General News

Press, Volume LXXIII, Issue 22073, 22 April 1937, Page 8

General News

Help for Pedestrian Traffic An innovation in traffic control affecting pedestrians was introduced yesterday in Christchurch, when the five traffic inspectors recently appointed by the City Council took up control duty on main intersections. These inspectors have undergone an intensive course of training since their appointment, and yesterday they were given an opportunity to put their training into practice. The Chief Traffic Inspector (Mr J. Bruorton) said it had been found that pedestrians sometimes were endangered in crossing busy intersections because they were given insufficient time to cross with a stream of motor traffic before another stream of traffic was released in a different direction. A new signal had therefore been worked out that would give pedestrians more time before another traffic stream was released, and this signal was put into operation yesterday. Mr Bruorton added that a loud speaker for use in drawing the attention of the public, to details of traffic control would be in operation in about a week, and it would then be possible to instruct the public more fully about the new, signal for pedestrians. Bequest to Rannerdale Home Advice that a bequest of £ 1200 had been made to the Canterbury Patriotic Fund in the will of Mr James Barr, of Omihi, North Canterbury, was received at a meeting yesterday of the committee administering the fund. In announcing the receipt of this bequest, the chairman of the committee (Mr H. Holland) said that the gift was very welcome. It had been made to the Rannerdale Home, which is controlled by the committee, and the money would just cover the expenses of repairs and additions that were recently completed at a cost of about £llOO. Claims for Colonies "One significant fact that seems- sometimes to be overlooked is that Germany's possession of colonies in 1914' did not prevent the Great War," said Mr A. A. G. Reed in an address to the Christchurch branch of the League of Nations Union last evening. Mr Reed devoted some time to Germany's desire for colonies, and said that he did not think many would agree with, a policy that would give Germany colonies as a bribe. He did not think, also, that there was any likelihood of the other nations restoring colonies to aggressive countries merely if they were to be used to provide troops for even more aggression. To the argument that colonies were needed to absorb surplus population, it could be said that the nations making the most clamour were at the same time doing all possible to increase their present birth-rates. Fishing Season Some confusion has arisen over the dates at which the fishing season ends in the North Canterbury Acclimatisation Society's district. The Government regulations fixing dates for the season allot them as follows: For trout and other acclimatised fish, except salmon, in the high country waters from December 1 to April 30; for trout and any other acclimatised fish, except salmon, in Lake Ellesmere, from October 1 to April 30: for trout and other acclimatised fish, except salmon, in the rivers, and waters of the district, except the high country waters and Lake Ellesmere, from October 1 to April 16; for salmon, from October 1 to May 15. In each case the dates are inclusive. Doctors V/atching the Weather Everyone is interested in the weather, but if there is one section of the community which, more than another, pays particularly close at' tention to the weather just now it is the medical profession and the Government health authorities. Cold, wintry weather will, it is believed, assist in ending the infantile paralysis epidemic, and consequently the unusually warm nor'-west weather yesterday was not welcomed by the officers of the Health Department in Christchurch. Yesterday was promising in another respect, however, for for the first time in several days there were no new notifications of the disease in the Canterbury and Westland health district. Many Ambulance Calls Many calls' are made on the invalid transport service maintained by the Canterbury and West Coast Centre of the St. John Ambulance Association. According to a return presented to a meeting of the centre last night no fewer than 1124 calls were answered by the ambulances during the last quarter. The total mileage covered was 9970. The cost to the association was £498 10s, of which sum £92 2s 6d (including £3O from racing clubs) was refunded to the centre by way of donations. Calls were received from 25 districts covering a wide area. Christchurch city, with 944 calls, headed the list. A Transport Conference A conference of road transport operators under licence in terms of the Transport Licensing Act was opened in Wellington yesterday, delegates attending from all parts of the Dominion. The chairman was Mr A. S. Bailey; In view of the expectation of a Ministerial announcement within 24 hours, the conference postponed until to-day the portion of the agenda dealing with the consequences and effects of the proposed acquisition of road services by theRailways Department. The conference discussed matters affecting the conduct of area or feeder services.—Press Association. Farmers and Noxious Weeds Complaints of the present noxious weeds legislation were expressed at this week's meeting of the Waihemo County Council, when Cr. H. S. Sheat declared the present position to be unjust and claimed that the weeds were the responsibility of the State. The weeds were first brought into the country by other people, but the farmers received the blame for having them on their land. In the same way rabbits had spelled ruin to thousands of farmers who were now being sued because they had not cleared their properties of rabbits. Russian Ban on Clergy Disappointment that he had been unable to visit Soviet Russia was expressed this week by the Rev. Dr. T. L. Buxton, administrator of St. Patrick's Cathedral, Auckland, on his return by the Aorangi after a tour abroad. Dr. Buxton said on two occasions, in Italy and in Hungary, he had made application for admission to Russia as a tourist, but had been refused a visa by the Soviet travel agencies. The reason given was that the Soviet Government had recently passed a decree forbidding the crossing of its frontiers by priests of all denominations. Hungary's Troubles I '-'You people of Australia and New Zealand j are very lucky," said Mr E. G. Fenyvesi, a Hungarian merchant, when he arrived by the | Aorangi from Australia on his way home. In Hungary, he said, where there had been several revolutions since the Great War and other political events.had seriously affected the life of the people, almost half the people were unemployed. He also contrasted the peaceful state of affairs out here with the constant turmoil and threats of war in Europe. Rare Fish Captured With its glittering scales marked in at least, six brilliant colours, a fish of a variety strange to Auckland fishermen was caught by a member of the crew of the Ahuriri in deep water off Moko Hinau Island. It was identified by Mr A. W. B. Powell, acting-director of the Auckland War Memorial Museum, as a Sandager's parrot fish. He explained that the fish, which derived its name from its discoverer, who was a lighthouse keeper at Moko Hinau Island, was rarely captured in New Zealand waters and was more frequently found off the coasts of New South Wales and Queensland. A similar specimen was caught at Tauranga last week and was forwarded to the museum authorities for identification. Summer Game Poaching A novel solution of the problem of preventing out-of-season poaching of game by shooting was offered- the Wellington * Acclimatisation Society by Mr C. W. Satherley, of Foxton, who proposed that at the close of each shooting season all shotguns in a district "be handed to the officer in charge at the nearest police station within two days of the season closing, those persons subsequently found in possession of guns to be substantially fined. If a licence-holder lent a gun to a non-licence holder during the season both should be fined.