General News

Press, Volume LXXXII, Issue 24912, 27 June 1946, Page 4

General News

Sealing Licences To date 10 or 12 licences have been issued in accordance with the regulations gazetted recently permitting the taking of seals in certain areas in New Zealand waters for a limited period of four months, according t<v Mr W. C. Smith, Secretary of Marine. He is in charge of the issuing of licences, and expects that. eventually about 40 licences will be granted.—(P.A.) Production Conference Details of a plan announced recently by the Government to cover estimated production required in New Zealand will be discussed at a production con- / ference which will be held at Wellington on July 12, according to advice received by the president of Federated Farmers in Mid-Canterbury (Mr P. J. Mowat) from Dominion headquarters of the organisation. North and MidCanterbury will be represented at the meeting. Air Services Interrupted The Union Airways aeroplane, which left Wellington at 10.55 a.m. yesterday for Christchurch and Dunedin, returned at 1.30 p.m., having been unable to land at either place. The aeroplane from Dunedin flew direct to Wellington, being unable to land at Christchurch. Another aeroplane’s flight to Nelson was cancelled because of bad weather there.—(P.A.) Ascent of N.Z. Mountains In New Zealand there were 17 mountains more then 10,000 feet high, but pobody had yet been successful in climbing them all, although one man had climbed 16 of them, said Mr A. Anderson, in an address to the Rangiora High School Parent-Teacher Association. Mount Sefton had been climbed only five times from the Canterbury side, and seven from the West Coast, he said. The first ascent of Mount Cook had been made by three New Zealanders, ope member of- the party being only 17 years old. The day the party completed the ascent, an English climber with a Swiss guide had arrived at Timaru, bent on being the flffet to conquer the mountain, added Mr Anderson. Substantial Bequests Substantial bequests to the Auckland Provincial Patriotic Fund and to both the Auckland Y.M.C.A. and Y.W.C.A,, are made under the will of Mr Thomas Edward Montgomery, of Devonport, who died on June 5 at the age of 92. His estate has been valued at £55,000, and it is expected that the residue, after death duties and certain legacies have been paid, will be about £30,000. Two-fifths of the residue of the estate is provided for the assistance of servicemen of the Auckland province who are suffering disability or sickness as a result of service in the second World War. Another two-fifths has been bequeathed to the Auckland Y.M.C.A. and the remaining one-fifth to the Auckland Y.W.C.A. Associated in his earlier life with some of Auckland’s older manufacturing concerns, Mr Montgomery was well known for his gifts to patriotic funds, and has given undreds of pounds to charitable and social causes in the city.—(P.A.) x Blood Donors’ Group The Canterbury Junior Chamber of Commerce has formed a blood donors’ group to supplement the general group of Canterbury blood donors. A special luncheon to stimulate interest in the cause will be held to-day, the guests of honour being Dr. L. C. L. Averill, the Rev. Father Fisher, of St. Bede’s College, and Commander C. H. Kersley, secretary of the Blood Donors* Association. The luncheon will be followed by a talk by Dr. D. T. Stewart, medical officer in charge of the intravenous blood department at the Christchurch Public Hospital, and a member of the chamber will give a pint of blood to demonstrate the ease and painlessnesr of the operation.

Children’s Deaths from Diphtheria A “great tragedy” was the description given to the deaths of children in Auckland from diphtheria by Dr. J. Egerton Caughey, in an address to the Auckland Junior Chamber, of Commerce yesterday. Dr. Caughey is one of the British Medical Association committee of four which, in conjunction with the Health Department, is conducting an anti-diphtheria campaign. He said that from 1940 to 1944 there were 856 cases of diphtheria in Auckland with 34> deaths, and it was notable that this year the figures were higher than ever. The deaths had all been those of children between one and seven years. This was a great tragedy and the more tragic when it was realised that the cases and deaths would have been avoided had all the children of the city been effectively immunised.—(P.A.) Hawke’s Bay Fruit Exports Shipments of export fruit from Hawke’s Bay have been concluded for the season, the total exported from the province being 92,342 cases. This is regarded within the industry as a good start, seeing this was the first season in which export has been attempted since 1940, and as the season was well advanced before a definite decision about export was given. Moreover, the fruit had to be packed in face of difficulties caused by shortages of packing materials.—(P.A.) School Textbooks of the World An examination of school textbooks in use among the nations of the world was cited in an address last evening by Mr A. E. Campbell,’ as a possible research subject for UNESCO —the new United Nations’ Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organisation. Many countries at the inaugural conference of UNESCO had expressed their desire for such action, he said. “It is an old story that in some countries school textbooks have been vehicles for pretty crass propaganda ’ he said. His personal idea was that the school books of each country might be analysed objectively, and a report on them published, without comment. Kiwi Released The kiwi captured recently by a farmer of the Matamata district, Mr S. V. Martin, has been released? The Minister of Internal Affairs (the Hon. W. E. Parry) gave this information yesterday and said that kiwis were absolutely protected under the Animals Protection and Game Act. No person could retain possession of them without authority. Kiwis’ nocturnal habits rendered them unsuitable for keeping in, captivity. It was not the practice to grant authorities for them. The department had communicated with Mr Martin, who was most co-opera-tive, and had readily agreed to liberate the kiwi in a suitable area where it would have an opportunity of surviving.. Later Mr Martin had advised the department that the bird had been liberated in the Gordon district, at the foot of the Kaimai range, which was a known habitat of kiwis. —(P.A.) Erosion at Sumner The recent erosion at Sumner beach has .apparently •'topped. The women’s bathing shed is within four feet of the edge of the sand bank which marked the higher reaches of the abnormal tides, and the eastern wall of the Surf and Life-Saving Club’s area is broken and will require attention. The area previously washed out in front of the pavilion has been filled with rock and debris. A good job hag been carried out on the beach opposite the end of Euston street, where the City Council’s staff has placed heavy boulders as a protection against further erosion. In this locality the top portion of the second lowest tier of the seawall, between the Beach Tea Rooms and Euston street, has collapsed. Further high tides may endanger the wall at this point. Loss of Belongings by Fire The many claims that have come before the Mayor’s Coal and Blanket Fund this winter for assistance for families who have lost their homes and furniture by fire have convinced the Mayor of Christchurch (Mr E. H. Andrews) of the value of fire insurance. Mr Andrews said yesterday that few persons were unable to afford the few shillings a year necessary to insure their belongings, yet of all those who had applied to the fund for assistance in replacing clothing, bedding and furniture, not one, when questioned, said that it had to him or her to insure.