Reporter's Diary

Press, 12 July 1980, Page 2

Reporter's Diary

Another cannon AN ARTICLE in “The Press” a month ago about the Papanui Jaycees’ hunt for a buried cannon at the Sunnyside Hospital prompted a reader to recall a photograph of an old cannon seen in the “Weekly Press” many years ago. Perhaps it was the same one that the Jaycees were looking for, he wondered. The photograph appeared in the “Weekly Press of June 27, but it was not the old Sunnyside cannon, for which the Jaycees are still patiently digging. The one in the 1928 picture (above) was originally m the Randolph, one of the First Four Ships, as part of her armament for protection against pirates, the accompanying caption said. The cannon passed through many hands before coming to rest, at the time the photograph was

taken, at the Bottle Lake estate in Burwood. O.H.M.S. A LETTER from a departmental head in Britain’s Civil Service arrived at “The Press” yesterday with the familiar O.H.M.S. stamped on it and the 17| pence stamp (worth about 35c) franked by the British Government franking machine. Nothing unusual about that. But what caught our eye was the note on the bottom left corner of the envelope; “Certified official business,” and the endorsing signature'- of the departmental head who had sent it. Obviously, with the cost of postage going up all the time in Britain, the Government is keeping an eye on the content of the letters it pays the postage for, to make sure that civil servants are not sending off personal mail f

at Her Majesty’s expense. How long will it be, one wonders, before something similar starts in New Zealand — especially when postal charges rise again in October? Christened A NUMBER OF readers recognised the photograph of Padre Neale, published in the “Diary” on Monday, and there has been a steady stream of letters and telephone calls about the former World War I chaplain who later became minister at the Rugby Street Methodist Church. Most of the callers have been referred to Lieutenant Penman, at Burnham Military . Camp, who has volunteered to write a small item about Padre Neale for the New Zealand Army history, which is being compiled at present. However, one reader reports that he

was christened by Padre Neale in 1936, and was consequently given the minister’s surname- _as a middle name. He is Mr Alistair Neale Beissel.

What price tourism? BRITISH shopkeepers and tourist-industry firms are worried about the decline in foreign visitors and tourist spending, and are trying to establish why fewer tourists are visiting London this year. The London taxi-drivers, who are getting fewer fares at what should be the height of the tourist season, are only too happy to tell you why. “It’s the price, Guv,” is the typical response. “Nobody can afford to come here anymore.” Watching the pounds tick over on his meter, it’s not hard to believe him. City officials know that tourists are ’’being ripped off and overcharged in a greedy city,” but they can’t see any solution to the problem. London hotel prices are thought to be a main reason for the decline. The cost of a double room in a fairly ordinary, no-frills hotel, is $6O a night or more, and breakfast another $7 or $B, depending on what you eat. It’s not unusual to see quietly horrified tourists settling for the “Continental breakfast” of coffee and a bread roll, for a

mere $5. Restaurant prices are generally prohibitive, especially when 15 per cent tax has to be added, as well as a service charge of at least another 10 per cent of the hill. And tourists can aiso forget about finding cheap clothes in London — many items would be cheaper and of just as good quality in New Zealand.

Weathering storms IF LONDON’S high prices are not enough to dampen the enthusiasm of tourists, the coldest early July in 101 years after the wettest June in 68 years has finished the job. But Britain’s rainwear and umbrella manufacturers are singing in the rain. Two months ago, the trades faced economic recession and layoffs. Now every wet day brings fresh orders from stores and wholesalers coping with unprecedented demand. Mr Stewart Schaverien, whose London company manufactures 1 million umbrellas a year, said: ‘The rain has certainly helped us to weather an economic storm.” Mr Schaverien’s export sales have also increased. Parts of France and Germany have had lousy weather too.