General News

Press, Volume CIII, Issue 30405, 2 April 1964, Page 12

General News

Nine Ships Sail The Blue Peter was the most prominent flag on the Lyttelton waterfront yesterday. Nine ships sailed during the day bringing to an end the congestion which has been evident in the port for the past two weeks. Vessels which sailed were the Swedish tanker, Oscar Gorthon, the Crusader Line’s Crusader, the Northern Company’s Moanui, the Shaw Savill cargo liner, Waipawa and five Union Company vessels, the Kaitoke, Koranui, Kawerau, Kaimai and Hinemoa.

Stamp Blemish Minor blemishes on some sheets of the new three shillings New Zealand pictorial stamps are unlikely to increase their value beyond 5s to a collector, a Wellington philatelist said yesterday. The Post Office said blemishes on the first sheets of new issues, caused probably by a speck of dirt or a loose piece of wire during printing, were not uncommon. The blemish on the stamps in question is on the left of the smoke from Mount Ngauruhoe.

Speechless “I do think it’s time we had a change,” said Professor A. Crowther when suggesting to the board of governors of Cashmere High School yesterday that they might elect another chairman of the board. “After a time one does tend to run out of two-minute speeches for prize givings,” he said. Student Hall The Prime Minister (Mr Holyoake) will make a special visit to Dunedin today to open the new wing of Arana Hall, a University of Otago residential hall. The hall this year will accommodate 140 students. Under the Colombo Plan, the Government provided £94,000 for the new residential block to accommodate an additional 56 students at Arana Hall, and twofifths of the cost of a dining hall-library block. A public appeal raised £12,066. (P.A.)

Tidal Wave Warning

Since the Chilean earthquake, harbourmasters have been given ample warning of expected tidal waves in their area, the Lyttelton harbourmaster, Captain A. R. Champion, told the Lyttelton Harbour Board yesterday. At 2 a.m. on Sunday he had been telephoned by the police and told that a tidal wave of between 6ft and Bft would strike Lyttelton later in the morning as a result of the Alaskan earthquake. Four hours later he had been told that the wave had not reached Suva and had fizzled out. The warnings came from the Marine Department to the police, who warned all harbourmasters, said Captain Champion. Tea Tariffs The announcement by the Minister of Agriculture (Mr Taiboys) that New Zealand would remove the remaining tariffs from tea imports would have practically no effect on tea prices, a spokesman for an importing firm said yesterday. He said 95 per cent of New Zealand’s tea supply was already imported without duty from Commonwealth and “most favoured nation” countries. The hations which would benefit from the removal of tariffs exported only a small amount of tea to New Zealand, and this was not usually of very good quality compared with Commonwealth varieties.—(P.A.)

Jordan Water Since it was announced that the Queen, according to Royal custom, had decided to have her fourth child baptised with water from the Jordan river, her example had been followed by other mothers, saia the “Daily Herald." There had been so many requests for the water at the Jordanian Embassy in London that the Jordanian Government had sent more than 500 bottles to London Any British mother could have it free The “Daily Herald” commented: “The river is now a narrow and turgid stream with an orange drink concession at the place where Jesus was baptised. Orange peel floats dismally on the muddy waters.” London, npril 1. Ministers’ Cricket The annual Christchurch Anglican clergymen’s cricket match will be held at Ensor’s road next Monday. There were few occasions on which all the diocesan clergy could meet socially, and thus the match was greatly looked forward to, said the Dean of Christchurch (the Very Rev. W. A Pyatt) yesterday.