General News

Press, Volume XCIV, Issue 28133, 23 November 1956, Page 12

General News

Naming a Plane A bottle of champagne will be swung against. Globemaster No. 1017 of the 52nd Squadron of the 18th United States Air Force at Christchurch airport this afternoon, and the plane will then become the City of Christchurch. The Mayor (Mr R. M. Macfarlane, M.P.) will attend the brief ceremony, and it is probable that the Mayoress (Mrs Macfarlane) will break the bottle and name the aircraft. The name was painted on the nose of the big plane yesterday. Paris Fashion for Deputies French tailors are trying to persuade their Members of Parliament to attend sittings wearing a new-style duck-egg blue suit with velvet trimmings. The president of the Tailors’ Federation, Mr Paul Vauchlair, complained of the Deputies’ indifference to sartorial elegance and said: “This should smarten them up." The suit, shown at a fashion display here yesterday, has a onebutton hacking jacket and a blue waistcoat.—Paris, November 22. Luxury Coaches Being Built A Christchurch firm.is building four luxury motor coaches, similar to the American Greyhound bus, for a North Island company. The buses, which will seat 32 passengers on two levels, are equipped with toilet facilities, washrooms and kitchenettes, and are believed to be the only buses in the world with hot water on tap. They are built entirely of light alloy, and lined with a quilted plastic material. The seats are of specially moulded plywood and foam rubber with moquette upholstery. The .windows were imported from Australia and are of the scenic type. The engine is beneath the floor and a feature of the buses is their large luggage space. Each bus will carry a hostess. Seat Out of the Hat Local body elections may be a trifle unorthodox in Raetihi; but at least they are sensible and save the ratepayers’ money. When Messrs F. R. Maru and J. Slater tied for ninth place on the borough council Mr Maru won the seat when his name was drawn out of a hat. Tunnel Road Transport Licence

An application by the Christchurch Transport Board for a new passenger service licence authorising the carriage of passengers between Cathedral square and Lyttelton by way of the proposed tunnel road was adjourned sine die by the No. 9 Transport Licensing Authority (Mr J. A. Bretherton) at a sittting yesterday. Counsel for the board (Mr W. K. L. Dougall) said it had made the application to demontrate its enthusiasm for the project and because newspaper reports indicated that the project would begin shortly. The board would be one of the chief suppliers of transport through the tunnel. However, it might be an idea to adjourn the application sine die until the tunnel road was a little pearer completion. Mr Dougall said. Day in Country

Members of the Canterbury Manufacturers’ Association, which have begun a programme of seeing how the other man works by regular factory visits, will have a chance next week of seeing something of primary industry. As guests of the North Canterbury Federated Farmers, a party of manufactures will visit a lime works and some farms in North Canterbury. Light Plane Damaged

A Cessna cabin plane overturned on landing and was extensively damaged at Whangamata. on the Coromandel Peninsula, yesterday morning. The two occupants were not hurt. A bulldozer had been working on the strip, and the plane overturned on striking a mound of earth. The aircraft belongs to Midland Air Services, Ltd., and it is understood that the repairs will be costly. The company has been serving remote areas on the peninsula, and plans to open more country services.—(P.A.) Much Travelled A party of much-travelled immigrants passed through Christchurch this week. They were 10 young Austrian men and two Austrian women. They left their homeland on October 8. travelling overland to Genoa, in Italy. From Genoa they travelled by sea to Melbourne and then by bus to Sydney. They flew to Auckland, travelled by train to Wellington, crossed Cook Strait by boat, and then travelled to their destinations in the South Island by train. This is the second group of Austrian immigrants to pass through Christchurch, but so far none has settled here. Fire Damages Aircraft A topdressing aircraft was damaged by fire while on the on the property of Mr B. Mcllwraith. Mount Parker. It is believed the fire occurred when the engine was being started. No-one was injured. The aircraft was operated by Auster Air Services, Timaru. — (F.0.0.R.) Antarctic Radio Blackout A radio blackout has again cut off all communication between the Antarctic—primarily the American bases at McMurdo Sound and Little America —and New Zealand, an Air Force spokesman said last evening. Because of this, no further information on the progress of the construction party at the South Pole has reached Christchurch. A.A. Children’s Outing Early publicity for the annual outing to be provided by the Automobile Association (Canterbury) for the children’s homes of Christchurch on December 1, has already brought offers of 9j cars, two buses, and two trucks for transport.