General News

Press, Volume XCIV, Issue 28157, 21 December 1956, Page 12

General News

Hottest Day This Summer At 2.30 p.m. yesterday the temperature at the Magnetic Survey in the Botanic Gardens was 83.4 degrees. The previous highest temperature this summer was 83 degrees recorded on December 10. At Harewood yesterday the temperature was 76 degrees at noon and by 2.30 p.m. it had reached 82.9 degrees. The highest temperature on December 20 last year was 67.2 degrees, and the highest for the month was 90.8 degrees recorded at Harewood. Fire Danger on Hills “It is very dangerous, and if a fire occurred it could break out right up the hill.” said Cr. R. A. Young when Mr J. Chapman complained to the Heathcote County Council last evening that land in Hackthorne road recently purchased by the North Canterbury Hospital Board for a reservoir site was covered with noxious weeds and would become a fire hazard in the summer. The council decided to ask the board to take immediate steps to remove the menace. Fossil Mystery Clues to the rediscovery of a longlost treasure of fossil bones in the Jedd river at Gore Bay, Cheviot, have been investigated by geologists. Last month, the Director of the Canterbury Museum (Dr. Roger Duff) with Professor R. S. Allan and Mr D. Campbell of the geology department of Canterbury University College, went to investigate a farmer’s report that he had found a line of vertebrae and some ribs under a boulder in the river bed. At the meeting yesterday of the Museum Trust Board Dr. Duff said that Ml Alex Hyde, of Gore Bay, had reported the discovery by Mr H. Tomison. It was on the scene of an important find of fossil bones of a marine reptile reported by Mr John Sinclair in the days of Sir Julius von Haast. he said. At that time the bones were swept away in a flood just when they were ready for crating. The recent search was unsuccessful but Dr. Duff hopes to be notified of any fresh clues by residents in the area.

Schoolgirl’s Lapse A little girl in a Wellington primary school answered “Mr Owen,’’ when she was asked the name of the Prime Minister of New Zealand, the Archbishop of New Zealand, the Most Rew R. H. Owen, said during his address at the centennial celebrations of the diocese of Christchurch last evening. “If Mr Owen is Prime Minister, then who is Primate of New Zealand?’’ she was asked. “Mr Nash.’’ was her reply. “I thought that was going rather too far,’’ said the Archbishop. The Prime Minister. Mr Holland, who spoke after Archbishop Owen, said that the Archbishoo had not complet-, ed the story. Another little girl in the class had exclaimed: “It was surely not thd Archbishop, but another Mr Owen.” £22 For Letter Box A letter box for the Takapuna municipal library would cost £22, the architect told the borough council. The box was to be 12. inches by 12 inches by 18 inches. The Town Clerk (Mr E. J. Price) said he thought the price was exorbitant. The council agreed and left it to the engineer to arrange for the borough carpenter to make the box. 64-Dollar Question

A roomful of little Hutt Valley primary school boys remained silent when invited to ask the Leader of the Opposition (Mr Nash) questions at their breaking-up ceremony. “Come now, boys.” a teacher urged them, ‘‘Mr Nash is the most important man in the country, next to the Prime Minister. He has come all this way, and you must have something to ask him.” Another brief silence, and then a small hand stole up and a shy voice asked: ‘‘Mr Nash, when are you going to be Prime Minister?” Maori to Arrive Earlier Tomorrow

Because of the daylight sailing of the inter-island steamer express. Maori, from Lyttelton tomorrow she will berth at 6.15 a.m. The connecting steamer train will arrive in Christchurch about 6.55 a.m. The change in the time of arrival is because the daylight sailing necessitates a quick turn-round.

Rook Bounty Bounties paid on rooks’ heads and eggs will be discontinued by the three county councils concerned, today. The Paparua County Council has paid out £74 15s on 1360 heads at Is each, and 649 eggs at 2s 6d a dozen. A total of £7 7s was paid in bounties by the Halswell County Council for 147 heads, and the Malvern County Council paid nothing. The withdrawal came on receipt of a request from the chairman of the Rook Control Committee (Mr J. R. Parish) saying that because of the dangerous nature of the poison being used on the birds and the fact that there was no known antidote to it, the committee and the Department of Agriculture felt concerned about the possible danger to public safety. No Drought This Year

A year ago Canterbury was in the throes of a drought. This summer the rainfall has so far been so good that calls for irrigation water on the four schemes in the province have been negligible. Last month only 371 acre feet of water were used on the Ashburton - Lyndhurst, Mayfield - Hinds. Levels plains and Redcliff schemes, compared with 12.788 acre feet in the same month last year. In the irrigation season so far this year (from the beginning of October until the end of November) water used has amounted to 2300 acre feet, compared with 14,347 acre feet in the same two months a year ago. In October this year slightly more was used than in the same period last year. Long Voyages for Tug After arriving at Bluff on Wednesday with the Rupel suction dredge for the new Bluff island harbour scheme, the Dutch ocean-going tug Loire left the port yesterday for another job. After a one-night stop nt the end of a 95-day voyage from Ant- • ern. the Loire sailed for Fremantle to tow two corvettes to Hong Kong. About 25 men (two shifts) will be brought to Bluff from Belgium and France to man the dredge.— (P.A.)