General News

Press, Volume CI, Issue 29828, 22 May 1962, Page 12

General News

Wish Gratified Although a few persons left Westport temporarily during ; the earthquake period and! most visitors travelled bur- j riedly through the town, it had two callers of a different calibre on Saturday night. A young woman, with a slightly older companion from Kumara, booked into a hotel on Saturday night and left on Sunday. They gave as ithe reason for their visit a 'desire to sample a good-sized earthquake They certainly got good measure, as thej town rocked and rolled during a good portion of that night.—(F 0.0. R.) Power Bed ■ A power operated hospital bed he had seen in an AmeriIcan hospital was described iby Mr J. G. Laurenson, secretary of the North Canterbury Hospital Board, at the annual meeting of the North Canterbury Blood Transfusion Service last evening. The “optional extras’’ included a mattress with electrical height adjustment operated by the patient, and overbed table also with adjustable height, a bedside stainless! steel bench and basin, and I electrically adjusted Venet-i ian blinds across the windows! of the room. All Black’s Loss The All Black flanker, W. J. Nathan, lost £75 worth of traveller’s cheques crossing the Tasman, or had them stolen from his Sydney hotel, the New Zealand Rugby Football Union executive was told last evening. The union has made arrangements to reimburse Nathan. - (P.A.) Spring Cabbages After the recent mild j : weather a heavy supply ofj i spring cabbage is on sale in [ the city markets. Grown | mainly in the Heathcote area ' the cabbages are surprisingly |in only average demand and | are selling at from 4s to 5s a \ case of about six or eight. New Angle j One of the unexpected I benefits of splaying the para- | Pets on the Waimakariri i bridge on Highway 1 has | been to house movers. Since I the sid-es were angled and the telephone lines were taken from the sides of the bridge (24ft wide) it is an easier proposition to transport houses across the river. This was proved again yesterday- when a Woodend farm cottage <2Bft wide) was i towed to Yaldhurst where it : will be a shopkeeper’s resi- ; dence. It was a short shift for Mr Peter Partridge who regards Pukaki to Molesworth as a more challenging run. worthy of his talents. The cottage was jacked to an angle so that one side was above the bridge railing. Previously such loads had to, be moved, well off centre to clear the telegraph lines as well. “It’s now extra good," he said. Wet Night “We always choose a wet night, for a good reason.” Dr. F W Gunz told the annual meeting of the North Canterbury Blood Transfusion Service last evening. “We have about 6000 members now. and couldn't nossibly get them all into any hall in Christchurch, so we always turn on the rain.” Coloured Chalk “We must tell the staff not Ito suck their fingers after I handling coloured chalk.” said Professor G Jobberns the chairman, at the meeting of the Avonside Girls' High School board of governors [ yesterday afternoon when the board was informed bv 'he Education Department that it would receive a case of coloured chalk, which was too dangerous to be used in primary schools Lead poisoning had occurred when a child in a primary school sucked her fingers after using coloured chalk, the deoartment said Analysis had shown that coloured chalk from Britain and Japan contained lead The department said there would be less danger in sending the chalk to universities and secondary schools Trees For Reserves Thirty-six kowhai trees will be planted on four Riccarton Borough Council reserves on Saturday by the Riccarton - Hornby Jaycees The Mayor of Riccarton (Mr E J Bradshaw) will plant a tree at the southern end of the Peverel street reserve The trees which have been given by Dr Z J. Godley director of the Botany Division of the Department of Scientific and Industrial Research are from used experimental stock and their use in the reserves will be a continuation of the experiments. Parade On TV I Cameramen from Channel 13 will be at the Royal New ’.Zealand Air Force station, i Wigram. on Thursday to film, for 'he same evening's newsreel. the No. 34 aircrew graduation course ceremony The ceremony will mark one of the last appearances of the < retiring Chief of Air Staff (Air Vice-Marshal M, F 'Calder). Overseas (jails New Zealand’s telephone service with Great Britain was recently increased and is now ooerating ISJ hours daily The overseas telephone I service has been extended to i 73 countries. Cyprus and the i Faroe Islands having been ’ included a short time ago N.Z. Marble In Geneva Two decorative tables made of New Zealand marble andi native woods are New Zealand’s contribution to the furinishing of the new Internationa! Telecommunication ; Union headquarters building jin Geneva The ITU. a I specialised agency of the I United Nations, has had much of the furniture for the jnew building given by memjber countries.