Reporter's Diary

Press, 18 December 1976, Page 2

Reporter's Diary

Tick, tick HAGLEY PARK. that sacred Christchurch turf which has been the downfall of at least one local politician, is still ticking awav like some vast leafy time-bomb. Early next vear it might go off. That's when Christchurch Maoris plan to forward their case to the City' Council and the Minister of Lands (Mr V. S. Young) for the return of part of Haglev Park to them. Mr Rongo Nihoniho, chairman of the Otautahi (Christchurch) Maori Committee. says the submissions are based on extensive research into early. Christchurch records at the Canterbury Museum. That research has not produced a very complimentary picture of the early settlers. "Thev were a hardv breed,” he said. “Thev did not endure the hardships of a long voyage for a picnic. Unfortunately, they regarded the Maoris as thev did the forests and scrub — something that had to be cleared.” The committee is not showing its hand until the submissions are in, but Mr Nihoniho said it was elated and encouraged by’ the success of the Arahura Maoris on the West Coast, who got their river back on the basis of a verbal agreement made over 100 years ago. “We consider we have a far stronger case with Haglev Park,” Mr Nihoniho said. Square music LAST SUMMER’S lunchtime concerts in Cathedral Square were among the most popular entertainments offered during the 1976 Arts Festival. Many felt it would be pleasant to have the concerts continued as a regular summer feature. Councillor Newton Dodge, the chairman of the City Council committee which administers activities in the Square, is enthusiastic. but says some group would need to organise the music-making. His committee encourages people to express themselves in their own wav in the Square, but wants others to take the initiative. Excessive amplification is out, says Cr Dodge: but the council would willingly erect a temporary stage for the performers. So it seems

that all that is lacking is some willing and musicallyminded organisers. Valuable deject A BUSY supermarket in Merivale was given a $lO note yesterday which had no serial numbers on one side. It was a nice, shiny, new note, says the cashier, hut their bank could hardlv believe that it had got past the Reserve Bank’s checking system. The supermarket doesn’t mind how many' notes of that kind it gets. A coin collector estimated that the one without serial numbers on one side would be worth at least $2O to a collector. Second strini! MR TONY GOULD knows who owned the High Street menswear shop, mentioned yesterday, which has a suit advertisement from the 1930 s in its window. It was his father. Mr Maurice Gould, who had a tailoring business in Colombo St>-ee t near Cashel Street. “Dad started the High Street shop as an outlet for cheaper clothing for working men,” said Mr Gould yesterday. “He called it Harrods, and put a man in it to take measurements and do the fittings. The measurements would be rushed around to the main shop, where we had a staff of 36 upstairs at that time.” Mr Gould trained as a cutter too. and took over his father's business before it finally closed down in 1967. But it is only in the last six months that he has been able to bring himself to get rid of the patterns belonging to the old firm. And then he had to get someone else to burn them. The old showcard advertising made-to-measure suits at 89s 6d took Mr Gould back a bit. He was quoted $250 recently to have a suit made by one of the few remaining Christchurch tailors. Frosted glasses A CHRISTCHURCH man who has been married for a long time fears that he may now be . on the brink of separation. He blames his new reading glasses. He put off the day for a long time, but finally gave in gracefully and had himself fitted with spectacles

when he found he was having difficulty reading telephone numbers. Now he sees with perfect clarity’ — too clearly for the good of his marital bliss. The day he got his glasses he put them on and walked in the back door to surprise his wife with his new look. She admired his learned, more bookish appearance, but he spoiled the moment by remarking with complete lack of diplomacy: “Now I can see all the lines on your face." The reaction was distinctly frosty, and yesterday he was still studying her face anxiously for signs of a thaw. Freedom going? ‘the BULLER County Counc i 1 ’ s unfriendly behaviour towards Owen Wilkes — whose unauthorised house in the bush it has demolished — leads Mrs W. Copland, of South Brighton, ’to the conclusion that the freedom of New Zealanders has been seriously undermined over the years. She remembers a time, only about 40 years ago, when a man could clear a bit of land, cut his own timber and build his own house without any interference from officialdom. She was in the Ruapuna area of Mid-Canterbury at the time, and watched g local timber worker do just that. “He cleared trees in a plantation,” she said, “and then he started bv building a table. He built the house around the table so that he wouldn't have to worry about getting it through the doors. Nobody’ said a word in those days.” Cheaper in bulk A FEATURE of Christmas greeting cards this year is that many of those coming from Australia and Britain seem to have been ' posted in New Zealand. ! Very much higher postal charges in those countries [ are to blame. In Australia it costs twice as much to ! post a Christmas card as [ it does in New Zealand, so the cunning Aussies are ! sending their unsealed I cards over in bulk to be stamped and posted by ) "accomplices” here. —Garry Arthur