General News

Press, Volume LXXXIII, Issue 25249, 30 July 1947, Page 6

General News

Field-Marshal Walks Field-Marshal . Montgomery’s open car had been dismissed by the time his party reached Pukekqhe yesterday, but it was badly needed, for a crowd of unexpected size and hundreds of children had gathered. So great was the crowd that only those in the front .row could see .FieldMarshal Montgomery in his closed car. He solved the problem himself. His big car stopped abruptly, and, with thte Minister of Defence^ (Mr F. Jones) and his aide, the field-marshal got out and walked ahead of his car through the main street of Pukekohe. He has done this no where else in New Zealand.—(P.A.) Date of Budget The Minister of Finance (Mr W. Nash) said last evening that the presentation of the Budget might be delayed until August 14. South Island Publicity “I am sorry to hear again the old story that the South Island does not receive as much publicity as the North Island,” said Mr W. A. Pickford, of the Government Tourist Department, at a meeting in the Chamber of. Commerce yesterday called at the request of the chamber’s tourist committee to discuss steps to stimulate the publicaion of tourist literature for the South Island. “The heads of our department have common sense, and they are not likely to lay themselves open to criticism of this nature. Actually over the last 10 years the South Island has probably had more than its full share of publicity.” i VJ-Day Incident A belated reference to happenings in VJ-Day celebrations in New Zealand is contained in the report of tife Controller and Auditor-General presented to the House of Representatives yesterday. Setting out a schedule of sums payable although vouchers covering payments had been lost> the report adds: ‘‘A complete bundle Of vouchers covering payments in respect of various departments disappeared, it is said, on VJ-Day.”—(F.O.P.R.) Heavy Freight by Air Nearly two tons of port wine were flown across Cook Strait yesterday, and a complete house furniture removal was picked up for the return trip by the Bristol freighter aircraft Merchant Venturer. Railway and National Airways Corporation officials watched the performance. The machine was loaded in 10 minutes at Paraparaumu, took 30 minutes for the trip to Woodbourne, and turned round for the return trip 21 minutes later. The furniture was in the course of transfer from Christchurch to Hawera. —(P.A.)

Cures for Hiccoughs Since the publication in “The' Press” on Monday of a paragraph describing the plight of a young man in Hastings who had been suffering from an attack of the hiccoughs for a week, many suggestions for his cure have been received from readers, A nurse claims that a dose of a teaspoonful of sugar has always succeeded in cases within her experience. Other doses to be taken internally which readers claim to be effective include iodine in small quantities; a teaspoonful of vinegar; three drops of peppermint with two aspirin tablets: and half a teaspoonful of ground’ginger in half a cup of very hot water, with sugar added to taste. Another reader suggests burying the face in a paper bag, breathing in through the nose and out through the mouth. The strenuous exercise of supporting the weight of another person on the abdomen of the sufferer, who lies on hfs back, has also been recommended.

Compulsory Physical Training A suggestion that the Minister of Defence (Mr Jones) should consider the desirability of bringing in compulsory physical training in New Zealand was made in a notice of question in the House of Representatives yesterday by Mr C. Carr (Government, Timaru). The suggestion had been put forward in the latest issue of a returned servicemen’s magazine, Mr Carr said.—(F.O.P.R.)

Consignment of £ars The main item in the cargo of the steamer Rimutaka, which arrived at Wellington yesterday from London, is a consignment of light English cars. There were 292 passengers on board. The voyage, whizh .took 41 days, was made in unusually calm seas, except for two days in the Pacific, when a storm was encountered.—(P.A.) Shipping Losses in the ’6o’s

Eighty years ago, in July, 1867, strong south-west and south-east gales took a heavy toll of vessels on the New Zealand coastline. The most noti able of these losses were the barque Frederick and the brigantine Gratitude, which became total losses on the North Spit at Hokitika on July 22. At Wanganui, on July 7 P the schooner Rapid broke up with a cargo of coal as she was leaving the port, and on July 18, at the Grey river, the brigantine Harriet was lost in a gale. During this month, also, grave fears for the the schooner Phoenix, which was outward bound from Okarito, were expressed, since she had not made port at Dunedin in her specified time. Nothing was heard of the vessel again. At Oamaru, on July 3b of that year, the brigantine Vistula went ashore in a gale, was subsequently refloated, but ran ashore a second time and broke up. Two other vessels lying off Oamaru, the Midlothian and the Hope, were purposely run ashore to avoid wrecking. Air Passenger Fares

A suggestion that uniform rates should be charged for passenger fares by the National Airways Corporation was made by Mr J. R. Hanan (Opposition, Invercargill) in a notice of question given to the Minister in charge of the Air Department (Mr F. Jones) in the HouSe of Representatives yesterday. Mr Hanan asked what steps would be taken to correct existing anomalies. He said the single fare from Invercargill to Dunedin was 35s for an air distance of 105 miles and a total ground transport distance of 14 miles. The fare from Tauranga to Auckland was 32s 6d for an air distance of 125 miles and a total ground transport distance of 16 miles.—(P.A.) Stock in Good Condition Livestock in Canterbury had come t -pugh the winter remarkably well, said Mr M. H. Doyle, livestock superintendent for the Department of Agriculture in Christchurch, yesterday. Feed supplies had been good, and the weather had been favourable to stock. had been no reports of heavy stuck mortality in the back country. If conditions continued as they had been to date, prospects for stock in the spring were good, he added. . German War Criminals

Only 12 Germans accused of war crimes by New Zealand were conThis information was given at Wellington yesterday by Mr C. B. Burdekin, New Zealand representative on the War Crimes Trials Commission, who said vague descriptions and common names had made the finding of accused persons difficult. New Zealand brought about 100 charges, most of which were lodged by former prisoners of war who had been mistreated by their guards.— (P.A.) Deaths from Cancer The number of deaths from cancer during the year totalled 218, said the seventeenth annual report of the Christchurch Hospital consultation clinic, presented to the annual meeting of the Canterbury division of the New Zealand branch of the British Empire Campaign Society last evening. Cases of malignant disease alive and still under observation totalled 1299. Benefit Sought by U.S. Soldiers ‘‘That is a very reasonable request, and I shall put it up to the Government,’' said the Minister of Rehabilitation (Mr C. F. Skinner) after hearing Guy Hamilton Young, an American serviceman, ask for State housing privileges at the conference of the 2nd N.Z.E-F. Association yesterday. Hamilton asked if he and other American former servicemen who had married. New Zealand girls and settled in the country would be entitled to the same privileges in regard to State housing as were available to New Zealand returned servicemen. “We do not ask for anything special,” he said. “We are quite willing to stand in a queue.” —(P.A.)