GENERAL NEWS

Timaru Herald, Volume CXXXVIII, Issue 19986, 19 December 1934, Page 8

GENERAL NEWS

Hospital Patients. The number of patients in the Timaru Hospital at the beginning of November was 96. During the month 163 patients were admitted, and 141 discharged, leaving 118 in hospital at the beginning of the present month. Outpatients. Consultations at the Outpatients’ Department at the Timaru Hospital last month totalled 496. Attendances in the Dental Department numbered 437 and examinations carried out in the laboratory totalled 495. The value of the outside work done was £l3/7/-. Miles Hawk Over Timaru. Squadron-Leader M. C. McGregor and Mr H. C. Walker, the Centenary air race flyers, passed over Timaru soon after 2 o’clock yesterday afternoon, heading north. The Miles Hawk passed over the town at a low altitude and in less than a minute was a mere speck on the northern horizon. “ Some Drought.” When Gene Sarazen remarked at New Plymouth that he believed Taranaki was having a dry spell he was told that a rainless fortnight was often considered a drought. “Oh,” he remarked, “this place must be something like Pago Pago. If they have two fine days there everyone becomes alarmed, and they start to pray for rain. That is some drought.” Main Street Collision. A message boy who was delivering parcels on a bicycle came into collision with a motor car at the intersection cf Stafford Street and Strathallan Street soon after 4 o’clock yesterday afternoon. The car was turning out of Strathallan Street to travel north up Stafford Street when the accident occurred, the boy being knocked off his bicycle. He was not hurt but the rear wheel of his machine was badly buckled. Fewer Unemployed: A Press Association message from Blenheim says:—There has been a decrease of nearly 25 per cent, in local unemployment registrations since September, and it is anticipated that there will be a further substantial reduction early next month, when harvesting will be in full swing. Some trades, notably corpentering report a shortage of skilled labour, this being accounted for by the number of biulding jobs being carried out simultaneously. Dress Reform. Wanganui tram conductors are now wearing light alpaca coats instead of their heavy uniform coats. The change is a welcome relief from the heat. In the city a number of men have been seen wearing suits of silk and other light materials, while young men are sensibly discarding their coats and moving about in their shirt sleeves. Shirt, trousers and belt are all that is required these days, but the majority of business men still “adhere” to their winter clothing. Christmas Cheer Fund. At yesterday’s meeting of the South Canterbury Hospital Board, donations of £3/3/- were received from the South Canterbury United Friendly Societies’ Council and the South Canterbury branch of the Trained Nurses’ Association towards the Christmas Cheer Fund. The secretary (Mr H. G. Naylor) reported that the Bands had held two concerts, the gross takings amounting to £23/1/4. The chairman (Mr E. Macdonald) said that he thought that the bands were deserving of a special vote of thanks, for they carried the brunt every year. A vote of thanks to the bands and to the other two organisations was carried. After Three Years. The first visit by an overseas vessel to Waikokopu since the earthquake of February, 1931, is to be made by the Commonwealth and Dominion Line s motor vessel Port Fairy to-day, when she will load 10,000 freight carcases from the reconstructed Wairoa freezing works. The Wairoa works were damaged by the earthquake, and were gutted by fire three days later. All operations were abandoned, but a few months ago Swifts, Ltd., took over the establishment, and immediately put in hand the work of rebuilding on modern lines. Work was sufficiently advanced to enable killing operations for this season to be started on November 19. Hospital Boards’ Conference. Intimation was received by the South Canterbury Hospital Board yesterday that the annual conference of the Hospital Boards’ Association would be held in Napier on March 5 next. The chairman (Mr E. Macdonald) said that the advice had come as something of a bombshell, because at the last conference it had been decided to hold all future conferences in Wellington. The conference was to have been held in Timaru two or three years ago, but it had been postponed on account of the earthquake. If the conferences were to be held outside of Wellington, then it was only fair that the claims of Timaru should be considered, especially as Napier was only second on the list to Timaru previously. It was agreed that the chairman should advance the claims of Timaru at the conference.

Depth of Harbour. A statement that 2000 bales of wool, which was sold at the Timaru sale on Monday, would be shipped to Lyttelton to be loaded for overseas by the Commonwealth and Dominion Line vessel Port Campbell because the vessel’s daught would not permit her to enter the port of Timaru was made to a reporter of “The Timaru Herald” yesterday. Asked to comment on the statement, the chairman of the Timaru Harbour Board (Mr G. T. Dawson) said that the Port Campbell’s itinerary provided for her to make Timaru her final New Zealand port. The vessel was drawing 30ft and it would be too risky to attempt to bring her into the harbour channel. Once the channel was reached she would be able to enter the harbour, but beyond the channel there was a shelving bar over which the depth varied from 26ft. 6ins. to 28ft. 6ins. and, even allowing for a favourable tide, the risk of the ship rising and falling in a swell was too great. “We want safety first,” said Mr Dawson, “and until we get the bed of the ocean deepened we will have to let some of these big ships go past.”