General News

Press, Volume LXXIV, Issue 22521, 1 October 1938, Page 16

General News

The Fishing Rivers According to the latest advices received by the secretary of the North Canterbury Acclimatisation Society the condition of the fishing rivers is as follows: Selwyn, Ashley, Hurunui, Rangitata, and Rakaia, clear and fishable. Waimakariri slightly dirty.

Bass Better Than Tenor Voice "Those of us who know anything about tone know that a bass singer is better to listen to than a tenor,” said Dr. T. A. Mac Gibbon in an address given under the auspices of the Canterbury branch of the Hard of Hearing l eague last ' evening. “A bass voice is much purer than a tenor, and many tenors sing in a falsetto voice,” he added.

Mission Ship Sails Enthusiasm shown by a large number of clergy and laity marked the departure from Auckland shortly before midday yesterday of the Melanesian Mission steamer Southern Cross, whicli left for the New Hebrides after spending a month at Auckland for survey and overhaul. The Bishop of Melanesia, Bishop Baddeley, who went with the vessel, conducted a dismissal service from the deck shortly before her departure. The ship’s staff and crew gathered round the Bishop and clergy and laity on the wharf joined in prayers and a hymn. It is expected that the Southern Cross will arrive at Vila on October 7. She will not revisit Auckland until 1940, when it is proposed that she shall be here for the centennial. —Press Association.

Territorial Air Force It is announced that further enlistments are to be made into the Christchurch Territorial Squadron of the Royal New Zealand Air Force. The squadrons that are being formed in the four main centres have brought to light the exceptionally keen interest of New Zealanders in all branches of aviation and, because no doubt of the proximity, of Wigram aerodrome, the youth of Christchurch are said to be particularly air-minded. For this reason, it :s expected that the present vacancies will be rapidly filled. Newspapers of New Zealand Praised The newspapers of New Zealand were highly praised by Mr , E. J. Tarr, K.C., president of the Canadian Institute of International Affairs, who was visiting Christchurch yesterday on his way back from the British Commonwealth Relations Conference at Sydney, where he was leader of the Canadian delegation. The quality of the writing in newspapers in New Zealand was on an average much superior to the quality of the writing in newspapers of corresponding size in Canada and the United States. In addition he was very favourably impressed by the way the present election campaign was being handled by the newspapers. While the newspapers were almost wholly opposed to the Government in editorial policy, he did think that, notwithstanding the bitterness of the present campaign, the newspapers seemed to give reasonably adequate reports of the meetings of parties to which they were editorially opposed. Mr Tarr’s remarks on the newspapers were entirely unsolicited.

Children Benefit at Health Camp

Of the 225 children who passed through the Rangiora health camp last season, the average increase in weight was from 3Jlb to 4ilb a child, and the avex-age increase in height from one-quarter inch to one inch. This infoi’malion was given in the report presented to the '■‘nnual meeting of the Christchurch district executive committee of the Fedex-ation of Health Camps. The repox-t said that the greatest increase in weight was 61b in the case of one child. The annual health stamp campaign in aid of the funds of the Dominion camps will open to-day.

Frost Fish on Rakaia Beach A frost fish measuring five feet three inches and weighing nine pounds was found on the Rakaia beach yesterday. It is very unusual for a fish of this kind to come ashore in warm weathex-. Electric Power Loan

To finance extensions of lines and the strengthening of reticulation to deal with a constantly growing demand for electrical services, the Poverty Bay Power Board will apply to the Loans Board for authority to raise £. 75,000 by loan, this sum being estimated as sufficient to meet»the requirements of the next three years. The board does not propose to take a poll of ratepayers on the loan unless objections are received to oblige it to take this course. It was explained at a meeting yesterday that though it will be necessary to provide for a rate to secure the loan there is no more likelihood of the rate being collected in respect of this loan than there was when the board previously raised money for capital expenditure, the extension of the board’s business and revenue being adequate to cover interest, sinking fund, replacement, and reserve allocations. —Press Association.

Cow’s Long Swim An extraordinary incident is reported from Somes Island, Wellington. A white cow, one of a mob being trucked at Petone, jumped from the wharf and swam to Leper Island, a small islet to the north. A telephone message was received by the officer in charge of the stock station on Somes Island, and, as the result of a search, the cow was discovered. An effort was made to entice it to swim to the island, but this failed, and it was decided that the only solution was to kill it, as there is no forage or water on the islet. Two men went from Fort Dorset, and, after two shots missed, the stock manager succeeded in the dispatch of the cow, which was skinned and the carcase thrown into the sea. v The distance swum by the cow was more than two miles.

“Before Semple” • “This film was taken in the year One 8.5.,” said the commentator when a film showing men at work on the Kingston-Queenstown road was being screened by the Tourist Department. The movements of the workmen—as shown by the camera —were very lethargic. The commentator, after allowing time for the audience to be mystified, explained that “8.5.” meant “Before Semple.” “An Island Off the Coast”

“It is a funny thing that in evei’y dispute I am concerned in, Auckland always finds a difficulty in following what applies in Wellington,” said Mr W. J. Mountjoy in Conciliation Council, Wellington, when the theatre employees’ dispute was under discussion. The clause being argued was payment for Sunday work. .It was pointed out that in Auckland' double time was paid, but that this did not apply in the other industrial districts concerned. “Somebody once suggested that Auckland is an island off the coast of New Zealand,” said an employers’ assessor. A Health Insurance Scheme Proposals to introduce the panel system of medical treatment under a health insurance scheme in the United States were broadly outlined by Dr. M. W. Kapp, of San Jose, California, who was a through passenger on the Mariposa, which arrived yesterday at Auckland from San Francisco, He explained that the plan had met with considerable opposition and criticism from the United States Medical Association. “A large proportion of the opposition to the scheme, which appears to bear at least some resemblance to the social security legislation in New Zealand, is based on the fact that practitioners who are engaged in political work are often not the best doctors,"’ Dr. Kapp said. “It is proposed that the medical services should be available to everybody; but it is the opinion of a large section of the profession that lack of competition and incentive through the introduction of a Stale monopoly will have adverse effects, and that a scheme of this sort will not provide a real solution to the problem of providing a full health service to those who are most in need of it.” Dr. Kapp added that specific details of the suggested scheme had not been announced, and as a result many points of difficulty had not yet received consideration. The proposals were as yet. only in the “agitational stage.”— “The Press” Special Service.