Reporter’s Diary

Press, Volume CXVI, Issue 34097, 8 March 1976, Page 3

Reporter’s Diary

loads N.A.C.s direct early-morn-ing Boeing service from Christchurch to Auckland is not proving as popular as the airline might have hoped. Since it was introduced on December 19. the 7.15 flight (it used to be 7.55 a.m.) had an average of only 45 passengers ir its first month of service. and 47 in its second. The aircraft has 112 seats More businessmen seem to prefer the later 805 a.m. flight. even though it goes to Auckland via Wellington. Take-off time for the direct flight is expected to be put back to 7.55 a.m. in June. $5OO fish FISHING contests are getting bigger and better. Canterbury's biggest ever is planned for the beach near Taumutu by the Ellesmere Jaycees on Sunday. March 28. The angler

who catches the heaviest fish between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m. that day will win a cash prize of .$5OO. They are expecting hundreds of surf-casters to take part, and the accumulated entrance fees of .$4 each will help buy an ambulance for the Ellesmere district. There will also be contests for women and for juniors. If the contest is the big success which the organisers expect it to be. they plan to make it an annual event. Finishing school A.N AMERICAN couple were so impressed with the New Zealand way of life that as soon as they got home they gathered their brood together and brought them out here to do the rest of their growing up. But apparently New Zealand cannot do the complete job. While thetr boys will complete their schooling in Christ-

church, the parents have been heard to say that they will send ’ their daughters back to the United States for their final year — “to put a sparkle on them.” 'Party time “THE TIMES” has reproduced the following wire service message over the caption “Party time at Reuters”: 1041: correction: in situationer lautrec Paris EPE4I7 please read in first para . . painted whores . . instead of ~ . painted shores . . . correcting shores’ to whores. In take two fourth para please read . . . swirl of skirts . . . instead of . . . whirl of shirts . . correcting shirts to skirts. Reuter JMG/JAB. Hazard area JULIAN CHANCE, who is billed in the Midland clubs and pubs as “Britain's only singing male -stripper," has decided to chuck it in. He says the job is just too dangerous. “You would not believe how wild some of those women

can become,” he said. “They will grab you, grope you. twist and tug at you as if they had never seen a man before." Julian, aged 30. has decided to confine his act to singing only. Poets' corner JUST NOTICED (after nearly three years): James K. Baxter ' Place, off Brougham Street. The City Council says it had a little bit of Strickland Street left over after reorganising the roads around its comprehensive housing development' alongside the expressway. As there were lots of English poets already represented in i he street names of the area — Milton. Carlyle. Coleridge, Byron. Wordsworth, etc. — someone suggested that the name of a New Zealand poet would not be out of place. But it is unlikely to start a trend. There's no room for any more new streets in that part of the city. 7 oo boring TWELVE, choirbovs in the

Bedfordshire village of Barton have threatened to go on strike. In a letter to the parish magazine the dozen angelic choristers said the strike was on at St Nicholas. Church because of a monthly “boring” service. “We do not like it. The matins are so boring and no-one likes singing the Psalms. Unless our request is met we will take industrial action.” the letter said. One of the militants, I 1-year-old Keith Fountain, said the matins were held on the third week of every month and the boys wanted them replaced by Holy Communion. “If they carry on with matins we shall go on strike and walk up and down with a banner outside the church,” he said. The rector, the Rev. lan Graham-Orlebar. hopes a settlement can be reached without industrial action. ’.'The church council annual meeting will be held soon and it is possible a decision could be taken to drop matins. ’They’ are rather long and only held once a month. I hope we can stave off a strike until then.”