Reporter's Diary

Press, 11 June 1980, Page 2

Reporter's Diary

What a beauty! WHAT MUST be the most expensive exotic plant on sale in Christchurch at the moment is. to be found gracing the greenery indoors at Gardenways, in Riccarton. It is a Kentia palm, about three metres tall, and 50 years old. The price? It’s yours for $550. Kentia palms, as any indoor plant enthusiast will know, are not exactly two a penny. The older they are, the bigger they are; and the bigger they are, the more .valuable they, are. This one, photographed with Miss Mary. Chartres, a nursery assist-* ant at Gardenways, was przvw’n in Minier.

Maori carving NGA HAU EWHA Christchurch Marae, the group seeking the permission of the Planning Tribunal to build a marae at Cuthberts Green, in Pages Road, has a plentiful supply of totara for the many marae carvings to be made.' Not long ago, the group was given a 200-year-old totara bole, which had lain in the mud beneath the Avon River and which had been dug up. Wet totara is apparently excellent for carving. In addition, a further quantity of totara found during the demolition of an old New Zealand Railways building in

Christchurch has been given to the group, which plans to erect a palisade containing pou pou, or carved figures, three metres apart. A master carver has volunteered to carve the figures in his spare time and he believes it will take him about two years to finish all the carvings, which will incorporate representations of all races living in the Christchurch area. During this time, he will be helped by four apprentices, who will also work on a voluntary basis. Rewarding?

A CHAIN of motor inns has come up with a novel way of trying to attract custom — and to thank their most lucrative customer for the year. It offers a “$5OO reward” for the individual, firm, or organisation that spends the most money on accommodation at its motels in the South Island between April 1 this year and March 31 next year. Convenient spot THE LITTLE 100 under the lime tree at the corner of Carlton. Mill Road and Rhodes Street has, it seems, served its purpose on an occasional occasion already. Yesterday’s item about the chemical toilet labelled “Gents” said that the small outhouse had been the subject of many an inquiring glance from passers-by, but had yet to fulfil its function. But according to a reader, who lives opposite the triangle where the 100 has been temporarily sited, it has been used on two occasions by the men repairing the small cycle bridge crossing the Avon River at the end of Rhodes Street. But because it has been raining for much of the time since work had started on the bridge, the edifice has not yet been much in demand.'

Backwards step? WHETHER you see it as a step forwards or a step backwards depends entirely on your point of view. In New Zealand, the movement to improve pupils’ ability at reading, writing, and arithmetic is known as “Back to basics.” In Australia, they have a more progressive name for it, “Forward to fundamentals.” This is revealed in the books written by Rex Saddler and Tom Hayllar, two Australian educationists, who will be in Christchurch next month to publicise their books and the theories they contain. Not in the running ON HIS way to a race meeting in Timaru recently, a Christchurch publican, hurrying along the Main South Road because he w'9 running late, was stopped by a traffic officer for speeding. The publican, who is partowner of a racehorse, was towing a horse float and the traffic officer was most insistent that he be given an explanation for the excess speed. “Look, officer,” the publican said, “I’ve got to get to Timaru in time for the second race, and if I’m held up much longer I won’t make it.” The publican waited nervously while the traffic officer checked over all his labels and documents. Just before letting the publican carry on his way, the officer decided to have a look at the horse inside the float. But the horse float was empty. “I say,” the officer called out, “there’s no horse in the float.” "Well,” said the publican, “someone’s got to have a turn at being scratched.” ’1