General News

Press, Volume CI, Issue 29714, 6 January 1962, Page 10

General News

Parkers Warned A cleared area alongside the Christchurch Railway Station at the foot of Manchester street looks remarkably like an intended carpark, or so the drivers of 11 cars apparently thought yesterday afternoon. But nine of the 11 cars parked there about 430 p.m. bore the following notice affixed under the windscreen wipers: "This is not a parking area, and should not be used byRailways Department employees. etc. Please remove your car, and refrain from parking here forthwith Your number has been taken, and should your car appear here again, the Transport Department will be advised. —Chief Stationmaster.” Help For Family Donations to aid Mrs J. C. Black, of Torbay, Auckland, whose husband and small daughter were drowned in a launch mishap on December 20, now total £1857. The acting trustee of the appeal, Mr E. Price, said that the total could easily exceed £2OOO Donations have been posted from as far afield as Christchurch.—(P. A.) Parking Meters Pay Parking meters in London and the provinces are bringing unexpectedly high revenues to various local authorities and as a result hundreds more are likely to be installed. An official of the Westminster City Council, which pioneered the introduction of the meters in Britain, said it was estimated that its 3150 meters would produce a surplus after taxation of about £60,000 this year. Income tax, would take more than £32,000. The London Borough of Holborn expects to get about £32.000 a year before tax. It has 1910 meters—and no room for any more. St. Pancras Borough Council expects £6OOO from 680 meters and Saint Marylebone £20,000 gross.—London, Jan. 4. Salmon Run Salmon are beginning to run in Canterbury snow rivers. A few small fish, from 71b to 111 b, have been taken in the Waimakariri, but the recent north-west weather has upset conditions. A count along 400 yards of river bank at Stewart’s Gully on Thursday evening numbered 56 anglers on the sand or in boats. Anglers on the beaches do not appear to have produced much recently. A few herring have been taken and there were good catches at Leithfield beach, where sharks were caught when the surf was light. Akaroa Excursions Holiday excursions by bus to Akaroa, run by the Railway Road Services, have been proving popular since Christmas. There have been 39 bus trips run so far, carrying 1200 excursionists. On some holidays, six and seven excursion buses have made the trip to Akaroa. Bananas Expected A shipment of Island bananas will arrive next Tuesday on the Matua and will be in the shops in time for the week-end. The last of this' season’s Australian Valencia oranges were on sale yesterday at Is 4d a pound. Yesterday's fruit and vegetable prices were: lettuce, Is 6d to 5s a case; cabbage, 2s to 5s a case; peas, 10s to 20s a case; beetroot, 6s a dozen; silver beet, 2s 6d a case; marrow, 2s 6d to 3s a case: tomatoes, 6d to Is 6d a pound; cucumbers, 5s to 6s a quarter case; jam raspberries, 10s to Us for six pounds; cherries, 10s to 25s a case; peaches, 7s to 10s a case; apricots, 12s to 23s a case. Sale For Sovereigns London bullion dealers and the Bank of England have been doing a roaring trade in sovereigns, which only foreigners are allowed to buy. Last year 3,500,000 gold soveigns worth nearly £l2 million were exported between January and November. Yet no new sovereigns —now called Queen Elizabeth Sovereigns—have been struck since 1959. Sovereign buyers are also becoming more sophisticated, says the “Daily Mail.” "For years, Arabs have been the main customers and being contemptuous of women they have always paid more for sovereigns bearing the heads of kings But now the discount between them and Queen Elizabeth Sovereigns has fallen . . . Queen Victoria would have been amused.”—London, Jan. 4. Canoe Journey Fit and well after tumbling down the Clutha river in a fieet of canoes, 12 Aucklanders relaxed in Balclutha yesterday at the end of their journey from Wanaka. The three canoes and a rubber dinghy reached Balclutha on Thursday afternoon after leaving Tuapeka Mouth at 9.30 a.m. on Thursday. The leader of the party. Warwick Silvester, said the group had enjoyed the trip immensely They had found the Cromwell Gorge the most exciting part of the journey and would like to do that stretch again The party later travelled by bus to Te Anau before starting a trip from the source of the Waiau river.— (PA) Tin Can Mail Two large red, white, and blue cans in the liner Monterey, which left Auckland last evening, are marked •Tin Can Island Mail.” These cans are collecting the first mail on the newly re-started collection of mail for the island—properly known as Niuafoou Island. The cans Will be thrown overboard to be picked up from a canoe Passengers will be able to use the service until April when it is expected a postmaster for the island win be appointed.—<P. A.) r .