General News

Press, Volume LXXXV, Issue 25924, 3 October 1949, Page 6

General News

Unusual Rugby Record The Mount Roskill “midget” Rugby football team which won the Auckland championship on Saturday by beating Takapuna played the full season without having its line crossed. The team scored 465 points in 19 games, to record 37 out of a possible 38 championship points. Mount Roskill’s first game of the season, against Suburbs, was a scoreless, draw. Its highest tally for any one match was 57 points. Moreover, this unusually successful team had to force down only twice during the whole season. The boys are all under 10 years old and must not weigh more than sst 41b. (P.A.) Fishing Season Opens River and weather conditions in most parts of the Nortn Canterbury Acclimatisation Society’s district were favourable for the opening of the fishing season on Saturday. From reports he had received and from his own observations. it appeared that bags had generally been small, said the ranger to the society. Mr P. Fry. At the Selwyn. which was easily the most popular river with Christchurch fishermen at the week-end. bags averaged two or three trout. At least one limit bag was obtained at the mouiJh of the Rakaia river on Saturday. Mr R. Butler, of Christchurch, secured his 10 fish before 2 p.m., his brother, Mr L. Butler. catching six. Appreci-ap.ion was •expressed by several anglers of the society’s early broadcast report on Saturday morning on river and weather conditions at the upper reaches of the Rakaia river. This is an innovation which will be a regular service this season. Conditions in Berlin Shops in Berlin are full of food at reasonable prices, employment is increasing, and a good standard of living is rising from the ruins of the war. These are the impressions of Flight Lieutenant C. J. Fraser, officer commanding a detachment of three Royal New Zealand Air Force aircrews that joined the Berlin air lift a year ago. He arrived at Wellington on Friday with eight other members of the detachment. “Berlin is an open city again, and when we left on July 13 there did not seem * any real trouble between the Powers,” Flight Lieutenant Fraser said. “The air lift was still operating at full force, although the blockade officially had been lifted some weeks before.” He said the major air lift ended on August 20, but there were still 20 or 30 planes flying in every day with supplies. “You can buy almost anything you want in the shops,” he said. “The food in some cases is better than in Britain, and there is quite a bit of poultry. The cost of living is not great, and the Germans are really working to make something of themselves.”— (P.A.) The Sandfly Problem An investigation of the sandfly problem in New Zealand has been undertaken by the Cawthron Institute. Nelson. The object of the investigation is to determine the most active species, their places of breeding, range of flight, and possible methods of control. Private and State Credit “In an effort to reduce money supply the trading banks for a long time past have been restricted as to the type of. advance they can make on overdraft.” said Mr C. M. Kay at a meeting of the Wellington Chamber of Commerce. .“I am not arguing with the instruction that money for expansion and development must come from general, resources, and not by way of bank overdraft, but the Government does not follow a similar policy. The Reserve Bank is a ready and convenient means of obtaining more money to finance Government projects which would not be so financed for the ordinary individual or trading concerns, and the advantage gained from a restrictive policy in one direction has been offset by the lack of the same sound reasoning in the other direction.” Canadian Animals for Auckland The Auckland City Council has received advice that the pair of bison and pair of wapiti which were given to the Auckland zoo by the Canadian Government will leave Vancouver in the Wairuna to-morrow. The animals are expected to reach Wellington about October 27. and will be brought to Auckland by train. The exhibits were a gift from the Canadian Government, but the City Council will pay the cost of capturing them and sending them to Auckland. New Zealand Attitude Because of New Zealand’s isolated position geographically, there was a tendency for New Zealanders to think themselves a little superior to other people and to think that New Zealand was God’s own country, but if it were not for the scenery with which the country had been endowed by nature New Zealand would not hold a candle to the beauty of the English lanes and trees and the greenness of the English grass, said Mr J. L. Hay, speaking at Knox Presbyterian Church yesterday morning. Mr Hay has just returned from a visit to England and America. It was. he said, a salutary experience for a New Zealander to go overseas. The older countries had a great deal to give New Zealand, and in a shrinking world what happened in England to-day could profoundly affect New Zealand to-morrow. Lizards Sent to U.S. by Air The first consignment of New Zealand lizards to be sent from the Auckland zoo to America left last week by air for San Diego. It consisted of 60 skinks and geckos of various types, which were collected near Ruawai for the zoo. The consignment will bo used, as part-payment for some of the stock which came to Auckland from San Diego early this year. Taxis Ordered by Telephone A recommendation that when taxi companies accept telephone orders they be held responsible for fulfilling them is to be made to the Minister of Transport (Mr F. Hackett) by the Transport Co-ordination Council, which met in Wellington last week. Members of the public had complained that they had missed train and boat connexions through taxis not arriving. The council has also set up a sub-committee 1o look into the general conditions of the taxi industry with relation to the standard of service provided the public.