Local and General News

Timaru Herald, Volume CXLV, Issue 21180, 29 October 1938, Page 8

Local and General News

Shark Attacks Whale A fight between a whale and a shark was witnessed on the Te Kaha side of Waihau Bay, near Cape Runaway, by several Opotiki residents. When the whale was first seen it was making in the direction of Opotiki, but as the battle progressed it changed direction and made off towards Te Kaha. The whale was very close inshore and came up to blow 1 on several occasions, while the shark was seen to leap right out of the water. Old Maori Tool While cutting a drain on his property at the western end of Tenth Avenue, Tauranga, Mr Alexander Stuart found embedded in the swamp a Maori planter and paddle combined. It is a little over sft In length, Is made of tea-tree, and is in an excellent state of preservation. The foot rest for driving the planter into the ground is very solid, and the blade is as good as the day it was in use. The implement was buried about 4ft. It is Mr Stuart’s intention to present the planter to the local museum. Grant for Athletes? An application for financial assistance under the Physical Welfare and Recreation Act for the summer coaching school for athletes to be held at Timaru at the Christmas holidays has been made by the Canterbury Centre of the New Zealand Amateur AthleticAssociation. The centre received at its meeting on Thursday night a letter from the Under-Secretary of the Department of Internal Affairs (Mr J. W. Heenan) stating that the matter was under consideration and that he hoped to be able to reply further within a few days. Motoring in Kawarau Gorge During the Labour Day week-end it was reported that many motorists experienced considerable difficulty and discomfort when negotiating the Kawarau Gorge. The reconstruction work in progress there became very soft after rain and a decided outfall in the road surface gave driving an element of danger. The Automobile Association (Southland) has confirmed this report, and has issued a general warning ’to motorists that If the weather has been wet it would be advisable to make an inquiry in the locality before undertaking the trip. Plunket Society Funds Funus of the Timaru Branch of the Plunket Society will benefit to the extent of £lB/5/6 as a result of a Paddy’s Market organised by Mrs L. M. Inglis, president of the branch, yesterday. The committee responsible for the event consisted' of Mesdames L. M. Inglis, A. Wigley, F. F. A. Ulrich, V. C. Meehan, G. W. Virtue, J. S. Satterthwaite, G. B. Green, P. Vesty, J. T. O. Stephens, W. Raymond, R. T. Turnbull, C. Hall, G. R. Lee, W. Sowerby and A. B. Herdman. The Kensington sub-committee which raised £2/16/-, was Mesdames A. G. Girvan, D. B. Hall, F. Sollis and W. M. Stocking.

Kaikorai Cable Cars

The fate of the Kaikorai cable cars, in tlie light of the Dunedin City Council’s recent announcement that its lease could not be renewed on expiry next year, was discussed at the monthly meeting of the Roslyn and Kaikorai Ratepayers’ Association, which passed a resolution reminding the council that at a public meeting called by the association recently the unanimous decision had been emphatically expressed that the retention of the cable cars was essential and that the running of buses would be against the wishes of all concerned. The association, the resolution concluded, would, therefore, respectfully ask the City Council to deal carefully with the problem. , Miraculous Escape A miraculous escape was experienced by three adults and a child when the car in which they were travelling was destroyed by fire on Monday afternoon, 17 miles north of Taupo, on the main highway to Auckland. The car'contained Mr H. Kuchen, driver, Mrs Thompson and her daughter, all of Island Bay, Wellington, and Miss Goodrick, of Palmerston North. It was proceeding from Auckland- to Wellington when it skidded and overturned and immediately burst into flames. Mr Kuchen had some difficulty In opening the door, but eventually succeeded and quickly got the other passengers out, but not before they had all received minor burns and scratches. Mrs Thompson’s daughter, a child of 12, also suffered a fractured right shoulder. The Byrd Expedition The silver medal awarded by a special Act of the Congress of the United States to members of the second Byrd Antarctic Expedition of 1933-35 will be conferred this morning on Mr Bernard Skinner, a member of the staff of the St. John Ambulance Brigade, Christchurch, who served with the expedition. The ceremony (our special correspondent says) will be performed by Mr H. P. Bridge, American consular agent in Christchurch, for Mr L. C. Pinkerton, American Consul-general in New Zealand. Mr Skinner, who is an American citizen, served in the aviation and tractor divisions of the expedition. In a letter to Mr Pinkerton, Rear-admiral Byrd explained that these medals were awarded only to those who spent the winter night at Little America. “I cannot, however, let this occasion pass," he writes, “without again paying tribute to the expedition’s representatives in New Zealand, Mr J. Gardiner, of Wellington, and Mr James Duncan, of Dunedin, both of whom conducted the affairs of the expedition with extraordinary efficiency and despatch. The people of my country are grateful to Mr Gardiner and Mr Duncan.”