General News

Press, Volume LXXXI, Issue 24751, 17 December 1945, Page 4

General News

Charlotte Jane Signalled Following the custom established a few years ago. the flag signals denoting the arrival of the Charlotte Jane, the first of the Four Ships to arrive at Lyttelton on December IC, 1850, were flown from the timeball signal station at Lyttelton yesterday. A Hope Realised

“This has been one of the great days of my life, for I had always hoped to live to see the opening of the whole line,’’ said Mr T. B. Young, who travelled from Temuka to Kaikoura on Saturday to attend the official opening of the South Island main trunk railway. Mr Young was present at the opening of the railway to Waipara in 1902, and he worked for several years on the railway construction as a contractor, carting materials with a team of horses. He transported his family and belongings by the team when he was transferred from Domett to Ward, the journey taking one week. When working on the line, Mr Young drew a section in a land settlement ballot in North Canterbury, and members of his family are now farming the property. When the Minister of Railways (the Hon. R. Semple) met Mr Young on Saturday at Kaikoura, he invited him to return to Christchurch in the Ministerial rail-car. 1500 Fairs of Stockings Pillaged The most recent case of pillaging reported to the Canterbury Manufacturers’ Association was disclosed at the meeting of the association’s council last week. It was the pillaging of 1500 pairs of women’s silk stockings valued at £4OO. The approximate date of the loss was put by the complainant firm at December 13, the stockings being part of a consignment from Wellington to Christchurch, and a clean receipt having been given by the shipping company at Wellington. Members of the council emphasised the need for all cases to be reported immediately so that publicity could be given to them.

Scarcity of Food in Britain The shortage of food in Britain at present is made clear in a letter received by a Christchurch resident from a correspondent in Middlesex. “We do find it very difficult here with continued food rationing,” the correspondent said. “We thought that with the ending of hostilities we would have had back a few of the little extras we used to enjoy, but it looks as though we shall have an even more frugal time this winter than before. We ca'n always do with tinned fruit, meat and sweets for our baby, and should you be able to procure any of these to send us without shortening supplies for yourself, I should be only too willing to pay all expenses and costs.”

Rail-cars on Order Big orders for rail-cars, many of the quadruple type, have been placed in Great Britain, said the Minister of Railways (the Hon. R. Semple) on Saturday when travelling by a rail-car to Kaikoura. He agreed that rail-cars were the transportation of the future particularly on suburban lines and on routes like_ that between Parnassus and Wharanui. The Ministerial car le ft Christchurch 1 hour 45 minutes after the special steam train, and followed the train into Kaikoura, the trip with only two stops, taking three hours.

Arrival of Meteor Aircraft The Meteor jet aircraft, which is on loan to the Dominion from the British Air Ministry, will arrive at Auckland from London on Christmas Eve on the New Zealand Shipping Company’s vessel Paparoa. Aucklanders will be the first in New Zealand to see the Meteor Mark 111 in the air when it is tested after assembly at Hobsonville.—(P.A.) School of Art The new syllabus covering secondary education meant reorganisation of the Canterbury University College School of Art so that it would function as a senior school, which would not give general education, said Mr J. H. E. Schroder, chairman of the Canterbury University College Coun--9*l, at the annual prize-giving ceremony of the school on Saturday evening. One obvious advantage of the reorganisation was the greater concentration of purpose which would be possible, Another advantage was that it would give relief from the inconvenience of working in an overcrowded building, continued Mr Schroder. However, if the authorities decided that there was now no need to continue with the project of building a new school, the change would be disastrous. Agitation for a new School of Art had been started many years ago, he continued, and at least 10 years ago the Prime Minister (the Rt. Hon. P. Fraser) had agreed that a new school was necessary. The college council had renewed its request for a new building on several occasions, and had reason to believe that the Minister ot Education (the Hon. H, G. R. Mason) was interested in the scheme. Increase in Thefts The relationship between the increase in thefts and the size of and conditions in the Police Force had been discussed at a recent clothing committee meeting, said Mr A. M. Hollander at the meeting of the Canterbury Manufacturers’ Association’s council last week, and the suggestion had been made that the Manufacturers’ Federation should recommend to the Minister of Justice an increase in the size of the force and the taking of all possible steps to improve the position. The council passed a resolution on the lines of this suggestion, and decided to seek the support of the Chamber of Commerce also. ■ Many Young Friends The father of a large family, the Minister of Railways (the Hon. R. Semple) made many young friends at Kaikoura on Saturday. When the Ministerial rail-car arrived at the south6rn end of the Kaikoura platform and was held up pending the clearing of top hne by the passenger train from Christchurch, scores of boys swarmed round the car, the first many had seen. When Mr Semple invited them to ride the remaining 150 yards of the car’s journey, a bewildering rush took place When at the opening function the Minister announced that he would take the risk of being caned by the Minnjtor °f Education by conceding the (toi’dren a holiday from school on Wednesday to mark the opening celebration, his popularity with the younger generation bounded. It reached a new height later in the afternoon when he invited the children to take short rides in the rail-car. Just as the car was leaving and Mr Semple was being bidden farewell by an admiring and grateful crowd of children a small Maori boy pushed forward and greeted him with, “Hello, pop.” The boy headed fast down the track with his mates towards an ice-cream stall when the Minister handed him a florin. Students’ Art Display An exhibition of work done bv of the Canterbury University College School of Art has been arranged at the school. Many persons the display on Saturday eventnl P r^' g toto g ceremony of ,the school. All sides of the students’ fntf V1 f leS ’ lnc ,iuding drawing and paintin®, from itfe, landscape painting architectura! drawing and metal-work, I iif lsplayed ’ and the exhibition should prove stimulating to students and interesting to the public. It will [™ am °P en until Wednesday even-

„, T . Religion in Germany No fewer than 40 Catholic chinches hav J ng regular services in Frankfurt and its suburban districts according to a tabulation in the first l of I s considered the first Catholic Church publication in the American zone of occupation of Germany. says “Zealandia." “The name of the weekly is “Frankfurter Kathohsches Pfarrblatt," and it is published jointly by the pastors of greater Frankfurter. A Capuchin priest. Father Titus Huebenthal, is editor. The paper is sold for 10 pfennigs. The first issue reports on various activities in the Frankfurter region, such as the.annual convention of the St. Vincent de Paul Society and a pilgrimage of 5000 Catholic young men from all parts of the diocese to the centre of Mariental. These pilgrimages had been* forbidden under the Nazi regime."