General News

Press, Volume LXXXIX, Issue 26957, 5 February 1953, Page 6

General News

Unfinished Symphony The conductor, Leopold Stokowski, walked out of a symphony concert in New Orleans last night and refused to continue the programme until the Dixieland Band, in an adjoining ballroom, stopped playing. Strains of music from the 13-piece jazz band floated into the concert hall as Stokowski was conducting the New Orleans Symphony Orchestra. The whitehaired conductor immediately stopped the .musicians, made a short speech, and stalked from the stage. He returned when the dance band stopped playing. Russ Papalia, whose orchestra was providing the dance music, said: “Stokowski should realise he is disturbing us.” He added: “Stokowski would complain if a grasshopper tripped over a matchstick a mile away.”—New York, Feb. 4. Free Transport for Labour Members of the Canterbury Mountaineering Club have been quick to take advantage of an offer by the North Canterbury Catchment Board to provide free transport to the mountains on the week-end of February J. n spite of the to th e board’s offer—that the 20 men taken free had to carry loads of -equipment to the top °f Avalanche Peak where the board is establishing a rain gauge—the list of men required was filled in a matter hours. The mountaineers expect that the work will take only the Saturday morning, leaving them the rest of the week-end free. Caught Swordfish with Crowbar By attacking a 2451 b swordfish with a crowbar, roping it and then towing the nme-foot catch ashore, three Fijians probably created a world record today. The fish surfaced in Suva harbour, not far from the central fire station. A fire brigadesman, John Sigile, with Tomasi Bose, a builder, and a third Fijian, promptly dashed out m a dinghy from which Tomasi wielded a crowbar. Most of central Suva stopped work to watch as Tomasi plunged the crowbar in. Another claimant for an unofficial record is a European who shot a turtle with a speargun at Nukulau Island, near Suva. The catch, estimated at 28401 b, was returned to the sea because this is the closed season.—Suva, February Uses of Sewage Sludge The chief engineer of the Christchurch Drainage Board (Mr E. F. Scott) hopes that the board will soon be able to produce methane gas in commercial quantities by the digestion of sewage sludge. Mr Scott addressed the Canterbury • Progress League last evening on the board’s activities. The gas had about half as much again calorific content as the ordinary gas used for a town supply, and in Britain it was used to drive all the vehicles of at least one town board. The sludge had also been used experimentally in the production of highquality fertiliser, in unspectacular but useful quantities. The demand for it would almost certainly be big enough to warrant the importation of plant to treat the sludge and produce the fertiliser in a proper form, said Mr Scott. Ngauruhoe Eruption’ Rocks estimated to be between 10ft and 20ft across were being hurled up to 300 ft above the crater rim of Mount Ngauruhoe late yesterday afternoon, when the eruption was observed at close quarters from the air by the Government vulcanologist at Rotorua (Mr J. Healy) and a “Nbw Zealand Herald” reporter. A heavy cloud bank shrouded the crater, but it periodically lifted sufficiently to enable the vent to be observed. A yellowish brown column of smoke was billowing into the cloud, taking with it a quantity of ash. The rocks were ejected with each regular burst of activity and fell back into the steaming crater. There was no sign of a flow of lava. Mr Healy regards the activity as one of Ngauruhoe’s normal eruptions.—(PA.) Force of Habit Auckland’s telephone system is rapidly returning to normal. “It is like the calm after the storm,” said Mr F. G. Reed, the chief postmaster, on Tuesday. Mr Reed emphasised that most of the trouble was caused by people who carelessly called an old number from force of habit. “I myself twice rang my old home number before I realised it had been changed,” he said. The novelty of a new telephone has apparently begun to wear off and a general easing is reported on most exchanges. Dial-tone and answer-time have improved and toll delays are fewer. Some subscribers were mystified when they got a “four dots” signal. “Four dots” indicate that the number is no longer obtainable, or that the line is congested. Death Duty Inquiry The next meeting of the Farmers’ Death Duty Investigation Commission is to be held at Wellington on February 23. The commission, composed of Messrs R. H. White and N. B. Fippard, was set up in December, 1952, to inquire into and report upon cases where it was claimed that payment in full of death duty in estates of certain farmers would result in forced sales of farm land or farm stock. Applications to the commission for relief must reach the secretary (Mr J. R. Bishop, of the Inland Revenue Department) before April 30, but in special cases applications may be received after that date. The relief which the commission may recommend may consist of remission of penalties, reduction or remissidn of interest, and reduction in duty payable by not more than 20 per cent. —(F.0.0.R.) Student Qualifications The percentage of training college students with university entrance or higher qualifications had been declining over the last five years, said Mr R. A. Dickie, principal of the Auckland Teachers’ Training College, to the Auckland Education Board yesterday. He said that in 1947 70 per cent, of the students had university entrance, but by 1952 the percentage had dropped 1o 49.5 per cent. It appeared that teaching at present was not as attractive to the brighter academic pupils as it used to be. Mr Dickie said that those entering college had fine personal qualities, but the enrichment of their general education must be regarded,as an important aspect of their training course. The number of students taking university work declined still further. Last year 129 took degree courses, compared with 151 the previous year. The decline was caused principally by the too low qualifications of so many students.—(P.A.) Two Gifts of Footwear Workers in a shoe factory at Vegevano, in North Italy, decided to present Britain’s Queen with a pair of shoes for the Coronation. They are nearly all members of the Catholic Party. When employees at a rival factory heard of this they decided to make a pair of Russian-style iioots and present them to Mr Stalin. They are all members of the Communist Party.— Rome. February 4. Block of Land Sold A block of land of nine acres, one rood 31 perches at Waimairi road, Riccarton, was sold at auction in Christchurch yesterday afternoon for £4250. A tentative scheme of subdivision providing 30 building sites has been prepared. Bidding started at £3OOO and rose by £lOO bids to £4lOO and then by £5O bids to the selling price. Old Ship to Be Sunk Gunfire from H.M.N.Z.S. Black Prince, flagship of the New Zealand Squadron, will sink the old steamer Claymore, loaded with about 100 tons of condemned explosives, outside the Hauraki Gulf toward the end of this month. The Claymore, a former Northern Steamship Company passenger steamer, boom defence ship, and salvage ship for the recovery of the Niagara’s gold, has been in reserve at the Devonport Naval Base since the end of the war. The Claymore will be engaged by the Black Prince at a range of five to six miles. She will be the target in an exercise which will simulate the discovery, interception, and destruction of an enemy merchant ship. The explosives which the Claymore will carry will include depth charges set to explode at a nredetermined depth. Should the Claymore sink without exploding, the depth charges will complete the demolition under water.—(P.A.) Fire Hazard The headquarters building of the Atlanta Fire Department has been condemned as a fire hazard. The city fire chief listed 19 defects, including the absence of fire extinguishers and adequate means of escape from the building if it should catch fire.—New York, February 3.