcome. The leaders of tlie band say-Uhey cannot speak too highly of the treatment given them and voice their warmest appreciation, both for the hospitality extended and for the most generous contributions to the funds. One gratifying result is that a trip to the next Dominion contest is assured.

Lipstick Beats Dishwashers The kitchen of the new 28,164-ton liner Orcades will have to be partly reconstructed because of the newest development of the British cosmetic industry. The story, as told by Mr I. C. Geddes, chairman of the Orient Line, when the Orcades arrived at Melbourne to-day on her maiden voyage, is that the expensive machine dishwashers installed were supposed to leave the crockery bright and clean. After the first meal aboard, however, hundreds of cups came out still carrying the marks of a, bright, waterproof lipstick which had just been developed In Britain. The company instructed that the cups he washed by hand, but as tlie sinks were' not designed for this, the' kitchen would have to be reconstructed after the ship returned to England—Melbourne, - January 10.

Power Break in Town Started through a fault developing in a low-tension fuse box of the transformer sub-station at the Wills StreetOak Grove intersection, fire caused slight damage to electrical equipment last evening and power was cut off in a section of the town for about 75 minutes. The trouble started at S.3S. Faultmen of the Ashburton Electric-Power Board were quickly on the scene and the fire was extinguished without much difficulty. The Ashburton Volunteer Fire Brigade sent up a bucket pump as a precautionary measure in case of the blaze spreading to grass and trees nearby, and also gave assistance in quelling the outbreak. Temporary repairs were effected and power restored soon after. Oak Grove, part of Alford Forest Road, also Cameron? Wills and Havelock Streets as far as Walker Street were the main parts affected.