General News

Press, Volume LXXXVII, Issue 26512, 29 August 1951, Page 6

General News

Beer-Drinking Contest The Madrid radio reported to-day that 30 men had reached the finals of the Barcelona beer-drinking contest Nineteen qualified with a score of 1000 pints each, and 11 with 500 to 800 pints in heats over the last three months. The finals will be held bn September 2 in Barcelona, where last year’s winner swallowed 14 pints in 20 minutes.—London. August 28. Reduction in Prices Although reductions in the price of tea, butter, flour and petrol have been authorised by the Government to take place on September 3, there is -as yet little evideifce of , consumers waiting for the reduced prices before buying stocks. Service station proprietors questioned yesterday said they had noticed no drop in their normal safes, but suggested that at the end of the week there might be a shortage of petrol at some, stations, because the proprietors were unwilling to buy further stocks from the oil companies at the present price, and would prefer to sell out and .renew their supplies on September 3. Leading grocers said that there had been very little, if any, dimunition in trade this week. Diplomatic Formalities

Dr. Mario Carosi, Italy's first Min-ister-designate to New Zealand, found himself in an unusual situation when he arrived at Wellington yesterday with his family. There is no Minister of External Affairs upon whom he should call, as Mr F. W. Doidge, who still holds that portfolio, is on his way to London, as High Commissioner. Until the election is decided on Saturday it is not known, who the new Minister will be. Also, it is the duty of the Minister of External Affairs to arrange for Ministers-designate to present their credentials to the GovernorGeneral. Dr. Carosi must therefore wait until after the General Election before he can make his official calls. —(P.A.) British Everest Expedition A second member of the New Zealand climbers’ expedition to the-Gar-whal district in the Himalayas has been invited to join the British Everest expedition led by Mr Eric Shipton, according to advice received yesterday. He is Mr E. P. Hillary, of Auckland, and he will j.oin Mr H. E. Riddiford, leader of the New Zealand party, who has already been Invited to climb with the British expedition. Both are members of the New Zealand Alpine Club. Mr Shipton left in July. As permission has 'been refused to make the attempt on Everest from the Tibetan side, the expedition has been compelled to approach the mountain from the Nepalese side. All previous attempts have been made from Tibet, and little is known of the southern side of Everest. Drug for Coronary Thrombosis The new blood-thinning drug heparin is being used regularly at Victoria Hospital at London, Ontario, to eave the lives of coronary thrombosis sufferers. Dr. George Manning, of the University of Western Ontario’s Department of Medicine, soid to-day that heparin, administered in pills or injections, broke up dangerous blood clots in the heart or veins.—Ottawa, August 27. China Dogs and Rabbits China dogs, rabbits and other animals of the type usually seen in sitting-room windows are anathema to the Director of Adult Education at Canterbury University College (Mr G. W. Southgate), who is organiser of the arts and crafts school at present being held at the college. “I don’t like this,” he said yesterday to a woman attending the school who had just modelled a rabbit in clay. Turning to the reporter he was showing through the school he Said he would like to take a rifle and declare an “open season" on all factory-produced dogs and rabbits. Speeding A horsefloat, an empty bus. a taxi, motor-cycles and molar-cars comprised the vehicles used by 17 drivers who were fined in the Magistrate’s Court yesterday for exceeding the speed limit, on prosecutions brought by the Transport Department. Most of the offences occurred in June on main roads from Christchurch. The highest speed mentioned, 90 miles an hour, was that of a motor-cyclist with a pillion passenger. The horsefloat wgs checked at 55 miles an hour, and the bus at 48 to 52 miles an hour.

Sale of State Hooses Up to Monday 2100 tenants had purchased their State houses at a cost of more than £4,000.000. said the Minister in charge of ,the State Advances Corporation (Mr J. R. Marshall) in Wellington last night. “And the scheme has only just started," he told a meeting of Roseneath supporters when addressing them as National Party candidate for Mount Victoria. The houses so far sold had been bought solely by tenants who had Independently approached the State Advances Corporation, he said. However, a sales drive was planned for the sale of State houses, he added. —(P.A.) Results of Arte Course An interested reader of the rejports on meetings of Women’s Institutes and Women’s Divisions of Federated Farmers in “The Press" in the last year has been Mr G. W. Southgate, Director of Adult Education at Canterbury University College. Mr Southgate’s department organised the first arts and crafts school for country women last year and since then has noted the names of many of those who attended appearing in the lists of prizewinners in institute and division competitions. Two of those who attended had also organised classes in South Canterbury, he said. These results were encouraging for they showed that the course had fulfilled its objects—to further the skill of those taking the course and to equip them to help others in their groups. Religion and Politics

About as many people went to hear Canon Bryan Green, Rector of Birmingham, who held a mission service in the Cathedral last evening as went to hear two of New Zealand’s leading politicians, the Deputy-Prime Minister (Mr K. J. Holyoake) and the Leader of the Labour Party (Mr Nash). It was estimated that there were more than 3200 persons in the Cathedral for Canon Green’s service, 2200 inside and oufeide Mr Nash’s meeting in the Liberty Theatre and the Civic Theatre, and 1200 at Mr Holyoake’s meeting .in the St. James’ Theatre.