General News

Press, Volume LXXIV, Issue 22358, 23 March 1938, Page 10

General News

£II,OOO Won in Sweepstake The purchase of two tickets in Blenheim in an overseas sweepstake on February 17 has brought Mr J. C. Coologan, a roadman employed by the Marlborough County Council, a fortune of £II,OOO. Mr Coologan bought two tickets in the sweepstake, and the second one, No, 3906, won first prize.—“ The Press” Special Service. Cyclists and School Children A warning to cyclists who failed to exercise care at street crossings when school children were on the road was given in the Magistrate’s Court yesterday morning by Mr E. C. Levvey, S.M., when a charge of cycling negligently was heard against two cyclists. The cyclists were alleged to have ridden across a pedestrian crossing outside the Sydenham School when children were crossing the road and when a school monitor was holding up a stop signal. The Magistrate said that the Court would in future deal severely with cases where such signals were ignored. “There are some cyclists who do not seem to care,” he said. Visitors to Rotary Luncheon A record number of 24 visitors from various parts of New Zealand was present at the weekly luncheon of the Christchurch Rotary Club yesterday. Ten of the visitors were ’Rotarians, and a distinguished guest was Sir Stenson Cooke, secretary of the Automobile Association of Great Britain. “Any Amount of Hardship” “Hardship does not. matter,” said Mr W. Cecil Prime, employers’ representative on the Court of Arbitration, when an employers’ witness was asked during the hearing of the Dominion upholstresses’ dispute at Wellington, whether the granting of a workers’ claim would cause hardship. “Under the legislation we have to-day you will get any amount of hardship. The question should be, ‘ls it impracticable for the industry to be carried on efficiently under the provision.’ ” No Towel Better than Common Towel Saying that it was better for no towel 1o be in a wash-room than l towel that everybody had to use and which might spread an infection, Dr. Mary Champtaloup pointed out to a meeting of parents at Mount Cook School, Wellington, that if two roller towels were,provided for 200 children and each child washed its hands as often as it should, each towel would be used 500 times a week. Paper towels were recommended, or else small individual towels. Pedestrian Crossings “Belisha beacons are a great success in England and you in New Zealand like them, too, said Sir Stenson Cooke, secretary of the Automobile Association of Great Britain, at the dinner given in his honour by the Automobile Association, Canterbury, last evening. The English beacons stood well above the height of the windscreen; and they could easily be seen, he said. Gradually the Automobile Association was getting motorists and the general public to observe them. Such pedestrian crossings were new in the Dominion, and it was apparent that people had yet to become accustomed to them. Only that day he had seen a woman pedestrian crossing in the midst of traffic when there was a marked crossing only 15 yards away Moriori Adzes The already comprehensive collection <>l stone adzes at the Canterbury Museum has been increased this week by the acquisition cl 29 Moriori adzes from Pitt Island. The adzes, which represent very fully the range of the Moriori craftsman’s art, were collected by Mr H. A. Hunt, of Pitt Island. They vary greatly in size and include work of a highly finished character. One is unusually large. What Do You Want To Be? One boy in every four wants to be an engineer, according to a survey conducted among 755 boys in Standard VI at 28 schools in and near Christchurch by the Vocational Guidance Department of the Young Men’s Christian Association. Clerical work ranked next on the list, with one boy in every nine, and then cabinet-making and carpentry with one in every 11. A total of 44 boys aimed at entering the Civil Service, 35 at the various branches of aviation. 21 at teaching, and 20 at farming, including poultry-fanning and fruit-farming. The least popular occupations, each nominated by only one boy in the 755, were those of tailor, printer, window-dresser, cinematograph operator. confectioner, furrier, chromium plater, botanist, horticulturist, and optician. Of the boys interviewed 157 had made no choice. Those intending to enrol at a post-primary school numbered 608, and of the others 29 had positions to go to. Work of Automobile Association High praise for the work of the Automobile Association of Great Britain was given by the president of the Christchurch Rotary Club, Mr A E Kincaid, when introducing Sir Stenson Cooke secretary of the Automobile Association of Great Britain, at the club’s weekly luncheon yesterday. “Only those who have motored through Great Britain have any idea from what the organisation has grown and why it has grown,” said Mr Kincaid, when mentioning Ihe various facilities placed at the disposal ot visitors from overseas. He said that a book he had obtained from one of the road boxes of the association in England told the stoiy or the early growth of the association from an initial membership of 90. The first secretary had retained office since the formation of the organisation and the King had seen fit to decorate him for his great work, then was only about half of that paid to a labourer to-day, but one is not so badly off now,” said Sir Stenson Cooke amid, laughter, in returning thanks for the welcome. Low Rate of Interest Doubts whether the debentures could be sold with an interest rate limited to 3a per cent, were expressed by members of the Chris. - church Drainage Board last evening when advice was received from the Treasury consen - ing to the raising of a loan ot £ 1700 for the deepening of Dudley stream to alleviate floo - ing, with a provision that the rate of interest should not be more than 34 per cent. While some members contended that money could n be obtained at this rate, others said the board would have no trouble in selling the debentures. Should the board not be successful in raising the money, an application will be mad., to the Local Government Loans Boaid for pei : mission to increase the rate. New Zealanders’ Road Courtesy “You in New Zealand are streets ahead ot us in road courtesy,” said Sir Stenson Cooke, general secretary of the Automobile Associatip. of Great Britain, at the dinner given m his honour by the Automobile Association (Canterbury) last evening.- “Ypu have* that spmt of brotherhood that compels you to slow down and see if you can help when you see someone in difficulties. That is the spirit of consideration for others that should exist among motorists.” y More Trams for Wellington “The tramways department realises that, because of a big increase in passenger traffic in the last 12 months, there is at present some overloading during busy hours, and that it wul be necessary to push on with the programme for the construction of new rolling-stock, said Mr M. Cable, general manager of the tramways department of the Wellington City Corporation on Monday. The approach of the Centennial Exhibition, which would bring with it a further increase in traffic, was another factor to be considered, Mr Cable said. Before 1940 up to 20 new cars would be placed on the rails. The construction of five was already proceeding, but the most suitable design for the remainder had not yet been decided Tenders for the construction of 10 new buses’ to meet immediate requirements have been accepted. This will mean a large increase iri the department’s fleet of buses as there are af present only 24 in service. Mr Cable said that further buses, probably as many as 12, would be required before the opening of the exhibition, to which a direct bus service would be run supplementary to the tramways service.