General News

Press, Volume LXXIV, Issue 22387, 28 April 1938, Page 10

General News

Oyster Exports from Bluff

Though the port of Bluff may rank only fifth in the Dominion for exports, it holds a unique position for the export of one commodity—oysters. It easily heads the list there. The catch of oysters last year reached the huge total of almost 60,000,000. In his annual address to the Bluff Harbour Board yesterday, the chairman (Mr W. A. Ott) said: "In the export of oysters overseas, Bluff occupies first place for fresh oysters, with 60,580 dozen, and first place for tinned oysters, with 162,855 dozen. As most of the fresh oysters are consumed in New Zealand, they do not appear in the statistics as exports from Bluff, but it is interesting to note that for last season the catch from Foveaux Strait was 64,942 sacks or more than 4,750,000 dozen oysters."—Press Association.

Branch Medical Faculty

Reference to the Branch Faculty School of Medicine, attached to the Otago Medical School, which is now established at the Christchurch Public Hospital, was made in the report submitted to the annual meeting yesterday by the Medical Superintendent, Dr. A. D. Nelson. "Teaching is not confined to members of the faculty but is undertaken by practically all members of the honorary staff," said his report. "Fourteen final-year students are attached to the hospital this year and Professor C. E. Hercus, Dean of the Medical Faculty of the University of Otago, tells me that he is more than satisfied with the type of instruction given to students." Farmers Consider Health Insurance The North Canterbury Provincial Executive of the New Zealand Farmers' Union had before it at its meeting yesterday a telegram from headquarters asking if it had any views to express about the Government's national health insurance scheme. Mr W. W. Mulholland, Dominion president of the Farmers' Union, was present and took part in a long discussion on the scheme, which was taken in committee. On resuming in open meeting, the president of the executive, Mr I. L. M. Coop, reported that the executive supported the superannuation scheme which the Farmers' Union had been advocating. Anticipating the Game Season Special steps to prevent the illegal taking of game before the shooting season opens are to be taken this year by the North Canterbury Acclimatisation Society. Mr C. H. Lawrence said at the meeting of the council of the society last evening that a great deal of game was always taken illegally before the season opened, and as May 1 this year was a and legitimate shooting could not begin until the Monday, there was likely to be more illegal shooting than usual. He hoped that the society would endeavour to secure rangers throughout the district and give them as free a hand as possible to check this practice. On his motion the society decided to spend up to £SO on the employment of additional temporary, rangers. , Ambulance and Fire Brigade The relative usefulness of the St. John Ambulance and the Fire Brigade was discussed at a meeting of the general committee of the former last evening, when members seemed to be in agreement that the ambulance was the more useful. "People sometimes want a fire, and are as annoyed as Billy-oh when the brigade appears. But nobody wants an accident. The demand for the ambulance is there, but there is no response to our appeals for assistance," said Mr B. J. McKenna. Access to Northcote Work will start immediately on repairing the access road to the State settlement at Northcote. This was decided on at a meeting of the Waimairi County Council last evening, when the council decided to accept the offer of the State Advances Corporation of £25 towards the cost of the work. This offer was conveyed to the council by Mr C. Morgan Williams, M.P. During a short discussion, members agreed that the road urgently needed improvement, but some objection was raised to a provision from the department that .the £25 should be deducted from any future roading grant made to the council by the department. On the council deciding to start the work, Mr Morgan Williams agreed to raise this objection with the department. Need for Blood Donors An appeal for blood donors was made by Mr C. H. Kersley at a meeting of the general committee of the St. John Ambulance Association last evening. He said that since the inception of the Canterbury branch of the National Blood Transfusion Service, 50 transfusions had been made and 20 lives saved. There was still an urgent need for donors. Visit of French Warship Advice was received in Christchurch yesterday that the French war sloop, Rigault de Genouilly, will arrive at Lyttelton on May 26 for a visit of four days. On May 30 the sloop will visit Akaroa and on May 31 it will leave for Dunedin. The Rigault de Genouilly is under the command of Captain Plante and has a complement of 12 officers and 128 men. It has a displacement of 2000 tons and carries three 138 millimetre guns and four 37 millimetre guns. £6150 Spent on Relief That extensive relief work is still being carried out with the assistance of the Government was shown in the county clerk's report presented at the meeting of the Waimairi County Council last evening. The report contained a schedule of work and the cost carried out under various relief works during the last six months. The total value of this work during that period was £6151 15s 7d. Easily the biggest individual sum in that list was for work at Spencer Park, on which £2542 4s 7d was spent, according to the report. On Marshland Domain £671 16s was spent, on the Papanui Domain £261 5s Bd, Fendalton Park £223 17s 6d, Bottle Lake road £507 17s 6d, and Dunlop's road £583. These were the major items of expenditure on the various relief works controlled by the council. Strong comment on the situation was made by Cr. G. G. Gardner, who said that ratepayers should realise that while the council itself had only £15,000 available for its general expenditure and administration, the State was spending nearly half as much alone on relief work in the county, on "fooling about the sandhills" and work of that sort. Secretary for Hospital Board Of 163 applicants for the position of secretary to the Auckland Hospital • Board, three have been selected for interviews at a special meeting of the board next Tuesday evening. All are New Zealanders and resident in the North Island. The name of the successful applicant will be announced after the meeting. Nine names were before the special meeting in committee recently, and after some deliberation by members, followed by a ballot, the number was reduced to three. Toll of the West Coast Floods Residents on the eastern side of the Southern Alps can have little idea of the tremendous volume of water brought down by West Coast rivers in times of heavy rain, nor of the vast damage that can be caused by one of these swollen torrents. Mr T. W. West, of Christchurch, who has returned with Mrs West from a motoring holiday in Nelson and Westland, had ample opportunity to see the widespread havoc caused by the recent floods, and he told a reporter yesterday that the work of restoration was being tackled in a most determined and efficient manner. Hundreds of men were working on the roads all over the West Coast. Rivers ' that rise six feet in 20 minutes and that cut back 10-feet-high banks for a distance of a chain and a half in less than an hour are only some of the problems road engineers have to face on the West Coast, said Mr West, who, while at Waiho, was gratified to receive "The Press," transported by rail-car and aeroplane, at 10.30 on the morning of issue. University College Election An interval of 40 days will occur between the calling of nominations and the election of a member of the Auckland University College Council by the Court of Convocation of the Auckland University district. The vacancy on the council has been caused by the- death of the president of the college (Mr H. J. D. Mahon). The long interval between the closing of nominations and the holding of the postal ballot is governed by regulations.