General News

Press, Volume CVIII, Issue 31723, 5 July 1968, Page 8

General News

Daily Frosts Frosts have been recorded in the Botanic Gardens and at Christchurch Airport each day this month. The readings in the Botanic Gardens, with the airport figures in parentheses, have been:—July 1, 5 degrees (1.1 degrees); July 2, 12.7 degrees (11 degrees); July 3, 15.1 degrees (11.4 degrees); and July 4, 12.1 degrees (7.4 degrees). No Seed Found A sampling of sheep in 217 pens sold at the four North Canterbury ewe fairs in the autumn showed no contamination of their fleeces with nassella tussock seed, the fields superintendent of the Department of Agriculture (Mr A. R. Dingwall) said at a meeting of the Canterbury Nassella Tussock Co-ordinating Committee yesterday. He was asked to arrange tests next year as a reassurance to farmers that the sheep were not spreading nassella. Service Upset Toll service through the Christchurch exchange was disrupted yesterday when operators were ordered out of the building in Hereford Street. An electrical fault in the fire alarm system at 10.30 a.m. led to the clearing of 150 persons from the building in three minutes. Engines from the Central fire station were at the scene two minutes after the alarm went off. Fewer Unemployed The number of registered unemployed in Christchurch had fallen by four to 927 in the fortnight ended June 28, said the district superintendent of the Department of Labour (Mr A. B. Tuck) yesterday. On June 14 there were 931 unemployed in Christchurch. On June 28 there were nine school-leavers registered as unemployed. The major categories of unemployed on June 28 were: labourers, 250; factory workers, 97; tradesmen, 73; and seasonal workers, 83. There were 76 vacancies. Placements for June were 400. The total number of persons on Government and other special works in the Christchurch district is 139. Night Driving Night driving would be the theme of a road-safety campaign throughout New Zealand from July 8 to July 15, the superintendent of the Transport Department in Christchurch (Mr A. I. Garriock) said yesterday. The campaign would be primarily educational, but officers would pay particular attention to driving at night without lights, failing to switch on lights at dusk, faulty lights, excessive speed at night, and failure to dip lights. The officers would also make surveys on the use of lights: a similar study in June showed that 36 per cent of motorists were not switching their lights on soon enough at dusk. The Wrong Word A printer’s error in the words of New Zealand’s national anthem, “God Defend New Zealand,” as published in the order of service for the memorial service to Sir Walter Nash in St Paul’s Cathedral, later caused some speculatioh. In one verse of the anthem were the words “Fron discussion, envy, hate, and corruption guard our state . . .”. New Zealand House said that “discussion” was not the right word. It should have been “dissension.”—London, July 3. Plaques In Islands Plaques in hospitals, clinics and dispensaries built by the Lepers’ Trust Board in the Pacific Islands include one which records that the hospital was built by the tea drinkers of New Zealand. The generosity of New Zealanders is recorded on the plaques at the buildings built from the money contributed. The plaque mentioning tea drinkers is at a hospital erected with money collected by the board through gifts of tea coupons.