General News

Press, Volume CII, Issue 30171, 1 July 1963, Page 10

General News

Muddy Haul

The Australian Rugby League team had 13 jerseys stolen from its dressing room during the second half of the third test at the Sydney Cricket Ground on Saturday. Both the Kiwi and Australian teems changed mtn new gear at half-time and while the game was in progress someone walked into the Australian dressing room and took the fail set of Australian jersey*, all mud covered. —P.S.S., Sydney, June 28.

Kotiti Heads North Hie former private

schooner Kotiti, which .was involved in a sea and air chase oft- the east coast of the North Island in February ot last year, left Lyttelton for North Auckland on Saturday morning. Then owned by Lieutenant-Colonel A. C. Elderton, of Christchurch, the Kotiti was bought last year by Mr T. C. Longdin, a New Zealander who spent 15 years in the advertising department of the Sydney “Sun” but became a commercial fishermen in 1949. Early this year, the Kotiti was fitted with a new engine. Calls will be made at Wellington, Napier, Gisborne and Tauranga on the voyage north. The Kotiti. winch is normaly operated singly by Mr Longdin when fishing, has an additional member aboard for the voyage. He is Mr C. H. Shields. Mr Longdin intends to fish out of Mangonui. British Debts

About £5600 million is owed by the British public on bank loans, mortgages and hire-purchase. On a population basis this works out about £ll2 a head. It compares with about £1416 a head in the United States.— (London, June 28.) Darts Record Mr T. Parkin, of Wellington, set what is believed to be a world darts record at this week-end. He scored 55,001 points in 2 hours 15 minutes—32 minutes better than the time recorded by Mr K. McColl, of Invercargill, in May, 1960. The attempt, made under conditions laid down by the New Zealand Darts Council, was watched by about 50 enthusiasts. Mr Parkin scored one possible 180 in a total of 157 scores of 100 or more. In another world record attempt a team of five players failed in a bid to amass 1,000,001 points in less than 24 hours 28 minutes. —(P.A.)

A Different Game The former Australian test cricketer, Arthur Mailey, now 75. one of the greatest slow bowlers of all time, called at Auckland on Saturday on his way to Vancouver. “Cricket is a different .game now. There are fewer personalities —caused by the absence of writers dealing with personalities.” he said. Mr Mailey. a writer and cartoonist, said people today were more interested in averages. “Take the West Indian, Wesley Hall, a great bowler and probably the best I’ve seen. I know he’s pretty fast but I don’t know what he's like off the field. Records are fictitious anyway. What averages are made depends on the apposition.” Wives Younger On the average men marry women who are slightly more than three years younger than themselves, says the Government Statistician in his report on marriage, from the 1961 population census. Writer’s Medicine An old Edinburgh chemist’s ledger has been found which 1 shows that in two years Sir Walter Scott and his wife were supplied with 5J gallons of laudanum as well as 18 dozen opium pills or lozenges. Bird Caused Fire A bird which took a cigarette butt to its nest under the eaves of a Taupo building is believed to have caused a fire in a block of shops when it dropped the butt on to roofing paper.