General News

Press, Volume XCV, Issue 28263, 29 April 1957, Page 8

General News

Elephant Visits Bar

Beer drinkers in the bar of a Brisbane hotel last night heard a noise, turned, and saw an elephant blinking back at them through the doorway. Then it lost interest, withdrew its head and disappeared. The customers were relieved to learn later that it had been a real elephant, name of Abou. Abou had walked out of a circus in the Brisbane suburb of Valley and had gone sightseeing. Attendants lured Abou back to the circus after 40 minutes with buns as bait.—Brisbane. April 28. Derailed Railcars

The two railcars which were derailed after a runaway in the Otira tunnel last Tuesday night, were hauled to Christchurch on Saturday. The two units were drawn through the tunnel by an electric locomotive, and later towed by a steam engine to the Addington Workshops, where they will be repaired. Ship’s Passenger 11l The immigrant ship Captain Cook, which arrived at Wellington late last night from Glasgow, berthed on arrival, instead of this morning as scheduled, to land a sick woman passenger. She was taken immediately to Wellington Public Hospital by ambulance. Her condition is reported as fair. —(P.A.) Home Concerts It was easy for an amateur musician to organise a string quartet in America, said Mr J. A. Ritchie speaking to the Civic Music Council. “If you are a lonely ’cellist, and you haven’t two violins and a viola, you buy an ‘M.M.O.’ —that is, a music minus one gramophone record. It contains a string quartet with the ’cello part left out. The records are also available for other instruments.” Busy Port There are 20 vessels berthed at Lyttelton and all wharf accommodation is occupied. One ship is at anchor awaiting a berth and two others are at non-working berths. There were 12 arrivals and eight departures during the week-end

Supreme Court Cases Twelve criminal cases have been set down for trial at the Supreme Court session which was to open in Christchurch tomorrow but will be postponed to May 14. There are four charges of theft, one of theft as a servant, one of abduction, one of demanding money and goods by menaces, one of theft from the person, and four of unlawful carnal knowledge. Rough Seas

The Auckland trawler San Rosa returned to port Taranaki yesterday after a second attempt to reach her home port of Onehunga. The San Rosa, which had been fishing off Wanganui, was forced into port by high winds and heavy seas early on Monday morning. She left again on Friday morning to try to reach Onehunga, but at 1 a.m. yesterday she returned. She sailed again at 10.15 a.m., but returned again yesterday afternoon. — (P.A.) “Peace and War” at Napier

“Peace and War,” a cantata by Dr. Vernon Griffiths, was performed in the North Island for the first time at Napier on Anzac Day. The performance, by the Civic Concert Council Choir and the Napier City Band, was part of an Anzac Day commemoration concert. “Peace and War” was first performed on Anzac Day, 1952, by the Royal Christchurch Musical Society and the Woolston Brass Band. Trucks Derailed

A derailment occurred on the Main Trunk line at Makino station, near Feilding, about 8.30 on Saturday evening. An axle on a south-bound goods train broke and a truck of coal and a truck of apples left the track. A section of the track was extensively damaged.—(P.A.)