Personal Items

Press, Volume CI, Issue 29860, 28 June 1962, Page 12

Personal Items

Jaundiced View Renovations at the Essex Hospital had resulted fn the assistant matron's bathroom being painted a colour which could be described as “hepatitis yellow’,” which was not quite conducive to one's wellbeing first thing in the morning, said a report to the North Canterbury Hospital Board yesterday. "The matron takes a jaundiced view of it. does she?" asked the chairman (Professor A. J. Danks). Not Yet It may be possible to dispel the rigours of winter through the power of positive thinking. but this method falls down when it comes to practical matters—as a Christchurch housewife discovered yesterday. Given a generous housekeeping (cheque by her husband, she went to cash it at a city store, only to find it had been dated July 27 instead of June 27. The shop assistant assured her. as she perforce wrote out a cheque from her own cheque book, that no fewer than two others had fallen into the same error of wishful thinking that day.

Blenheim Road Lights Street lighting along Blenheim road should be installed by the end of this year. Members of the Christchurch Metropolitan Road Safety committee were told last evening the delay was being caused by lighting equipment not being to hand. The district officer of the Transport Department (Mr D. L. Hogan) said the particular equipment was on order and the money for it was available. Rain Stops Work Rain halted all work on the Lyttelton waterfront yesterday except for routine work aboard the steamer express Hinemoa. All other labour was dismissed for the day late yesterday afternoon. The only vessels in port, apart from the Hinemoa, were the coasters. Holmburn and Picton, and the Konini, which arrived yesterday morning. About 180 watersiders were engaged for work yesterdav morning and another 460 were sent home because of the lack of work. Several ships are expected over the next few days. S.M.D. Headquarters Staff at the Southern Military District headquarters in Oxford terrace will move from their present temporary premises into the newly renovated headquarters in Cambridge terrace at the week-end of August 4. The principal reason for choosing this week-end is that the Public Service Accommodation Board wishes to have the present headquarters by August 6. By the time of the changeover it will be 18 months since fire severely damaged the former headquarters in Cambridge terrace. Work on reconstruction by men of the Southern District Construction Squadron began last October. When staff move in it will be two days behind the target date. Smoked Eels Smoked fresh-water eels on sa^e * n Christchurch fish shops yesterday, for 4s a pound. A Christchurch fish processing firm cures local eels by a Dutch method and they are popular with Continental people in the citv Fish was scare yesterday but better supplies are expected tomorrow.

Telegraph Centenary

The centenary of the laying of the first telegraph cable in Canterbury, on July 1. 1962. will be celebrated by 100 members of the telegraph staff of the Christchurch Post Office at a social function on Saturday evening Arranged by the "staff members themselves the evening will consist of a six course banquet, a ball and then a pipe band to pipe out the morse key at midnight. Bananas Belayed The Tofua which was expected earlier this w’eek with about 20,000 cases of bananas from the Pacific Islands, has been delayed at Wellington because of bad weather. She is now expected at Lyttelton today, and the bananas will be on sale early next week after ripening. There are about 7000 cases for Christchurch. as well as a small shipment of paw paws, taros, kumeras. and sugar cane.

Log Cabins Early settlers in America did not build log cabins. Professor M. M Klein of Long Island University told the annual meeting of the Canterbury Regional Committee of the Nations: Historical Places Trust Lasevening He said the first log cabin was built by the Swedes and Finns, and they did not become widely used until the 18th century The log cabin of the frontier was a myth caused by films and fiction Helping Spastics While most Australians were recovering from the shock of Miss Smith’s Wimbledon defeat, the Spastic Children’s Society of Victoria was celebrating her recent European victories It brought the society a wmdfaE of £77 10s. Miss Smith has sent a cheque for that amount to the society, the value of recent trophy orders received by the Australian girl for winning the French and other European titles. Last month. Miss Smith sent the society £33 in trophy orders from the Italian championships in Rome.—(Melbourne. June 27).

Commemoration

A letter should be written to the Road Tunnel Authority to say the league would like to see Mr W. S. MacGibbon’s name commemorated in a suitable manner, it was decided at a meeting of the Canterbury Progress League last evening.