General News

Press, Volume XCVIII, Issue 28936, 2 July 1959, Page 10

General News

“Able Wasn’t Able” The true reason Why Able (of the monkey team Able and Baker) failed to press a button whenever he saw a red light during the recent United States rocket flight was given by .Dr. C. D. Ellyett, of the University of Canterbury physics department, in an address to the Canterbury branch of the Royal Society ot New Zealand last evening. Dr. Ellyett said 10 Indian-bom' rhesus monkeys had been trained: for the trip, but the Americans belatedly found that they were sacred monkeys in India. An American-born monkey. Able, was chosen and trained for the flight, but it was found that he was “too dim” to learn the but-ton-pushing routine in two weeks. “Able just wasn’t able.”! Dr. Ellyett explained. Forewarned A traffic officer stationed with a City Council radar patrol in Glenhaore road, Wellington, yesterday morning began to wonder when, after a few early “catches,” all the traffic began to flow past at a law-abiding 30 miles an hour. The answer was simple. Some building workers had seen the officer and had painted and displayed a small but effective sign: “Radar Cop.” The City Council’s Traffic Superintendent (Mr J. Anderson) commented: “While I don’t encourage this practice, there is no doubt that on this occasion it helped to ensure that the city's speed limits were observed. After all, the main function of micro Wave equipment is to act as a deterrent.—(P.A.) Safest Drivers There was no doubt that the professional driver had by far the best road safety record, the Commissioner of Transport (Mr H. B. Smith) told the Wellington Justices of the Peace Association yesterday. Heavy truck drivers had the best, record of all, followed by taxi-drivers, light truck drivers, and bus drivers, he said. “One of the most dangerous vehicles on the roads is the stationary vehicle, especially on busy roads,” Mr Smith said. — (P.A.)

Taming Of Firebrands “All the firebrands round the table have gone under the table,” said Mr L. G. Amos, when he described yesterday’s meeting of the Lyttelton Harbour Board as the “tamest” he had attended. Were members getting “tame” because their term of office was running out? Mr Amos asked. He had never known such a quiet meeting. Were members becoming more tolerant and understanding? Too Deep During a discussion on statistics at yesterday’s hearing of the application for a general wage order in which, to his mind, both witnesses and advocate had entered too deeply, Mr Justice Tyndall said; “It’s just like my story of the statistician who measured the average depth of a river and found it was three feet two inches —and then waded in and was drowned.”—(P.A.) Fog Closes Whenuapai Fog followed rain over much of Auckland last night, after a day in which more than an inch of rain fell between 6 a.m. and 6 p.m. The fog settled over many suburbs and hung over the harbour at about 200 ft. It settled at Whenuapai early in the evening and closed the airport at 7.25 p.m causing one flight from Wellington, due at 8.15 p.m., to return to Paraparaumu.—(P.A.) Topdressing History Aerial topdressing history may have been made yesterday when two farms at Makara, near Wellington, were successfully topdressed with fowl manure. Mrs M. V Keating, whose farm, "Sunnyhill,” was one of the two farms treated, said today she thought this was the first time fowl manure had been spread from the air. Sh considered it was what was needed for the hills on her farm and 200 acres were to^dressed.— (P.A.) Water Safety The National Water Safety Committee is again planning an intensive publicity campaign to reduce the number of drownings this summer. The committee will approach women’s organisations to arrange speakers, especially m country districts, where many of the winter drownings occur. As a result of an article published by “Commonwealth Today,” requests for more information on the New Zealand water safety campaign have been received from Indonesia, West Africa, Rhodesia, India, Pakistan, and several other countries.—(P.A.)