Niue Island Samples To Be Tested

Press, Volume C, Issue 29517, 19 May 1961, Page 6

Niue Island Samples To Be Tested

(Ktw Zealand Preu Association)

WELLINGTON. May 18. A veteran New Zealand nuclear scientist, Sir Ernest Marsden, will study samples of radiation - impregnated Niue Island food, soils, and plants in a specially-built laboratory aboard the vessel Sydney Star while he travels to the United Kingdom for the Rutherford Jubilee International Nuclear Conference. - The 73-year-old scientist, who worked with Rutherford during his epic atomidentification tests 46 years •go. will fit powerful alpharadiation measurement equipment in a comnartment of the ship specially provided by the shipping company. Sir Ernest Marsden said the ship laboratory would be ideal for radiation-level measurement*. He said he had already prepared samples of food, soils, wood ashes, and "growing things" from Niue Island. “I've even got the contents

of cave-bones. I'm trying to find when this high radiation on the island began.” While in the United Kingdom, Sir Ernest Meriden will visit Edinburgh University to make arrangements for a team of scientists to visit the island to study the radiation effects. The main avenue of study, he said, would be of the chwxnoaomes in the blood to see how much they changed as a result of radiation. The Edinburgh team, assisted by New Zealanders, would also study the subtle difference of blood groups amongst the Polynesians. Sir Ernest Marsden said the project had already received the authority of the Minister of Island Territories (Mr Gott), who had promised "all the fecil.uw possible"

Drainage Contract The Christchurch Drainage Board has accented the £3935 tender by Waddell Construction, Ltd., for the piping of oa-t of Preeces drain in Beach road. The tender was the lowest of five, which ranged up to £6552