General News

Press, Volume CIX, Issue 31983, 9 May 1969, Page 10

General News

“Overwhelmed”

Although he had instructed his client that a defence could be raised to the traffic charge brought against him, the defendant decided to change his plea to guilty, a solicitor told Mr P. L. Molineaux, S.M., in the Magistrate’s Court yesterday. He said that his client had changed his mind about defending the case after waiting in court while other cases were being heard. “He is of nervous disposition and seems overwhelmed by the atmosphere of the court,” said the solicitor. “I would have thought it a rather pleasant atmosphere,” the Magistrate commented. He fined the defendant $l4. Rising Costs The price of sports equipment had risen 10 per cent to 45 per cent since 1967, the average being about 25 per cent, the headmaster (Mr C. Cross) said at . a meeting of the Burnside High School board of governors last evening. This fortified arguments for an increase in the incidental grant to schools, he said. Visit To Wigram Eleven air-traffic-control cadets—nine New Zealanders and two Fijians—from the Aeronautical College at Christchurch Airport visited the Royal New Zealand Air Force station at Wigram yesterday and were entertained at lunch jy the station commander (Wing Commander R. A. Mackinder). The cadets were accompanied by Mr T. D. Faithfull, senior instructor at the college.

Staff Praised Praise for the help given by National Airways Corporation and airport staff at Christchurch Airport yesterday when 45 boys from the Marylands Special School were being sent home to various parts of the country for the school holidays was expressed by the Rev. T. Brennan, of the Brothers of St John of God, yesterday. He said the air hostesses, booking officers and cafeteria staff were “absolutely terrific.” The bad weather disrupted flying schedules but with “the really wonderful help they gave us Brother Dillon and I managed to get everyone away,” Mid Brother Brennan.

Big Cheese A Cheddar cheese said to be the biggest seen in the South Island and one of the biggest made in New Zealand will be taken on a float from Colombo Street through the Square to a Northlands store about 10.30 a.m. on Wednesday. The cheese is sft high, but its weight is a secret—a weightguessing contest will be held at the store. The cheese was made at Eltham, Taranaki. The float it travels on will carry a dairy maid and three large “mice.”

“Nothing To Fear”

The French cognac industry had nothing to fear if New Zealand started to produce its own brandy, the Minister of Customs (Mr Shelton) assured officials in Paris last week. The Minister wanted to inquire about the degree of control the French Government exercised over its brandy industry. He said yesterday that at first he found French officials feared he wanted to check on their standards and thought that their export trade to New Zealand might be harmed. “Once they realised this was not the case they were most forthcoming,” Mr Shelton said. He had picked up several points useful in establishing Government regulations covering brandy production.—(PA.)