General News

Press, Volume CIV, Issue 30947, 31 December 1965, Page 12

General News

Publishing Days

“The Press” will not be published tomorrow, New Year’s Day, but the “Christchurch Star” and the “Star Sports" will. On Monday, January 3, “The Press” will be published, but the Christchurch Star” will not. Sharp Earthquake A sharp earthquake was felt about 12.20 a.m. yesterday in the Purau-Diamond HarbourCharteris Bay area. “It felt as if something big had slammed in the side of the house,” said a Purau resident “The house shook enough to rattle windows for a second or two.” At Charteris Bay, the shock was described as a heavy jolting motion. The seismographic record taken at Gebbie’s Pass was not available last night. Duck Claimed A well-conditioned Muscovy duck which found its way to a house in Balrudry street, Upper Riccarton, early on Wednesday morning, has been claimed. A Tintern avenue woman telephoned “The Press” to say the duck was one of three fattened for Christmas and the New Year. The first two had been eaten, and when the third disappeared, it was feared it had been stolen. After the duck appeared in Balrudry street—one street away—it was handed on to a nearby resident with facilities for keeping poultry. The duck is now destined for the table of its true owner. Town Planner ) Professor Colin Buchanan, the English town-planning expert, is expected to arrive in Christchurch by air tomorrow afternoon. He has been commissioned by the Christchurch City Council to examine and advise on the Christchurch Regional Planning Authority's master transport plan with its controversial city motorways. Professor Buchanan’s partner, Mr G. Crow, will join him here next week. He is at present in Canada. After a fortnight in Christchurch Professor Buchanan will go to Dunedin for a week, and then visit Wellington and Auckland. Mild Day After cooler morning temperatures the weather in Christchurch yesterday became warmer, with the sun shining most of the day. A light wind in the morning became a moderate northeasterly in the afternoon. The temperature at the weather office at Harewood at 6 a.m. was 42 degrees, and it rose to 56 degrees at 9 a.m. By noon it had dropped to 52 degrees but rose slowly to 54 degrees at 3 p.m., and then rose to 63 degrees at 4.15 p.m. The temperature in the Botanic Gardens at 3 p.m. was 64 degrees. The Government Life building’s temperature gauge recorded 63 degrees at 4.30 p.m. Company Gathering Four of the Holm company’s fleet met in Lyttelton yesterday. The Holmburn, Holmdale, Holmbrae and Holmlea were double-banked at Gladstone pier. The other ships of the fleet are the Holmpark, which is loading in Auckland, and the Holmwood, which is laid up in Dunedin. Strange Friends A remarkable friendship exists between an Alsatian dog owned by Mrs C. Kilmore, Wenderholm, and a two-month-old opossum. The Alsatian will kill any other opossum on sight. It averages a kill a day. Yet the dog is as gentle as a mother toward the tiny opossum. A female, it allows the opossum to ride on its back and will hurdle a gate with its load. The dog lets the opossum fight her. If the opossum gets knocked slightly it squeals and runs to play with the cat or the gobbler turkey, which are also friendly to it. Paying Off After 16 years’ service with the Royal New Zealand Navy, H.M.N.Z.S. Maori, a ship that never went to sea, will pay off at midnight today. The London office of the naval liaison officer, the Maori is one of the three single-service headquarters there which will be “disestablished” at the same time. They are being consolidated as part of the streamlining of the Services organisation since the Ministry of Defence was established. Record Traffic Traffic across the Auckland Harbour Bridge set three new records during Christmas week, the general manager of the bridge authority (Mr O. H. Brannigan) reported. The 38,005 vehicles which crossed the bridge on Christmas Eve broke the 24-hour record set only a fortnight before during heavy pre-Christmas Friday night shopping. The bridge had its heaviest week ever when 238,272 vehicles crossed between December 20 and Boxing Day—34,039 a day.