General News

Press, Volume LXXXV, Issue 25709, 22 January 1949, Page 6

General News

University Entrance and Epidemic The University of New Zealand, announcing University Entrance passes, said it had conferred with the Education Department and given special consideration to the results of pupils sitting University Entrance examinations or being accredited, who lost school time because of the epidemic of poliomyelitis. Long Tour on Horseback

Misses Elspeth Campbell (England) and Catherine Howell and Messrs Anthony Pinfold and John Vincent have returned to Christchurch from a five weeks’ trek from Studholme Junction to Ross by the Haast Pass on horseback. They railed five horses, one being a pack horse, from Christchurch to Studholme and rode to Lake Hawea. where they spent the Christmas holidays. The party spent two days in the Haast Valley and also visited the glaciers before riding to Ross, where the horses were entrained to Christchurch. The only shoeing on the trip was done at Weheka. Mr Pinfold had been riding for only six weeks before the trip was begun. The party had only two wet days and two wet mornings in five weeks. Relief Rail-Car Delayed * The relief rail-car which carried the passengers from Stillwater to Christchurch on Thursday evening after the Greymouth-Christchurch railcar in* which they were travelling was derailed near Chinaman’s bridge, was’ delayed for more than an hour near Cass while a broken rail was repaired. Goods trains were also delayed. Railway engineers searched yesterday for the cause of the derailment of the Greymouth-Christchurch rail-car on the Midland line near Sillwater. They said that there was no reason to suspect that an obstruction had been placed on the line. Lewis Pass Route The Lewis Pass route between the West Coast and Canterbury was closed yesterday because of a washout at the Hope bridge. Repairs were completed and it was expected that the road would be reopened to traffic late last evening. The Otira Gorge is open and in good order. Offer of Steel Belgian steel, at reasonable rates, was offered the Akaroa Borough Council by a New Zealand firm in a circular received by the council recently. Since steel has been needed by the council for several years for the repair of two bridges, the promise of delivery within six weeks from order was a welcome one. The firm with which the council has had steel on order for some years has been advised that unless it can be guaranteed that it will be delivered soon, the council will transfer the order to the firm whose circular was received at the council meeting. Search on Stewart Island

The search being conducted for a missing document proclaiming British sovereignty over Stewart Island (which was buried in a bottle at Port Pegasus in 1840) has so far been fruitless. Dr. Basil Howard, Stewart Island historian and president of the Otago branch of the Royal Society of New Zealand, reports that the most likely spot has been already dug, possibly by more than one party. New sites have been investigated by Dr. Howard since he arrived at Port Pegasus with a scientific party from the Otago School of Mines on January 5. An adequate search of remaining areas is possible but improbable, as demands on manpower and equip•ment are beyond the capacity now at his disposal.—(P.A.) Thanks from Bristol

“Bristol does not wish that the overwhelming kindness of those who befriend her should be forgotten and a vellum roll book of ‘the friends of Bristol’ is now being prepared in which we feel your name should be included,’’ states a letter from the Lord Mayor of Bristol (Aiderman C. R. Gill) which has been received by Mr F. C. Roberts, o£» Timaru. Mr Roberts was brought up in Bristol but left before the first world war. During the last war when' Bristol was heavily blitzed Mr Roberts maintained contact with the city and sent many food parcels. A committee known as the Friends of Bristol Committee has now been set up to keep in contact with those who helped the city! At Christmas Mr Roberts received greetings from the Lord Mayor and a packet of seeds of the plant called in England, nonesuch or “the flower of Bristol.” Mr Roberts hopes that these seeds may be raised in s Timaru’s botanical gardens. First N.Z.-built Ship

The first ship launched in Nev.*-' Zealand was not built in the North Island but at Dusky Sound in 1795, 31 years before that built by the Williams Brothers in Paihia, Bay of Islands, according to Mr R. S. Phillips, of Kaikoura, in a letter to the editor of “The Press.” Referring to a recent statement by Mr V. H. Reid that the Herald, built at Paihia in 1826 was the first launched in New Zealand, Mr Phillips says a ship was built at Dusky Sound in 1792 by Raven’s sealing gang and was rigged, launched, and brought into use by Captain Bampton m 1795, when his ship Endeavour was wrecked there. The ship was called Resource and was the first to be built entirely of Australian and New Zealand timber in Australia and New, Zealand, Mr Phillips said. The Fishing Rivers According to advice received by the North Canterbury Acclimatisation Society the condition of the fishing rivers was as follows at midday yesterday: —Hurunui. Ashley, Selwyn and Halswell, fishable; Rakaia and Waimakariri, not SshabTe.