General

Press, Volume XCVI, Issue 28347, 5 August 1957, Page 10

General

Shy Millionaire ! The two-year-old, Promulgation, will not run in the £5OOO Gimcrack Stakes in three weeks’ time because his owner is shy, according to London newspapers. Promulgation, an impressive winner at Goodwood last Week, is owned by Mr Jim Joel. The winning owner of the Gimcrack is traditionally bound to make a speech and that Mr Joel refuses to do. He said: “I am no speaker and it would embarrass me terribly if I won the race.” Mr Joel is a millionaire.—London, August 1. •The Fireman Homeward Plods” Twelve firemen sent out to fight a local cornfield fire near Salisbury today trudged wearily home on foot, to explain that they lost their fire engine in the blaze. They had driven into the cornfield and the burning undergrowth had set the engine alight.—London, August 3. Intruders Disturbed The clubhouse at the Russley golf course was broken into about 1.15 a.m. yesterday, but the intruders disappeared after they were disturbed by t|je club caretaker (Mr R. C. Day). When they were seen, the intruders dropped a quantity of liquor they had found on ttye premises. From investigations made yesterday it appeared that nothing was taken from the clubhouse. Plane Lands on Ice

Landings were made on the ice at Lake Ida on Saturday by an Auster aircraft piloted by Mr R. Fechney, of Aylesbury. Half an inch of snow covered the ice, b|ut conditions we/e excellent for flying. Passengers were takep for flights from the ice during the day. On Saturday night a snow plough was towed around the lake to clear the ice for skaters yesterday. However, a north-east wind during the night melted most of the snow. Eight inches of black ice which covered the lake yesterday provided the best skating conditions of the season, and more than 2500 people were present. Skating was not affected when the ice softened in the early afternoon. Children were taken for rides around the lake on a sledge towed behind a. car equipped with chains. The Oldest Competitor

The oddest competitor in the annual harriers’ race from. Lyttelton to Opawa over the Bridle Path on Saturday was a wellknown Presbyterian Club runner, C. C. Gordon. Now aged 52, Gordon has “competed regularly in all the major harrier races since he was 25, and during that time he has never missed a Saturday at harriers, either competing or acting as an official. The Bridle Path race is one of the hardest contests in New Zealand, so Mr Gordon decided to have a medical check before starting. After a dozen toetouching exercises at speed—“l could have done 30” Mr Gordon said—his doctor pronounced him fit to start. He beat several men less than half his age. After finishing the course, as he has done in every Bridle Path race so far, Mr Gordon told a reporter of “The Press” that he was “by no means finished with harrier racing yet.” Canberra’s Aerial Survey

Unsuitable weather, which has been forecast, may cause the cancellation of today’s flight by a Royal Air Force Canberra which is at present engaged in compiling an aerial mosaic for the Lands and Survey Dpartment. An Air Force spokesman said last evening that the Canberra will, if time permits, make one run over the takahe country west of Lake Te Anau. A survey of this area, in which Dr R. S. Duff, director of the Canterbury Museum, is interested, will be made next time 1 a training flight is held if conditions do not allow it today. Safety Fences for Skiers

Fences are to be built about danger areas on Mount Ruapehu, the Tongariro National Park Board was told at a meeting at the Chateau on Saturday. The fences will be erected by the school holidays this month. It was claimed that crossed red coloured poles erected at dangerous points on the mountain would give sufficient warning to skiers and climbers. Safety fences were desirable, especially as children would probably be climbing about the mountain during the holidays. Earlier, the meeting was told that so far this winter three people had fallen over dangerous bluffs on the mountain, but none had been killed.—(P.A.) Approach of Spring

In six hours of sunshine on Saturday, the temperature in Auckland reached a peak of 58.2 degrees to make the district one of the warmest places in New Zealand. Yesterday, there were about two hours of sunshine.— (P.A.) Facilities on Ruapehu

A large shelter at the top of the Mount Ruapehu mountain road with restaurant, telephone and postal facilities and a modern aid depot may be in use by next season. Yesterday, the Tongariro National Park Board selected a site for the shelter and authorised its architect (Mr J. F. Wight) to draw up sketch plans and provid J an approximate cost estimate. The board also adopted a plan for a high-level shelter on Ruapehu. The shelter, which will be built in the region of The L'ome, at 8000 feet, has been designed to stand up to winds of up to a5O miles an hour.—(P.A.)