Reporter's diary

Press, 1 June 1984, Page 2

Reporter's diary

Office block FACILITIES for staff at the New Zealand Agricultural Engineering Institute at Lincoln College have improved considerably in the last few weeks, according to the informant who sent us the accompanying photograph of the latest “quickmove” design office block. Our informant says that the photograph was taken moments before the structure was occupied “in scenes reminiscent of the land grab races of the Old West." Apparently it now houses 16 senior staff in relative comfort. “Thank goodness,” said one. “That flapping canvas was getting me down.” Still waiting INQUIRIES yesterday revealed that while the Agricultural Engineering Institute’s accommodation problem is not quite that desperate, its members do have a legitimate gripe. In the housing field they have been poor relations at Lincoln since the institute began about 1963, occupying unwanted offices scattered about the campus, and being shunted to and fro. The last straw came five years ago when the college’s new engineering block was .built without the promise#., accommodation for the Kristi-

tute. Approval has been given for a new SIM building just to house the institute but the reality still seems some way off, the latest obstacle being a long delay ing etting approval for sewerage connections. So the institute is still looking for a permanent home — even the one in the photograph, it seems. Well named A CHRISTCHURCH woman who is learning Arabic has found that the notorious Libyan leader, Colonel Gadaffi’s name is derived from the verb “qadhafa,” which variously means to

push, shove, eject, pelt, defame, slander, accuse, vomit and bomb. Yellow press BOOKS printed in the thirteenth and fourteenth centuries are still on library shelves, but last year’s newspapers are already getting yellow and brittle, and modern files and books need constant replacement and repair. Much of the problem lies with modern paper. It contains acid chemicals that dissolve in humid weather and quickly eat away the paper. Now scientists at the Paper Conservation Centre in Ranchester, England, think tCey have found a way

to stop priceless archives from mouldering and dissolving. Some expensive papers made with an alkaline finish are much more resistant to decay, and the scientists have developed techniques that should make alkaline finishing cheaply available. For those who might wish to preserve their favourite books for posterity, the Americans have developed a process whereby complete books or files are dipped in liquid freon containing alkaline compounds that adhere to the paper as the freon evaporates. Motivation A STARRY-EYED but not-so-young junior executive, determined to succeed in his new position, bought a copy of “The One-Minute Manager” from the London Bookshop the other day. Included in the instant recipe for increased staff motivation and productivity is a ploy called “the one-mintue praising.” This involves clapping a firm hand on an employee’s shoulder, looking him or her straight in the eye, and saying sincerely: “You’ve done a fine job.” “If you do that to me,” said a young female staff member sternly, “I’ll have you for sexual harassment.” t —Peter Comer