General News

Press, Volume CVIII, Issue 31615, 28 February 1968, Page 14

General News

Request Refused A - equest from the Canterbury Coal Merchants’ Association for membership of the Christchurch Regional Planning Authority’s air pollution committee was refused by the authority yesterday. The committee, it was said, favoured limitation of its membership to local bodies and major users, but the association would be invited to help the, committee or its technical committee where specific advice was needed. Rain Wanted Because of another long period of dry weather, the Buller County Council has restricted the use of hoses and sprinklers at Waimarie, Ngakawau, Hector and Waimangaroa. The sunshine reading this month at Westport is little different from that for February last year, but 5.18 in of rain has fallen, compared with 3.04 in for the whole of February last year. However, it has been a month of very high temperatures and rain woul. be welcomed by farmers and gardeners. The Chief Fire Officer at Westport (Mr W. G. Phibbs) has issued a warning against indiscriminate lighting of fires in the borough.—(F.O.O.R.) Bridle Path Trip A Fiat Bambina negotiated the Bridle Path yesterday afternoon, going from Heathcote to Lyttelton and back in about half an hour. On Sunday two university students tried and failed when their progress was stopped by a large boulder halfway up the track. Mr G. E Youngman and Mr D. Baker said yesterday that they were able to drive round the boulder in their smaller car. “There was a bit of wheel spin and freewhee'ing,” said Mr Youngman. “It was terribly rough towards the top. You wouldn’t be able to negotiate the track in a bigger car without scraping the bottom on the road.”

Water-Shy Penguin Considerably healthier looking than when Constable C H. Simmons, of the Timaru police, found it in a distressed state on the beach on Sunday. "Ho Chi Minh.” which had been convalescing under a veterinarian’s care, was taken by Constable Simmons to the Timaru foreshore yesterday morning and placed on the sand. “Ho Chi Minh was very excited. It jumped up and down, then waddled into the water. A splash, one roll in the breakers, and it came straight out again,” said Constable Simmons. Constable Simmons chased “Ho Chi Minh” until the penguin lumped into the water. “It came back on shore half a dozen times before it disappeared,” said Constable Simmons.—(F.O.O.R.). Meeting Postponed The special meeting of trade union representatives that was to be held in the Trades Hall next Sunday morning to discuss general wage orders, rising costs and the effects of devaluation, has been postponed indefinitely. It was to be addressed by the Leader of the Opposition (Mr Kirk). The chairman of the proposed meeting (Mr L. Fortune) yesterday said that no new date had been decided. The meeting had been postponed because there was not sufficient time to get full publicity for it. Mr Fortune is secretary of the Canterbury Engineers’ Union.

Selenium Research Professor C. J. Wilkins, of the Canterbury University chemistry department, has received SUSI3OO supplementing an earlier grant of SUSSOOO from the SeleniumTellurium Development Association of New York for research on these two elements. Both are by-products of copper smelting, and the association wants to find new uses for them.

Visit By Kiama H.M.N.Z.S. Kiama will visit Akaroa and Lyttelton at the end of next month. The 1025ton Kiama, now used in fishery protection, was built in Brisbane in 1944 and given to New Zealand by Australia 16 years ago. The Kiama will visit Akaroa from 9 a.m. on March 26 until 8 a.m. the next day, when she will sail for Lyttelton, where she is due at 2 p.m. The ship is commanded by Lieutenant-Commander M. C. Verran. She has a crew of six officers and 85 men. The Kiama will leave Lyttelton on March 29. Local Materials The Education Department has informed all school boards that if maximum use is not made of local materials it will send baek plans for revision. It will require that imported materials be deleted if local products could be used without detriment. The Christchurch Secondary Schools’ Council said last evening that it did not offend because its plans were drawn by the Ministry of Works, which was well aware of the need to conserve overseas funds.

Buildings Praised “We were agreeably surprised at the quality of temporary classrooms supplied to us,” said Mr A. F. Foley (Burnside) at a meeting of the Christchurch Secondary Schools’ Council last evening. “These prefabs are very good and teachers find them satisfactory,” he said. The council was informed that 14 units had been erected at eight schools during the vacation to meet needs until permanent buildings are provided.