General News

Press, Volume LXXXIV, Issue 25608, 24 September 1948, Page 6

General News

Slow Time Six years after it set out to race from Wellington to Auckland, a pigeon owned by Mr C. Litherland, of Ponsonby, Auckland, has completed the course. It has settled down as though it had Sone nothing unusual. The usual time for the race is between six and eight hours. Details marked on the identification ring on the pigeon’s leg correspond with those in the record book and establish the bird that has turned up as Royal Trust. —(P.A.) Ranui Seeks Shelter Unable to make headway against a strong north-west wind and heavy seas, the little Government motor-ship Ranui put into Lyttelton last evening for shelter. The Ranui, on its way from the Campbell Islands, via Dunedin, for Wellington, had rounded East Head at the extremity of Banks Peninsula when she ran inrto the north-west wind. “We were making no headway, and the ship was labouring, so I decided to put into Lyttelton for the night,” said the master. (Captain E. T. Webster). He said that the Ranui on her present trip had at first worked at the Auckland Islands, where the food depots for castaways were repaired and the stores replenished. Campbell Island, where a meterological party is stationed, was the next place of call and further work was done there. On September 15 the vessel left Campbell Island and arrived at Dunedin on Sunday. Captain Webster said it was the Ranui’s last trip to the southern islands. In future the Navy Department would do the work. Talk Why was it necessary for the standing orders to be suspended to allow a bill to pass through all stages in the Legislative Council at one sitting? asked Mr T. Bloodworth, Auckland, when the Christchurch City Empowering Act Repeal Bill came before the council yesterday. Mr T. Doyle, Invercargill, the member in charge of the bill, said he had asked for the standing orders to be suspended because the Legislative Council order paper was too lean. “It is too lean because members of another place (meaning the House of Representatives) talk too much and work too little,” said Mr Doyle*— (P.A.)

Temporary Stand for Baths Negotiations for the construction of a temporary stand of tubular steel on the western side of the Olympic swinging pool were discussed at a meeting of the Newmarket Borough Council. A letter was received from an Auckland construction company offering to erect a stand capable of seating 2000 persons. Members said that if the temporary stand was built there would be seating space for at least 5000 persons at the pool, which is a favoured venue for the swimming and diving events of the Empire Games. The council decided to forward plans of the pool to .the construction company so that specifications could be drawn up and the price of the stand estimated. Women’s Gift to Queen and Princess A suggestion by the Mayor (Mr J. A. C. Allum) that the women of Auckland should make a gift to the Queen and Princess Margaret when they visit Auckland was unanimously adopted by representatives of women’s organisations yesterday. Mr Allum said he had been advised that it would be in order lor a presentation to be made and he thought it should come from the women of Auckland. It should not be an ostentatious gift, but pleasing and useful. It was decided that all women’s organisations represented should make a collection of Is each from as many women as possible.— (P.A.) Farmer’s House Cost £530 How he had built a house valued by a tradesman at £l5OO for £530 was told to the Sheep Industry Commission in Auckland this week. The'witness, who asked that the Government should find means of encouraging and assisting farmers to build houses on their own properties, said that with the assistance of one of his workers he hadtaken heart timber from his own property. During seven months he built a house of 760 ft, equipped with electricity, hot and cold water, an enamelled bath, built-in cupboards and wardrobes, and generally equivalent to a smaller State. house. He charged for all materials used at 36s per 100 ft, and, counting all out-of-pocket expenses, was staggered to find that the building had cost him only* £530 in cash. Consumer Resistance

Consumer resistance throughout New Zealand is considered by Mr E. J. Matthews, general manager of. Farm Products Co-op., Ltd., to be one reason for Wellington’s present plentiful supply of eggs. Mr Matthews said that Wellington had never been an egg-producing area and was at present getting only the surplus eggs from other districts. That they were coming forward in such large numbers showed that surpluses were greater than usual because the public was buying fewer eggs. This indicated a Dominion-wide hardening in buying power, which* was also noticeable in sales of other commodities.—(P.A.) British Cars’ Tail Lights

The Massachusetts Motor Vehicles Registry Department has ruled that British motor-cars fail to meet the State’s safety requirements. October is car inspection month in the State, and cars which do not comply with the standards set will be barred from the roads. The department said that the tail lights of British cars w?re too small. It was announced to-day that the Austin Motor Company was now shipping from 15 to 17J per cent, of its entire car production to the United States. The Austin company’s new factory in Hamilton, Ontario, will be producing 500 cars a week within a few months. —Boston, September 22.

Luxury Bus Service A new luxury road coach which will run between Auckland and Wellington three- times a week has been completed at Dannevirke and has had a “breaking-in” trip. The first test run will be made from Wellington to-day, and the first official trip with passengers on September 29. Timber Exports New Zealand softwoods amounting to about 1,200,000 superficial feet will leave for Australia during the next fortnight. They are mainly pinus insignus. No native timbers are being exported. One shipment of 50,000 ft worth about £16,000 will leave Auckland early in October on the Union Company’s freighter Kopu.—(P.A.) Training of Shearers

The present shortage of shearers and the need for training recruits to the industry were emphasised by speakers at a meeting of the North Canterbury meat and wool section of Federated Farmers. Advice was received from the Christchurch Technical College that classes in machine and blade shearihg- would be held at the Addington Showgrounds, beginning on October 4, provided sufficient students enrolled. The meat and wool section decided to recommend young men to enrol in the classes, and to urge farmers to secure their services after the completion of their three weeks’ course.

Export of Apples Although it was expected that £he 1947 crop would be a small one, it was decided to try to ship 500,000 cases of apples to Britain, says the annual report of the Internal Marketing Division. When crop estimates indicated that the yield would be below expectations, the-’ quantity for export was reduced to 250,000 cases. In spite of repeated representations to the British Ministry.of Food, no refrigerated shipping space could be made available, preference being given to meat and dairy produce. Inquiries had been received from other overseas markets, notably Canada, Brazil, Sweden and Singapore, but no apples had been exported to these countries.

Handling of Bobby Calves “The handling of bobby calves has been under discussion with the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals,” says the report of the Internal Marketing Division for the year ended September 30, 1947. “A deputation from the society waited on ,the Minister of Marketing (Mr E. L. Cullen) and the position was very fully discussed. So that the position may be checked more thoroughly, it is intended to carry out a survey of the conditions to which calves are subjected between the farm gate and the rail or works. This will be done to check whether proper pens are being placed at collection points, and whether the types of crates used on motor-trucks are adequate for the protection of the calves.”