General News

Press, Volume XCIII, Issue 28001, 22 June 1956, Page 10

General News

Exploitation A baker’s assistant, who polished a piece of kindling from a firewood box. and submitted it to a local exhibition under the title of "Vertical Figure” has been described by modern sculpture critics as "showing real talent” Bert Darch. who is a spare-time artist, has become the artistic sensation of the London suburb of Blackheath A woman who snapped up his exhibit for a guinea angrily denied today that she or the local art society had been hoaxed. “A good deal of art is the exploitation of natural material anyhow,” she said.—London. June 20. Belfast Property Sold A house of four rooms, situated on 47.3 perches of land in North road. Belfast, was sold for £BO more than its Government valuation at a public auction in Christchurch yesterday. Bidding, which was fairly brisk opened at £750 and the property was sold for £ll3O. Eighteen bids, of £25. £lO. and £5. were offered. Twenty persons attended. A modern bungalow of four main rooms, on a 31.4-perch section in Ngahere street, Fendalton, was passed in at £4250 at another auction yesterday. Bidding opened at £4OOO. R.S.A. Honours Sir Winston Churchill The Dominion Council of the New Zealand Returned Services’ Association yesterday conferred on Sir Winston Churchill its highest honour—the association’s gold badge and honorary life membership. The Dominion vice-presi-dent (Mr K. W. Fraser) said for many vears it had been hoped Sir Winston Churchill would visit New Zealand when the honour could have been bestowed on him personally. However, it appeared most unlikely he would visit the Dominion. The gold badge is awarded only to men who have given outstanding service to the association or to the Commonwealth. Shortest Day Yesterday, the shortest day of the year, was fine and sunny, there being seven hours six minutes of sunshine, compared with four hours 48 minutes last year on the same day. The shortest day of the year is not that on which "the sun rises latest or sets earliest, although the time is about that of the shortest day. At 10.24 p.m. yesterday the sun reached its most northerly point in relation to the earth. Last year on the shortest day. Auckland had nine hours 39 minutes of sunshine. Wellington nine hours 12 minuses, and Dunedin eight hours 46 minutes. Any difference in the daily amount of sunshine will not be discernible until about the middle of next month. Speed Restriction on Roads Many areas of restriction to 30 miles an hour could be reviewed, said the Commissioner of Transport 'Mr H. B. Smith) at a meeting of the National Roads Board yesterday. “We are getting many miles restricted to 30 miles an hour, and it is annoving the motorist.” said Mr N. H. Moss. The chairman (Mr W. S. Goosman) I said that some of the requests for a 30-mile restriction were ridiculous. —(P.A.) Importation of Batteries Electric batteries and cells, apart from electric storage batteries, are to be freed from import licensing when imported from non-schedulec! countries. This was announced last night bv the Minister of Customs (Mr E. H. Halstead), who said that import duties were also being changed to protect New Zealand industry where required. These decisions were made by th« Government following upon a public inauiry by the Board of Trade. —(P.A.) Pass Roads Clear i The roads through both Lewis Pass i and Arthur’s Pass are clear, according I to a report from the Automobile Association (Canterbury) yesterday In both areas there were falls of about six inches of snow yesterday. Because of the slippery condition of the road surface caused bv icing, motorists are advised to use care and carry chains. Two Cranes Sold for £48.500

Two cranes were sold for £48500 at an auction sale of construction equipment held by the Tasman Pu*P and Paper Company at Kawerau this week. An Otahuhu contractor. Mr W. A. Stevenson, paid £24.500 for a 25ton mobile jib crane and shovel attachment. Bidding opened at £l6 000 and within five minutes the crane had been sold. The Downer combine paid £24.000 for a 50-ton mobile j b crane—the biggest in the countrv —which will be used in the construction of the coal power station at Mercer. One of the largest buyers at the auction was the Fletcher Construction Company, which paid £ll.OOO for a concrete batchin" plant. ICO workers’ huts, and many other items.

Modern Museum Display Dr. R R. Forster, assistant-director of the Canterbury Museum, will go to the United States next month on a Fulbright award mainly to extend his studies of spiders in the Museum of Comparative Zoology at Harvard University; but while in America he will make a comprehensive survey of modern museum display for use in arranging exhibits in the new centennial memorial wing in Christchurch. The Director (Dr. Roger Duff) said that Dr. Forster intended to take many colour slides for the inspiration of the museum staff. The Trust Board congratulated Dr. Forster on his award and the inquiries he intends making. Pond Grows to 30-acre Lake

What was until recently a harmless paddock pond at Manawahe. in the Whakatane district, has been swelled by heavy rains into a 30-acre lake. It has submerged portions of the MatataRotoma main highway in places up to three feet and it is within 10 feet of

the Manawahe hall. The lake stretches out for some 25 chains and seems to have no natural outlet. If the level rises much further the water threatens to engulf the foundation and floor ol the hall. Origin of Polynesians The Director of the Canterbury Museum (Dr. Roger Duff) has still not elaborated on his discovery that the prototype of the Polynesian adze (formerly found only in the Philippines. Formosa, and Hong Kong) is widespread along the whole coastal strip of South China. His only comment to the Museum Trust Board yesterday was: “For South Pacific students this information has important implications in the still unsolved problem of the origin of the Polynesian migrations." Liquor in Chartered Clubs The Government will be urged by the New Zealand Returned Services’ .Association to take steps to implement the recommendations of the recent Royal Commission on the Licensing Laws so as to extend i trading hours for chartered clubs. A : remit to that effect was carried I unanimously at the annual conference! of the New Zealand Returned Services’ Association in Wellington. Dis-| cussion was held in committee.— I (P.A.) Black Swan in Vegetable Garden When a Wellington housewife, Mrsj C. D. Perry, went out to do some' hardening on Wednesday morning she! found an unusual visitor among the i vegetables. It was a black swan, and a hungry one. Mrs Perry gave the bird some bread, which it ate. Then it waddled across the back lawn to settle down comfortably near the back door. The S.P.C.A. inspector. Mr R. J. Avery, who went to see the bird, found that one of its feet was injured , and that one eye was affected. After some difficulty he took the swan to the zoo, where it will be cared for until it is well enough to fly _l