General News

Press, Volume LXXXIX, Issue 27149, 19 September 1953, Page 6

General News

£ 100 a Minute for Royal Visit Royal tour expenditure for Tirau will be at the rate of £lOO a minute. The Queen will visit the township for what is described as “a kerbside stop of 10 minutes,” and the Matamata County Council has authorised up to £lOOO to be spent on decorations. Tirau is the only stopping place for the whole of the eastern Waikato, which includes the area from Mangakino to beyond Matamata, and is the nearest point, on the Queen’s route, to the Hauraki Plains and the Thames Valley. The council has decided that the township for half a mile, from the Matamata turn-off to the post office, will be decorated with flags, bunting, seven aches, lights, shrubs and trees. The Tirau domain, where the Queen will stop, will also be decorated. All the labour will be voluntary and will save possibly another £lOO or more a minute.

Legal Distinction Young women—and “no longer young”—who flinch at describing themselves as spinsters in legal documents have the alternative of calling themselves femes-soles (single women). This was discovered when a reporter sought a definition of the term feme-sole, used to describe a woman who, in the latest Gazette, has notified her change of name. “Feme-sole,” an Old French term, is a legal term, defined in one dictionary as “an unmarried woman, whether by non-marriage, widowhood or divorce.” “Spinster” is defined by the same dictionary as “a woman who has never been married, especially,” the dictionary adds, “in popular usage, one no longer young.” Heavy Motor-vehicle Offences

Heavy motor-vehicle offences had increased by more than 100 per cent, in the last year. This was stated yesterday at the conference of the Nortn Island Motor Union at Wairakei by Mr M. H. Wynyard. motorists’ representative on the Main Highways Board. He said the board had asked the Transport Department to enforce the regulations classifying roads, and especially those concerning the loading and speed of vehicles. Mr Wynyard said that to contribute towards road safety the board had erected 150 railway crossing eliminations such as overhead bridges and subways.—(P.A.) Traffic Through the Square

A reader of “The Press” asked yesterday why he could not drive his car north through the Square past the Cathedral, without following the gyratory system. There was now no notice directing traffic to turn left and Christchurch Transport Board buses drove straight through. Why was it that he could not? the reader asked. The answer, supplied by the superintendent of the Christchurch City Council’s traffic department (Mr G. P. Kellar), is that there is a council by-law permitting the transport board to run its buses straight through the Square and excepting them from the gyratory system and expressly forbidding other vehicles from following the same course.

Interest in Everest Stamp Many applications for the Indian Government’s new Everest conquest special stamp issue have been made to the Indian High Commissioner at Wellington by philatelists throughout New Zealand.’ The High Commissioner’s office said yesterday that such applications should be made to the philatelic bureau, General Post Office, Bombay. The new stamps will be issued on October 2.—(P.A.) No Decision on School Building

In answer to an urgent telegram, the Minister of Education (Mr R. M. Algie) advised the Canterbury Education Board yesterday that he hoped an early decision would be made on new building proposals for the Cust. Darfield, Spreydon and Hororata Schools, which have been the subject of recent representations. Finnish Cow’s Productivity A farmer, Tauno Laitenen, of Kauhojoki. South Finland, believes that his cow Hassu has broken a world record for milk production. In the last 12 months Hassu has produced about 37001 b of milk yielding about 2101 b of butter.—Helsinki, September 18. Prefabricated Classrooms Grants have been approved by the Education Department for an additional prefabricated classroom at each of the following primary schools:— Beckenham. Fendalton, North New Brighton, Spreydon, Hornby. Aranui and Paparoa street. A septic tank and lavatory accommodation have been approved for Woodbury. . Australian Meat Board

A delegation from the Australian Meat Board will make a 10-day visit to New Zealand next month to study grading methods and discuss marketing problems. The chairman of the board, Mr J. L. Shute, will lead the delegation. He will be accompanied by Mr W. A. Gunn (Queensland) and Mr D. C. Cowell (South Australia). On return, the delegation will report on New Zealand grading methods in relation to Australian marketing.—Brisbane, Sept. 18.

Sir John Hall A contributed article on Springfield station, printed in “The Press" yesterday, referred to two brothers, John and George Hall, who took up two runs, each of 10,000 acres, which formed the original Springfield estate. The article said that very little was known of these two. This was a bad mistake, since the John Hall referred to was afterwards Sir John Hall, Premier of New Zealand. He was the first chairman ,of the Christchurch Town Board and later Mayor of Christchurch city. His name is perpetuated in Canterbury by a charitable institution which bears his name, a church he built at Hororata. where he later settled, and by jnany other charitable bequests.

Linoleum in Schools The Education Department has approved the use of linoleum in school libraries and medical rooms. It has advised the Canterbury Education Board that linoleum would otherwise be suppied only for corridors in postprimary schools and for upper-floor corridors in primary schools. No subsidy was payable on a contribution toward the cost.

Atomic Help for Crops Norwegian agricultural scientists are hoping to produce better crops with the help of their atomic pile. In a specially-fenced field at Ass Agricultural College, near Oslo, crops of wheat, barley, oats, clover and tomatoes are now shooting up. They are being subjected to radio-active rays from an an iridium isotope placed in their midst. —Oslo, September 18. Transport of School Children

Because a transport service operated by the Army Department from Bumham to Christchurch will be discontinued at the end of this year, the Canterbury Education Board has agreed to accept responsibility for the transport of pupils affected to the Lincoln District High School from the beginning of next year. Bledisloe Trophy for Native Flora Viscount Bledisloe was so interested in the formation of the Canterbury Native Flora Society that he has made a gift for a trophy to encourage primary and post-primary school children in the study of native plants. The Canterbury Education Board has agreed to assist the society in organising an annual competition. Not “Park Near Pavement” A remit from the Automobile Association (Auckland) that parking signs should be in plain English, instead of in the initials P and NP. was defeated at the afinual conference at the North Island Motor Uninn at Wairakei. Mr F. G. Farrell said he realised the present initials '»ere used internationally, but he submitted that plain writing would be more advantageous. Delegates said the present initials were “most misleading.” NP, it was thought, meant “not permitted” and not “no parking,” as most people believed. The Auckland remit was lost on the voices. Those opposing it said the sign was In the road code and well known through the country and there was no need to change It. Wairakei School

Wairakei School will in future be the name of the big primary school in Wairakei road. Bryndwr. The suggestion made by the school committee and the parent-teacher association was approved by the Canterbury Education Board yesterday.