DOMINION NEWS DISCOVERY OF NEW COMET REPORTED

Greymouth Evening Star, 9 August 1946, Page 10

DOMINION NEWS DISCOVERY OF NEW COMET REPORTED

What' is believed to be a new comet in the southern hemisphere lias been discovered by a young Timaru amateur astronomer, Mr. A. i?; F. Jones, who made a full rey/ml lo the Carter Observatory, Wellington. Mr. Jones first picked up the comet at daybreak on Wednesday while studying variable stars, but to make sure he had not confused it with a star cluster he repeated the observations again yesterday morning, arid is satisfied he has found a new comet. —(P.A.)

Work in Biscuit Factories. A labour 'suspension order which has been operative for several years permitting the employment of females and boys on shift work in the biscuit manufacturing trade is revoked by a notice in last night’s Gazette. —P.A.)

Wellington Waterfront Idle. There, was no work on the Wellington waterfront yesterday. In the morning waterside workers held their stop-work meeting, and jn the afternoon they attended th« funeral of a fellow worker who was killed on Monday.—(P.A.)

Club Aircraft Damaged. When the lashings were removed from a Nelson Aero Club Tiger Moth at Takaka aerodrome on a recent morning, as the aircraft was being prepared to return to Nelson, a' gust of wind turned the plane a complete somersault, narrowly missing the club’s instructor, Mr. Reid. The top wing and rudder of the aircraft were damaged, but not extensively.

Dead Kiwi Found. A fine specimen of the large spotted kiwi was acquired this week by the Canterbury Museum. r fhe bn a was found between Cora Lynn and Arthur’s Pass by three railwaymen. Although it had evidently been run over by a train, it was not seriously damaged, and will make a valuable addition to the native bird section at the museum. The director (Dr. R. A. Falla) said yesterday that there were not many kiwis east of , the Southern Alps, and it was encouraging to know they were in Canterbury. This kiwi was one of the largest males of the species he had seen, its weight being about five pounds.

Fatal Negligence. . In the Supreme Court at Napier yesterday, Mr. Justice Fair presiding, Bernard Harbottle, of Otane, was sentenced to 18 months’ reformative detention on each of two charges of negligent driving causing death. He was sentenced to six months’ reformative detention for conversion of a motor-lorry, the sentence to be concurrent. Harbottle had reversed a plea of not guilty to guilty, on charges arising out ofi an accident on the night of May 11, near Dannevirke, when a truck driven by the accused crashed into a service car, killing a young boy and an elderly man, and injuring several others. — (P.A.)

Slip Dams River. About 3000 cubic yards of spoil plunged into the Ohura main highway making the road impassable, on Wednesday night. The slip occurred about 300 yards on the Taumarunui side of Tuhua. The slip is estimated to be about two chains wide and 20 feet deep It is not expected that the road will be clear before Saturday night at the earliest. The Ohuru river which was in semi-flood when the slip occurred, was completely dammed. By this afternoon the waler had cut a channel through the spoil, and was flowing normally. Nearly all the roads in the King country are reported to be in a poor state after heavy ram.— (P.A.)

Savings Bank Accounts. f ~,• every 1000 persons m New /Zealand’s population, of ail ages anc both sexes 872 have accounts cuiien m savin* banks—both Post Office and private trustee. These figures are given in the Abstract of Statistics • May. The average amount ot ■ -’ngs-bank credit is equivalent to B/l 9 /! for each nersOn m tne xmulation. The Post Office Savings Pank itself at the end of the 1945-46 financial year had 1,203,181 open acan increase of 41,295 compai - with the total a year earlier. The v'nimt standing in that bank to the credit of depositors was £128,514,326 wd the amount of interest deposited had earned was £2,787,413. The figures for .the Post Office Savings Bank takes no cognisance of the thousands of now gratuity accounts now opened by returned servicemen.