General News

Press, Volume XC, Issue 27368, 5 June 1954, Page 6

General News

No More News of Hillary No more news of the health of Sir Edmund Hillary, who was reported several weeks ago to be ill with pneumonia in the Himalayas, has been received by his relatives in New Zealand. One of Sir Edmund Hillary’s brothers at Papakura told a Wellington newspaper by telephone last evening that the latest letter received from Sir Edmund Hillary was dated May 10, but contained no reference to pneumonia.—(P.A.) Nurse Maude Appeal A record amount was raised by the annual street appeal for the Nurse Maud District Nursing Association yesterday. A total-of £1560, more than the previous record, had been reached when counting finished last evening with 93 collection boxes still to come in. High School. Enrolments Enrolment forms for 1955 had been distributed last Monday, said Mr C. A. Noble, headmaster of the Christchurch West High School, at a meeting of the school’s board of governors last evening. Primary schools receiving the forms did not release them until 3.30 p.m. that afternoon. Next morning four applicants awaited him at 8 a.m., and by 4.30 p.m. on Tuesday, 320 applications. were in hand. The total is now more than' 350. “One for the Road” Jacked up on tram bogies, the hotel at Waiwera, 30 miles north of Auckland, was moved along rails to its new site, 100 yards away. It is to make room for a new hotel. It was not found necessary to interrupt the bar trade as the hotel rolled away. The licensee, Mr V. R. Watts, stood his customers “one for the road.” Next week, the hotel’s dining block will be shifted. It is unlikely that the move will be made at lunchtime. Provincial Government Legacy A reminder that some of the legislation of the • old provincial governments is still in force in New Zealand is contained in the latest issue of the New Zealand Gazette. Under a notice changing the purpose of a reserve of five acres “more or less” in the Ox-

ford survey district from a “reserve for a gravel pit to a reserve for plantation purposes,” is a reference to the original notice proclaiming the land a reserve. The reference is to the Canterbury Provincial Gazette, May 20, 1875. Branch Railway Lines It seemed inevitable that more branch railway lines would be closing if support for them beyond word was not forthcoming, said the president, Mr D. W. Gray, at the ninth annual conference of the North Canterbury provincial district of Federated Farmers yesterday. “I do, however, feel that the railways in the past have taken a negative attitude concentrating their efforts rather on blocking road services than on providing a satisfactory alternative.” Wild Horse Hazard Mr D. J. McLeary, of Taupo, was driving a car near the Taupo golf links when a wild horse jumped out of the scrub in front of the car. The windscreen was shattered and Mr McLeary was severely cut on the face and head. The horses have been a source of annoyance and danger for years, and the Taupo Borough Council is now destroying persistently wandering horses. Weather Forecasts Discussing weather broadcasts in his annual report to the conference of the North Canterbury provincial district of Federated Farmers yesterday the secretary, Mr A. E. G. Lyttle, said that in the main farmers were well served with weather broadcasts but it was unfortunate that some forecasts which were entirely incorrect threw a strong element of .doubt on all that followed. New House: 100-year-old Chimney One hundred years ago stonemasons at Nev/ Plymouth built a chimney and a hearth that are in such good condition today and such a rare example of that craft that a ne;>v hoqse has been built round them. The cnimney was part of the homestead of the Sole family, old New Plymouth identities, in Tokomaru street, and when the house was recently dismantled by/Mr D. Hildred he was so surprised by The quality of the work that he decided to incorporate it in his new house. Floating Showroom

New Zealand q»ay next year see one of British industry’s latest money earners—a former American minesweeper converted into a floating showroom. Now anchored in the Thames as part of the British Industries Fair, the gleaming white vessel will soon sail in search of orders. Its showrooms contain 10,000 products from six factories of a Northamptonshire firm. The first selling cruises will be to Denmark, Norway and Sweden. Later the ship will go to the West Indies, United States and Canada. After that, according to the Auckland agents of the Northamptonshire firm, the ship may come to Australia and New Zealand. Manufacturers’ Trade Delegation A New Zealand Manufacturers’ Federation trade delegation is to make a goodwill and fact-finding tour of Western Samoa, Fiji and Tonga. They are Messrs J. S. McAlpine, federation vice-president and Auckland association president; T. G. Tomkins, federation president, of Dunedin; and F. C. Penfold, federation vice-president, of Christchurch; A. R. Dellow, federation general secretary; I. E. Allan, Wellington association’s secretary; R. J. Knowles, Otago-Southland Association president, and E. P. Doogue, Department of Industries and Commerce representative. Early Arrivals

Twa former members of the 2nd New Zealand Divisional Cavalry Regiment arrived six hours early yesterday for the smoke concert which was the opening function of the regiment’s Queen’s Birthday week-end reunion. They had forgotten that in Army language—which was used on the invitation—“2ooo hours” means 8 pun., not 2 p.m.

Catchment Board Houses The North Canterbury Catchment Board yesterday decided to apply to the Local Government Loans Board for £20,000 to erect houses for its employees. The loan will be for 10 years at an interest rate not to exceed 4 per cent. The security for the loan will be a special rate of l-150d in the £ on the capital value of the rateable property in the board’s district. Dakota to Become Airliner Another Dakota aircraft, formerly in service with the Royal New Zealand" Air Force, waits beside No. 1 hangar at Christchurch airport for conversion to a 26-seater DC-3 Douglas airliner for the National Airways Corporation. Mr J. R. Campbell, branch manager for the corporation in Christchurch, said yesterday that no date could be given for the conversion; it would depend on the maintenance and overhaul programme of the Harewood workshops. The new Douglas DC-3, when it arrives, will bring the corporation’s fleet of DC-3’s back to its previous figures of 22 passenger types and two freighters.

N.Z. Court at Singapore Exhibition Nine large crates of material for the New Zealand court to be erected at the Singapore lndustrial Exhibition in Augusffleft Wellington in the after five crowded weeks of and packing. Shipping complications reduced the time in which the material could.be prepared for the court. The display has been organised by the Department of Industries and Commerce, and the material designed and constructed by the National ~ Publicity Studios. The art director of the studios (Mr G. F. T. Bridgman) will fly to Singapore later to superintend the erection of the court. The court will contain a quantity of New Zealand souvenirs for distribution to visitors. —(P.A.) Value of Conscription

Compulsory military training had been most successful in New Zealand, said the Governor-General (Sir Willoughby Norrie) at the Returned Servicemen’s Association clubrooms in Apia this morning. It was a good thing for any nation to have compulsory military training. “It gives boys a sense of responsibility,” he said. History had proved that dictators always waged war on weak nations, so the solution was to be strong, and this was the purpose of compulsory military training.—Apia, June 2.