AN IMAGINARY ROCK.

Otago Witness, Issue 3775, 20 July 1926, Page 33

AN IMAGINARY ROCK.

CHARTED, BUT NOT IN EXISTENCE. WELLINGTON, July 17. When the House of Representatives, in committee of the whole, was talking about the Estimates on Friday night, Mr J. R. Hamilton, the member for Awarua, interested and amused members with a reference to an imaginary rock somewhere off the entrance to Bluff Harbour. This rock was supposed to have been discovered by a fisherman who communicated with the Marine Department, and it was promptly put on the map. Mr Hamilton assured his fellow-members of Parliament that there was no such rock in existence, but mariners, so iong as it was on the map, now cept clear of the imaginary danger, even though it involved a considerable detour. One captain, he said, missed making the port owing to his endeavour to evade the supposed rock, and had to go on to - Stewart Island. He had a decided grievance against the department for pitting that rock on the chart. It all came of the GovernmentY taking the word of a fisherman. “A fish story,” interjected a member who saw the humour in the situation. * Though there is really no rock there, the member for Awarua gave his fellowmembers the comforting assurance that the Minister of Marine was taking steps to remove it from the chart. He was going to send a man from the department down there to investigate with an officer bf the Bluff Harbour Board.