Reporter s Diary

Press, 31 August 1977, Page 2

Reporter s Diary

ii Dangerous ,i novel THE CORNER Bookshop of Merivale was characteristically quick off the mark in advertising Brian Priestley’s first novel, “Makariri Gold,” in “The Press” on Saturday. The author is a local man — head of the journalism department at the University of Canterbury, a television commentator, and a resident of Sumner. But his book has not arrived. It was expected first thing on Monday, but all that came was a telegram from the publishers saying “Believe it or not, ‘Makariri Gold’ shipped in dangerous goods container. Hold all publicity. Publication delayed until October.” Mrs Elizabeth Bercusson, who is wise to the ways of publishers, thought it might be a stunt. She spoke to Brian Priestley, who assured her that although one of his characters was a pretty lethal type, the book did not warrant a dangerousgoods container. Further inquiries uncovered the fact that the books had been shipped from Britain in the same container as a shipment of high explosive. The consignees are having trouble clearing the explosives, and until they are let out of the container, “Makariri Gold” stays in with them. “Miwent”

MR JOCK Mathison, the former Labour Cabinet Minister whose appointment to the Ports Authority has not been renewed, has now received the letter telling him! so. The first he heard of it was from the news media, but a letter from the Minister of Transport (Mr McLach-

lan) dated August 19, arrived yesterday. It was posted to him on August 23, care of the Port Authority, and redirected on August 28 (Sunday) with the word “Missent” stamped on the envelope. Cante to tea

ONE DUTCH woman in the town of Nijmegen had more reason than most to welcome the Allied troops of the Arnhem landing of 1945. Robert Webster was a soldier with the Essex Regiment, and the woman was his wife. Mrs Webster has not read the book, but the screening of the film “A Bridge Too Far” in Christchurch has brought it all back. “We lived between two German barracks in Nijmegen,” said Mrs Webster, “and often we were without food and water.” She recalled that it was a beautiful day when the paratroopers arrived, and the Germans were waiting for them. "The paratroopers were calling ‘Mother, mother’ — they were all very young. My husband was one of only 30 or 40 left out of his whole division. It is like a dream now — he brought us a tin of tea. He biked all night to be with us for one hour.” Mrs Webster had her small son, Eric with her in Nijmegen — a town which changed hands seven times during the war. Not one house in the city of 350,000 was habitable when he war ended. The family came to New Zealand 22 yet.rs ago.

Controlling epilepsy EPILEPSY may be the result of a chemical deficiency in the blood, according to a report at the

174th meeting of the American Chemical Society. The disease, which has long baffled researchers, has been linked with diminished levels of manganese in the blood of some patients and their mothers, reported Dr Yukio Tanaka of St Mary’s Hospital in Montreal. Research had revealed in general that children with convulsions had lowered manganese levels — 8.5 micrograms per litre of blood compared with a normal average of 14.5, said Dr Tanaka, who hopes the discovery will be a breakthrough in controlling the disease. Blood analysis of a child afflicted by seizures during an eight-year period rev e a 1 e d a manganese level of only 6.5 micrograms per litre of blood, compared with the level in six normal children of 11 to 14 micrograms per litre. The afflicted child’s mother also had low manganese levels, Dr Tanaka said. “We do not claim at this time that we have found the cause of or cure for epilepsy.” he said in his report. “However, we believe that we have opened a whole new field of inquiry into the convulsive disorders and that we have a very good chance to be able to help at least some epilepsy patients.” Picture sale

THE SOVIET Union hopes to earn some foreign exchange from the sale of photographs of the Earth’s surface taken by its cosmonauts and automatic satellites. The offer, disclosed in an interview with Tass by the cosmonaut Pavel Popovich, was made through the United Nations Committee for Peaceful Uses of Outer Space. The agency said that photographs taken

from Earth orbit could help in mineral prospecting, agriculture, meteorology, fisheries and environment protection. General Popovich, who is a veteran of two space flights, said Soviet photographs would “satisfy the most exacting customers in the world market.” Radio raspberry A PHANTOM raspberry blower has spoiled the little game of the Canterbury Citizens’ Band Radio Club. For years the club has been bending the regulations slightly and broadcasting news of club events at a regular time on Monday nights. But lately some mysterious characters have been interrupting with rude raspberry noises, animal sounds and even bad language. This, apparently, has attracted the attention of the Post Office and the club has had to discontinue its news bulletin. Citizens’ band operators are not meant to make broadcast transmissions — just person-to-person contacts. Strictly speaking, the club was doing the right thing, because the Monday night bulletin was being beamed at one particular listener by name. However, all the club’s members knew when to tune in. Fleeced SENATOR Proxmire, the leading watchdog on American public expenditure, has awarded his “Golden Fleece of the Month” to the United States Transportation Department for commissioning a $225,000 study of the problems which the travelling public might face in the event of a new Ice Age or some other such hypothetical event. —Garry Arthur