General News

Press, Volume CIII, Issue 30482, 2 July 1964, Page 12

General News

“Laughing Stock”

New Zealand had become the “laughing stock of the world” because of the number of local bodies in the country, claimed Mr J. B. Gordon, member of Parliament for Clutha, yesterday. Addressing the South Island Rabbit Boards Association’s annual conference, Mr Gordon said several thousand citizens were serving on local bodies.—(P.A.) Nine-degree Frost . There was a nine-degree frost at Harewood, and a sixdegree frost in the Botanic Gardens, yesterday morning. At 9 a.m., the temperature at Harewood was 32 degrees but had risen to 51 degrees by midday. The day’s maximum was 54 degrees, recorded at 2 p.m. The temperature in the Botanic Gardens' at 3 p.m. was also 54 degrees. There was little cloud, with a light variable wind, in the morning, but during the afternoon there was a moderate easterly wind, with increasing high cloud after 3 p.m.

Calls At Rarotonga Calls at Rarotonga will now be on the itinerary of the Shaw Savill Line’s ships Northern Star and Southern Cross on all the- eight round-the-world voyages each year. The ships’ routes will continue to include calls at Las Palmas, Cape Town, Durban, Fremantle. Melbourne, Sydney, Wellington, Auckland, Fiji or Acapulco, Tahiti, Panama, Curacao and Trinidad. Occasional calls are made at Barbados, Port Everglades (Miami), Bermuda and Lisbon. Bankruptcies There were seven bankruptcies in Christchurch last month, two more than in June last year. Bankruptcies for the first six months of this year number 32, com--pared with 30 for the same period last year. Rapaki Lift

Tide and wind were unsuitable yesterday for shipping the 70-ton jib and cabin section of the first new reclamation crane, when the floating crane Rapaki transported it from the breastwork to the new outer harbour wharf. Because of this the Rapaki was unable to ship the heavier section into place on the 30-ton gantry section transported the previous day. The jib and crane section was landed on the new wharf and will be shipped on to the gantry at the first favourable opportunity. Noon Weather The weather at noon in the main centres yesterday was:—Auckland, 58 degrees, partly cloudy, easterly wind 10 miles an hour; Wellington, 53 degrees, cloudy, north 5 miles an hour; Christchurch, 52 degreps, fine, south 5 miles an hour; Dunedin, 48 degrees, partly cloudy, calm. Painting Gift Sir Charles Norwood has presented, to the National Art Gallery, Wellington, a valuable oil painting “St. Pauls, London.” by the Australian artist, Sir Arthur Streeton. The painting, understood to be worth £2OOO, was bought on behalf of Sir Charles Norwood by his daughter in Melbourne a week or two ago and was sent by air for inclusion in a current exhibition at the National Gallery of Australian art.—(P.A.) Inflatable Splint A new type of splint for fractured limbs, which works on air pressure, was demonstrated at the Auckland Fire Station recently. The pneumatic splint is a tubular balloon of plastic which expands when the valve is blown through, and with the pressure of the air inside holds the arm as firmly as in a splint. . The plastic is transparent so that a visual check can be kept on the injury. It is protective and the zip is made of nylon to provide the least obstruction to X-rays. Edible Crab A large edible tropical crab, Scylla serrata, was netted last week at the mouth of the Awanui Harbour by Mr P. F. Jones, the former All Black. A specimen weighing three pounds and with a 20-inch pincer spread was found in December by a schoolgirl on the shores of Doubtless Bay. Another was caught in Awanui Harbour by Mr C. Cosson and was identified by the Dominion Museum.