General News

Press, Volume C, Issue 29452, 2 March 1961, Page 14

General News

St. David’s Day Mrs J. E. R. Smith, who for many years was a bard of the Cambrian Society of Canterbury, came down from Hamilton. to attend the St. David’s Day celebration last evening. She is 91 years old and recently wrote a poem entitled “Random Thoughts of Wales” which Was read to the gathering last evening. Safety Committee Mr A R. Kiddey. chairman of the Christchurch Metropolitan Road Safety Committee for nearly two years, resigned last evening Mr Kiddey said he recently moved his home to Rolleston and the distance would prevent him attending future meetings. The committee win elect a chairman at its next meeting. High Finance “Although it is not in my office to refer to the balance sheet, it is amusing to note that in a year in which we were able to give some £25,000 to the Town Hall Promotion committee, our own activities showed a loss of £86,” said the retiring president of the Junior Chamber (Mr P D. Dunbar) last evening at the annua] meeting of the chamber. Rate Payments Yesterday, the last day for the payment of 1960-61 rates without the late-payment penalty. was not as busy for City Council cashiers as days earlier this week, but a big mail was expected Letters postmarked before midnight last night are accepted as having met the deadline A reliable indication of the collection will be possible today. Gazebo ’lf it is not made a decent size, somebody is going to be pretty cross,” remarked the chairman (Mr A A. Macfarlane) at yesterday’s meeting of the Lyttelton Harbour Board when a report on the board’s new building at Lyttelton was received from the works committee The board unanimously adopted a recommendation that the architect for the building be instructed to prepare amended plans of the gazebo on the roof of the building, to provide sufficient accommodation for its - use as a board room When the road tunnel is constructed. the board may meet every second month at Lyttelton. Partridges Liberated More than 30 partridges were liberated in the Willowbridge area recently by the Waimate Acclimatisation Society, in conjunction with the Wildlife branch of the Department of Internal Affairs This is part of a Dominion-wide plan to establish the partridge as a game bird Several years must elapse before an open season can be declared; the birds meantime are legally protected.

Lemons Californian lemons which have just arrived are selling in shops at about 2s 6d a pound, and not Is 4d a pound as previously reported Limes from the islands have been selling in the produce markets at from 4s to 7s 6d a case Tomatoes were plenti-' ful and cheap yesterday and the best local varieties sold up to Is 4d a pound Good tomatoes from Nelson, sold from 8s to 10s a 201 b case Sweet peppers are 20s a case. 13 Unemployed Thirteen unemployed persons were registered with the Christchurch office of the I .about Department at the end of February They comprised II males nine of whom were on unemployment benefit and two females, with one on benefit Fish Supplies Fish was in moderate supply yesterday and supplies are expected to be the same today Oysters will be in limited supply today Kingfish -sold up to 3s per pound and groper sold up to 4s per pound Ling ranged from 2s to 2s 3d per pound and yellow flounder sold at 3s 6d per pound while black flounder sold at 2s 6d per pound Gurnard was 2s per lb Farm Passed In A 122 acre farm at North) Rakaia was passed m at public auction yesterday at £5O an acre Bidding opened at £4O an acre and rose by two £5 bids The farm is four miles from Rakaia and 30 miles from Christchurch. It is. divided into six paddocks with 11 acres in lucerne and nine acres in wheat stubble The balance is pasture Improvements included a cottage, a haybarn and stable The property was offered on account of the estate of L». R Weaver. Bridge Over Haast The Haast Pass road will be closed for six weeks after the Easter week end to allow a oermanent bridge to be built across the Gates of Haast A permanent steel bridge of the Callender-Hamilton type is to be built in place of the temporary Bailey bridge which has served for access on the road up to date The proposal is to withdraw the present bridge in the same movement as the new b-idae is launched into place.— (P.A.) “Bird Conscious” New Zealanders are decidedly bird conscious, according to an internationally - known ornithologist. Miss Judith Ferrier, who arrived at Auckland yesterday. Miss Ferrier a bird watcher wnce childhood and a British Ornithologists' Union representative at international congresses, said that of the thousands of birds she had photoeraphed throughout the world she thought the kiwi was perhaps the easiest subject “It just stood there while I clicked away,” she said Miss Ferrier studied toe kiwi on a previous visit to New Zealand, and recently eave a lecture about it In a British television programme.—(PA.)