General News

Press, Volume LXXXVII, Issue 26319, 13 January 1951, Page 6

General News

Reluctant Ghost The ghost of Catherine Howard, the beheaded fifth wife of Henvy VIII disappointed millions of television viewers by failing to make one of her rare appearances when thd 8.8. C. visited Hampton Court Palace and with their cameras followed the path Catherine took from her bedchamber in a last vain attempt to plead with the King. The programme was a historical story of the events leading to Catherine’s execution and the producers and commentators contrived to make the atmosphere as eerie as possible. Floodlights simulating moonlight poured through the mullioned windows into the shadowy rooms and corridors, candles flickered, and doors opened mysteriously. t The transmission ended when a disembodied hand slowly snuffed out a guttering candle. —London, January 12. Record Theatre Season When the Kiwi Concert Party ends its six-week season in Christchurch to-night it will have created a record for a revue company. No other revue has had such a long season in Christchurch, and none has had such attendances. In the time that the company, which made its name playing to the 2nd New Zealand Division and Allied troops in the Middle East during the recent war, has been in Christchurch, more than 60,000 persons have seen the show, and the management and company say that the Christchurch audiences have been more enthusiastic than those in Wellington, although the show ran longer there. 49 Inches of Rain The small North Queensland township of Sarina has now had 49 inches of rain in the last four days—and it is still pouring. The residents do not bother to wear raincoats, and. their usual dress consists of shorts and either shirts or blouses. Seventeen inches of rain fell in the 24 hours ended at 9 a.m. to-day. The township is isolated, with water six feet deep over the roads. Losses of sugar-cane crops amount to £3oo,ooo.—Sydney, January 12. Bowl Split in Half For the second time in the South Island centennial bowling tournament a bowl has been split in half. This happened yesterday morning at the Sydenham green, where the Belfast skip, H. Deavoll, playing J. D. Marks (Christchurch), had a cannonball drive on the thirteenth end. His bowl hit one of the opposition’s bowls, which fell apart split down the middle. Deavoll, formerly a prominent footballer, killed the head with his next bowl. Last Monday morning A. L. Taylor, skipping a Sumner rink, split a bowl in two at the St. Albans green on the nineteenth end. Broken bowls are most unusual. If a player has a broken bowl he must replace the set, as there are no spares. Memorial to Voting Girl A memorial plaque recalling the death of Norma Anne Kearns, aged 11, who was struck by a train when saving the life of her dog, will be erected by the Animals’ Protection Society. "Some of our members have brought the matter before our general committee and have subscribed to the fund, and it is thought that many others will be pleased to join with us,” said Mr R. T. Willan, a vice-presi-dent of the society, yesterday. Norma Kearns died a few minutes after being struck by a train on Boxing Day at Oamaru. She had just arrived there to spend a holiday with her parents. Cow’s Long Life A cow, believed to be one of the oldest in New Zealand, died on the farm of her owner, Mr S. P. Miller, Taumarunui, recently—but not from old age. The cow, Barbara, which was 34 years and four months old and which had had 29 calves, stepped on a ledge which had been undermined, fell six or seven feet on to her horns, and broke her neck. At the time of the accident she was in good health.