Reporter’s Diary

Press, Volume CXV, Issue 34013, 29 November 1975, Page 3

Reporter’s Diary

Cultural changes | NOTHING in China seems I to have been unaffected'by rhe upheaval known as the Cultural Revolution. I Even the traditional Chinese musical instruments. | whose design had remained unchanged for ceni furies, have been modified i since then. The pro- | gramme for the Shanghai Philharmonic Orchestra's concert in the Town Hall tomorrow afternoon' shows that the number of strings on a plucked instrument called a cheng has been increased; the volume of the chin, a seven-stringed lute, has been enhanced: the tonal range of a Chinese dulcimer has been inl creased: a plucked instrument called a pipa has . been given 13 more frets; and the sheng, an ancient woodwind instrument, has ! been given up to 19 more ' reeds. ! Sound advice THE BRITISH Conservative Opposition leader. Mrs Margaret Thatcher, created a storm last December when ' she revealed she had invested I in canned food. But price rises in the last 12 months have meant she has made a handsome dividend Mrs Thatcher ■ was criticised for allegedly hoarding and contributing to food shortages when she said in a retirement planning magazine That she had found a way to beat inflation by stocking her larder with tinned food. In its latest issue, the magazine “Choice” ; said anyone who followed Mrs Thatcher’s advice and put away the products she recommended would have found (hat the value of the goods had appreciated by an over-all 16 per cent. That increase, the magazine said, was more than for investments in gold, building societies, national savings or Government stock. "Perfect balance" THE IDEA that the Japanese have a natural sense of design, unmatched, by other nationalities, may be unjustified. Professor F. Watanabe, professor of economics at Japans Gakushuin University, says it is New Zealand that has “perfect balance and harmony." After a visit to New Zealand he told a Japanese magazine That he felt peace of mind

and completely ai ease with the pople. “The aerial view of Wellington which 1 was watching as we were landing was a very attractive one,” he said. “1 was deeply impressed by the. colour tone of houses that was in perfect harmony with the surrounding scenery and landscape. In Tokyo, each one of the buildings may be novel and up-to-date in it.- architectural designing, but unfortunately they are lacking in a sense of harmony and balance. In New Zealand there was perfect balance and harmony. For example, in Auckland, the harbour bridge spanning the bay was widened some time ago. Had this been the case in Japan, the Japanese people would have built another bridge without giving a thought that, it might spoil the image of the city.” Professor Watanabe described New Zealand as “a paradise on earth.” Seal's approval SUSTENANCE or science? —That question is at the heart of a contest being waged at a hole in the sea ice of McMurdb Sound close to Scott . Base. An Otago University zoologist. Dr Warren Featherston, and one of his students, Vicky Cameron, are trying to catch fish through the hole to find out more about the life-cycle of a tapeworm. But the fish are not biting and it is believed a Weddell seal which has adopted the hole as its base may be eating and scaring fish in the vicinity. The seal popped up soon after the hole was drilled and was in residence even before the fish hut was towed into position from Scott base, two kilometres away. Twenty minutes or so later, the seal came up for air with a smile that is characteristic of its species, but which Dr Featherston i> beginning to think is one of full-stomached smugness. For three days now. nothing has been caught in the net lowered to near the sea bed 400 m down. Seal or no seal. Dr Featherston also thinks the water may bo too deep for successful fishing. He has ideas of finding another site. His project aims to find the missing link in the life-cycle of a tape-worm that plagues the Weddell seal. The fish may provide the answer, but there is one Weddell seal that is probably keeping the tapeworms satisfied at the expense of science.

Franco's memoirs JOSE MANUEL LARA, a Spanish publisher. has offered SNZ9.4 million for the world rights for publication of the late General Francisco Franco’s memoirs. Mr Lara said Ihe offer was made to a member of the Franco family and that he had not yet received an answer. He said General Franco had nearly finished his memoirs in diary form .before falling mortally ill six weeks ago. General Franco had told him once that he was opposed to having his memoirs published while he was alive because some people might take offence over the way they were treated. I ested interest "HAMS likely to be scarce this Christmas." says a leaflet sent from Wellington. Who says so? The Chicken Information Bureau. It goes on to say that, cooked bam on the bone is expected to sell at about $1.60 a pound, whereas turkey will cost from 99c to $1.20 a pound. But two of Christchurch's biggest ham-curing companies say they expect to have adequate stocks of Christ mas ham to supply all their customers. A fall-off in pigfarming had caused a shortage of pork throughout the country, but the major companies considered that they had good stocks. “The chicken > industry is in a sweat." said one ham company manager. "because their freezers are full of chickens and they're not selling fast enough.” Rose stamps NEW ZEAI.AND’S reputation as the world's premier rose-growing country — boosted three, years ago when the famous Irish rose-grower Sam McGready moved his business here—had another lift this week with the issue of a new set of stamps featuring rose blooms, designed by Allan Mitchell of Wellington. There are nine stamps in lhe set. with a vermilion rose called Super Star on the 4c stamp used for surface letters. In the open “ARE YOU going to stay there long?” asked a traffic officer when a motorist pulled up at the kerb behind his patrol car in Riccarton Avenue. No. he would be leaving in a couple of minutes, replied the motorist, wondering what traffic rule he had infringed. “That’s good." said the officer, setting up his radar speed detector. "We’re not allowed to park too close to other cars in case people think we are hiding.”