General News

Press, Volume XCI, Issue 27665, 23 May 1955, Page 10

General News

Total paid admissions to the Industries Fair, which closed on Saturday evening, were 165,682. With school iparties and free passes the attendance was about 199,500. The fair was open for three weeks. The largest previous attendance was in 1950, when the figure was 175,000, but in that year the fair was 1 open for four weeks. Members of the fair executive last evening commented on the excellent behaviour of the crowds, and the good humour that prevailed. Storage for Power There was a further improvement in the storage of water for generation of electricity in the South Island during the week-end. Between Friday morning and yesterday morning storage increased by 6,640,000 units. Yesterday morning the total was 184,010,000 units; fin Saturday morning 181,610,000 units; and on Friday morning 177,370,000 units. Last evening it was reported that rain had mainly stopped along the back country. In the Coleridge and Tekapo areas it was clear and frosty. Circumstantial Evidence An electric shock which the Chief South Australian Stipendiary Steward, Mr Fred Everest, received when he lifted a jockey’s whip yesterday led to the suspension of a jockey for 10 years. Die jockey, William Attrill, aged 32, was to have ridden Thundering Legion in the First Clarendon Transition Handicap. Thundering Legion, a rank outsider, was backed down from 33 to 1 to 7 to 1 just before the race. The owner reported to the stewards that he could not understand the sensational plunge on his horse. Mr Everest went to the jockeys’ room and searched Attrill’s gear six minutes before race time. He received a sharp shock when he picked up the whip. With a substituted jockey, Thundering Legion won the race by a head. He was swabbed and the specimen sent to Sydney for analysis.—Adelaide, May 22. Antarctic Expedition The Federated Mountain Clubs of New Zealand have been invited by the Minister of External Affairs (Mr T. L. Macdonald) to take part in the committee which is being set up by the Government to organise New Zealand's part in the proposed expedition to the Antarctic. This was announced by the president (Mr A. H. Hines) at the annual meeting of the federation in Christchurch on Saturday. Colour Technique in Films A French painter, Fernand Leger, today urged a new film technique in which scenes and characters requiring greater emphasis would appear in black and white against a colour background. “I first thought of mixing black and white with colour 20 years ago,” he said. “But at the time it was technically impossible. Now nothing is impossible in the cinema. For example, in a gangster film you could mix black and white in such a way that comic and dramatic scenes would stand out from the rest of the film.”—Paris, May 20. Atomic Power Prospects Atomic power might be available in New Zealand in 15 years’ time, said Dr. W. M. Hamilton, permanent head of the Department Of Scientific and Industrial Research, on Saturday, before 'he left Auckland by air to attend a United Nations conference on the peaceful uses qf atomic energy. He said Britain had just embarked on a 10-year development plan for the use of atomic energy. However, he thought atomic power stations would not be used in New Zealand until the possibilities of hydro-electric and geothermal power had been fully exploited—possibly in 12 to 15 years’ time.—(P.A.) Cold Weather Yesterday The south-westerly weather yesterday, with heavy rain setting in Ifcte in the afternoon, caused Christchurch residents to spend the day in front of a fire. At 7 a.m. the temperature was 39 degrees, and rose slowly -during the morning, but at no stage during the aay aid it rise above 55 degrees. Minor flooding occurred in Christchurch. last evening, but no significant rise was reported in rivers. The rain yesterday was general over the east coast of the South Island and in western and central parts of the North Island. Absent for First Time __ Fo . r J?® first Ume since its inception Mr A. P. Harper, the veteran New Zea!and mountaineer, who is now in his ninetieth year,, was not present at the annual meeting of the Federated Mountain Clubs of New Zealand in Christchurch on Saturday. It was the feder>S lo ?’ s twen ty-fourth annual meeting. Mr Harper, who was in hospital, could justly be called one of the founders of the federation, said the president (Mr A. H. Hines). On the suggestion of the president elect (Mr E. M. Wilson), the meeting decided to send a telegram to Mr Harper conveying good wishes for a. speedy recovery. Later Mr Harper was. re-elected patron of the federation. 7 Totalisator Clerks’ Bad Luck Saturday was a black day for some of the employees paying out dividends from the totalisator at the Forbury Park race meeting. In one case, two 5s tickets on the winning double were paid out as £1 tickets. The sum paid out was £96 19s, instead of £24 4s. Employees are required to make good any losses, and in this case the amount will be £72 15s. In another case, dividends were paid out on three No. 14 10s tickets when the correct number was 11. This will cost the pay-out clerk £lO 10s. The third mistake of the day was the payment of £lO5, instead of £95 —(P.A.) Viewing the Sea

Reports of high seas at Sumner at the end of last week attracted hundreds of visitors to the suburb yesterday. Although heavy seas are not generally welcomed by local residents; some of whom are now bemoaning gardens dying under the effect of flying spray, businesses selling refreshments did good business, and a representative of one such shop said yesterday that storms were good for business. A high tide at New Brighton yesterday brought the water almost up to the decking of the jetty at the Pleasant Point Domain. At the Pleasant Point Yacht Club boats on the bank for the winter had water about them, and members were making them fast. Soil Erosion “The only disturbing factor in the high country is soil erosion,” said the new president of the Federated Mountain Clubs of New Zealand (Mr E. M. Wilson)' when he took office at the federation’s annual meeting in Christchurch on Saturday. “I think it is a serious matter that at this stage of odr knowledge deterioration is continuing in the central Waimakariri basin,” he said. “No-one who knows anything about the river will say that Christchurch is safe from flooding.” Mr Wilson said that this was his considered opinion after watching the river for 27 years and having talked to many men ?bout it. He said that he had accompanied parties of people to the headwaters of the river and they had been amazed at the deterioration in the central watershed.