General News

Press, Volume C, Issue 29624, 21 September 1961, Page 14

General News

Overdraft Fee

It was estimated that the overdraft service fee to be imposed by the five trading banks from October 31 would total about £750,000 a year, of which the Bank of New Zealand would receive £300,000, said the acting Minister of Finance (Mr Eyre) in a written reply yesterday to a question by Mr P. Blanchfield (Opposition. Westland). The charge was not included in the consumers’ price index, said Mr Eyre.—(P.A.) First Things First?

“A forfner New Zealand scientist now working in Australia once said that if' Nev.' Zealand lost AH Blacks at the rate she lost scientists, there would be a hell of an outcry.”—Mr E. V. Dumbleton, editor-in-chief of the “Auckland Star,” to the Royal Commission of State Services in Wellington yesterday.—(P.A.) Shooting Of Sheep Sheep have been shot indiscriminately in the Barrytown, Punakaiki, and Pororari areas on the coast road between Greymouth and Westport. One farmer discovered 15 lambs between three and four days old lying dead in his paddock, and on Tuesday youths with rifles and dogs killed several sheep. Two Punakaiki farmers have advertised warnings that because of the shooting of sheep and cattle on their properties trespassers with or without guns or dogs will be severely dealt with.— (F.0.0.R.) Memorial Painting The City Council last evening agreed that a Canterbury landscape painting should be purchased for exhibition in the Robert McDougall Art Gallery and inscribed as a memorial to the former Town Clerk (Mr H. S. Feast). The council formally placed on record its appreciation of Mr Feast’s services and stood in silence to pass a motion of sympathy with his relatives., Regret at Mr Feast’s death was also expressed last evening by the executive committee of the Canterbury Rowing Association. Lights Refused A request by 104 residents for traffic lights at the corner of Colombo street and Bealey avenue was declined by the City Council last even, ing. “Although the traffic volumes are quite high at this intersection, the road widths are adequate and by comparison with other city intersections there is little real delay,” the traffic committee commented. “The installation of traffic signals would probably increase the average delay.” There were numbers of intersections throughout the city where accidents were more frequent and where other traffic circumstances suggested a more urgent’ need for improvement; but the need for improvement would be reviewed from time to time. Police And TV

The police would use television for urgent and important messages to the public and in times of emergency, said the Commissioner of Police (Mr C. L. Spencer) yesterday No set policy had yet been developed and each occasion would be considered on its merits. It was not intended to use television for routine messages about converted cars or missing persons. Mr Spencer said. It would be used only when the circumstances warranted it.

Alpine Garden The alpine section of the Cockayne Memorial Garden in the Botanic Gardens is being reconstructed and it is expected to be completed by the end of this month. A start has also been made on redesigning the lawn area beihind the alpine garden. The | new design will not only be an improved layout, but will enable a much greater variety of native plants to be grown. Provision is being made to accommodate a collection of all varieties of manuka which will be used by the nomenclature committee of the Royal New Zealand Institute of Horticulture to work on the taxonomy of those plants. Whitebait Supplies Christchurch flsh merchants have so far had only a few pounds of local whitebait. There Was 8501 b of West Coast whitebait in the markets yesterday. It is selling for 16s a pound in the shops More oysters are expected this morning. Fish supplies are expected to improve towards the end of the week. Prices yesterday were: Flounder and tarakihj 4s a pound, groper 5s a pound, bream 3s 3d a pound, gurnard and ling 2s 6d a pound.

Common Market “Some national newspapers in England are deducing the most cogent and conclusive reasons why disaster will follow if Britain joins the European Common Market,” said the Governor-General (Lord Cobham), addressing a dinner of the Newspaper Proprietors’ Association in Wellington last evening. "Others can produce equally valid arguments to prove that ruin awaits us if she doesn’t. Amid all this clamour and uncertainty, the Government has to make a decision. It will only be made after long consultation with the Six, and with the Commonwealth countries, with other political parties, and with both sides of industry. But even after the exercise of much care and patience, only events can prove whether the decision was wise.”— (P.A.)