General News

Press, Volume LXXXV, Issue 25708, 21 January 1949, Page 6

General News

Frigate to yisit Hmara H.M.N.Z.S. Pukaki, one of the four Loch class frigates which arrived in New Zealand early this month, will arrive in Timaru on March 7. The Pukaki is under the command of Lieu-tenant-Commander Herrick D. 5.0., R.N. An official welcome will be given i to the ship and her crew. Four Eclipses This Year Of four eclipses which will occur this year, only one, a partial eclipse of the sun on October 21, will be visible in New Zealand. The first will occur on April 13, when a total eclipse of the moon will be seen from Europe and America. On April 28 a partial eclipse of the sun will be seen in Great Britain, Europe, Greenland and North Africa. Another total eclipse of the moon on October 7 will be visible in America. Western Europe and Africa. The eclipse of the sun on October 21 will be seen throughout New Zealand, the Antarctic, Graham’s Land and parts of Australia and New Guinea. At the maximum phase about half the sun’s disc will be occulted by the moon. Blue Heron Seen at Waimate A blue heron has been seen near the Waimate Golf Club’s course this week, and a few days previously one of these birds was observed by anglers at the Waitaki fishing camp. Blue herons are not often seen in the district. England-N.Z. Air Race Advice that the international air race from England to Christchurch in 1953 will be discussed by the Royal Aero Club in England this month and that the club’s racing committee will consider it on February 2 has been re ceived by the secretary of the Canterbury International Air Race Council, Mr A. B. W. George. The Aero Club, said Mr George, had been promised all assistance from the Minister of Civil Aviation (Lord Pakenham) in arranging the race. Grand Traverse of Mount Cook

Two North Island mountaineers on Monday successfully undertook a grand traverse of Mount Cook. They were Messrs George Lowe, of Hastings, and Geoff Milne, of Wellington, who are in their fourth year in the Alps. Ideal conditions prevailed on Monday for the grand traverse, which involved climbing from the Hooker Valley into the Tasman Valley over the three peaks of Mount Cook. The journey was completed in 15 hours. The party left the Gardiner Hut at 1.45 a.m.. were on the top of the low peak of Mount Cook at 7, the middle peak at 8.15 and the high peak at 9.45 a.m. The two climbers reached the Haast Hut at 4.45 p.m. It is thought that this is about the eighth or ninth time that this climb has been made. In 10 days the two men, sometimes with other mountaineers, have made several traverses and ascents. Under favourable conditions a traverse was made of Haidinger (10,059 ft in 13J hours and of Lendenfeld (10,503 ft and Haast (10,294 ft over the route from Engineer Col to Pioneer Pass in 11 hours. Other peaks climbed were Coronet (8265 ft David’s Dome (10,443). Teichelmann (10,368), and Silberhorn (10,757). The last two ascents were made in a day. Nurses’ Riding Trip

Two members of the staff of the Grey Hospital, Nurses L. Brown and E. Barnes, yesterday began a holiday on horseback, using horses formerly of the Trowbridge racing stable. Misses Brown and Barnes rode yesterday from Inangahua Junction, through the Bulkier Gorge on their way to Nelson, where they will stay for a few days before going on to Blenheim. On the return journey they will travel by the Wairau Valley road to Tophouse and Murchison. From Murchison they will go by the Shenandoah route to Springs Junction and Maruia, and will return to Greymouth through Reefton. Action in Malaya A subaltern, aged 19, who was born and educated in Hawke’s Bay 1 and had been in Malaya for only two weeks, was left in command of a 4tn Hussars patrol ambushed by terrorists recently. He is Second Lieutenant Jon Sutro. His superior officer was killed by a grenade and his men were heavily outnumbered. He was wounded twice, but he rallied the patrol and put the bandits to flight. The British patrol lost seven men. Second Lieutenant Jon Sutro spent his boyhood in Hawkes Bay with his parents before they returned to England. He is a nephew of the late Mr James Watherston, formerly of Fendalton, and his father is a son of the playwright, Alfred Sutro. Chinese Newspaper Planned When founts of type have been obtained, a newspaper in Chinese will be started in New Zealand, either in Auckland or Wellington, with the intention of placing before the Chinese population the matters of chief interest to them. A similar effort 20 years ago failed through lack of finance. Air Transport of Rams Many breeders of stud sheep are using the rail-air service to take rams to and from fairs this season. A few consignments of rams were flown last year and the success of these experiments has convinced many buyers of the advantages of air transport. Twenty-three rams were flown from Blenheim to Feilding on Monday, and 70 rams sold- at this fair will be flown to the South Island next Monday, The Douglas aircraft carrying the sheep will stop at Harewood and unload sheep for Canterbury destinations on its way to Dunedin, where the remainder will be taken off. Further consignments will arrive in the South Island on Wednesday and Thursday. Five trips will be necessary to handle a consignment of 200 rams from Blenheim, which are being flown to Feilding for a sale at the end of the month. The Dakota takes 35 Romneys or 43 or 44 Southdowns at a time. Fear Allayed A large number of mine cases which arrived in Ramsgate, England, from Taranaki shortly before Christmas, caused some alarm until a police inspector unpacked one of them and found that it contained four pounds of dripping. The dripping had been packed Dy the Taranaki Aid to Britain committees, which obtained the mine cases from the War Assets Realisation Board and found them useful containers. Care of N.Z. • Graves in Holland Apart from official arrangements for their proper care, each war grave of a New Zealander killed in Holland was placed under the personal supervision of some responsible person, said the Netherlands Minister to New Zealand, Mr J. B. D. Pennink, speaking at a gathering in Gisborne. An endeavour had been made to put each of the bereaved families in New Zealand in touch with the people who had undertaken this work.—(P.S.S.)