General News

Press, Volume LXXXV, Issue 25796, 6 May 1949, Page 6

General News

“A Stoic Towards Publicity” The Duke of Edinburgh described himself as “a complete stoic towards publicity,” when he spoke at the annual dinner of the Newspaper SoI tfiety. “I read about myself as if I ! were an animal in a zoo,” he said. | Referring to the attention Princess Elizabeth and he received fronx photo- : graphers, the Duke recalled an occasion when a flash bulb exploded. “I think it frightened the photographer as much as it did us,” he said. Discussing the problems of newspaper production, the Duke mentioned* “the difficulty of choosing between interesting and important news, between circulation and standards, and in choosing between intelligent comment and advertising.”—London,' May Margaret Condi iff e Prize "Canterbury College is proud to make the first award of the Margaret Condliffe Memorial Prize (? medal),,, for creative achievement -of marked distinction, to Sir James Hight,” said Sir Joseph Ward, chairman of the" college council yesterday. The presentation was made at the graduation ceremony. * All About Is 9d The Hospital Boards’ Association was told by a delegate yesterday that a member of a board had been required to refund Is 9d and resign his seat because as a trustee of a will he held a fiftieth share in a company which had a transaction with the board. The Is 9d was his profit. The conference decided to urge that members of local bodies with only technical or microscopic interests in transactions should not be debarred from holding office.— (P.A.) A Familiar Motto “The degrees you have received come from the University of New Zealand, a* comparatively young university, whose coat of arms is on the window in my office., and under it is a very old motto: ‘sapere aude —'dare to be wise’,” said Dr. H.- R. Hulme, rector of Canterbury University College, ht the graduation ceremony yesterday. “Just how old it is I don’t know; but I know that in 1515 Hugh Oldham (or Owldom) founded a school in Manchester now known \as the Manchester Grammar School, and gave it an owl as a crest and motto ‘sapere ’■aude.’ I’m glad that the motto of my old school should be the same as that of the University.of New Zealand.” All Blacks’ Arrival The All Blacks will probably arrive at Cape Town next Tuesday. This was intimated by the chairman of the New Zealand Rugby Union’s council (Mr A. St. C. Belcher) at the annual meeting of the council in Wellington yesterday.—(P.A.) Pigs Break Loose A crate of five pigs consigned to a Greymouth man broke loose in the railway goods shed, Greymouth, on Wednesday. They stampeded through the shed with railway porters in hot pursuit. Four of the pigs were caught in the building, but the fifth made for the wharf. Jumping into the river, it swam to the other side, where four railway men were waiting. After a chase they caught it. Traffic Behaves No “tickets” had been ' issued to offenders against the traffic regulations at Ashburton since the roEfd safety campaign began on Monday, said the assistant chief traffic inspector to the No. 3 Traffic District (Mr C. A. J. Peterson) yesterday afternoon. The reason had been the absence of flagrant offenders. The only speeding in the town appeared to be done by strangers “passing through,” he added. Chinese Bandits “It is good that the Waimate children do not know what bandits are. We had 23 of them near here the other day ” said Mr Rewi Alley, who conducts the Sandan Bailie training school for Chinese industrial co-opera-tives at Shantan, Kansu, China, in a letter to of the Waimate Rewi Aldey Aid Committee (Miss B. Shackleton). “The bandits burnt people over fires to find out where they had put their silver,” said Mr Alley. Mr Alley-said his pupils had received letters from children of the Waimate Primary School, and he promised that they would reply. Elderly Woilian’s Flight

A 76-year-old woman made an aeroplane flight across the Southern Alps on Wednesday when she was unable to obtain a seat in the rail-car to Christchurch to visit a relative who had become seriously ill. The woman chartered the Greymouth Aero Club’s aeroplane and left Greymouth at 2 p.m. ’She was in a taxi in Christchurch an hour and a half later. Empire Air Force Liaison A scheme to* interchange Commonwealth air squadrons with the Royal Air Force is under discussion,- according to the Air Ministry. Certain details have still to be worked out. If the scheme materialises, squadrons will be exchanged in their own spheres of territory. For instance, a South African squadron will be sent to the Middle East Command, and a Royal Air Force squadron from this command will be sent to South Africa —London, May 5. Elephant in Queen Street

An elephant walked up Queen street, Auckland, yesterday with four University students clad in scanties on its back. The elephant and a skit on the broadcast warning of “an approaching swarm of wasps” were two of the main features of the students’ lively annual lunch-hour parade.— (P.A.)

Students’ Prank v Apart from sporadic observations about individuals and interruptions by squeakers the capping day ceremony of Canterbury University College was moving sedately to its conclusion yesterday afternoon. Then came an incident which left everyone momentarily spellbound. The backdrop behind dignitaries on the stage sailed up out of sight. Other curtains moved down, partially obscuring professorial staff in a middle row.. And, over the heads of the chairman (Sir Joseph Ward) and the rector (Dr. H. R. Hulme) an angel in white fluttered down. A group of students had entered the wings from a rear door, hauled at the ropes, and disappeared before even the stage manager could see them. Air Ambulance Wanted The Government is to be urged to maintain a suitable air ambulance service from the North Island for the transport of neuro-surgical cases to Dunedin. This action is to be taken by the New Zealand Hospital Boards’ Association on the recommendation of the Palmerston North Hospital.— (P.A.) Unionists Damage Hall Damage to the balustrade at the front of the dress circle in the Auckland Town Hall was caused yesterday morning by members of the Auckland Waterside Workers’ Union who attended the monthly stop-work meeting there. Men in the -front seats of the circle had put their feet against the balustrade and had scarred the new paint so badly that it will have to be repainted. The union will be asked to pay for the cost of the work. The marks appeared .to have been made by men’s boots or shoes being scraped down the paint. In some places the scratches ran almost from the top of the balustrade? to the bottom.’ and scars in one or two parts left bare wood showing On the western side of the circle the name “Bobby” was found scratched into the stain on the top of the balustrade.— (P.A.) The Whaling Season The Cook Strait whaling season has started. On Tuesday, Perano Brothers, the well-known Tory Channel whalers, began their hill-top watch, and four speedy chasers , went to sea. Shore tests connected with the electric killing of whales have exceeded expectations, and the equipment has been installed on one chaser for practical testing. In all departments the Perano Brothers’ fleet is more efficient this year than previously, the speed of their operations being increased greatly. £6O for Skeleton The Epsom Girls’ Grammar School wants a skeleton for science and physical education courses, and ex-, pects to pay anything lip -to £6O for it. Fifteen years ago the skeleton could have been bought for half that price.—(P.A.)