General News

Press, Volume XCI, Issue 27664, 21 May 1955, Page 6

General News

The Only Safe Place A judge said in court today that he was rapidly coming to the conclusion that the only safe place for people was in bed. “We run so many risks today that it seems to me that as soon as we put our feet on the carpet, we have had it” he said. “Of course, there are also risks in bed—it might be faulty sheets, it might be damp, or a waterbottle could leak.” The judge was hearing a.claim for damages by a farm worker against his employers. The worker was injured when he fell on a circular saw. The judge dismissed the action, saying the man made an error of judgment and by a bit of bad luck the accident occurred.—London, May 20. Vice-Regal Passenger The Governor-General (Sir Willoughby Norrie) travelled by helicopter from the aircraft-carrier, H.M.A.S. Sydney, to Government House, Wellington, yesterday afternoon. Sir Willoughby Norrie had lunch aboard the Sydney, now in port at Wellington. He landed on the lawn at Government House in heavy rain after the short flight over the city.—(P.A.) Hazy Noel Luke, of Mount Druitt, near Sydney, was charged in the Magistrate’s Court today with smoking in a non-smoking carriage. “I sdid not know I was in a non-smoker,” he said. “I was on my honeymoon and did not know where I was.” Mr C. N. Hawes, S.M.: I think I can take that as a, reasonable explanation. The information is dismissed.—Sydney, May 20. Caterpillar Invasion Six acres of green pasture about eight inches high have been devoured, almost overnight, by tens of thousands of caterpillars on the farm of Mr Peter Telford, Oakura. There had been sufficient grass in the pasture to supply a week’s feed for cows which provided milk for the town supply, said Mr Telford. The caterpillars were sprayed yesterday morning with a D.D.T. emulsion. The cause of the outbreak so late in the season was probably the very mild winter the district had been experiencing, he said. This had hatched out a second batch of caterpillars which had grown up to one inch and a half in length. Several thousand of the caterpillars had drowned themselves in a drain bordering the pasture in their efforts to reach another paddock.— (P.A.) Parking Meter Offences The first prosecutions for over-park-ing on areas governed by parking meters in Wellington were heard before Mr J. B. Thomson, S.M., in the Wellington Magistrate’s Court yesterday, and two motorists were each fined £I.—(P.A.) Diesel Engine for West Coast A small diesel shunting engine of English make is soon to be sent from Christchurch to work in the railway yards at Greymouth. It will be the first diesel shunting locomotive to work in the Greymouth yards where shunting has been done by steam locomotives. The engine, which is of a type that is at present operating at Lyttelton, has been brought down from Wellington and overhauled in Christchurch. Other diesel shunting locomotives will go to the West Coast later. Property Passed In' A house standing in four acres at 21 Breens road, Harewood, was passed in at auction at £4300 yesterday. The property has a frontage of 7| chains and was considered to be good market gardening land. The house is of six rooms and sun-porch. Tricycle Shed Wanted for School A shelter for the children’s tricycles at the Paparoa Street School is wanted by the school committee, but the Canterbury Education Board will not provide it. The board decided yesterday to suggest that the parents should investigate the possibility of providing covers. Tasman Plane Turns Back A Tasman Airways DC-6 aircraft, scheduled to arrive at Whenuapai from Sydney at 10.15 p.m. yesterday, had to turn back to Sydney because of engine trouble. Its arrival is now scheduled for 10.15 p.m, today. The usual flight from Sydney will arrive at Whenuapai at 5.15 p.m.—(P.A.) No Place More Dead No place in the world is more dead than Lambton quay, Wellington, on a Saturday or Sunday, according to the general manager of the Tourist and Publicity Department (Mr R. W. Marshall). “Heaven help us if we were to send our overseas tourists to our cities at week-ends.” he said, when addressing the annual meeting of the New Zealand Travel and Holidays Association in Wellington. “At least in the country there is something for tourists to do.” Control of Ski-ing Ski-ing was first introduced into New Zealand about 80 years ago, says an official handbook issued by the newly-constituted New Zealand Ski Association. The first ski club, the Ruapehu Ski Club, was formed more than 40 years ago, but it was not until 1932 that there was any organised control of ski-ing on a national basis. For 21 years a ski council operated as a sub-committee of the Federated Mountain Clubs of New Zealand, but, says the handbook, “with the great development that took place after the Second World War with the introduction of ski lifts, overseas instructors, better ac.cess roads, and more mountain huts, it was inevitable that an independent national body for the control of ski-ing would eventually materialise” Last year in Wellington the constitution and rules of the New Zealand Ski Association were approved and the association how carries out the control of organised ski-ing in New Zealand Big Kauri Log

A kauri log thought to be one of the biggest ever transported by road in New Zealand has been cut on a property at Ahuroa, near Warkworth, and sold to the Wade River Timber company at Silverdale. It weighs more than 30 tons, is 26 feet long, 30 feet in the girth and contains 17,550 super feet of timber. The tree, which was the last of a stand of kauri, was cut down by power saw on the property of Mr J. W. Furniss and took about five hours to fell. Bridges on the route to Silverdale from Warkworth had to be reinforced. It is believed that the log will be worth about £2OOO to the mill after being cut into boards. It will probably be used mainly for boat building. —(P.A.) Steam Power Station Mr H. J. London, a representative of an English firm of consulting engineers, has spent several days in the Waikato coalfields to consider schemes for a steam power station. He is accompanied by Mr H. G. Latta, Chief Engineer of the State Hydro-electric Department. Mr Latta said in Hamilton last evening that the information he had obtained in conjunction with Mr London would be the subject of discussions in Wellington next Week. Mr London visited New Zealand in 1952, and then made a report to the Government on fuel power prospects. —(P.A.) Export of Brains The claim that New Zealand “exports its brains” is a thoughtless complaint unfortunately expressed according to Dr. D. Miller, director of the Cawthron Institute. “Arising as it does in a pastoral country, it savours of the meat trade,’’ Dr. Miller told the Royal Society of New Zealand in Wellington this week. “It-could hold some reflection on those left in the drafting pens. It could imply that those who are left and those who will continue to be ‘imported,’ are solely for the stimulation of the breed." Firemen’s Training School The final plans for the Fire Services Council’s training school at Island Bay had been approved, and it was hoped to call tenders soon, said the council’s chairman (Mr S. S. Dean) at the annual conference of the New Zealand Urban Fire Authorities’ Association in /Wellington. The school will accommodate 12 trainees. It is intended to provide, in addition to the training of recruits for the permanent staff, for courses for officers and potential officers, for week-end courses and short courses to cater for members of volunteer brigades, and for specialist courses in ‘fire prevention.—(P.A.)