General News

Press, Volume LXXXVI, Issue 26094, 22 April 1950, Page 6

General News

Street Lights A decision to switch on street lights in the M.E.D. area two hours before dawn, beginning to-day, was made by the City Council’s electricity committee on Thursday. It was felt that the earlier lighting would assist milkmen and newspaper runners. Poppy Day Appeal The proceeds of the Poppy Day appeal held yesterday had amounted to £2500 last evening. The secretary of the Christchurch Returned Services’ Association (Mr L. A. McKenzie) said that there were several large amounts still to come in. Of the £2500, £2OOO was collected in Christchurch streets yesterday, and the remainder came from country districts in the preceding few days. Last year, when counting had been completed, £3769 12s 3d had been collected. In 1948 and 1947 the total amounts were £3753 and about £3900. Simple English Mr Churchill’s well-known preference for simple English caused a laugh in the House of Commons when Mr R. A. Butler was criticising the Budget. Mr Butler was talking of the tax on “commercial vehicles” when Mr Churchill muttered: “Lorries.” Members chuckled as Mr Butler, a former Minister of Education, agreed and continued to say that certain lorry manufacturers were finding it difficult to maintain their exports.—London, April 21. Divisional Cavalry Reunion Arrangements are now being made for a reunion of former members of the 2nd New Zealand Divisional Cavalry Regiment to be held in Christchurch from August 4 to August 6. Christchurch men who served in the unit were asked some time ago how many visitors they could billet and the committee now requests all former members of the unit to indicate whether they will attend the reunion. The reunion will open on Friday. August 4, with a smoke concert, and it is expected that many of those attending will go to the New Zealand Metropolitan Trotting Club’s meeting at Addington the next day. A dinner. which will be the main function of the week-end. will be held on the Saturday evening. A picnic lunch will be held on the Sunday. Business Block Sold by Auction The first large property in the central business area of Auckland to be sold at auction since the removal of price control changed hands for £15,700 yesterday afternoon. This was the Empire Buildings, consisting of three storeys and a basement, on the corner of Swanson street and Mills lane. Built of reinforced concrete, the premises are occupied by 17 tenants paying a total of £1607 a year in rents. The buildings have a 40-foot frontage on Swanson street and a depth of about 92 feet. The area of each floor is nearly 3200 square feet. There was no response when the auctioneer called for an opening offer of £16,000. Bidding eventually began at £12,000, and increased rapidly by increases of £250 to .£15,000, and then by £lOO to £15,700. Four prospective buyers competed.—(P.A.) Dr. Hewlett Johnson

The Canterbury University College Socialist Club yesterday sent a telegram to the Minister in charge of Broadcasting (Mr F. W. Doidge) urging that the Dean of Canterbury (Dr. Hewlett Johnson) be invited to speak on the radio in the interests of world peace. Turncoat A pretty Parisian student, Jocelyn Pailler, bought a. reversible topcoat. She entered buildings with the red side of the coat turned out, and left with the black turned out. Police yesterday arrested Jocelyn and charged her with picking the pockets and the handbags of more than 50 men and women in lifts, between her change of colours.—Paris, April 21. Two Suns in the Sky A passenger on a bus passing through Stoke, near Nelson, on Thursday evening, was surprised to see two suns in the western sky. The true sun was about to set, while the mock sun was above it, a distance of three or four diameters of the sun lying between the two orbs. Perhaps fearing to be taken for a variation of the “flying saucer” observer, the man was reluctant to draw the attention of fellow passengers to the phenomenon. However, although very rarely seen in temperate zones, the parhelion, as such a mock sun is called, is quite frequently seen in Polar regions. Sometimes as many as thrge or tour parhelia appear at one time. The mock sun seen from Stoke was probably caused by the sun shining on cirrus clouds which were in the western sky.—(P.A.) Addition to Forest A Gazette notice says that an area of 2057 acres in the Kowai county has been acquired under the Forests Act. 1949. as permanent State forest land. The Conservator of the Forest Service for the Canterbury district (Mr L. H. Bailey) said yesterday that the area has some waste land which had gone over to gorse. He said that it was at the back of the Ashley State forest, which without the additional area comprises 7030 acres. Mr Bailey said the new area would be planted in the course of the service’s usual planting programme of 500 to 600 acres a year. British Industry British industry was far from down and out, said Mr Stanley Crouch, the

managing director of an old British buying and shipping house, who is visiting Christchurch. “I have had to correct that impression in Australia,” he added. “British industry has never been doing a more prosperous job,” said Mr Crouch, "though high taxation does tend to discourage it at times. The thing that is wanted is a Government that will give both employer and employee a real incentive. I know something about these things and I am confident that industrial output could be stepped up 25 per cent, in the same man-hours.” Hazards of Flying Argued Whether the work of air line pilots was hazardous was contested in the Arbitration Court at Wellington yesterday during the hearing of an award application for North Island air line pilots. For the pilots, Mr L. Aiderton said the calling was “hazardous in the extreme” and “generally speaking the industry was a perilous one.” Mr G. N. Roberts, general manager of Tasman Empire Airways. Ltd.. said the statement was completely inaccurate and untrue. His company had not had accidents causing fatal injury in 10 years. Quoting Sir William Hildred, Director-General of the International Air Transport Association, Mr Roberts said that in 1948 there was one passenger death for every 30.487.279 passenger miles flown. In 1947 there was one passenger death for every 21.184,108 passenger miles.—(P.A.) The Fishing Rivers According to advice received by the North Canterbury Acclimatisation Society. the condition of the fishing rivers at noon yesterday was:—Hurunui. milky; Waimakariri. Ashley. Selwyn, Halswell. Lower and Upper Rakaia. clear and fishable.