NEWS OF THE DAY

Otago Daily Times, Issue 26625, 22 November 1947, Page 6

NEWS OF THE DAY

Successful Street Appeal An excellent response by the public to the street appeal for funds by the Combined Orphanages Committee yesterday resulted in the sum of £BO2 13s being collected, and further donations are expected. This sum is over £IOO in excess of the amount collected during last year’s appeal. The money will be divided between the orphanages conducted by the three churches represented on the combined committee Anglican, Presbyterian, and Roman Catholic. Charitable Bequests

Under the will of Mr James R. Bone, of Dunedin, who died on September 16, the residue of his estate, amounting, after the payment of certain legacies, to about £7OO, is to be divided equally between the St. John Ambulance Association (Otago Centre) and the New Zealand Institute for the Blind, Auckland. Franz Josef Hostel

“ Negotiations between the Graham brothers, proprietors of the Franz Josef Glacier Hotel, and the Government for the operation of this popular resort as a State-owned national asset have now reached finality,” said the Minister in Charge of Tourist and Health Resorts, Mr Parry, on Thursday. It was the intention of this department, added the Minister, to develop Franz Josef Glacier as a tourist attraction, and every endeavour would be made to implement a longterm policy of steady progressive improvement. Higher Fertiliser Output

Working under some difficulties, fertiliser works employees in the South Island have increased deliveries by 7000 tons in the last six months, says a statement from the Aid to Britain Committee. Because new fibre bags are in short supply, workers agreed to handle any bags sound, enough to take fertiliser. In recent months workers have dealt with bags in such bad condition that they could not be sewn, but had to be tied. Paper bags are also being used to overcome the fibre bag shortage. These hold only half the quantity that can be packed into a fibre bag, making it difficult to maintain output. Bicycle Built for Three

The tandem bicycle is now an unfamiliar sight in the Dominion. To an Invercargill firm, however, gpes the unusual privilege of possessing what is probably the only “ bicycle built for three ” in New Zealand. Three Southland youths set out yesterday to ride the machine from Invercargill to Dunedin, and after an eight-hour ride they had reached Milton, where the machine broke down, and the remainder of the journey was completed by train. ‘lt was a bit hard on the last man, remarked one of the team to the Daily Times last night, commenting on the trip.

Milk Carried by Tanker With no fewer than 200 milk cans eliminated by a single tanker, the transport of bulk milk from country depots to the Wellington City Milk Department was on the eve of big changes, said Mr E. L. Benseman, general manager of the department. Mr Benseman said that, though the cost of bulk milk transport would be less with the 1800-gellon tanker, costing £4700, about to take the road between Otaki and Wellington, no appreciable lowering of costs would be noticeable until several tank wagons were in use. Before a fleet was embarked on, a thorough trial would be made of the new unit, the first in New Zealand. “ Good as the Wellington milk supply is,” concluded Mr Benseman, “it can be improved by this up-to-date method.”

Cost of Flying A loss of £9OO in its flying account was made by the New Plymouth Aero Club during its last six months operations. This was disclosed in the half-yearly balance sheet presented at a club meeting recently by the secretary, Mr W. G. Watts. The loss in the 'flying account !or the same six months of last year was £175. it is quite apparent that the club cannot continue on the present basis without the assistance of a Government subsidy,” said Mr Watts, “ and unless this is forthcoming at an early date the club will have to curtail drastically its expenditure, for it will not be long before it will have no money to carry on operations. The loss for each flying hour this year was £1 2s, compared with 5s 3d last year, he added. Modern Ship Due One of the largest and fastest sels engaged in carrying foodstuffs to the United Kingdom, the 11,300-ton motor ship Norfolk, which is at present making her second voyage, her maiden trip having been to Australia earlier this year, will arrive at Port Chalmers to-day. Incorporating the latest developments in modern shipbuilding the Norfolk was constructed at the Clydebank yards of John Brown and Co. for the Federal Steam Navigation Line. Of a handsome appearance, the new ship has a raked stem, cruiser stern, single funnel, and two pole masts, and, fitted with Diesel engines, she has a service speed of 17 knots. For discharge at Port Chalmers, the Norfolk has 1800 tons of general cargo (from Liverpool, included in which J? a consignment of 27.000 centennial medallions. Qhase in London

A Tasman Empire Airways engineer, Second Officer Lawrence James Goldie, son of Mr J. C. Goldie, of Wellington, figured in a chase in the Victoria district of London towards the end of September after a smash-and-grab raid on a big jewellery shop. The New Zealander, giving evidence at Bow Street described how he heard the crash of glass while passing the shop and saw a man remove something from the window, put it in his pocket, and run away. Giving chase, he caught the man on Victoria Station platform and held him until a police officer arrived. As a “ very slight appreciation of his part in the affair, the New Zealand airman received a valuable gold watch from the jewellery firm. He was in London at the time in connection with the delivery flight of the new Tasman class flying-boat Auckland, which reached Auckland on October 29-

High Pressure Maintained Although the Mahana and the Inchwells are expected to sail to-day, there will be no pause in the high-pressure activity maintained at the Port of Otago during the past week. Two more overseas cargo vessels, the Norfolk and the Australind, are scheduled to arrive this morning, the former replacing the Mahana at Port Chalmers, while the Australind will probably tie up at the oil berth until the Inchwells moves from Victoria wharf. All the waterside workers at Dunedin and the lower port were engaged yesterday, but the Kaimata, with cargo from New York, remained idle at Birch street wharf, and men to work the 7000-ton Fort Pic became available only at 3 p.m., when the Waitaki sailed. The sailing of the coastal trader Holmburn last evening released more men, and some of the 72 workers a. present employed on the Inchwells will be transferred to the Kaimata. Inter-Island Air Traffic Air passenger traffic to and from the South Island has decreased considerably since New Zealand National Airways transferred its Wellington airport from Rongotai to Paraparaumu. Figures made available by the corporation covering the last week of operations from Rongotai and the first three weeks from Paraparaumu show a decline on all services since the change-over. Asked on Thursday whether the proposal for a Dominionwide deputation t- the Prime Minister, ■Mr Fraser, and the Minister in Charge of Civil Aviation, Mr Jones, had been dropped, the Mayor of Wellington, Mr W. Appleton, said that was not so, but it had been deferred in the knowledge that the further committee of civil and air force advisers appointed by the Government a few weeks ago was discussing the city airport in detail. “There is no doubt about the weight of opinion that could be brought together at short notice from one end of the country to the other,” he said. “ There is support for the earliest possible commencement upon an extended Rongotai. Obviously Paraparaumu is entirely unsuitable as the city airpctt'L