Reporter’s diary

Press, 15 February 1982, Page 2

Reporter’s diary

Raided A CHRISTCHURCH man is still reeling with shock — and relief — after a visit from the drug squad. He has been working late into the night building bedrooms into the roof of his Cashmere home. A neighbour, seeing lights high in the house at odd hours and tiles off the roof, decided he must be growing a crop of cannabis. The neighbour called the police, who sent the drug .squad to investigate. The search, fortunately, proved fruitless. The handyman, we hear, was not amused. Better off

ECONOMISTS seem . to be sinking as low as journalists, politicians, and salesmen in terms of public popularity, judging by a comment in an oil company’s newsletter. “Most of what today passes for economic prophesy is simply a modern version of the ancient practice of reading animals’ entrails. The trouble with economists is that they agree too much — on the presumption, no doubt, that it is better to be wrong in company. Clearly if all the economists in the world were laid out end to end they should simply be left there."

In the swim

STAFF at C.W.F. Hamilton must be the envy of many Christchurch workers. They have their own swimming pool at work. According to a company spokesman, the pool was put in to test Hamilton jet boats, but that section of the company has moved and the jet boats have their own pool is another part of the Lunns Road complex. The original pool is now kept for the factory workers. During the summer it is very popular with New Zealand Railways staff, who nip over the back fence for a dip in their lunch hours.

Delicious AFTER taking one bite from a hamburger, a Palmerston North consumer decided it was not “pure sirloin beef” as labelled and posted it to the Consumers’ Institute, the latest issue of "Consumer” reports. "We unwrapped the offending food, by now rather ripe, and only just resisted the temptation 1 to send it back with the advice that it seemed all right and perhaps the sender would like to take another bite.” The moral of the tale is that all complaints about food should be taken immediately to the local health inspector — not

sent by a ’sometimes slow post.

Pub with bad beer A PUB in Brighton, England, advertises . itself as “the worst pub in town.” Customers get no warm welcome there. The pub’s keeper. Keith Willetts, insults them and then he tells them the beer tastes awful and the food is almost inedible. "People love it.” says Mr Willetts. "Sales of beer have gone up from 100 barrels a week to more than 400. Other pubs advertise good beer, good food and a pleasant welcome. I decided to be different. It’s all a joke, of course. Everyone joins in the fun and the place is usually packed." Doctor's orders A PATIENT in a Nottinghamshire hospital is recovering from severe burns by drinking two pints of beer a day, on doctor’s orders. He was suffering from dehydration and losing weight until he went on his amber medicine. “We would rather have given him milk, but he only likes to drink beer and it does contain 200 to 250 calories a pint.” said a spokesman for the hospital authorities.