General News

Press, Volume LXXXV, Issue 25833, 18 June 1949, Page 6

General News

Badly Timed The Motueka Borough Council recently had a fire siren removed from the brigade station to the roof of the council chamber. Yesterday it was arranged to give the siren a trial to coincide with the midday whistle of a local factory. On the stroke of 12 the Town Clerk (Mr C. D. Wilson) set the siren in operation for the trial, and immediately received a real alarm from the police station residence, where an electrical fault had caused a fire in a hot water cistern cupboard. Members of the volunteer fire brigade listened to the siren with equanimity until its prolonged wailing, and some quick work by the telephone exchange operators, brought a sufficient number of firemen to the station to man the engine. The fire did only minor damage.—(P. A.)

Infant’s Fall Into Icy Pool Accidentally capsizing the pram they were wheeling in their backyard at Hanmer Springs on Thursday, two young boys tipped their infant sister into a deep, ice-covered pool. The children’s mother, attracted by their cries, pulled the baby out of the pool, and a neighbour successfully applied artificial respiration. .Taken to Queen Mary Hospital, the baby was kept under observation for four hours and sent home little the worse for her experience. Descent Into Vesuvius The Naples correspondent of the United Press says that Professor Giuseppe Imbo. director of the Vesuvius Observatory, and two assistants reached the bottom of the crater of Mount Vesuvius three days ago. They descended 900 feet on ropes. Professor Imbo said that the bottom was a mass of lava covered with great crevices, with smoke boiling out. There was no sign of any coming eruption. Vesuvius last erupted in 1944.—London, June 16.

Farmers and Retrospective Awards “I don’t think we can get very far in this, but when an award is made retrospective we have to hunt up a man from one end of New Zealand to the other,” said Mr L. P. Chapman, introducing a remit “that the high country section is concerned through awards being made retrospective, particularly in the case of seasonal workers.” at a meeting of the meat and wool section of Mid-Canterbury Federated Farmers yesterday. The chairman (Mr D. S. Studholme) said the wage earner should apply for the money. It was decided to approve the remit.

Training of Armoured Corps The first New Zealand course for officers of the Royal New Zealand Armoured Corps was completed at Waiouru yesterday, says a statement from Army Headquarters. The course, which lasted for six days, was attended by nearly 100 territorial Force officers throughout New Zealand, those from the South Island being transported by the Royal New Zealand Air Force. The weather was bad, three inches of snow falling on Wednesday, but the programme was carried, out as if under active service conditions. All the officers drove tanks, carriers and scout cars over the training areas and fired the main armament of each vehicle. They also manned and operated the wireless sets with which each vehicle was equipped. The last afternoon was devoted to a tactical exercise, when the officers of each regiment manned the tanks of the unit and carried out manoeuvres under the direction of their respectiye commanding officers. The commanding officers spoke highly of the standard of the instruction given by the staff of the armoured school.—(P.A.)

Good Wishes for Play “It is a perfectly honest and straightforward play and should be treated honestly and straightforwardly,” said Sir Laurence Olivier, in a goodwill note to the Gisborne Returned Services’ Association, which is producing “Journey’s End.” Sir Laurence Olivier, who scored one of his outstanding earlier successes in “Journey’s End,” also said: “I do not think that there was ever intended to be anything symbolic in the piece. It is a genuine word-picture of a time in the affairs of men. Try and get your sets as realistic as possible, and your acting the same. Please accept my best wishes for success with your production.” Theft of Gas Meters A gang of five men with a truck has been responsible for the theft of 51 gas meters, valued at £5lO. from suburban flats and homes in Svdney. Eleven meters were taken last” night from the Bondi area. Police suggest that the reason for the thefts is the 81b of tin in each meter, but officials of the Australian Gas and Light Company are puzzled. They say the return is hardly worth the risk involved. —Sydney. June 17. Sick Cow on Train

A cow in an extreme state of malnutrition, which was removed from a cattle truck at Ashburton on Thursday evening, was destroyed by the inspector of the Mid-Canterbury branch of the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (Mr J. Reeves) yesterday morning. The cow was included in a consignment of cattle from Mount Somers to Christchurch, where it was to be made into boneless beef for England. The Tinwald railway authorities, when they could not get the cow to its feet, informed Mr Reeves, who removed the animal. The cow had festering sores on its backbone and an incurved horn worrying its right eye. Death of Dancing Teacher Arrangements for the early completion of an inquest into the death of Frederick Edney, a dancing teacher, who was found dead in his studio on May 21. are being made by the police. The police pathologist, Dr. W. Gilmour, has not yet submitted his report on the cause of death, but the inquest will be concluded within a few weeks.— (P.A.)

Record Crayfish A giant crayfish has been caught by Picton fishermen operating in Cook Strait. It measures just on 42 inches from the tail to the tip of the feelers, and is being put up as a contender for the Dominion championship. A recent Auckland catch measured 38 inches and was claimed as a record for New Zealand waters. Departure Twice Delayed The departure of the s.s. Rata from Westport for Tarakohe was further delayed on Thursday evening by the illness of a member of the crew. The sick man had previously held up the vessel’s departure by refusing to go to sea until a replacement had been found for another sick man. A replacement for the first man was made on Thursday afternoon, but, at the last moment, the second seaman was paid off sick. Another replacement was secured from Nelson, and the ship was expected to sail last evening, about 40 hours later than scheduled. Community Chest Not Wanted Public bodies in Wellington prefer srreet-day appeals for charitable purposes to a proposal made recently for the establishment of a community chest. A letter from the Wellington Junior Chamber of Commerce, received at a meeting of the Free Ambulance Board, said that there was inadequate support for the community chest idea. Of a large number of organisations which had been asked for their views in a circular, 45 per cent, were in favour, 30 per cent, unwilling to change the present system, and 25 per cent, not interested. Automatic Telephones in Rotorua An automatic telephone exchange I will come into operation in Rotorua ■ on Monday. It has been installed as an experiment, j3O telephones having > been connected. The sulphurous air; in Rotorua was previously considered to prevent the satisfactory operation ' of an automatic exchange. The new ! telephones have been allotted to sub- ! scribers at various points where the! effects of the sulphurous conditions on the equipment can best be judged, j

Flew 1800 Miles to See Match I A Ma.ri who migrated to Australia! in 1923, dew 1800 miles from Tennant ■ Creek, Australia, to see the Rugby match between the Maoris and the Southern States at Melbourne. He is Al. McDonald, former New Zealand boxer, who “humped the bluey” through the Northern Territory and ■ found the Edna Beryl gold 'mine. Recently he sold the mine for £50,000. 1