Reporter’s diary

Press, 19 July 1989, Page 2

Reporter’s diary

Cheap thrills WORKMEN renovating the upper residential area of the Old Municipal Chambers in Christchurch have unearthed some new lunchtime reading material in the form of old newspapers. Staff of the Canterbury Information Centre have been savouring life in the 1940 s as reported by “The Press.” One advertisement that caught their eye was on the front page of the paper on February 28, 1948. It promoted a 13day excursion tour of West Coast glaciers and lakes, taking in Fox and Franz Josef Glaciers, and Lake Kaniere and Lake Matheson among others, before turning back to tour Nelson, the Marlborough Sounds, and Kaikoura. Transport, hotel accommodation, sightseeing tours, guides and meals for 13 days were provided for — wait for it — £2l. Canterbury Promotiion Council’s chief executive, Mr Bruce

Dunstan, points out that it costs exactly the same amount in 1989 of $42 (translating pounds into dollars) for a return daytrip to Arthur’s Pass on the Tranz-Alpine Express. Costly account AN elderly Christchurch man decided to walk several blocks into a bank’s inner-city branch to close a rainy-day savings account he had. held with the bank for eight years. He had opened it with only $5 and had not touched it during that time, but, he thought, $5 is $5, and he might as well withdraw it. Um, actually, sir, you owe us $4O in bank fees for those eight years, because the account was automatically closed when it was not used for five years. Minus, the $5 originally in it, that would come to $35 you owe, but well, we’ll be

nice about it and forget ■ the whole matter. Hope you had a nice walk down here, sit-.

Idle thoughts FOR a glimpse into the heady world of feminism in the 19205, a reader suggests a small publication called “Mere Man — Great Thoughts on a Small Subject,” by Honor Bright, published'in 1924. How about "Woman are born extravagant. That is why so many of them waste themselves on men.” Or “In the old days a man won his wife with, a club. Nowadays he often loses her by the same means.” Remember, women who had only recently got the vote were making the most of it: “In a few years of enfranchisement women have' surpassed the achievement of men whose ancestors have laboured in the same field for centuries. No wonder the poor things are indignant"

Heave-ho BUMPER sticker Support wildlife — throw a party. '

Mall is beautiful? START titivating your shopping malls. Under the hefty title “Keep Christchurch Beautiful Campaign’s Best-Kept Shopping Mall Competition” Christchurch’s malls will be judged in September. Judges will look for absence of litter in carparks, gardens and round loading areas, adequate rubbish bins, an uncluttered common area, clean public toilets which are well sign-posted to be easily found, attractive displays behind clean windows and an over-all inviting atmosphere. Last year Hornby Mall edged Riccarton, Merivale and Linwood to win the shield for best-kept mall. The shield will be presented to the winner this year during Keep New Zealand Beautiful Week, October 7 to 14. In the meantime, there’s a moral to the story: Don’t let your mall pall. —Jenny Setchell