General News

Press, Volume XCV, Issue 28217, 4 March 1957, Page 8

General News

False Prophet Greetings for Mrs Jane Wray, who. was 100 yesterday, included a message from a surgeon who operated on her 25 years ago and gave her six months to live, according to the “Daily Express” today. Mrs Wray is in a London hospital.—London, March 1. No Flies “There are two things about Singapore that I wish- we had here,” said the general manager of the National Publicity Studios (Mr R. W. Fenton) in an address to the Wellington Travel Club. “One is the recipe for no flies and the other is a houseboy to do the dishes. In spite of the ’aroma’ of Singapore—and that’s a complimentary description—there are no houseflies at all. To see one is an event. Neither did I see any blowflies.” Railcar Hits Cattle

Seven cows which had wandered on to the railway line just north of Helensville had to be destroyed after they were struck by the Okaihau-Auckland railcar at 7.30 p.m. yesterday. The railcar was not damaged and continued to Auckland. Another cow was struck by a motorist just a few minutes before, and also had to be destroyed. The car was slightly damaged and the occupants shaken.—(P.A.) Ancient Tunes

The ancient Greeks were beating out a rock’n’roll rhythm—accompanied by the lyre and pipes and a plentiful supply of wine--2500 years ago, Mr Mathias Boes, a German expert on Greek culture, said in a lecture at Bonn’s Rhineland Museum. The Greeks had a word for it, too, “Cordax,” according to the '“Daily Express” toda/. —London, March 1. Awards for Design

The design of the new vehicle testing station in Auckland has won for the division of architecture of the Auckland City Council the silver medal of the New Zealand Institute of Architects. The medal is awarded for architectural research and industrial design. The institute’s gold and bronze medals, presented for a building other than a commercial building -and for domestic work respectively, have been awarded to a Dunedin architect, Mr E. J. McCoy.—(P.A.) Unsuccessful Applicants

“Five or six” applications for marriage to Dunedin girls by men of the U.S.S. Brough had all been turned down by the captain of the escort ship, Lieutenant-Com-mander W. P. Duhon. He said on Saturday just before the ship sailed for the United States that his reasons were: all the people involved were too young, the period of courtship was too short, and it would not be fair to the parents of the girls as most of the sailors would be leaving the Navy after reaching America. They would be young and without prospects of establishing a home.—(P.A.) Bright Aurora Eright auroral displays lit Wellington’s southern sky on Saturday night and early yesterday morning. For nearly an hour from 8.30 p.m. on Saturday, shafts of white light were visible in the south against a background, of suffused reddish light. The display faded, but returned about 11 p.m., when a pale white glow appeared and hung in the sky for nearly two hours. Displays were reported at the same time from Taieri, and Haast on the West Coast. Tobacco Industry Control Suggestions for a change in the method of control of the tobacco industry were discussed yesterday when the Minister of Industries and Commerce (Mr E. H. Halstead) conferred with the New Zealand Tobacco Board at Motueka. The discussion embraced the organisation of the industry, price for leaf and buying. The Minister told the board that there would be no alteration in its composition at present.— (P.A.) 41 Years in the Army One of the longest-serving members of the British Army has arrived in Wellington. He is Sergeant T. Blades. 8.E.M., who volunteered ih 1915 at the age of 15. Before he was 18 he had fought for two years and a half of World War I in France with the Royal Sussex Regiment. Sergeant Blades has served continuously with the British Army for more than 40 years. Since 1926. he has been with the Royal Corps of Signals. He received - the B.E.M. for service in World War 11. In 1947 he joined the Army Apprentices’ School, Harrogate, at its formation. He retired last year, and at the age of 57 hopes to follow a new career in Wellington. Dearth of Husbands Roxburgh is not yet a ghost town. Of the 600 houses in the hydro village, 350 are still occupied, according to the project engineer (Mr N. Collins). But the town has somewhat of a dearth of husbands at the moment. More than 50 families are still living in their cottages while the wage-earners have moved to another centre for work. Most of them are waiting for some decision on the future of the Benmore project. Price of Experience The British Transport Commission may spend up to £45,000 on 3000 gold watches for long-service workers. The commission said that one regional railway headquarters had given an employee a gold watch for 50 years’ service. Now other regions wanted to do the same.—London, March 1.