One Chichester Message To Go?

Press, Volume CVI, Issue 31316, 11 March 1967, Page 24

One Chichester Message To Go?

(New Zealand Preet Association)

WELLINGTON, March 9. Sir Francis Chichester's last contact wjth New Zealand on his voyage around Cape Horn would probably be made tomorrow afternoon, a Post Office official said today. The official was asked to conunent on a report from Londott that Sir Francis Chichester’s voice was so faint on his last contact that at times his words could not be made out

On his previous rate of progress (120 miles a day) Sir

Francis Chichester will probably be around 4000 miles from Wellington, and 3600 from Buenos Aires when communication is next attempted The official said that one of the main reasons communication was becoming difficult was that Sir Francis Chichester’s transmitter was quite low powered. Sir Francis Chichester's next communication will probably be with South America. The official said the Makara radio station, which was the most efficient in the Southern Hemisphere, had altered its reception frequency several times since Sir Francis Chichester left Sydney. Early transmissions were on a frequency of 4 megacycles, but this had steadily increased until the last communication was made on 16 megacycles. The spokesman said Makara Radio had three aerials which could be directed to receive from any point. The 100 ft, triple diversity direction aerials were all pointed toward Sir Francis Chichester when communication was made.

The Canterbury Education Board is reviewing its policy on hot water for hand-wash-ing in schools, the Canterbury School Committees’ Association was told this week. The OUruhia School Committee said it planned to put in a “warm water” system, because of an earlier outbreak of dysentery, but the board said it could give no financial assistance at present.