AUSTRALIAN NEWS

Otago Daily Times, Issue 22822, 5 March 1936, Page 9

AUSTRALIAN NEWS

TANKER STRIKES A REEF DAMAGE TO THE KEEL BRISBANE, March 4. The Norwegian tanker Vardaas (8176 tons) damaged her keel on a reef at Point Danger, 70 miles south of Brisbane. The vessel, which has a cargo of crude oil, was en route from Singapore to Sydney, and is sheltering from boisterous weather inside Cape Morton, It is feared that it may be necessary to tranship the cargo in order to repair the damage. DEATH OF INJURED PILOT BRISBANE. March 3. Pilot R. Knightly, of the plane which crashed on February 20, died in hospital without having regained consciousness sufficiently to give a coherent account of the accident. The pilot and passenger of a Queensland Aero Club D.H. Moth were badly burned when the machine crashed at Toowoomba on February 20 and burst into flames. The pilot and the passenger (J. Poole) were taken to hospital in a serious condition. It appears that the engine stalled, after which the plane went into a tail spin. TRAFFIC LAW BREACHES SYDNEY, March 4. (Received March 5, at 0.30 a.m.) In the Traffic Court the magistrate recently issued a warning to motorists who committed serious breaches of the traffic law that they would be more severely dealt with. At the first sitting of the court since his warning the magistrate to-day suspended the licences of 35 drivers for periods up to one year, in addition to fining the offenders. OPIUM AND SILK SEIZED SYDNEY, March 4. (Received March 5, at 0.30 a.m.) Opium valued at £IOOO, elaborate paraphernalia for its cooking and smoking, and a quantity of silk wearing apparel were seized by Customs officials in a raid on two city houses. An arrest was made. It is understood that the premises were in the area occupied largely by foreigners. In all 1.49 tins of opium wore discovered. The Minister of Customs (Mr T. W. White), who remarked that addiction to opium in Australia was lessening, said to-day’s was the most important coup for some time.