YOUTH FORUM IN U.S.

Press, Volume CI, Issue 29734, 30 January 1962, Page 21

YOUTH FORUM IN U.S.

Christchurch Boy’s Impressions

A Christchurch schoolboy W’ho was selected to represent New Zealand at a youth forum in New York arrived there last November to find that he had travelled thousands of miles at a New York newspaper's expense to attend a meeting lasting only one day. He is Graeme Gainsford. aged 16, a pupil at the Christchurch Boys’ High School. The youth forum he was selected to attend as one of 10 international delegates was organised by the New York “Mirror,” a tabloid daily. He spent a week in New York, and attended the forum in the grand ballroom of the Hotel Astor with 900 American boys and girls. “But unfortunately there was no time to meet the American delegates and talk with them.” he said, when he arrived home at the week-end. “In the morning of the day of the forum the American boys and girls were divided into groups for panel discussions and the delegates from overseas were taken around to listen in on each discussion and to answer questions and give our views.

“The panels discussed such things as how to meet the Communist challenge, how to improve the New York metropolitan area, how to improve relations with Latin America. New York's education system, and American social problems. “The panels drew up resolutions when they had discussed their topics. and everyone except the 10 international, delegates voted an them.”

Graeme Gainsford was in New Wirk for Thanksgiving Day, November 25, and he had Thanksgiving dinner with an Italian family. He visited Coney Island and looked at the Statue of Liberty from the Staten Island ferry. He took the long way home, visiting many American cities and staying with Rotarians. That part of his 10 weeks’ trip was arranged through the international service committee of the Rotary Club of Riccarton, of which his father, Mr A. J. Gainsford. is a member.

Mr M. Fitzgerald, assistant zoologist with, the Animal Ecology Division of tthe Department of Scientific and Industrial Research, has been sent a number of animals like those in the picture above since “The Press” printed some stories about his research on muistelids.

Among the specimens he has received has been a weasel from Okains Bay, but he has found that there is still a lot of confusion in identifying the mustedids in New Zealand. The three animals belonging to the family are the weasel, stoat, and ferret, and he is keen to get weasels and stoats. In the picture above there are prepared skins of males of all three species, which Mr Fitzgerald says are markedly larger than the females.

The weasel is smallest and least common and rather simitar in appearance to the stoat, being brown with white underparts. Its distinctive feature is its tail which is short, thin and tapering with no black tip. In contrast the stoat is larger and brown w’ith yel-low-white underparts. It has a long bushy tail with a black tip. The ferret is the largest of the three and much heavier in build than the stoat or weasel. It has a cream or yellow under fur with black outer hairs, which give it a dark apearance which is most noticeable on the legs and tail. The stoat is the most widespread of the three, but weasels and ferrets may be found in many settled areas.