General News

Press, Volume LXXXIII, Issue 25328, 30 October 1947, Page 6

General News

Stomach Influenza Prevalent Christchurch doctors have been busy recently attending many patients with stomach influenza, a not uncommon complaint about this time of the year, and several doctors themselves nave had the disease. The effects of stomach influenza are very unpleasant, and fainting is common. It is fairly highly infectious, and doctors say that the only precautions which can be taken are those taken against catching a common cold. Street Procession By-law . “In general I am in agreement with the decision of the Magistrate,” said the Mayor of Wellington (Mr Will Appleton) yesterday, commenting on the decision of Mr J. H. Thompson, S.M., who held that the Wellington by-law governing street processions was unreasonable as well as repugnant to the laws of New Zealand and consequently was invalid. Mr Appleton said he favoured decisions being made by the City Council as a whole, and not by the Mayor as under the by-law. It was essential there should be some form of control over street processions but he thought the time had come when the by-law should be reviewed. —(PA.) West Coast Roads At 7 p.m. yesterday, according to advice from the Automobile Association, Canterbury, the roads leading to the West Coast through Porters Pass, Arthur’s Pass, and the Lewis Pass, were all open to motor traffic. Artificial Dentures A new technique in the construction of artificial dentures by the use of the patient’s own teeth was described at a recent conference of dental technicians in New York. The method used, according to Mr R. A. Copeman, of Montreal. was to hollow out the extracted teeth, and refill them with plastic. The technician then mounts them as he does with purely artificial teeth. Mr Copeman said that this method could be used if deterioration was not too far advanced, and was particularly applicable when extraction was necessitated by medical rather than dental reasons.

Observers at General Assembly The Revs. A. L. Fiebig and Raymond Dudley, representing the Methodist Church, and the Rev. W. M. Garner, representing the .Congregational Union, attended as observers at yesterday’s session of the Presbyterian General Assembly in Christchurch. The clerk of the Assembly (the Rev. J. G. S. Dunn) explained that in pursuance of the Assembly’s policy on church union negotiations, invitations had been extended to other non-conformist churches to send observers to the Assembly.

Price of Eggs . No decision has yet been made by the Government about the price of eggs, after the application by the New Zealand Poultry Board for an increase. The poultry industry’s case was presented to the Economic Stabilisation Commission last week, and it has made its recommendations to the Government, which is still considering them,, National Savings Record A record number of 336 towns reached their national savings quotas last week. In 14 of the 20 postal districts all the local weekly quotas were reached. In the last six months 285 new national savings groups were established, against 262 for the whole of the last financial year. Nine thousand new individual group accounts have been- opened since April 1 jn comparison with 5200 at the same date in 1946. The regular group income from deductions from wages and salaries through groups has risen, to £1,000,000 a year, representing 20 per cent, of the total national savings investments. —(P.S.S.)

Bible-in-Schools League On the motion of the Rev. L. V. Bibby, the Presbyterian General Assembly, at its session in Christchurch last evening, approved the proposed change in the name of the Bible-in-Schools League to the Educational Department of the National Council of Churches. It also recommended that the new body should adopt a constitution similar to that of the Youth Committee of the National Council of Churches. The Assembly approved of the educational policy of the churches being administered by one agency with its own budget and staff. This agency was empowered to use to the fullest possible extent the facilities available for worship and r eligious instruction in the educational institutions of the Dominion, and to formulate and submit to the churches new proposals on religious education and allied matters. Selwyn Drainage Scheme \ Advice has been received by the chairman of the North Canterbury Catchment Board (Mr W. Machin) that the Minister of Works (Mr R. Semple) will attend a ceremony to inaugurate the Selwyn river drainage scheme on November 17. The ceremony will begin at 2.30 p.m. and will be held on the bank of the Selwyn river above the Upper Selwyn Huts. Part of the programme will be a demonstration of new ditching machinery.

Airport Strike in Fiji An argument between a Fijian cook and a Chinese cook which resulted in the dismissal of the Fijian. cook was followed a few days ago by a strike at Nandi aerodrome involving between 200 and- 300 men. writes the Suva correspondent of “The Press.” The Fijians affected were employed by the New Zealand Public Works Department. Unsuccessful efforts to settle the dispute were made at a meeting convened by the District Commissioner, and attended by the Commissioner of Labour. Adjustments in pay of unskilled labour and allegedly unjust dismissals of men are now included in the various grievances stated by the men, and as the Public Works Department will not agree to the reinstatement of the men concerned a deadlock has resulted. A strong police guard was sent to the aerodrome when the dispute occurred, and all services, including messing and staffing, are being carried out by European members of the staff, ine trouble is confined to the native personnel engaged on maintenance and constructional work, and is not affecting the arrival and dispatch of the international airliners operating across the Pacific. Nandi is 130 miles by road from Suva. - .

Long Walk to School Few children in New Zealand have to walk 13 miles on the round trip to an -5 , f . rom scho °l every day, but in the middle of the Urewera Country, 60 miles from Rotorua, there are five Maori children who do this. The Te Whaiti native school which they attend is six and a half miles from their home on the road between Te Whaiti and Rutahuna, and the five children whose ages range from five to 11 years, walk the whole distance each way almost every day, part of the way over a steep 900 ft hill. Mr and Mrs K Dougherty’s children are James aged 11; Cecilia, aged eight; Joan and Adnane, aged seven; and Libya aged five. They leave their home, wlilch is half a mile off the road, between 5.30 a.m, and 6 a.m., and the walk generally takes them from two and a half to three hours. In winter they leave home, walk the greater part of the distance, and arrive home at night, all in darkness. .Often in the winter months however, they are allowed to leave school at 2 p.m. There is little traffic on the road, and it is very rarely that they are offered a ride; they never signal for one.