General News

Press, Volume LXXXIII, Issue 25271, 25 August 1947, Page 6

General News

A Fish Story A four-ounce fish, six and threequarter inches long, has won a fishing competition, writes the London correspondent of “The Press.” It almost; broke a record, not because it was so small, but because it was so large. It was four drams under the accepted rod-caught record for gudgeons. It was the best specimen of a fish submitted in last month’s “Daily Herald” national competition, and won the prize (a new rod) from a 321 b Tope (male), an 11-ounce dace, a 191 b ling, and a 41b chub. A 581 b conger was well down the list. It was the wrong shape. The gudgeon is the smallest fish which can win this prize. • The largest is the shark. Weaving at School of Art When new looms arrive from England, the weaving instruction introduced this year at the Canterbury University College School of Art will be extended to include tapestry weaving. It will not be possible to give training in this subject only and students will be required to follow the whole course in needlework. At present, Swedish looms for straight weaving are in use. Trade Training Period Extended. Returned servicemen training as bricklayers or plasterers at the Rehabilitation Board’s trade training centres will have a training term at the centre of two years instead of one. Previously, trainees in bricklaying and plastering have spent one year at the centre and another 12 months with private employers at award rates of pay, part of which was paid Dy the board. They will now, as before, do 26 weeks in the workshop and 26 weeks in the field, but will also do 52 weeks as extension training on State housing contract work. This is similar to the arrangement which has been in force in the case of carpentry trainees. Where employers are prepared to take trainees before the end of two years subsidies will be paid on wages. State Houses Allocated

During July, 272 houses were let or relet, said the Minister in charge of State Housing (Mr F. Hackett). Of these tenancies. 145 were granted to applicants eligible for the preference extended to certain classes of former servicemen. In the same month 1198 applications for State tenancies were lodged, comprising 466 applications to the Rehabilitation Department by eligible former servicemen. and 732 civilian applications to the State Advances Cornoration. The applications on hand at July 31 totalled 53,827, of which 14,889 were ‘from former servicemen in a preferential category, and 38.938 from civilians. Since the inception of the Government’s present housing scheme 23,398 new tenancies had been made available. — (P.A.) A Dirty Nation? Dr. W. G. Clark, Medical Officer of Health for Edinburgh, has surveyed the area known as the Royal Mile, and announced his opinion that the Scots are “among the dirty nations of the world,” writes the London correspondent of “The Press.” He said conditions were steadily declining. Unfit houses could not be condemned because at least they provided roofs for the overcrowded inmates. The Royal Mile was full of filth. His deepest impression was of the extraordinary apathy and ignorance of the people about the simple arts of healthy living. Ewe with Quintuplets Five lambs were born to a, Border Leicester ewe on the property of Mr S. Beatson, of Ngatimoti, Nelson, recently. The lambs are reported to be doing well. So far this season 13 of Mr Beatson’s ewes have produced 27 lambs. Commercial Teachers’ Training A new scheme for the training of commercial teachers in post-primary schools has been announced by the Minister of Education (Mr H. G. R. Mason). It is proposed to invite persons under 30 years of age with office experience to spend one year on a course of instruction to fill gaps in technical training, and at the same time to gain an insiglrt into teaching practice. The Minister added that 20 trainees would be chosen for the course to be held next year.—(P.A.) Bagpipes for U.S.A. A London firm of wind-instrument makers has had some difficulty convincing the Board of Trade that it can contribute to the dollar drive with exports to America, writes the London correspondent of “The Press.” The firm makes bagpipes, and it was some time before anyone would believe that the Americans would not only permit the firm’s product to enter the United States, but pay dollars for the privilege. Once past the official difficulties, the firm is providing a perfect example of how Britain would like to adjust her trade between the soft and hard currency areas. The wood for the pipes comes from West Africa, the ivory from the Belgium Congo, the tartan from Scotland, the sheepskin for the bag from England, and the tartan ribbon, oddly enough, from France. Scotland, then, provides only the cloth. Even the skill, comes from London. And it is a considerable skill. This firm, which makes its pipes in Camden Town, made the first bagpipe to compass a complete chromatic scale, over a range of nearly two octaves. It can play almost any tunes, and it is even claimed that it can combine with other instruments. It may turn up any time now behind the flutes and oboes in the Philadelphia Symphony. Tourist Traffic There was a great opportunity for the interchange of tourist traffic between Australia and New Zealand, said Mr L. Trout, president of the Australian Automobile Association, who is. visiting New Zealand to study motoring problems, signposting, and road safety methods. “People don’t realise the close proximity of the two countries, and with the state of unrest in Europe, trips to Australia and New Zealand would be far more favourable than to countries overseas,” said Mr Trout. There was also no shortage of food and other amenities in Australia and New Zealand such as existed in Europe. Jewellery Stolen from Shop Jewellery valued at £6O was stolen from Hutchinson and Bennett’s shop in Lambton quay shortly before 4 a.m. on Saturday, the window being smashed with a brick. “Wisps of Delight”

English manufacturers of nylon stockings regularly infuriate the women of this country with some doubtless well-meaning press release about the quality and virtue of their product, writes the London correspondent of “The Press.” The latest news is of thousands and thousands of pairs being mede from an especially fine yarn. They are “dream stockings,” “wisps of delight,” and more. Since they can never be found in the shops, this is at least tantalising. Continental tourists find them in Geneva and Brussels, but there are none in the Old Kent road, none, even, in Knightsbridge. Faced with postered exhortations to export or starve, women shoppers tend to express a preference for glorious death, wearing nylons; but the significance of the Government’s decision to cut hard currency imports may be clearer when the inevitable food cuts take effect, and when an exported stocking, however wispy, can be related to bushels of grain and pounds of tneat.