Reporter’s diary

Press, 25 August 1981, Page 2

Reporter’s diary

Only a name

A CHRISTCHURCH resident writes that he had difficulty making an appointment for an oil change while passing through . Palmerston North recently. Before agreeing to carry out the job our traveller. whose name is similar to that of one of the touring Springbok players, had to give the garage: proprietor the assurance. that he was not an Afrikaner on the loose. '•• -y , '- • ‘Beautifuel’

KIMBERLEY SAITOS.. the current Miss World, will address the New Zealand Taxi Proprietors’ Federation con-., ference in Te Anau this week. .If,you think', this is strange.. read,.onL She. has "kindly chosen" to promote awareness ■ of the economic • benefit of •. using New Zealand’s own ’fuels to reduce' the annual $lOOO million im--

; portecl fuels bill, according to ■ a news blurb, headed “Beau- • tiful supports Beautifuel," from Rockgas, Ltd. A spokesman ' for the “Miss World” •show has been heard to . mutter that the stunt is /‘bloody good publicity, too.”

Profitable tunnels MAO would be turning over in his own underground shelter if he knew that some of Peking’s vast network of tunnel bomb, shelters has been transformed jntd profit-mak-ing business. Hotels, shops and small factories .have been . opened in the underground city, and..many shelters are full of goods to fee sold in above-ground shops. Mushrooms and garlic shoots are grown in other, tunnels, and air-raid shelters are being seen.as one .way to create more jobs for the voung. Parts of the city have two layers of tunnels.’Some

tunnels are wide enough for buses and trucks to carry people to suburban underground dormitories, in case bf enemy attack. They are also used to take Government leaders to the Great Hall of the People and other official buildings. Ship evening THE' CANTERBURY Pilgrims and Early Settlers Association will make a new departure on Thursday evening when it holds a "ship evening’’ in the Averill Lounge at St Mary’s. Merivale. But this is not an opportunity to see members of the association in nautical fancy dress. The idea is that those attending will wear tags bearing the name of the ship on which .their ancestors came to Canterbury. Association members have often said how much they'would like to meet descendants ,of ■those who accompanied their I

ancestors on the voyage out to New Zealand, and this seemed the best way to go about satisfying that wish. What was that someone said about “only in Christchurch .” 9 Bright spark AN ADVERTISEMENT in the Fiji Times just before last April Fools’ Day: The new 132kV electricity transmission line linking Suva and Lautoka to the Monasavu hydro project will be brought into service commencing midnight on March 31. This line has been designed for hydro-electricity which is generated using water. In case of minor, leakages in the first few days of service, power consumers . are advised to move beds arid furniture away' from under light fittings and power points and to place containers to catch- drips. ■