N.Z. NEWS BREVITIES

Chronicle (Levin), 10 June 1948, Page 7

N.Z. NEWS BREVITIES

Pamir Progressing Well On » - Voyage Advice that the Auckland-bound barque Pamir had eleared the doldrums in the South Atlantie and had encountered the southeast trades before which she was now tacking, was contained in a 'message sent from the Pamir on Sunday night. The message added that all aboard were well. Imports From Japan Consideration will be given on appli-c-ation to the Customs Department, for import licences for goods from Japan, only for the most essential commodities. Applieations require support of defmite evidence of availability. Beware of Hammer Guns "Hammer guns are a menace at any time, pavtieularly in the hands of inexperienced youths, " said the coroner, Air. J. D. Willis, S.AL, when giving his verdict at an inquest. into the death ot James Ross, aged 17, of Fairfield. Ross died in the Dunedin Ilospital on Alay •I from gunshot wounds suffered during a duck shooting expedition at Fairfield on that day. "The youth was the author of his own misfortune 'in that he was careless with a hammer gun, " said Air. Willis. The verdict was that Ross died from "erebral laeerations caused by gunshot wounds.

Coal Briquetting A report on coal briquetting and coal washing methods overseas, is to be made to the Government bjr Air. A. B. Jones who has returned to New Zealand from a tour of the eoalmining areas of Canada, United 8tates and Britain. Air. Jones, who is works manager of Waikato Carbonisation Ltd., was on loan to the Government to enable him to make the survey and left New Zealand at the beginniug of February. Air. Jones said that the United 8tates used about 3,000,000 tons of slack foi briquetting yearly. In Britain less than 1,000,000 tons of slack were converted into briquettes. Briquetting was done on a lcss extensive scale in Canada than in the United States, he said.

Glacier Moving Quickly The Franz Josef glacier which has been receding for many years, is now moving forward at the rate -oi' more than 21 feet a week*. The reasons for this sudden change in the movement of the glacier are not known and it is eonsidered that snow falls liigher in the Alps are not yet heavv enough to have any eft'ee.t on the position. Aleasurements talcen showed that the ice rnoved 21 feet 7 inches in seven days or a't the rate of a little more than a vard a day. At this rate of progress it will take about two years before the glacier has returned to the spot 000 yards down grade from which it began to recede in .1932.

"O Death, Where Is Thy Sting?" Describing a recent trip through Central Otago in his opening speec.li at tne Dunedin winter show today, Sir Patrick Duff said: "We had started otf with a visit in the Hokonui s. We had beon asked for morning tea. But I was anxious to explore these Hokonuis for other reasons. For the benefit of any police ofiieers, magistrates and temperance reformers who may be listening at the key-hole, the High Commissioner desires to state that he did nor find what he was looking for. But I am interested in the name Hokonui, to whatever mysterious product it may be applied, and as I was studying the Jattest guide to New Zealand I noted that Hokonui is a 8cottish word signifjnng 'O Death, where is thy sting?' " Raid on Bookmaker. How he and Senior-Detective G. E. Callaghan had to break down a iieavily bolted front door at 'No. 41 Piunket 8treet, and then subsequently saw £22 10s taken in bets within five minutes was rolated by 8enior-Detective E. H. Compton in the Wellington Aiagistrate's Court when prosecuting Evelma Claudine Clareburt, aged 38, a domestic on a charge of ' bookmaking. The accused, who pleaded guilty, was finea £100 l>y Air. H. J. Thompson, S.AL Air. Compton said that he and Senior-De-tective Callaghan vi$ited the accused 's house on Saturday, having to break m through the front door. -The bae.lc door of the house was also found to be lieavily bolted. Up until 1..15 p.in., said ALr. Compton, £438 had been taken in bets. Canmbalistic Spiders A collection of live katipo spiders taken to the Alexander Aluseum, Wanganui, gradually diminishod until oue surviving female died. These spidez-s ai'e cannibaiistic. At first the femaies ate all the males and then started on their offspring. Then the i'emales began devouring each other until only oi)e was left. The museum authoritres had kept-the spiders. well supplied with food in the form of ants, beetles and flies, but the katipos showed a maritea proference for their own kind. 80 great was the public intcrest in tlve last katipo collection that the museum has obtained another for exhibition. Whether the process of elimination will be repeated this time remains to be seen, but those interested in seeing the collection have been advised to go before any mass homicidal tendency develops.

Local Butter Supplies. The present output of butter from factories in the Atanawatu district was so low that, in order to maintain the full rations to consumers, it was necessary to supplement the local eupply with butter obtained from storage in Wellington, said Mr. P. B. Desmond, manager of the Farm Prodncts Oooperative in Palmerston North, yesterday. As a result of the drought during the summer months, said Mr. Desmond, the district 's butter production during the past season was approximately 12-A-per eent., or 600 tons, below that for the previous season. This fall was coneiderably- greater than the district 's ration' allocation, which amounte^ to 10 per cent. of normal production. The after effeets of the drought were still being felt and the local factories' winter output this year was not sufiieiert to keep up the supply to district consumers was usually the case.