DOMINION NEWS Trawler Declared A Total Loss

Greymouth Evening Star, 22 March 1947, Page 2

DOMINION NEWS T rawler Declared A Total Loss

The trawler Futurist has been declared a total loss, and no effort will be made to shift the stranded vessel from its present resting place on Long Point reef. This information was received in Wellington yesterday, from Mr. R. S. Alward, managing director New Zealand Fisheries, who said that when Captain A. Sutherland, had made his report .to the owners, it was decided to abandon the vessel. Captain Sutherland stated the Futurhull was so badly damaged that she would probably sink in a few moments if taken from the reef. He did not thing it would be possible to recover anything from the vessel before it broke up. The Futurist’s grounding will be subject to a Departmental inquiry, at which it will be decided whether or not there are grounds for a Magisterial inquiry.— (P.A.)

Bulk Delivery of Beer One Christchurch hotel already receives its supplies of draught beer in bulk by the method which has now been proposed for Wellington. The beer is carried from the brewery by tank wagon, and then is pumped under the footpath to a large bulk container in the cellar of the hotel. Although the bulk delivery of. beer in this way is considered quite practicable. there is no present indication of greater use of it in Christchurch.

Radio Play Competition A radio play competition open to all New Zealand personnel at present serving in Japan with the Britisn Commonwealth Occupation Forces has been instituted by the New Zealand Broadcasting Service in collaboration with the Army Education Welfare Service . The New Zealand broadcasting rights of. prize-winning plays will be . retained by.the New Zealand Broadcasting Service, but it is hoped that it will be possible to have successful plays produced in Japan for broadcast from the ..nd N.Z.E.F. radio station wLKW. — (P.A.)

Nelson And Napier Petrol Prices An amendment to the Motor Spirits Prices Regulations, 1942, reducing the price of petrol in areas serviced from ocean terminals at Napier and Nelson was announced last night by the Minister of Industries and Commerce (Mi . D. G. Sullivan). “The differential at Napier has been reduced by id and at Nelson by |d a gallon,” he said. ‘ Outports of Napier, Nelson and New Plymouth are now on a uniform differential of Id a gallon, which means, in effect, that the price of petrol at these ports is now Id.above that at the foul main ports.” Mr. Sullivan said that the corresponding adjustments, had been made to differentials applicable to price, areas serviced from Napier and Nelson respectively.—(P.A.)

Fatal Fall Into Well While working in a 78-foot well on the property of Mr R. T. Wyatt, Ohangai, Hawera, Keith Couchman, aged about 20, fell from a cage in which he was seated to the bottom of the well, When hauled to the well top by a rope he was found to be dead. Couchman was employed by Mr L. S. Browning, a well-borer, Bell Block. New Plymouth, and his parents are believed to live at Tehoe, near Hamilton. Couchman was lowered into the well in the cage and the first intimation that anything was amiss was when he failed to respond to the normal means of communication. The cage was hauled to the top and found to be empty. A member of the Hawera Fire. Brigade, Mr H. L. Warner, wearing a gas mask, descended into the well and attached a rope to Couchman, who had apparently fallen head first into the water.—(P.A.)

Diving Apparatus Tried The owner of a valuable outboard motor which was lost overboard in more than 30 feet of water at Lake Okere, Rotorua, offered a reward for its recovery. The challenge was taken up by Mr Leo Simpson, a wellknown Rotorua hydroplane enthusiast, and with some friends he constructed a primitive diving apparatus out of an Army gas mask, a bottle of welding oxygen, and feet weights of brick weighing about four stone. This outfit was first tried on Lake Rotorua two days ago. Mr Simpson found the conditions bearable to 20 feet, but the air and oxygen mixture was difficult to adjust, so a small air compressor was fitted. On Thursday evening the first attempt was made at Lake Okere. The services of a diviner, Mr J. Thompson, were used, and at the spot indicated where metal was lying, Mr Simpson descended, carrying a light attached to. a waterproof cable. After 15 minutes he located a metal object indicated by the diviner. It was a discarded motor-car wheel rim. This was at 30 feet. Mr Simpson descended another five feet, when his nose bled, •so the attempt was temporarily abandoned. Another attempt is to be made tomorrow morning, and Mr Simpson says that, later he will try to salvage three lost outboard motors in Lake Rotorua—(P.A.)