General News

Press, Volume C, Issue 29674, 18 November 1961, Page 10

General News

Good Start The appeal by the Canterbury Medical Research Foundation was given a flying start last evening, when Mr W. S. Mac Gibbon made a gift of £lOOO. Announcing the gift, the chairman of the executive of the foundation (Mr R. C. Neville) said newspaper publicity bad drawn Mr MacGibbon’s attention to the appeal. Mr Mac Gibbon’s generosity was greatly appreciated by the foundation, particularly as he had previously made a gift of £3OO. Lamb Breasts In an endeavour .to find more markets for New Zealand meat an Auckland meat company is to send a trial shipment of lamb breasts to Pago Pago, American Samoa. The meat, about 601 b, is being supplied by the New Zealand Refrigerating Company, Ltd. Yesterday the shipment was placed aboard an N.A.C. aircraft at Harewood for delivery to the Auckland company. Four Attempts Four swings were required before Mrs R. G. Gerard, the wife of the Minister of Marine, broke a bottle of champagne to launch the new 750ton Bluff-Stewart Island ferry Wairua in Auckland. Mrs Gerard reckoned without the breeze Her first attempt swung wide to the left, her second fell slightly short and her third hit the hull but the bottle did not break.

Self Poisoning If people wanted to poison themselves they should be free to do so. Mrs W. B Crowley, a Fendalton “milk consumer, housewife, mother and grandmother” told the Christchurch Metropolitan Milk Board yesterday. Mrs Crowley was protesting to the board against its proposal to substitute a by-law allowing specially licensed producers to sell raw milk at their dairies for an existing by-law giving consumers the right of choice of raw or pasteurised milk After hearing the objections of Mrs Crowley and others the board confirmed its decision to alter its bylaws in that way. Grant For Scouts After representations by the member of Parliament tor Riccarton <Mr M A Connelly). the Minister of Internal Affairs (Mr Gotz) has approved a grant of £l5O to assist with the construction of the Kio Ora boys scouts’ den in Auburn avenue. Upper Riccarton. The total cost of the den will be about £l6OO Building work will be mostly voluntary and will be carried out by members of the scout group committee and supporters Reflected Heat A strong smell of scorching led a Waimate resident to summon the fire brigade fearing a fire in the ceiling. While a unit was speeding to the scene it was discovered that a silver tray on an occasional table by a window was focusing the sun’s rays on to the ceiling with the same effect as a burning glass. Removal of the tray ended the chance of the ceiling catching fire, a fact confirmed by brigade members who examined the ceiling and the area under the roofing.—(F.O.O.R.) Safe Nesting Partridges released last February by the North Canterbury Acclimatisation Society have apparently found safe nesting grounds. The society has received no advice of eggs or chicks having been discovered deserted or damaged by farming operations. The partridges were bred by the Internal Affairs Department at Bulls to build up a colony of birds. Last Fruits The season for North Island tree tomatoes and Chinese gooseberries is nearing its close The last few cases are already in the produce markets. Water melons which arrived in the Matua from Suva on Wednesday are still available in the markets and sold for 8d a pound yesterday The melons were selling in shops at from Is to Is 3d a pound. N.Z.B.S. Expansion A new and much larger private automatic branch telephone exchange is being installed for the New Zealand Broadcasting Service in Christchurch, mainly to cope with the expansion associated with the introduction of television The new equipment, which is expected to be eut over about December 6. will initially have 100 extensions compared with about 60 on the present system The old exchange is of the Federal type, and the new one will be of the New Zealand Post Office type 300

X-Ray Survey The mobile X-ray unit of the Christchurch health office photographed 128 persons in Heathcote yesterday during the city tuberculosis survey Ten persons were X-rayed by the static unit in Manchester street The total since the survey began in July is 40.752 On Monday, the mobile unit will call at Rapaki and Governor’s Bay Fishing Rivers The Ashley and Selwyn rivers were reported by the North Canterbury Acclimatisation Society to be clear and fishable at 9 a m yesterday The Halsweil river was also clear and fishable but subject to Catchment Board operations. The Waiau. Waimakarirt, Rakata. and Hurunui rivers were reported to be dirty. Mr L J Bergman, of Auckland, has been appointed public relations officer for Masterton by Greater Masterton Incorporated.