General News

Press, Volume LXXXIII, Issue 25364, 11 December 1947, Page 6

General News

Typhoid Outbreak Waning Although there are still a number of typhoid patients in the Burwood and Kaikoura Hospital?, the outbreak of typhoid fever which occurred recently is considered by the medical superintendent of the Christchurch Public Hospital (Dr. A. D. Nelson) to be past its zenith. Dr. Nelson said yesterday afternoon that no deaths from typhoid, had been reported to him since the two some time ago. The District Medical Officer of Health in Christchurch (Dr. J. H. Blakelock) confirmed yesterday that no more deaths from typhoid had been notified to his department.

Inquiry into Fire The personnel of trie commission appointed to inquire into Ballantype’s fire will probably be announced this morning. The Minister of Internal Affairs (Mr W. E. Parry), who will make the announcement, returned to Wellington from the north yesterday, and has been engaged at a meeting of Cabinet for most of the day. It is understood that the members of the commission have already been decided upon, out that the announcement has been delayed until the order of reference is finished.-^-(F.0.P.R.) Cargo Record for Port

A record amount of cargo was handled at the port of Lyttelton during the year ended on September 30, 1947, said the retiring chairman (Mr W. S. Mac Gibbon) at the annual meeting of the Lyttelton Harbour Board yesterday. The deficiency in the revenue account had increased from £6744 in 1945-46 to £18,529, after making a charge on revenue of a transfer to a special renewal fund of £BOOO. For the financial year ended on September 30, 1947, port statistics were as follows, with comparative figures for the previous financial year in parenthesis: arrivals, 823 (747); register tonnage, 1,774,374 (1,416,516); manifest tonnage, 802,649 (734.151). Hardwood Timber Arrives One million feet of timber, comprising 40.000 hardwood sleepers for the New Zealand Railways, 400 tons of hardwood poles for the New Zealand Government, and some sawn hardwood, arrived in Wellington yesterday by the James Cook from Coff’s Harbour, Australia.—(p.A.) Fire Protection for Ships Negotiations are to be begun by the Lyttelton Harbour Board with the Christchurch Fire Board for additional protection against fires in its property and in ships in the port. This was decided by the board yesterday on the recommendation of the secretary (Mr A. L. Burk), who said there had been occasions when it was necessary to call upon assistance from the Christchurch Fire Brigade in addition to that afforded by the Lyttelton Fire Brigade. The board had no definite arrangement with the Christchurch Fire Board, and this was a weakness which should be remedied. Mr T. M. Charters, who is the chairman of the Fire Board, said his board would give the Harbour Board’s request favourable consideration. Primary Teachers’ Salaries Although teachers of the Canterbury Education Board will be released from duty on December 12, a week early, because of the emergency precautions against poliomyelitis, it will not be possible to make their salaries payable until December 19, as scheduled, said the secretary (Mr L. E. Rowley) yesterday. Salary advices would be sent to schools by the end of this week if possible; but teachers who did not receive them should arrange to have mail sent on immediately to their holiday addresses so that cheques could be cashed before Christmas. Any teacher unable to make satisfactory arrangements should communicate with the salaries branch of the board. Dual‘Voting in Election There were three cases of dual voting in the Westland by-election, according to the official scrutiny of votes which was completed yesterday afternoon, under the supervision of the Returning Officer, Mr W. M. Fraser (Hokitika). The three persons concerned are elderly people, and it has not yet been decided what action will be taken. The official count, which will include postal, absentee and declaration votes, was commenced yesterday afternoon, and it is expected that the final result of the election will be known within two or three days. Y.M.C.A. Street Appeal The sum of £436 was raised by a street appeal held by the Christchurch Y.M.C.A. yesterday. The total was a substantial increase on the amount of £366 raised last year. Secondary school pupils and mothers who usually act as collectors for the Y.M.C.A. were not available yesterday because of the precautions being ,taken against infantile paralysis; but there were sufficient volunteers to staff most of the usual collection places in the city. Diamond Bay Jetty

A report on a proposed new jetty at Diamond Bay to serve the western part of the Diamond Harbour settlement was presented to the Lyttelton Harbour Board yesterday by the engineer (Mr A. J. Charman). On Mr F. E. Sutton’s motion, it was decided to send the report to the Lyttelton Borough Council, and to deal with it after the council’s reply had been received. Mr Charman set the cost of the jetty at £4159, or alternatively, by reducing the approach span from 50 feet to 25 feet and substituting a rock approach, at £3650. “Should this work be undertaken in the near future, urgent repairs to wharves in the port would be correspondingly delayed,” added Mr Charman. Increasing Production

So far I have been particularly impressed by the magnificent effort of the farming community to increase the volume of supplies to Britain. As everybody knows, the food position is acute in Britain, and I can see no possibility of over-supply for many years to come,” said Mr Frank Mills, a director of the firm of A. J. Mills, Ltd., London, distributors of New Zealand dairy produce and meat, in an interview yesterday. Mr Mills is visiting New Zealand to discuss long-term marketing plans with primary producers. “NeW Zealand farmers can get down to the job with confidence and increase their production still further with the assurance of a market for all they can produce at satisfactory prices,” he said. Work on Dirty Ships New Zealand watersiders welcomed the decision of the Australian Waterside Workers’ Federation not to work dirty, rat-infested ships, said the national secretary of the New Zealand Waterside Workers’ Union (Mr T Hill). He added that the New Zealand watersiders throughout the years had refused to work dirty ships, especially where food was involved. Dirty ships were discussed with Australian delegates at the conference of »the New Zealand union, and they promised to do the utmost to remedy the position in Australian ports.— (P.A.)

Society’s Revenue from Fines The attention of members of the council of the North Canterbury Acclimatisation Society was drawn to an item of £4O 17s in the financial statement for November by Mr T. E. Fisher last evening when he presented the statement. This sum appeared in the statement as a credit item received from the Treasury Department as the society’s Snare of fines. The president (Mr J. McKenzie) said that this addition to the society’s revenue should not be considered gratifying in itself, but these prosecutions should make people aware of their responsibility. A Poem for the Princess Mr Arthur Dowell, of Barbadoes street. Christchurch, wrote a poem in honour of Princess Elizabeth’s marriage and sent it with his good wishes to Her Royal Highness. Mr Dowell has now received from the Princess’s Lady in Waiting a’ letter in which Princess Elizabeth expresses her most sincere thanks for Mr Dowell’s very kind message of good wishes and for his “charming poem.” Demand for Sun Hats There was an unprecedented demand for sun hats in Qreymouth this week, probably because of parents’ concern for protecting their children from the direct rays of the sun during the infantile paralysis outbreak. Sun helmets of all descriptions were sought from retail firms, and style was a minor consideration. At the end of the day more than one of the larger shops reported that stocks had been exhausted.