General News

Press, Volume XCVII, Issue 28539, 19 March 1958, Page 12

General News

Waitangi Day If a Waitangi Day holiday is to be instituted it should be a substitute for a holiday already established, the New Zealand Meat Retailers' Federation decided at its conference in Dunedin yesterday. Delegates maintained that if Waitangi Day was established. it should be “Mondayised,” and the holiday observed on the Monday nearest February 6 (PA) Egg Prices The New Zealand Registered Poultry-keepers’ Association decided at its conference in Rotorua yesterday to send a remit to the New Zealand Poultry Board recommending that any change in the price of eggs should come into effect on the day that notification is given in the newspapers. This was decided In an endeavour to prevent bulk buying by retailers after the announcement appeared and the accompanying bad effect on relations between the producer and the customer of eggs being “kept under the counter” till the price rose at the beginning of the following week. —(P.A.) Estuary Dredge Because of the pressure of other work and lack of sufficient staff, the Christchurch Drainage Board has shelved the acquisition of a dredge for work in the estuary of the Avon and Heathcote rivers. The board gave this reply last evening to an inquiry by a British firm. Glacier Sails Punctually at 2 o’clock yesterday afternoon the United States Navy icebreaker Glacier moved out from the wharf at Lyttelton, and within a few minutes was heading down the harbour, en route for Norfolk, Virginia, where she is due to arrive on April 10 A small crowd of friends of those on board was on the wharf to see the vessel depart. There were many young women, but there was also a fair number of older people who had befriended crew members on their several visits to Lyttelton. Taken For Granted Such services were too often taken for granted, said a letter leceived by the Christchurch Fire Board last evening from the Hillcote Improvement Society, expressing appreciation of Are fighting in its area on March 2. The society said residents were impressed by the skill with “which the brigade contained a grass fire which swept up the hill toward Port Hills road and seriously threatened two homes. Pine For Japan The first large shipment of pine logs from New Zealand to Japan left Mount Maunganui last week in the Kowa Maru. A small trial shipment left New Zealand last year. More than 5000 logs were loaded, some as deck cargo. Another shipment of more than 1000 logs will be sent to Japan in the Meiwa Maru. The logs came from timber suppliers in the Bay of Plenty and the Waikato. The radiata pine logs will be sawn in Japan and used in housing and engineering.

Airport Manager New Zealand applicants who are finalists for the position of airport manager at Harewood for the City Council will be interviewed by the works and airport committee of the council tomorrow afternoon. No announcement of the appointment is expected before the council meeting on March 31. Survival Exercise The Christchurch crew of Tasman Empire Airways will hold its annual “ditching” exercise with rubber dinghies and solar stills in the Centennial Ppol this morning. There will- be eight participants who will w'ork under the direction of Captain P. F. Le Couteqr, officer in charge of safety for the airline. The crew have lectures on equipment and drill and are regularly examined in safety procedures. Fewer Fires The Christchurch Fire Brigade answered 96 calls in February, compared with 178 in the same month last year. The wet weather apparently had some affect as herbage outbreaks were reduced by half and property fires were similarly reduced. First Aid Manual The St. John Ambulance organisation in New Zealand should be using a new first aid manual from the beginning of next year, the secretary of the Canterbury and West Coast centre of the association (Major-General G. B. Parkinson) told a meeting of the centre last evening. This manual was being prepared by the combined effort of the United Kingdom organisations of the Red Cross, St. John and St. Andrew. Cppies were expected to arrive towards the end of this year and would be the official manual of the St. John organisation in New Zealand. Borstal Accommodation It seemed clear that new Borstal accommodation must be provided, elsewhere than Invercargill, where the present institution was much overcrowded, said the Minister of Justice (Mr Mason) yesterday. Discussing the number of escapes from the Invercargill Borstal institution, the Minister said that overcrowding was a primary cause of the large number of escapes. Shortage of staff had also contributed. The provision of new Borstal accommodation would take some time, and although nothing short of action would provide a permanent solution every effort would be made to introduce temporary arrangements to overcome the present trouble.— (P.A.) Japanese Art A collection of Japanese art and craft to be exhibited throughout New Zealand arrived at Auckland in the Wanganella from Sydney. The collection, which includes many examples of fine pottery, was made in response to an appeal in the Nara prefecture, Japan, as a token of gratitude to New Zealanders who had given clothing, through C.0.R.5.0., to the province. The collection contains 300 items.—(P.A.)