General News

Press, Volume XC, Issue 27401, 14 July 1954, Page 10

General News

Rehabilitated Farmers’ Donation Soon after the war many returned servicemen had a 12 weeks’ course at Canterbury Agricultural College, Lincoln, as part of their rehabilitation. Last week 33 of them were back at the college for a refresher course. In appreciation of the help given by the college in their re-establishment and of more recent help, they collected £6O for additional equipment in the Young Farmers’ Club Memorial Hall, which is now in almost constant use for short courses. The first of the additions is an electric clock. The director (Dr. M. M. Burns) told the board of governors yesterday that this gesture was one of the most handsome tributes the college had ever received. The Federation of Young Farmers’ Clubs had installed in the hall easy chairs, folding steel chairs, and wooden ones with desk arms, a useful addition. Pilots and Cooks

When 15 trainee pilots from the Royal New Zealand Air Force station at Wigram begin their practical armament training at the Air Force bombing and air firing range at Birdling’s Flat next Saturday, six trainee cooks taking a chef’s course at the No. 2 trade training school at Wigram will also go to Birdling’s Flat to cook for the ground staff quartered there. For the trainee cooks it will also be practical training cooking under active service conditions. The trainee pilots are now approaching the conclusion of their course, which lasts about a year. At Birdling’s Flat they will engage in air-to-air gunnery, air-to-ground gunnery, dive-bombing, and rocket-firing. Tobacco Worth £3OO Stolen Seven trays of tobacco leaf worth more than £3OO were stolen from the National Tobacco Company’s leaf store in Motueka at the week-end. Entry was gained by breaking a window in the boiler-room at the rear of the building, giving the intruder access to the leaf buying floor. The loaded trays were then apparently dragged across the floor to a door on the northern side of the building and presumably lifted on to a vehicle.—(F.O.O.R.) Russian Car in New Zealand A Russian Zim car, manufactured in the Molotov Works, Moscow, was landed in Wellington recently and will be used by the Russian Legation. Before diplomatic relations were broken, off between Russia and Australia, the car was used by the staff of the Russian Embassy in Canberra. It is thought to be the first Russian-made car to come to New Zealand. The Zim has seating for eight, and it resembles a modern American car in many ways. It has a six-cylinder sidevalve engine and a normal gearbox with a steering column gear change. June Fire Calls Calls answered by the Christchurch Fire Brigade in June were 79, against 80 in June, 1953. A report received by the fire board last evening gave the calls as follows, with those for June of last year in parenthesis:— fires, 25 (31); chimney fires, 16 (18); hedge, grass, and rubbish fires, 10 (3); false alarms—automatic, 15 (14); justifiable, 8 (8); malicious, 5 (6). Four of the dwelling fires were caused by overheating of electric ovens. Wellington Cathedral

The plans for the Wellington Cathedral have been completed, tenders will be called later this year, and building will begin in January. The Primate of New Zealand (Archbishop Owen) announced this to the synod of the Wellington Diocese yesterday. Work would begin on the east end of the cathedral and finish with the sanctuary and chancel. An appeal to the diocese for funds will be made when part of the east end of the cathedral has been built.—(P.A.) Roads Subsidies The sum of £710,000, the first instalment of road subsidies from the National Roads Fund, will be made to local bodies next week on a per capita basis in municipalities and on a rate collection basis in counties. The 160 municipalities will receive £335,000 and the 120 counties £375,000. Matchwood from N.Z. A British matchwood working party set up four years ago to investigate timber suitable for matches from soft currency sources reported today that it had found only one wood that might do—Pinus radiata from New Zealand. The report said that with this one possible exception, none of the species of timber investigated was found capable of providing splints 'of satisfactory quality which could be used in existing match-making machinery.—London, July 12. Investigation of Mines Recent mining developments on the West Coast are being examined this week by the chief executive officers of the United Mine Workers of New Zealand, Mr A. V. Prendiville, president, and Mr F« Crook, secretary. After Grey district problems have been discussed, including the Tyneside mine closing and a visit to Dobson, the two. will visit Reefton, where, in accordance with a recent Government decision, development work has been halted at the Burke’s Creek coalmine.— (F.0.0.R.)

Large Increase in Scholarship The board of governors of Canterbury Agricultural College, Lincoln, yesterday was asked if a scholarship could be extended and increased. Cooper, McDougall, and Robertson, Ltd., advised that the five-year term of its £3O-a-year scholarship was expiring and asked the board s permission to renew it for another six years and raise the value to £l5O a year beginning in 1955. “I don’t think we will have any hesitation whatever in meeting this request.” said the chairman (Mr W. H. Gillespie, M-.P.), while members applauded. Nylon in Tennis Balls Tennis balls which are reinforced with nylon and have a longer life than normal tennis balls, will be available in New Zealand next season. The balls have a cover made from a combination of wool and nylon fibres which is particularly suitable for withstanding the wear to which a tennis ball is subjected. It is expected that the new balls will have two to three times the life of a normal ball yet will cost no more. Precinct System for Elections A regional or precinct system for conducting future elections of the Auckland City Council will be recommended to the next meeting of the council’s finance committee on July 29. It is understood that under the precinct system voters would be divided into permanent groups in’ the vicinity of particular polling places where their signatures would be kept in a card index system. They would vote at specified halls. Each would sign a slip of paper, and the signature would be compared with that on file. The system thus eliminates the use of electoral rolls. Legislation would be necessary before the precinct system could be usea.