General News

Press, Volume XC, Issue 27396, 8 July 1954, Page 10

General News

Mayor Presents Jubilee Cup To mark the golden jubilee of the Canterbury Football Association the Mayor (Mr R. M. Macfarlane, M.P.) has offered the association a cup, to be presented in any way the association sees fit. Applause and musical honours for the Mayor, who was present, greeted this announcement by the president of the association (Mr M. A. Gordon) at the association’s jubilee dinner last evening. Snoring “Affectionate Sign” A wife kept awake by her husband’s persistent snoring could be encouraged to believe it was really a sign of deep affection, d London doctor said today. Dr. A. H. Douthwaite outlined this “rather attractive theory” when he addressed the annual conference of the British Medical Association in Glasgow. He said: “It has been suggested that snoring is based on race memory and that atavistipally the male made the noise at night to keep away marauders from the den. The theory should be explained to the wife, who might be encouraged to regard snoring as an affectionate sign,” he said.—London, July 6. Power Failures Although there were no peak-load power cuts in Christchurch last evening, some consumers in the Upper Riccarton, Dallington, and Shirlef areas were without lights because of failures at sub-stations. The Municipal Electricity Department’s feeder in Upper Riccarton had a breakdown about 8.30 p.m. which lasted for more than an hour and a half. Consumers on two sub-stations in Dallington and Shirley were without power for brief periods between 5.10 p.m. and 5.30 p.m. Picton Expresses Delayed Both expresses on the north railway line yesterday morning were delayed for about four hours by the derailment of a goods waggon at Phoebe. The northbound train to Picton and the southbound train to Christchurch had to wait until the waggon, loaded with Railways Department coal, was unloaded, jacked back on to the line, and run off to a siding. Travelling Time to Charges

Each call the Rev. L. J. Boulton Smith has received during his 32 years in the ministry of the Baptist Church has taken him less travelling time to reach, he told members of the Oxford Terrace Baptist Church at a farewell in his honoqr last evening. “I was in America when I had my first call—to Roslyn in New Zealand—and the journey took one month. The next one was from Roslyn to Launceston Tasmania, and that took a week. Then call, from Launceston to Wellington, which took less than a week My call from Wellington to this church 15 years ago meant merely an overnight voyage. Last week I got on a push bike and rode to my new charge at Linwood in 10 minutes. Goodness knows how long it will take me to reach my next call.” New Riccarton Post Office

x Sixty private boxes would be' installed in the new Riccarton Post Office, and space would be provided for another 60 if there was a demand ® ai , d the Postmaster-General (Mr W. J. Broadfoot) in Wellington yesterday Asked about the Riccarton Borough Council’s wish to see the pians of the new building. Mr Broadioot said he was making immediate arrangements for the Town Clerk of Riccarton to be supplied with a plan offl«‘-(F.o e pJR.) POSed lay_oUt of the

Maternity Benefit Increased An increase from £6 6s to £8 8s in the fixed fee paid under the Social Security Regulations for maternity services was announced yesterday by the Minister of Health (Mr J. R. Marshall). This fee covered ante-natal and post-natal care, as well as attendance at birth, said the Minister. In 1939 it was fixed at £5 sb. and it was raised to £6 6s in 1944. Considerable advances had been made in the field of ante-natal and post-natal care In recent years. This had meant greater responsibility for the doctors, and a considerable increase in the -services given, particularly in the time involved, since the fee was last adjusted 10 years ago, said Mr Marshall.— (P.A.) Applause Not Appreciated A young man who described himself as “a Yorkshireman, but no stranger to New Zealand,” was escorted by a police sergeant from the public gallery in the House of Representatives last evening. The man had applauded at the end of a speech by Mr A. H. Nordmeyer, (Opposition, Brooklyn) during a debate on foreign affairs. He was escorted from the gallery and allowed to leave the building. He explained later that he had heard others on the floor of the House applaud, and thought it would be in order for him to do so.—(P.A.) Air Service Disrupted The Wellington-Nelson-West Coast air service was disrupted yesterday when strong winds, with gusts up to 45 miles an hour, lashed the Kawatiri airport at Westport. The Douglas aircraft from Wellington had just landed when the gale struck, and the Dominie aircraft, to complete the flight to Hokitika, was unable to take off. Passengers, mail, and freight were taken south by taxis from Westport. At ■Hokitika the speed was 10 miles an hour. Cold, wintry conditions developed at Greymouth before midday, and there were violent gusts of wind. The weather cleared later in the afternoon. Drifting Bottles •A drift bottle dropped from the end of New Brighton pier had been recovered as far away as Wellington, said Mr E. W. Dawson in an address to the Canterbury branch of the Royal Society of New Zealand last evening. Mr Dawson said he had used about 400 drift bottles and also 400 drift cards in his researches into the movements of currents in Pegasus Bay. Some bottles had been dropped from the steamer express and others from overseas ships. Most drifted northwards and one had been found as far north as Cape Turnagain, on the east, coast of the North Island. A drift card is an addressed and franked postcard enclosed in a plastic container. The finder is asked to fill in the form on one side of it and post it.