General News

Press, Volume LXXI, Issue 21436, 30 March 1935, Page 12

General News

—« — The Fishing Rivers Reports received by the secretary of the North Canterbury Acclimatisation Society are to the effect that the Ashley and Hurunui rivers were clear and fishable. The Rangitata river is fishable and the Rakaia river is not fishable. The Waimakariri is slightly above normal, but should be fishable for the week-end. The Goclwil Season The god wit season, which opened on February 1 and will close tomorrow, has been very satisfactory, according to a well-known Christchurch shooter. Not very many men had gone out after the birds, he said, but from his experience the present season had been the best for the last five or six years. There was no doubt, he said, that there were considerably more birds about than there had been for some years. He thought that the dry summer might have caused the improvement. Spain and Morocco "Commercially, Spain is in a very backward state, ana tne country has not oeen helped oy tne political disturbances ox the last live years,' said Mr George Burnes, of London, m an interview yesterday. Mr Burnes was formerly a prominent business man in Cnristchurch, He said that he had travelled for six months iast year in Spain and Morocco, and had found the Spanish people of all classes very charming. They were far more likeable, he thought, than any other Latin race. Living was very cheap while he was there, the peseta, which is normally 25 to the £, being 40 to the £. Historically, it was one of the most interesting countries. Speaking of Spanish Morocco, Mr Burnes said the country was most fascinating, excepting places like Tangiers, which had become too sophisticated owing to the tourist traffic. Doctors and Air Travel Extended facilities for travel, especially air 1 ravel, were bringing better opportunities t'or expert medical attention to people in all parts of the country, said Dr. T. Fletcher Telford, in an address at the conference of trained masseurs yesterday. Dr. Telford added that this was a. very important advance, especially in .surgical cases, but that it was interfering with the prospects of the general country practitioner, who would become less and less necessary. The change applied to all the collateral branches of medical practice.

! Traffic Warning Signs A decision to hold tests at night of various kinds of road warning signs was reached by the halfyearly meeting of delegates of the South Island Motor Union at Oamaru yesterday. The South Canterbury Automobile Association ; wrote drawing attention to a new i design of vvarning signs in aluminium and black. One of the delegates thought, that silver leaf was superior to aluminium and it was decided to test the two signs against each other at night. Live Stock hy Train There has been a noticeable easing during this week in the movement of rolling stock on the main North Canterbury and branch railway lines. Since before the end of February two and three special trains daily have been necessary to cope with the amount of stock being transported. The Cheviot and Oxford branch lines have had their fair share of goods traffic; in fact U" anything there was a slight increase in the amount of stock handled on these lines as compared with last year. The peak of the movement was during the ewe and ram fair season in North Canterbury, when extra stock trains of maximum tonnage had to be run. The heaviest part of the season is over now with the finish of the larger sheep fairs, and while the two supplementary fairs in North Canterbury at the beginning of next month will cause a certain amount of movement, it is not anticipated that the increase will be prolonged.

Motor-car Mascots The danger of some of the mascots on the radiators of motor-cars was discussed at the meeting of delegates of the South Island Motor Union at Oamaru yesterday. It was stated that some of them stuck out well beyond the level of the radiator of the car, and were contrary to the regulations. The suggestion that these mascots should be removed was adopted as being common sense, and il was decided that the regulations should be fully enforced. Broadcast Lessons An appeal for more comment on broadcast lessons was- made by Mr F. C. Brew to the annual meeting oi the North Canterbury branch of the New Zealand Educational Institute last evening. The president, Mr W. C. Colee, said those in charge of the broadcasts and those actually doing the broadcasting would welcome suggestions on ways for improvement, in short, how to make the lessons appeal more to the children. In reply to a question Mr Brew said lessons in 1933. Most of these* were in the country. It wa? not felt that there was the same need for their use in the city. No definite information about the number of schools which would be using the lessons this year had been received.