General News

Press, Volume CII, Issue 30211, 16 August 1963, Page 14

General News

Fill It Yourself Serve yourself slot machines at petrol pumps have been introduced experiat four Paris filling stations by an American oil company, says “The Times" Paris correspondent. They will be in service at night when garages are closed and will provide nearly a gallon of petrol after the insertion of five one franc pieces. The normal price is 7s 6d. —London, August 15. Mercy Flight A hastily-modified twinengine Cessna rushed a des-perately-ill New Plymouth man to Wellington in 45 minutes yesterday. Suffering from collapsed kidneys, the' man. Mr Leslie Cecil Clark, was taken to the Wellington Hospital, which has an artificial kidney machine. His condition last night was reported to be “serious and unchanged.” Seats were removed from the plane so that Mr Clark, who was encased in a plaster cast, could be carried.—(P.A.) Workshops Tour Fifty-one sixth form pupils from Wellington Technical College yesterday flew to Christchurch specially to look over the National Airways Corporation engineering workshops at Harewood. They were under the charge of the head of the college engineering department (Mr A. Simpson). The group arrived in Christchurch by a chartered Friendship at 9.55 am. and left for Wellington late in the afternoon after having spent six hours at the workshops. White Frost Because of moisture in the air, yesterday’s frost of 7 degrees was whiter than the 8 degrees frost on Wednesday morning. Moisture also lessens the severity of a frost because it absorbs heat from the sun during the day and at night the latent heat is dissipated. There was an 11degree frost at Christchurch airport yesterday. The temperature reached a maximum of 50 degrees at 2 p.m. and there was a light north-east-erly breeze with some cloud during the day. Agony From the personal column of “The Times” today: “My wife gave me a load of the best hand-forked manure for the garden on my birthday. After 30 years of married life I was anxious. The comments from my friends were guarded. Tell me what you thinkin confidence. Write Box K 1725, ‘The Times’.”—London, Aug. 15. Notifiable Diseases Eleven cases of industrial dermatitis and 22 cases of other notifiable diseases were confirmed in the Christchurch health, district last month. There were 13 cases of pulmonary tuberculosis and three of non ? pulmonary. three of infective hepatitis, two of ophthalmia neonatorum, and one of salmonellosis. Stamps For Rates Householders at Preston, Lancashire, can now pay their rates by buying stamps. The Mayor officially inaugurated four stamp machines at the municipal buildings. About 28,000 domestic ratepayers will be able, by buying half-crown stamps, to spread their rate bills over a year. The stamps will be stuck in a book provided by the council and handed in when rates become due every six months. "If only a quarter of the ratepayers buy stamps it will mean that instead of getting rates in two lumps of £lOO.OOO we shall have a steady income from the machines,” said a borough treasury official. “Once the scheme is moving we shall have regular use of the cash and oil £lOO.OOO we can get 4 per cent, interest.” —London, August 15. Children Visit Tunnel Pupils of the Heathcote School were the guests of the contractors for the Christ-church-Lyttelton road tunnel yesterday. They were shown plans and taken into the tunnel, becoming the first official party of children to see the project. Living near the tunnel, the children have taken a keen interest in the work, which, until yesterday, they had seen from the outside only, although it is suspected that some have sneaked in unofficially, and the tunnel has been a school “project." Civil Defence The St. John Ambulance Association ip Christchurch is to take a new part in civil defence. At the request of the Civil Defence Officer (Mr J Leggat) the secretary of the St. John Ambulance Association (Mr C. Brown) will be the casualty control officer for the metropolitan area in the event of disaster Mr Leggat will lecture brigade officers next week on civil defence and the role St. John Ambulance personnel will play in it. Ophthalmic Bursaries Four new bursaries were announced by the New' Zealand Foundation for the Blind yesterday Valued at £BOO, the bursaries will be awarded to the successful applicant in each of the four main centres Applications from doctors whi have been qualified for at least two years have alreadybeen called and the selector will be made by a committee of the Ophth a Imo logical Society of New Zealand. At present ttiere are between 40 _*nd 50 qualified eye specialists in New Zealand, but there are several towns as large as Gisborne wb’rh do not have a resident ophthalmic surgeon - (P.A) Pig And Goat Tally During the five years ended April 30. 196?. members of the Marlborough branch of the New Zealand Deerstalkers' Association killed 11,786 pigs and 14.058 goats.