General News.

Press, Volume LXIX, Issue 20909, 17 July 1933, Page 8

General News.

Good Record of Railways. '"Do you know the percentage of losses on the railways?" asked Mr Aickin, railway law officer, of a witness before the Transport Appeal Board at Auckland. The witness had remarked that there was more likelihood of parcels going astray by rail than by car. "Would you be surprised to know," Mr Aickin continued, "that the percentage loss is the lowest of any railway in the world?" The witness said he had "a great deal of time" for the railways. "If .you had been travelling on the railways lately you would have discovered that the railways are somewhat different from what they were 14 years ago," said Mr Aickin.

Ragwort Seed and Lime

A suggestion was made at a meetI ing of the Auckland provincial executive of the Farmers' Union in [ Hamilton, that samples of crushed | limestone in ragwort-infested areas should be taken by the Agricultural j Department over a period to ascer- ! tain if the seed was carried in the lime. It was further suggested that the seed should be placed in the crushers to determine what effect the crushing had on the germinating qualities of the seed. Mr V. Simms strongly opposed the suggestions, and said they would make the union the laughing-stock of the countryNo action was taken. Meeting of City Council. Amongst matters to be dealt with at the meeting of the Christchurch City Council to-night are two motions, of which notice has been given. Ci. M. E. Lyons lias given notice to move that the resolution, arrived at by the council at its meeting on June 19, granting permission to erect hoardings at the corner of Oak street and Ferry road, Woolston, be rescinded. Cr. T. Andrews is to move a long motion dealing with the overtime of council employees, the text of which already has been published. Warning Against Impostures. It lias been brought to the notice of the Christchurch Young Men's Christian Association that some itinerant vendors of articles and commodities have been claiming to be working in the interests of the association. Two boys selling wood and a cripple selling floor polish, it is stated, have been using the association's name without authority, and householders are warned to examine the credentials of hawkers and collectors claiming to represent the association. Outbreak of Measles. Hundreds of children in Auckland city and suburbs have contracted measles in the last few weeks and the number of absentees from all

schools is steadily increasing. Advice has been received by the Education Board that schools all over the province, particularly at Whangarei, are similarly affected. Dr. T. Fletcher Telford, Medical Officer of Health at Christchurch, said that he had received no official notification of the epidemic, as he would almost certainly have done had it been serious. There was no

sign of any outbreak of measles in Christchurch schools. A Famous Train. One of the most popular exhibits at the Chicago Century of Progress Exhibition is the Royal Scot, the famous English train which was transported complete across the Atlantic for the exhibition. Mr A. L. Macfarlane, who visited the exhibition recently, said that the English train was displayed side by side with a number of famous American trains, the light speedy lines of the English engine making an interesting contrast to the heavy American locomotives. Local Body Loans. Authority for the raising of several local body loans is given in the latest issue of the Gazette. The authorities and the amounts and descriptions of the loans are as follows:—Mount Herbert County Council, £ISOO, Purau-Charteris Bay road (unemployment relief loan); North Canterbury Hospital Board, £2165, Nurses' Home (additional) loan; North Canterbury Electric Power Board, £ISOO, Rangiora County electricity redemption lean; Westport Borough Council, £3OOO, antecedent liability redemption loan. The rate of interest in each case is £4 2s 6d per cent. More Careful Motor-Cyclists. An improvement in the behaviour of motor-cyclists was noted by Mr H. Macintosh, chief traffic inspector, who spoke to members of the Pioneer Motor-Cycle Club on Saturday evening. It was very pleasing, he said, to be able to say that very few motor-cyclists were caught in the recent "net." There was no new legislation to tell the club of this year, so evidently the limit had been reached, with motor-cyclists tied down in every way. Record Altitude Flight. To leave the aerodrome warmly clothed and with the intention of reaching as great a height as possible and then to find that he had neglected to put on his gloves, was the experience of Mr E. F. Harvie at New Plymouth last week. Rather than descend for them and waste time, the pilot continued the flight, pulling down the sleeves of his coat and tucking the hands into the tops of his leather thigh boots to warm them when they became chilled. When he left the aeroplane at the conclusion of the altitude flight he found that he had been sitting on the gloves all the time. In the meantime he had created a New Zealand light aeroplane altitude record.

Right-hand Rule Criticised. "I have criticised the right-hand rule before, because in many cases it is almost impossible to obserye it, but the authorities insist on it, and I have to obey the law," said Mr J. L. Stout, S.M., in the Palmerston North Magistrate's Court, in a civil claim involving a breach of this regulation. "The proper rule should be that of giving way to traffic approaching from the left, instead of on the right, but the authorities have enforced the law for so long that they cannot change it."

"You will find that farmers on heavy lend will have these rollers as soon as they discover how easy it is to get that class of land into condition for drilling," wrote Mr J. Skurr, to P. and D. Duncan, Ltd. Farmers should inspect the test winning Lincoln Grass Harrow and Drill, also Duncan's newly-designed Sti.'i Tooth Cultivator, Tripod Harrows, and Lime Sowers. P. and D. Duncan. Limited. 196 Tuam street, Christchurch and Ash burton. —6