Island children visit mainland
A party of Chatham Islands school children (seven boys and seven girls) arrived at Lyttelton by the Rama early yesterday morning, under the care of their teachers, for a fortnight's visit to Canterbury. None of the children has previously left the islands, and everything is new to them. They are being privately billeted, and will visit various points of interest, including the exhibition, the aerodrome, and the various mills and factories, under the care of the School Committees’ Association, which arranged the visit. Mr J.A. Thompson, the master in charge, said the trip had been calm practically all the way, and the children were lucky in seeing three whales, a shark, and two large schools of porpoises. The children were up at 2am as soon as Akaroa Heads were sighted, and had a clear moonlight view of the Peninsula. On entering Lyttelton the children were amazed at the size of the overseas ships, particularly a five-masted schooner, and the mass of buildings. The berthing of the ferry steamer Wahine settled a long-standing argument among the children as to whether it was possible to berth a vessel stern-first. The youngsters said very little, but they were very wide-eyed at the railway station.
Cars become commonplace
That motor cars are worth just twice as much as they were four years ago, regardless of what they cost then and now, is the interesting thought developed from publicity sources. A few years ago the motor car was looked upon as a summer season proposition, useful for perhaps six months of the year, and in some districts usable during portion of another three months. In flooded districts a car might be laid up for months. One hears a few such instances nowadays. They are not only better cars now, but the user never hesitates to ask them to do whatever he wants, nor questions their ability to do it. — by ‘Accelerator’
US government told of warming
The Arctic Ocean is warming up, icebergs are scarcer, and the seals are finding the waters too hot, according to a recent report to the Commerce Department at Washington from the American Consul at Bergen. Reports from fishermen, seal hunters, and explorers all point to a radical change in climatic conditions and hitherto unheard-of temperatures in the Arctic zone, exploration expeditions reporting that scarcely any ice has been met with as far north as 87 degrees 29 minutes. Soundings to a depth of 3100 metres showed the Gulf Stream still very warm. Masses of ice have been replaced by moraines of earth and stones while at many points glaciers have disappeared. — ODT, 8.1.1923
Compiled by Peter Dowden
