General News

Press, Volume LXXXIV, Issue 25550, 19 July 1948, Page 6

General News

Vandals at Work Twenty-three basketball posts were pulled from the ground at Hagley Park sometime after play finished on Saturday and before daylight yesterday. An official of the Canterbury Basketball Association yesterday said a number of rings on the posts had been damaged and would require attention from a blacksmith. He said that the police had been notified, but they were practically powerless unless they caught the culprits red-handed. Officials found it disheartening when vandals want only to destroy good equipment. Fire Brigade Trial To determine how far race traffic to Trentham is likely to delay a fire engine on a run from Trentham military camp to Upper Hutt, a traffic test was carried out by one of the Upper Hutt Fire Brigade’s machines at the peak of the race traffic on Saturday morning. The test was described as quite satisfactory by a fire station officer. The test was made half an hour before the running of the first race, and the trip by the engine occupied four minutes and 10 seconds, the standard time being five minutes. The driver of the machine reported a fast, uneventful trip, in spite of the heavy race traffic encountered.— (P.A.) Drive Against Wallabies A concerted attack on the wallabies in the ranges behind Waimate has been launched by a party of about 30 Government cullers who arrived recently from Southland. Otago and other Canterbury areas Although many members of the party have had no previous experience of wallaby hunting, they are experienced in goat and deer culling. An indication of the numbers of wallabies in the Waimate hill-country is given in the excellent bags obtained by shooting parties during the present season, kills of more than 100 in one day being not infrequent in heavily-infested areas. Public Holidays in Week-End Christmas Day this year falls on a Saturday, and Boxing Dav on a Sunday. New Year’s Day is also on a Saturday, and January 2, another award holiday, on a Sunday. Because j of this, the Southland Trades Council at its meeting on Saturday night unanimously adopted a motion forwarded by the Southland sub-branch of the New Zealand Engineering Union, asking the Federation of Labour to urge the Government to amend the law so that holidays except Anzac Day which fell on a Saturday, Sunday, or other non-work-ing day, should be transferred to the first working day following those holidays. Mr D. Harris said that provision had already been included in some awards, by agreement.—(P.A.) Mean Theft A hockey player’s new sports trousers, which he had left hanging ; on a tree at Hospital Corner on Sat- 1 urday, were stolen while he was playing in a match. Several years ago there was a series of petty thefts from the same ground and a watch was • kept. A lad was eventually caught in I the act of stealing. New Type of Safety Sign The first of its type to be used in ! New Zealand, a special road sign has j been made by the Dominion Physical | Laboratory for the Wellington City j Council, for installation at a busy in- '

tersection at Evans Bay. The sign, which carries the word “slow” printed in four-irich letters, consists of a sheet of red rubber hinged into a metal base set in the road surface. Vehicles may pass over the sign without harming it, as the sign drops flat when driven over, and then springs up again. The sign was designed by the Transport Department. Bellona to Visit Timaru H.M.N.Z.S. Bellona is expected to pay an official visit to Timaru during December. The secretary of the Navy has written to the Mayor of Timaru (Mr A. E. S. Hanan) asking whether the proposed dates of the visit. December 4 to 8, are suitable. The Mayor has replied in the affirmative but has made a suggestion that the visit should be delayed till the Christmas period, when a carnival will be held on Caroline Bay lor a fortnight. The visit at that time would give Timaru an added attraction and the carnival would be an additional avenue of entertainment for the 500 men and 32 officers aboard the vessel, he suggested. Poliomyelitis in New Zealand Dr. Duncan Cook, of the New Zealand Department of Health, told the first international poliomyelitis conference, which closed to-day, that New Zealand’s geographical isolation had been of considerable importance in relation to the incidence of infectious diseases, but air travel had now broken this barrier and certain infectious diseases could now more readily be introduced into the country. He admit-

ted. however, that there was no evidence that poliomyelitis was brought into New Zealand from outside. ‘Tn spite of an increasing population, especially in the younger age groups, the attack rate in New Zealand has diminished with each epidemic,” he said. The next conference will be held in 1951.—New York, July 17. Unlighted Cycles More than 100 adults and 25 juveniles have been caught in Hastings in a drive by the traffic department against cyclists riding at night without lights, and they are to appear at a special sitting of the Magistrate’s Court on July 29. “We had so many complaints "from motorists regarding the menace of unlighted cycles on the roads at night that we had to adopt drastic measures,” said the chief traffic inspector (Mr H. A. Green). He added that the motoring public felt strongly on the matter, judging from the complaints and comment made to traffic officers. Motorists had found themselves put to considerable expense and trouble because of the unlighted cycles. Even though the motorist was blameless when a collision occurred with a lightless cycle, he still had to undergo questioning and make a'statement.

“Wearisome Rotorua” There may be enthusiasts who declare that Rotorua is the scenic wonderland of New Zealand, but it is evident that Mr W. H. Mclntyre (Buller) is not one of them. Expressing the hope in the Legislative Council on Friday that the Royal itinerary would include the scenic beauties of Westland, he had this to say of Rotorua: “I don’t call that scenery. Rotorua is wearisome and smelly and there is nothing in it at all—it reminds me of a fire down a mine.” Lime Inquiry The South Canterbury Provincial Executive of Federated Farmers has decided to set up a committee to inquire into the lime position and make recommendations. Notice ot motion was given to rescind a previous decision of the executive urging the restoration of free railage on lime and a subsidy on road transport, payable from the meat, wool, and dairy industry pool accounts. Plug-in Appliances A remit is to go forward to the Electric Power Boards’ Association requesting that the Government should: make a regulation requiring the sellers 1 of such plug-in electric appliances as I washing boilers or washing machines to advise the local electric power authority of the names and addresses' of the buyers so that the safety of the appliances could be checked by an in-1 spector. This was decided by the Huttj Valley Power Board, on the motion of | Mr R. G. Stephen. Mr Stephen said | there was a grave danger of shocks,: especially where the leads tan along! concrete floors in wash-houses. The! board’s engineer-general manager (Mr! I. R. Robinson) is. also investigating j the possibilities of framing a local by- i law covering the point. ' Pole Snapped Off A car driven by Mr Wayne Wallburton. Mayfair Flats, the Terrace, Wellington, which struck a telegraph pole north of Kaiwarra shortly after 3 a.m. on Saturday, brought down all the long-distance telephone lines to the Wairarapa. A field repair gang was soon on the scene and had the more i important circuits re-established by 8 a.m. All temporary repairs had been > completed by 10 a.m., when the lines! were again open. Permanent repairs | were then made. Although there was 1 a complete interruption to traffic there ' was no serious hold-up; reported a telephone engineer. The car snapped the pole off at the ground and brought down the wires for a short distance on either side. Mr Wallburton, who was : driving into town, escaped injury, but! his passenger was treated for shock. '