NEW TAXI FARES
(Guyana Chronicle March 1, 1980)
Short drops in and around the towns of Georgetown, New Amsterdam and Linden will cost between five cents and ten cents more when a new taxi fare structure goes into operation today.But the fare for long journeys can cost as much as $1.05 cents more, according to the schedule released yesterday by the Ministry of Works and Transport.
The fares have been stipulated between hundreds of points and fares for drops in between points have been standardised at 45 cents and 75 cents depending on the areas where the taxis and hire cars are operating.
For example in Georgetown journeys within the boundaries of Water Street, Sea Wall Road, Vlissengen Road and Princess Streets will cost 45 cents instead of 40 cents.
However journeys starting within these boundaries and going to Kitty, Newtown and Campbelville up to Sheriff Street will cost 5 cents more i.e 55 cents instead of the previous fare of 50 cents.
For drops east of Sheriff Street to Prashad Nagar and Lamaha Gardens commuters will have to pay 85 cents an increase of 10 cents.
Taxi fares from Georgetown to Rosignol will now cost $9.05 cents instead of $8.10 cents; the same vice-versa.
Along the Corentyne, New Amsterdam to Crabwood Creek will cost $8 as against the previous fare of $7.15 cents.

MARTIN LUTHER MORIAH
(Guyana Chronicle March 3, 1980)
The staff and pupils of Fyrish Primary School on the Corentyne are planning a grand valedictory function in honour of their Headmaster Mr. Martin Luther Moriah on April 2.
Cde. Moriah started his early education at Hopetown now Hopetown Primary in 1930.
On January 1, 1955 he was appointed Senior Assistant Master at Fyrish Congregational and after holding various senior positions in both Berbice and Essequibo he returned to Fyrish Primary as Headmaster in 1973.
Apart from his administrative duties , Cde. Moriah is a long standing and ardent member and Deacon of the Congregational church, one time Chairman of the Hopetown /Bel Air Local Authority and was appointed Chairman of the Naarstigheid/Union District Council in 1970.
He served as Secretary of the West Berbice Union of Local Authorities during 1965-1975, member of the Executive of the Guyana Association of Local Authorities (GALA) ; Honourary Member of Region 3, Branch of GALA.
He is also a co-operator.

GUILTY WITH AN EXPLANATION
(Guyana Chronicle March 6, 1980)
Gerald Thompson of Providence East Bank Demerara was “saved from destitution” by his friend Hershell Bourne but he repaid him by stealing his radio and selling it for only $10.
And when he appeared in court charged with simple larceny, Thompson pleaded guilty with an explanation.
The police said that Bourne was listening to the New Zealand-West Indies third test match when he fell asleep.
At that time Thompson was in the house but when Bourne woke up, his friend was no longer there.
In explanation Thompson said that he suffered from “fits” and sold the radio so he could see the doctor.
However it turned out that the police found Thompson “stoned drunk” in a rum shop in Lombard Street.
Making a second explanation Thompson said that some sailors had threatened to kill him and he was taking a “last drink” before they did so.
Magistrate Oscar Parvattan told Thompson that apparently he wanted to be present at his own wake.
Thompson was remanded to prison until Monday pending the report of the Probation Officer after which he will be sentenced.

CUSTOMER CHEWS UP GLASS
(Guyana Chronicle March 8, 1980)
Restaurant Manager Walter Sookmangal has seen all sorts of curious happenings among his customers when they become intoxicated.
But in his eighteen years in the business he had never seen a customer chew up a glass-that is until last week.
He was busy in the bar one night when somebody called him out.
As he looked he saw a male customer who had just drunk a “half” with his friends chewing one of the drinking glasses.
The man ran away with his mouth bleeding and Sookmangal examined the glass which was left on the table about a quarter of it had been bitten off.
Later he told the Chronicle representative: “I have seen all sorts of crazy things in my 18 years as a liquor restaurant manager but this beats all. His friends offered to pay for the glass but I reported the matter to the Reliance Police Station. His friends told me that the man is quite normal so it could only be the rum that caused him to act like that.”

GOING FOR US$1M
(Guyana Chronicle March 18, 1980)
The Guyana one cent black and magenta stamp, reputed to be the world’s rarest stamp, is to be auctioned in London for US$1M.
Reports reaching the Chronicle said that the auction sale could take place tomorrow.
In 1856 the British Guiana government issued the one cent magenta and only one copy of this stamp survived.
Its corners are clipped and an ugly scribble defaces it but it is now rated as the most valuable stamp in the world.
The Collier’s Encyclopaedia of 1967 states that in America , textile manufacturer Arthur Hind amassed a stamp collection that sold for almost US$1M in the depth of the Great Depression which started in 1930 and lasted until the late 1930s.
It included the British Guiana one cent black and magenta.

RATS A SERIOUS PROBLEM
(Daily Chronicle February 2, 1980)
A community effort is needed to rid the City of a high rate of infestation by rats .
Education Officer of the City Public Health Department Dhanpaul Persaud has called on citizens to get involved at the community level since a single infested house could lead to re-infestation of homes that are free of these pests.
The Public Health Officer was speaking on the “Rat Problem” at a public lecture that was organized by the Bel Air’s Lions Club at the Campbelville Government School.
Persaud pointed out that it was impossible to keep out rats and mice by sealing off one’s home because they can enter through a hole that is half an inch in diameter and some of them were so clever and so skilful that they could climb lamp posts, travel along power lines and enter homes, so that a cooperative effort involving an entire neighbourhood was needed.
Persaud explained that destroying the breeding places of these household rats and cutting off their food supply was a more effective way of routing them than poisoning.
He said that rats and mice are so clever that they can detect when poison or a rat trap is set for them.
It is important that homes and their environs be cleared of junk, rubbish heaps piles of old paper or cloth and old shoes in order to destroy breeding places and discourage the establishment of these.
These provide the necessary warmth and protection by the rats and mice for their nests.
Food scraps, no matter how little, should be disposed at in a way that these pests cannot get to them.
Persaud said that a single female and her offspring can breed as much as 2,000 of their kind and that there are about five to six hundred species.
Unlike humans the teeth of rats keep growing and they have to gnaw on wood and other hard materials to wear them down.
If the teeth become too long the creature is unable to feed properly and die.

TWENTY-FOOT CHIMNEY AT CAVE
(The Guyana Chronicle August 17, 1980)
The eight-member exploration party which recently discovered one of four caves believed to have been used by Amerindians as a hideout from Spanish soldiers had a rough time during five hectic days
According to reports the one cave discovered has only two small entrances –one through a 20-foot chimney and the other through a narrow hole surrounded by huge boulders.
The explorers including one woman had to squeeze their way through the boulders.
The chimney the Chronicle understands might have been built by the Amerindians in order to let air and light into the cave.
It is however large enough for an average sized person to enter by using a length of rope.
The party headed by well-known Guyanese mountaineer Adrian Thompson returned to the city last Saturday after failing to find the other caves.
The National Science Research Council is now examining the information collected by the explorers on the caves believed to be in Ewentipu Mountains, now Region Seven (Cuyuni/Mazaruni).
(Clifford Stanley can be reached to discuss any of the foregoing articles at cliffantony@gmail.com or cell phone # 657 2043)