General News

Press, Volume LXXXVIII, Issue 26662, 22 February 1952, Page 6

General News

First of Her Majesty’s Ships. The honour of possessing the first naval vessel to be commissioned into the service of Queen Elizabeth II falls to the Royal New Zealand Navy, according to officials at the Devonport Naval Base. The ship to be so distinguished is the naval minesweeper, Tui, which was commissioned at the base at 11 a.m. yesterday. The Tui, of 1000 tons, has been on the reserve for more than six years. She has been recommissioned for the training of naval reservists.—(P. A.) A Curious Meal In the early days the storage of food in the Carrington Hut was very primitive, said Mr C. Fenwick at a meeting of the Canterbury Mountaineering Club last evening, jnd when rats got amongst the stores* they chewed all the labels off the tinned food. One night, after an arduous climb, a party returned to the hut ready for a hot meal. Mr Fenwick climbed into the roof to get a tin of beef which he threw down to the cook. After being warmed over the fire sufficiently the tin was opened, and the party sat down to a meal of hot raspberry jam.

No Goat Carcases Canterbury apparently has no spare goat carcases to meet a request from a London firm specialising in bulk purchasing, which wishes to obtain supplies from New Zealand. The firm, which has branches in Cannes and Cape Town, wrote recently to the Canterbury Chamber of Commerce asking if goat carcases could be provided from Canterbury. The letter has been passed on to a freezing company in Hawke’s Bay which has exported goal meat to England. In recent years goat® that have been used to keep down blackberry on farm land have been rounded up, killed, and the carcases frozen for export. In the first seven months of 1951 frozen goat meat exported from New Zealand totalled 524 cwt.

Property Sales A two-storey residence of nine main rooms on three roods 31.4 perches at 39 Wairarapa terrace. Fendalton, was sold at auction in Christchurch yesterday for £5OOO. The property, situated on a river frontage, includes a tennis court, a glasshouse, and a boathouse. A two-storey bungalow at 58 Clifford avenue, Fendalton, was passed in at £5400. Bidding for seven brick shops on an acre of ground at 333 to 339 Stanmore road started at £6OOO and went to £BOOO before the property was passed in. A residence of six main rooms on 57 perches at 14 Richmond Hill, Sumner, failed to reach the reserve price and was passed in at an undisclosed figure. Hours for Sale of Petrol The council of the North Island Motor Union decided yesterday to seek revocation of the 1946 regulations under which petrol is sold. A deputation will wait on the Minister of Labour (Mr W. Sullivan) and the Minister of Industries and Commerce (Mr J. T. Watts) to make “further urgent representations” to have the regulations revoked and the petrol reselling industry delicensed. The South’ Island Motor Union will be asked to associate itself with these representations—(P. A.) Eating-House Laws No local body has any discretion in administering the eating-house regulations, according to the Medical Officer of Health at Hamilton (Dr. J. F. Dawson). The regulations require restaurants to have 100 square feet of kitchen space, and the Rotorua Borough Council, finding that several restaurants in the town could not <*>nform to the regulations, recently sought a direction from the Health Department. Dr. Dawson told the council at its meeting this week that three years had been given for licensees to conform to the regulations, and there was no short way out for proprietors of restaurants. If they were short of space they could obtain a refreshment room licence. They would not be allowed to cook on the premises, but they could sell beverages and perhaps toast, so they were not being put out of business because they could not comply with the regulations. Sandwiches could be sold in refreshment rooms only if they were prepared on fullylicensed premises. Dairy Export Gradings

Butter export gradings showed a marked increase in the first six months of the current export season, but cheese gradings for export were substantially reduced. Figures issued yesterday by the. Dairy Division of the Department of Agriculture show an increase of 3492 tons of butter graded for export for the six months to January 31. Cheese export gradings for the same period were 7022 tons lower. If these figures are converted into the butterfat equivalent, there is an increase of about i per cent, in the butterfat graded for the six months, compared with the corresponding period in the preceding season.—(F.O.O.R.) Hawarden Saleyards to be Sold The Hawarden saleyards, as well as the hall and outbuildings nearby, are to be sold. This decision, according to a statement from the Hawarden Saleyards Company, Ltd., was taken at a special meeting of shareholders in the company recently. "Considerable concern was expressed at the possible loss to the district of the hall, and also the Saleyards, which were established in 1898,” says the statement.

Coal Measures Being Prospected Coal measures on the west bank of the Inangahua river, near Inangahua Landing, will be worked if the plans of a Greymouth mining party bear fruit. A leasehold of 40 acres of virgin country is being prospected, and good quality industrial coal has been found. Much development will be needed before the area can be productive. The partv will be faced, among other difficulties. with the problem of transporting the coal across the unbridged Inangahua river to the loading point at the Inangahua Landing railway station. It has long been known that coal exists in the area, but this is the first serious attempt to work the seams. The area is 15 miles from Reefton.— (F.0.0.R) Waimairi Rale Collection A total of 42.3 per cent., £56,064, of the levy of £132,483 had been collected, stated the County Clerk (Mr H. A. Ferguson) in his report to the Waimairi County Council last evening. At a corresponding date last year the collection was £42,905, or 39.5 per cent. Arrears collected amounted to £2466 or 67 per cent, of the total outstanding at April 1, 1951. “Considering the material increase in rating assessments, this discloses a very satisfactory position and in comparison with previous records the outstanding balance of 33 per cent, is the lowest figure for a number of years,” said the report. Slip Blocks Mine Mouth Work in the underground section of •the Stockton State colliery was halted on Wednesday by a slip in the tunnel at the mine mouth. The miners were unable to enter the workings. They had assembled for work, but later returned to their homes. The slip was cleared during the day, and normal work was resumed yesterday.— (F.0.0.R.) Fluoridation of Water

Advice that the Health Department was arranging for a controlled experiment in the use of fluoride in drinking water was received yesterday by the Auckland City Council’s works committee. The council had sought permission to add fluoride to part of the city’s supply for experimental purposes. The Director-General of Health (Dr. J. Cairney) has now replied that his department feels that carefully controlled experiments should be carried out before local authorities in New Zealand embark on the fluoridation of water supplies. The findings announced from North American experiments were promising, said Dr. Cairney, but should not be taken as conclusive. The reduction in dental decay caries might be a lasting benefit for individuals throughout their lives, but public health authorities must wait for many years before acceptng that as certain. The locality most likely to be chosen for a long-term experiment in the fluoridation of water was the Hastings and Havelock North area, added Dr. Cairney. The experiment now being planned was intended to run for 10 years, but favourable preliminary results might be apparent in a shorter time. The works pommittee will recommend, to the council that no action be taken at present on the proposed experiment in Auckland.— i (PAJ ,