General News

Press, Volume CIII, Issue 30338, 14 January 1964, Page 10

General News

Watch For Bill When a visitor lost his wristwatch on a remote track on the western slopes of Mount Egmont about three months ago he probably never expected to see it again, but he wrote to the Egmont National Park Board’s chief ranger (Mr G. G. Atkinson). Two New Plymouth men recently found the watch in the scrub on the banks of a mountain stream. It still went perfectly. Mr Atkinson cannot find the letter and he cannot remember the owner’s address. The only clue is an inscription on the watch which read: "Bill Marsden, from Mum.”

Few Bathers Surf clubs reported another quiet day yesterday. Conditions, too cold for bathing in the morning, improved greatly during the afternoon. The water was warm, with little or no surf and a light southerly breeze. However few went in all day. Stormy Petrel Found A stormy petrel was found by a Greymouth resident, Miss Carol Hay, during the week-end. The bird was found lying on the aerodrome road, apparently uninjured. It was taken home and given food, but it died some time later. The appearance of stormy petrels, known to sailors as Mother Carey’s chickens, is often considered by sea-faring men to presage a storm. —(F.0.0.R.)

Travelling Light The New South Wales Minister of Justice (Mr N. J. Mannix) and Under-Secre-tary of Justice (Mr S. W. Ramsey) arrived in Wellington last evening with only the clothes they were wearing. All their luggage was inadvertently left in Napier yesterday. It was taken off their Auckland-Wellington flight when it stopped there on the way.—(P.A.)

Scored Again The All Black captain, W. J. Whineray, has scored again—in the academic field. The University of Auckland announced yesterday that he had passed Economics 11, a unit in the Bachelor of Commerce degree, for which he is studying part time. Whineray, a farm appraiser for the State Advances Corporation, sat the paper in Britain. Between holding down a job and pursuing an illustrious Rugby career, he has managed to find time to pass six units in five years. He missed a year of study during this period while the All Blacks were in South Africa. —(P.A.) Better Weather Morning showers and low temperatures were the features of Christchurch weather yesterday. The city had showery weather from 7 a.m. till 11 a.m, when the day became sunny. Temperatures, which had remained around 49 degrees during the night, rose steadily from 8 a.m. to 58 degrees by 4.15 p.m. There was little wind. Fine and dry weather is expected today.

Picket Duty The frigate, H.M.N.Z.S. Pukaki, will sail from Auckland at 11 a.m. today to take up duties as Antarctic weather station. She will alternate on the station, 900 miles south of New Zealand, with the U.S.S. Hissem, and is due to return to Devonport early in March.—(P.A.) Mountain Radios The introduction of a modern system of transistorised radio receiving and transmitting sets to high level huts in the Mount Cook National Park is well advanced, the Department of Lands and Survey announced yesterday. So far, eight sets have been installed. Between December 10 and 14, five sets were placed in huts. The chief ranger of the park, Mr M. Burke, and a ranger, Mr T. Buckley, were taken by skiplane to install the equipE 6?? the < Murchison, Malte Brun, and La Beche huts. Previously visits had been made to the Hooker, (RA > r ’ Empress huts.

Railway Footbridge Tenders have teen called by the New Zealand Railways for the construction , Slx pre-cast concrete tai age spans to a total length of 326 ft for the Madras street footbridge over the railway yards. Piles for the bridge were cast at the Addington workshops. Pile driving was carried out in September last year. The footbridge was closed for reconstruction last July. Avalanche Patrol A party of Tourist Department officers from Te Anau, Glade House and Milford will today fly over the Milford track where there has been a large number at snow avalanches in the last two days. They will decide if the track is safe to send tourists through.—(PA.)