Local & General

Chronicle (Levin), 6 July 1948, Page 4

Local & General

Fowl Pox EMdemie P'ouitry fiocks m Hawke's Bay are at present being afrected by an epidemic of fowl pox. Stich epiUemics are not common, the last outbreak in Hawke's Bay. bccurring' about five years ago. The worst feature of the epidemic is that it puts the birds out of production fof several weeks, aftef which they recover. Collier Still HCid Up The collief, Gabrielia, which has been h'eld up fat ' Wellington since iast week. as a resuit of-the dispute oh the Kartigi at Westport three weeks ago, di'd not sail iast night. No response. was made to a call for labour to replace seven fiiemb'ers of the crew who refused to sail. The reinstatement in th'e Seamen's Union of two members, who were expelled -because -of-the Kartigi. dispute, is sought. ■ Birds' Trip by Air Believed to bejthe first birds ever carried by air from Australia to New Zealand, 36 Australian finches have arrived at New. Plymouth as a gift to a Taranaki' fahcier. They were carried in a specially-built box. The birds were fiown from Melbourne to Sydney an'd across j the Tasmah by Skymaster the saiiie night. Soiiie of the birds af e rare, Jand cxtreme care has to be taken to acclimatise them.- One bird died durmg the journey, but the remain'der reached New Plymouth in first-class conditibn. Started Ball Roiling' Although it was not generally known the Palmerston North Hospital had taken the initial steps to introduce the "blue baby" surgery technique to New Z'ealand, said the managing-secretary to the Palmerston North Hospital Board (Mr. A. J. Phiilipps) at yesterday's nleeting of the board. When the condition of the child Marie Stewart became apparent the assistant Medical Superintendent (Mr. J. D. Willis) had sent X-ray plates to America for expert opinion. It was iater deci'ded ta send the child to Dr. John Blalock, at JohnS Hopkins Hospital, Baitimore, U.S.A. for the operation which saved her life. Gnusual Experieilce When a bolt of lightning struck. a 65-foot bluegum free on the property of Mr. R. H.. ,-Haise, South Makirikiri, on Saturday night, it .shattered the tree, sending huge splinters over a'radius.of nfearly 300 feet. ' Sihiultaheously, lightning swept the. crockefy from a shelf in the farm homestead into the centre of the room where Mr. Halse an'd his faihily were sitting, fused the lights and wrecked the teiephone installatibnr The t'op of another liigh tree on the property was shattered by lightning. Post and Telegraph Department linesmen were yesterday busy rest'oring telephone connections. Report from the Pamir With about 8500 miles still to cover (steamer route 8000 miles), the barque Pamir . is now almost due west of New Zealand, aecording to latest wireless advice received at Wellington from the ship. "Vvhen the iness.age .was sent she was encountering a southerly wind and was making. about .teii knots. Late last week the Pamir was becalmed in a storm area, and the master (Captain Collier) reported clifficulty in keeping the vessel out of the trough of t^he sea. 300 miles north- west' of Gough Island (southeast of the Cape of Good Hppe), the Pamir is expected to be sailing to the east of the Cape or Good Hope in about six 'days. She will not saii. further south . than latitude 45 degrees '(south) . This course.is expeCted to take the sailing vessel between Australia. and Tasmania. She may now reach Auckland by. iriid-August, but her precise ari'ival 'date in New Zealand is still uncertain.