General News

Press, Volume LXXXIII, Issue 25275, 29 August 1947, Page 6

General News

Vice-Regal Flight from Carrier The Governor-General (Sir Bernard Freyberg) left Wellington yesterday on the aircraft-carrier H.M.S. Theseus, which wore the flag' of the GovernorGeneral. After lunch with RearAdmiral C. E. Creasey, the GovernorGeneral flew from the carrier to Paraparaumu in a Firefly piloted by Lieu-tenant-Commander (A) David WynneRoberts, R.N., returning to Wellington by car.—(P.A.) Tinle-payment and Races “A big proportion of our customers on the time-payment and hire purchase systems miss, or greatly reduce their payments during race periods,” said an accountant of a Christchurch firm yesterday. He did not go to the races himself very often, but when he did it was usual to observe in attendance also about 75 per cent, of his firm’s time-payment customers who were behind in their payments. Payments missed during these periods were very rarely made up. ‘‘lt seems that these people are determined not to go with-, out their races even though it does mean missing payments of one kind or another,” r le said.

Moscow’s Anniversary An invitation to attend the eight hundredth anniversary of the city of Moscow was handed to the Mayor of Wellington (Mr Will Appleton) on Wednesday by the Charge d’Affaires for the Soviet Union (Mr P. K. Ermoshin), who acted on behalf of Mr Pepov, Mayor of Moscow. Because of an unfortunate delay, the invitation did not arrive in time for the Mayor of Wellington or his representatives to accept the invitation, but Mr Appleton sent a message of greetings and goodwill to the Mayor of Moscow. —(P.A.) Quick Work Many and varied requests are received by the Mayor of Christchurch (Mr E. H. Andrews) from overseas, and the mail yesterday morning contained a request from Liverpool for the vzhereabouts of a man believed to live in Christchurch. Only a very inadequate address was given, but by the afternoon the man had been found, primary Production Councils A request that the Prime Minister (Mr P. Fraser) should consider the re-establishment of primary production councils, “which did sugh outstanding work during the war,”, was made by Mr M. H. Oram (Opposition, Manawatu) in a notice of question in the House of Representatives yesterday. Mr Oram suggested that this step should be taken -to further the “Aid to Britain” campaign and to increase primary production—(P.A.) Travelling Times He had taken eight weeks to get to England, and three days to setback, said Mr lan Coster, who is visiting Christchurch, yesterday. Mr Coster was a member of the literary staff of “The Press” before he left Tor England from Auckland in 1929. He is now on the staff of “The Daily Mail,” London. Travelling by British Overseas Airways Corporation’s line-—“the longest and fastest in the world” —Mr Coster arrived in New Zealand- recently after a three days’ journey. Gift Food Parcels Some persons in Christchurch have been concerned to find that they are required to complete a customs declaration describing the goods in gift food parcels sept to Britain. There has been no change in procedure, and the parcels are not subject to customs duty in England. Through an oversight parcels had been accepted without the declaration, but, at the request i f the British authorities, there has always been provision for the declaration. Plaster of Paris for Hospitals No difficulties have been experienced by the Christchurch Hospital in obtaining sufficient supplies of plaster of parts. Orders placed through a local firm have been promptly filled by an American company. Auckland hospitals have been troubled with the irregularity of supplies, and since the Middlemore Hospital opened it has had insufficient quantities. When the Auckland Hospital Board wrote to the North Canterbury Hospital Board explaining its difficulties, the North Canterbury Board told the Auckland Board where it obtained its supplies, and it is hoped in Auckland that simi- ■ lar supplies will be ’available, Island Banana Trade A request that the Minister of Marketing (Mr E. L. Cullen) should confer with the Union Steam Ship Com- i pany to ensure that the new ship for the passenger and fruit trade in the islands should be capable of carrying ( bananas by the bunch was made by Mr W. H. Gillesnie (Opposition, Hurunui) in a question in the House of Representatives yesterday. Mr Gillespie added in a note to the question that bananas ripened on the bunch had a higher nutritional value than those imported under the present conditions. —(F.O.P.R.) Amendment of Awards A copy of the appeal made this week by the Arbitration Court fop expediting the amendment of awards in terms of the recent pronouncement on standard wages, wag received yesterday by the secretary of the Canterbury Employers’ Association (tylr H, F. Butland), together with a list of awards on the amendment of which it was suggested that conferences of the parties should be held. About 600 awards require to be amendefl'py the Court, which proposes to deal with 150 of them within a fortnight. Alarm Clocks Stolen A case containing 410 Swiss alarm clocks was broken open on the liner Akaroa, which arrived at Auckland I from Southampton on August 10, and 296 clocks were stolen. The case wgs consigned to an Auckland firm. The clocks had a retail value of about £2 2s 6d. The police are believed to. have found about 120 of the clocks hidden in a ventilator on the ship.(P.A.) Sheep and Goats When she first went to India she could not distinguish between the Indian goat and sheep, said Miss M. Feickert, of the Church Missionary Society, India, when speaking at th® annual meeting of the Christchurch branch of the society last evening. An Indian shepherd informed her that a sheep’s tail went up and a goat’s down. This was the only way of distinguishing them. Warning from Mr Speaker Members of the House of Representatives were reprimanded for persistent interjections several times yesterday by Mr Speaker (Mr R. McKeen). He said that the member for Patea (Mr W. A- Shept) ip particular bad been offending? “I have been watching him for days and, although I am reluctant to name him, he must refrain from persistent cross-talk across the floor of the House,” said Mr Speaker. Any member who was speaking had a fundamental right to be heard and, although relevant interjections were not objected to, repeated ross-talk and shouting across the floor of the House could not be tolerated.---(P.A.) Export of Scrap Iron The pojicy of the New Zealand; Waterside Workers’ Union op the ex- : port of scrap iron was endorsed by! the National Council of the New Zealand Federation of Labour yesterday. I The union sought this endorsement I because of the expected arrival shortly of another ship to load scrap iron for. export. It has been the union’s policy' to refuse to load scrap for overseasj unless its export has the special sanetion of the Minister of Customs, This ■ policy was instituted 10 years ago J when the sale of scrap iron to Japan was in dispute, and it is stated to have had Government support—(P.A.) | Opening of Scant Jamboree “The sight at this movement will never be forgotten by those who had the privilege of witnessing it,” said the leader of the New Zealand contingent to the world scout jamboree (Sir Joseph Ward), describing the scene at the opening of the jamboree in Paris when the foreign delegations filed on to the arena. “Bands, flashlights, cheers, .photographs, movies, searchlights. the tramp of marching feet a I welcome to each new delegation, the variety of colour, the diversity of unis ‘ forms, the clash of cymbals, the fan-' fares of trumpets, the playing of bands, the skirl of bagpipes—for half , an hour, a dream land, the birth of; world fellowship,” I