General News

Press, Volume XCIX, Issue 29262, 21 July 1960, Page 12

General News

Lone Trumpeter Business was not very brisk in a High street fruit shop early last evening so the little Chinese boy in charge had a new way of filling in time between customers. He sat in the back room of the shop practising the trumpet, carefully following a sheet of music set up on a stand. Shearer In Top Hat “There has been no -change in the rates of shearers, I suppose, since one appeared at Buckingham Palace in a top hat,’’ commented Mr J. W. Kealy, S.M., in the Magistrate's Court yesterday when he was hearing a claim by two shearers against a farmer for an alleged breach of contract; The Magistrate was referring to the photograph published recently of the champion New Zealand shearer, Godfrey Bowen, about to be invested with the Order of the British Empire by the Queen. Intersection Accidents This year the Transport Department intends to undertake a series of special investigations into intersection accidents, says the Minister of Transport (Mr Mathison) in his annual report to Parliament Already officers have studied the actions of drivers approaching intersections and analysed accidents at these spots in town and country. Recommendations to reduce these accidents will be considered by the New Zealand Road Safety Council along with a report on spacing between vehicles and rear-end collisions. Petrol Consumption It is estimated that 218.5 million gallons of petrol were used by motor vehicles in New Zealand in the calendar year 1959. This was an increase of 1.5 million gallons or .7 per cent., on 1958, says the annual report of the Transport Department. It also estimates that aircraft, tractors, launches and vehicles not using public roads consumed 42.5 million gallons. The total quantity of 261 million gallons was a decrease of 1 per cent, on the previous year. Library Inquiries Research in the New Zealand room of the Canterbury Public Library last month included requests for information on the location of manufacturing in New Zealand, the geography of coal production and resources, extensive r'storalism in New Zealand and land forms in Nelson and Marlborough. A journalist visited the library to study Maori religious sects, the City Librarian (Mr R. N. O’Reilly) told the City Council last evening. A teacher was studying the history of the Canterbury Museum. A Hamilton author wrote to the library for information on Miss M. S. Rye, who in 1863 sought support from the Canterbury Provincial Council for her female middle-class emigration scheme. Questions the library were unable to answer concerned the early history of St. Mary’s Church, Heathcote, and of the Heathcote School. Five More Boys More co-education than- in the past, was how the headmaster of Hicca' ton Hi’h School (Mr A. J. Gainsford) expressed the position of the school's roll for next year to the board of governors yesterday. At present the roll stands at 635. Of this figure there are 286 boys and 249 girls. In the 1960 enrolments there were five more boys than the 150 girls enrolled. The total number was 305. Normally girls were in the majority but this year the number of boys was the highest the school had had' at enrolment time, said Mr Gainsford.

Accountant’s Gift A retired public accountant, Mr Magnus Nicolson, who died last month; has left the whole of his estate of about £22,000 to the Auckland branch of the New Zealand Crippled Children Society. The branch expects to receive about £15,000 after death duties have been paid.—(P.A.) Quotation His client was not opposing an application by Horwell, Osborne, Mcßeath, Ltd., for a licence to install two petrol pumps at a proposed new garage at Main South road, Washdyke, on economic grounds, said Mr G. S. Brockett, at a hearing of the Motor Spirits Licensing Authority yesterday. He did not want to see petrol pumps placed along the highways as regularly as telegraph poles. “That sounds like a quotation from an appeal decision,’’ said the authority (Mr S. C. Johnston). Fish Supply There was a limited supply of fresh fish in city shops yesterday and prices remained firm. Ling and gurnard sold at 2s per lb, while groper cutlets brought 3s 6d per lb. Boneless groper was 4s. Sheepdogs In Demand Prices up to £lO3 were obtained at the Gore sheepdog sale yesterday.. The fixture attracted vendors from Canterbury, Otago, Southland, and the North Island. Of 82 dogs offered in the huntaway section, 41 changed hands at an average of £26 a head. The top price was £65. The average price of the 105 heading dogs sold was slightly more than £44. The top price in this section was £lO3. —(PA.) Summit Road Restaurants The time might come when it would pay Christchurch /to develop “one or two lovely restaurants” on the Summit road, said the Regional Planning Officer (Miss N. Northcroft), speaking at a meeting called last evening to discuss proposals for protecting the Summit road from subdivision and building. “In 50 years’ time, with the population approaching half a million, that-sort of amenity might be wanted by Christchurch and the visitors," Miss Northcroft said. Army Petrol The consumption of petrol * was reduced 11 per cent., compared with the previous year and it was anticipated that a further reduction would be made during the current year, savs the annual report of the New Zealand Army, in the section on supplies and transport