Reporter's Diary

Press, 2 June 1977, Page 2

Reporter's Diary

Kept the cup

THIEVES who burgled cars outside the Hillsborough Tavern on Tuesday evening missed a real trophy — the Chatham Cup. The big silver cup has been the trophy for the soccer knock-out competition since 1923. It was presented to the New Zealand Football Association by the crew of H.M.S. Chatham which was here on a good-w'ill visit. Only by a stroke of luck is it not now in the thieves’ hands. Stan Hackwell, chairman of the Trans Tours United Club which holds the cup, plans to take it to Wellington today. Paul Pasco, the club secretary, had taken it to the housie at the Hillsborough Tavern so that he could hand it over to the chairman. They dickered about whether they should transfer it to the chairman’s car or leave it in the secretary’s car until after the housie. In the end, they decided to move the cup straight away. Just as well, because Mr Pasco’s car was later found forced open, — and many of his possessions stolen — his coat, seat covers, a blanket. his driver’s licence, and a briefcase with lots of club papers. It was one of about five cars burgled that evening, but Mr Hackwell’s car containing the valuable trophy — priceless to the Football Association — was unharmed.

Beating the deadline THE May Abstract of Statistics was out early last month — a copy reached “The Press” office on May 31. It has never happened before, according to the office statistician, who asserts that the abstract has been known to reach Christchurch up to six weeks after the month of its alleged publication. When waiting with bated breath for such fascinating information as the numbers of vehicles licensed, or the production of home appliances, six weeks is rather a long time, he complains, to bate one’s breath. Asked to explain the indecent haste of production of the May abstract, the Deputy Government Statistician (Mr L. C. Neilson) said yesterday that the Government Printer had now overcome a substantial backlog of work — caused by the printer’s staffing problems — and now hoped to keep up with publication at the end of each month. On three occasions, the Statistics Department had combined two months in one publication, and this had helped overcome the printer’s backlog. Country cookin' OUR farming reporter is not suffering from bloat — that well-rounded look is just the effects of accompanying some English Leicester breeders on a

tour of farms this week. “These North Canterbury women could show the television gourmets a thing or two,” he said. “Country hospitality is still everything it’s cracked up to be.” The party started with morning tea for 30 at Mr E. V. Murray’s place at Scargill, went on to buffet lunch for 45 at Mr C. T. Burrows’ farm at Culverden, and rounded the day off with an evening meal for 35 at Mr Ivor Robinson’s property at Woodend. What struck our reporter as he tucked into the savouries, pies, meats, cakes, and pavlovas at every stop w'as the remarkable good will with which country women turn to and cater for vast hordes of visitors, as if there was nothing to it. Perhaps they cut their catering teeth on the annual influx of harvesters and shearers. To dicker

A READER who described herself as a lover of the English language telephoned yesterday to complain that we were murdering it. She noticed something of the kind every day, she said. What, for example, did we think we meant by the heading which said “Dutch dicker on getaway?” Was “dicker” in the dictionary? “That’s a new one on me,” confessed the reporter who took the call. “A new one to you,” corrected the caller, sternly. But the word is not a new one to the compilers of the Oxford dictionary. In the sense used in the heading, it means “to haggle.”

Matched pair TWO small boys were glad they went along to Tuesday evening’s match between Canterbury and the visiting Luton Town soccer team. One of them, won the raffle for the Canterbury Football Association’s “match ball,” and his friend won Radio Avon’s ball of the match. Both footballs were signed by all the Luton players. ‘Health coffee' BRAN appears to be the main ingredient of most coffee substitutes. For one that-is meant to do you some good, Mrs U. R. Cock of Rangiora suggests the following “health coffee” receipe: three cups of cooking bran, half a cup each of oatmeal and wheatgerm, and a tablespoon each of molasses, malt, treacle, and golden syrup. Put the ingredients in a flat baking dish and bake crisp in a very slow oven, stirring often. Southern Samoan AN ANTARCTIC expert has corrected yesterday’s assertion that New Zealand has never had a Pacific Islander stationed at Scott Base. One of the Post Office clerks at Scott Base last year was a Samoan, Tam Leota, who comes from Wellington. He must like island life. After leaving Ross Island, where Scott Base is built, he went to the Chatham Islands, where he had been stationed previously. — Garry Arthur