General News

Press, Volume LXXXVIII, Issue 26659, 19 February 1952, Page 6

General News

Band. JPlays on Plane Midway across the Tasman yesterday, homeward bound from New Zealand in a Solent flying-boat, the Sydney Salvation Army Band struck up . Happy Birthday?’ They were playing in honour of one of their party, Bandsman R. A. Whitehouse, whose twenty-first birthday it was. Tasman Empire Airways provided an . icecream birthday cake, and the commander of the Solent (Captain P. Le Couteur) presented Bandsman Whitehouse with an Ilin twenty-first birthday key. made by the company’s engineering division.—(P.A.) Property Auctions I Of three properties offered for sale by auction in Christchurch yesterday, two were sold and one was passed in. A fourth house was sold privately before the auction, and a fifth was sold after the auction. An old house with four bedrooms on more than two acres of land at 79 Bryndwr road, Fendalton, was sold for £4050. Bidding began at £3750, rose in bids of £lOO to £3950, and reached the final price in bids of £5O. A five-roomed bungalow on more than half an acre at 113 Vagues road, Papanui, was sold for £2650. The house has two bedrooms, and outbuildings included a large garage-workshop, glasshouse and fowlhouse. Bidding began at £2400 and rose in £lOO and £5O bids. A beach residence at 10 Marine parade, New Brighton, was passed in at £l9OO. Bidding began at £l7OO. Open-air Theatre The possibility of establishing an open-air theatre in one of the city parks was raised by Cr. T. H. McCombs at a meeting of the City Council last evening. He said there had been some successful dramatic productions at Abberley Perk, and it would not be very expensive to have in one of the parks a raised bank, and hedges to provide the wings of the theatre. The chairman of the reserves committee (Cr. M. B. Howard, M.P.) said that this question was one that the Director of Reserves (Mr M. J. Barnett) had looked into particularly while he was overseas. Mr Barnett would be looking round for some place to put these ideas into operation. Rain Stops "As You Like It” Last night’s performance of the Theatre Arts Guild’s open air production of “As You Like It” at Abberley Park was abandoned, after a heavy shower of rain shortly before the interval. For some minutes after the rain started, members of the audience put their programmes on their heads and showed no signs of wanting to leave, but it soon became apparent that the performance would have to be stopped. Almost immediately after his peremptory banishment by the Duke Senior, the Duke in Exile returned to the greensward to announce that the performance would be abandoned, but many members of the audience were unwilling to leave and sheltered under the spreading elms which .surround the greensward. It was announced that the tickets for last night’s performance may be used any other evening during the play’s season. Medical Society in Korea The Army dentist and the two Army doctors in K Force have become members of the “38th Parallel Medical Society of Korea,” which pools information about the diseases and maladies occurring in Korea. The society meets every week-end in the canvas tents of a United States mobile surgical hospital only a few hundred yards from the 38th parallel. A guest speaker—usually a specialist in his own fieldaddresses the meeting on some aspect of current problems in medical work, and the talk is followed by a roundtable discussion. Doctors, dentists, nurses and laboratory technicians qualify for membership, and the present members represent almost all -the nationalities among the United Nations forces in Korea.—Korea, February 16. Mayoral Chain There are now 41 links and sections in the Mayoral chain worn by the Mayor of Christchurch on all official occasions. The Mayor (Mr R. M. Macfarlane, M.P.) reported at the City Council meeting last evening that Sir Ernest Andrews, who was Mayor from 1941 to 1950 had presented a further link, which had been incorporated in the chain. Appreciation of Sir Ernest Andrews’s gift of the link and also an enlarged photograph of himself was expressed by the council. Auckland Labour Shortage Members of the Auckland Electric Power Board yesterday urged that the board should undertake its own housing scheme and recruit immigrant labour abroad to overcome a serious staff shortage. A special meeting will be held in committee next Monday to discuss the manpower problem. The chief engineer (Mr A. O. Glasse) in a report to the works committee said that 140 extra men were required to cope with urgent work. Mr J. A. Steele, the chairman of the board, said that he and two officers had interviewed the Minister of Works (Mr W. S. Goosman). “It was a very sad story the Minister had to tell,” continued Mr Steele. “He could give us practically no help whatsoever, or even any suggestion in regard to manpower. This board will definitely have to wrestle with the problem of making accommodation available somehow to get staff from overseas.”—(P.A.) Notifiable Diseases - Twelve cases of notifiable diseases—two of scarlet fever nine of tuberculosis, and one. of eclampsia—were reported to the Department of Health from Christchurch last week. From Greymouth four cases of tuberculosis were notified. Oxford Rainfall Rainfall recorded at two points 11 miles apart in the Oxford County varied by more than 23 inches last year, according to information received from the Oxford County Council. At ?shlev Gorge the rainfall during the year ended December 31, 1951, was 71.63. inches on 152 days, while at Burnt Hill the rainfall totalled 48.42 inches recorded on 91 days. In April when the heavy floods caused so much damage in the county, the rainfall at Ashley Gorge was 15.66 inches and at Burnt Hill it was 12 inches. Reward .Offered by Council A reward of £lO will be offered by the City Council for information leading to the conviction of persons interfering with the life-saving equipment on the Pleasant Point jetty. The reserves committee reported at the council meeting last evening that the erection of notices on the jetty had been authorised. Old Skeleton Found on Beach A worn skeleton, believed to be that of a man. was found on the beach at Waipapa Point, east of Bluff, yesterday morning. The skeleton was examined by a pathologist of the Southland Public Hospital, who reported that it was very old. It is thought it may be that of a sailor drowned off the point many years ago.—(P.A.)