GENERAL NEWS

Press, Volume CVII, Issue 31462, 31 August 1967, Page 10

GENERAL NEWS

Pest Control

“It is about time some of these professors got out and caught some of the grass-grub moths, rather than worrying about the grub itself,” said Mr M. J. Harris, of Woodend, when the executive committee of North Canterbury Federated Farmers yesterday discussed grass-grub and porina control. “One moth can produce about 1000 eggs, and to wipe out the moths would be much simpler than trying to eradicate the grass grub. Perhaps there could be a competition of some sort to see who can collect the most moths. This would reduce their numbers.” Mr A. F. Wright said that control of the moth had been tried, without success. Russian Tourists Twenty Russian tourists will spend a day in Christchurch during a short New Zealand tour next month. The party includes school teachers, sheep breeders, biologists, economists, engineers, doctors, and philologists. Although nearly all come from professional occupations, one man is described in the tour list as a worker. Six of the party are women. Cloudy Day The sky was cloudy in Christchurch yesterday, and a light to moderate north-east wind blew. The day was mild, a frost of four degrees being recorded at both Harewood and the Botanic Gardens and the temperature rising to a maximum at Harewood of 60 degrees at 3 p.m. The temperature at Harewood at 6 a.m. was 35 degrees, at 9 a.m. 43 degrees, and at noon 53 degrees. The temperature in the Botanic Gardens at 3 p.m. was 62 degrees. Parkers Caught Because there is a stage show at the Theatre Royal, more persons than usual have

been parking on the east side of New Regent street during the evening—and more have been receiving parking-offence notices from City Council traffic department officers. Only five minutes’ parking is permitted, but a traffic officer said last evening that some latitude was allowed motorists who had to call at the urgent dispensary nearby. Water Shortage A water shortage at the Vaemali Hospital, run by the Presbyterian Church in the New Hebrides, has meant that New Zealand nurses staffing the hospital are able to have a shower only once a week. The hospital’s water supply depends entirely on rain water, and the fall in the area for the last 18 months has been abnormally low. The Presbyterian Overseas Mission Committee is investigating the possibility of supplementing the water supply by driving a bore near the hospital.