Dominion News

Greymouth Evening Star, 18 August 1949, Page 2

Dominion News

New Coastal Ship The motor-ship Vestria, of 555 tons, is due at Whangarei at noon on Saturday from Teignrnouth, in the south of England, .after a threemonths voyage. The newest and largest vessel of the Northern Steamship Company’s fleet, the Vestria was launched in 1946 and will enter the Onehunga-Lyttelton service. She has a full cargo of phosphates from Tunis for Whangarei.—(P.A.) An Empty Gallery The gallery in the House of Representatives which is reserved for members of the Legislative Council to enable them to hear debates in the Lower House was unoccupied at 7.30 last evening when the Leader of the Opposition (Mr S. G. Holland) rose to move the second reading of his Legislative Council Abolition Bill. Later, one member of the Council entered the gallery.—(P.A.) “Them Thar Hills” Notice was given by Mr G. H. Mackley (Opposition, Wairarapa) in the House of Representatives yesterday to ask the Minister of Works (Mr R. Semple) “whether, in order that the possibility of finding payable gold or other minerals might not be overlooked, he will arrange for a geological check of the country .to be made while the Rimutaka tunnel is being constructed.’’ Dr A. M. Finlav (Government, North Shore): Who not look for pearls under the Auckland harbour bridge?—(P.A.) Aircraft Returns To Fiji A Royal New Zealand Air Force Dakota aircraft which left the Nausori airfield, Fiji, yesterday for Auckland with eight airmen on board, was forced by a mechanical fault which developed in one engine to turn back to Fiji, according to an official report issued at Wellington. A Catalina flying-boat was sent from Lauthala Bay to escort the Dakota, and both aircraft returned safely, the Dakota reaching Nausori at 5.50 p.m. New Zealand time.-— (P.A.)

Operation On N.Z. Youth Robin Norris, aged 17, son of Commander A. J. Norris, R.N., of Takapuna, returned to Auckland in the Aorangi yesterday after a hip operation at the Massachusetts General Hospital. He was accompanied by his father. Commander R. Norris and his son went to America last December, the trip being made possible by financial aid granted by the New Zealand and Auckland Crippled Children Societies. When Robin Norris came ashore he was walking with difficulty on crutches, but his father said it would be only a matter of exercise before he could use his feet freely again. The operation had been highly successful. —(P.A.)

Compensation For Town Cows The question of compensation to be paid for cows condemned after the compulsory tuberculin test was referred to by the Minister of Agriculture (Mr E. L. Cullen) when opening the annual meeting of the Town Milk Producers’ Federation at Wellington yesterday. The Minister said he hoped that when the federation had obtained the information he had requested from its member associations as to replacement costs of cows, a satisfactory arrangement could be made. Mr J. J. Maher, M.P., chairman of the federation, said that if the programme for the tuberculin testing of herds was undertaken immediately, the examination of 90,000 cows estimated to comprise the town milk herds in New Zealand would taXe three years. It was ■ estimated that 10,000 cows would be condemned.— (P.A.)