OUR "BLUE" MOUNTAINS.

Auckland Star, Volume LVII, Issue 11, 14 January 1926, Page 6

OUR "BLUE" MOUNTAINS.

Some Auckland people, with the best of intentions, appear to be persisting in their attempt to fasten the name "Blue Mountains" on the Waitakeres. It is a change that should be sternly resisted. There is no reason for surrendering the general name "Waitakere" or the particular name "Titirangi," and substituting something so common and undistinetive as "Blue." There are "blue" mountains in most countries, and nothing much is gained by spelling the word with a capital "B.! The names "Waitakere" and "Titirangi" are beautiful, and have meanings that should be preserved. Mr. George Graham writes an interesting letter on this subject, giving the meaning of the names and something of the history of the region. All the visible connection between Maori language and history and the hills would disappear if the native names were dropped. It is no more trouble to say "We are going to the Waitakeres" than to say "We are going to the Blue Mountains," and the proposed change would not attract a single additional visitor. This is really a test case of New Zealand's determination to preserve Maori nomenclature, which has already suffered too much at the hands of unimaginative Britons. Gillies Avenue, which was recently reformed by the Newmarket Borough Council, on a half cost basis is one of a number of roads in the Newmarket borough that is controlled by a dual authority. The City Council's share of the cost amounted to £172 2/ for the recent work; and a letter was received from the city engineer last evening stating that he was prepared to atithorise the payment of this sum, but adding that he considered an error had been made in the manner of carrying out the work. Gillies Avenue, however, as several councillors observed last evening, had shown no signs of wear, though Seccombe's Road, which was later reformed with new materials, had evidences of the effect of last year's traffic. From this it was inferred that the expenditure upon Gillies Avenue had been justified by the better road obtained. George Street also came up for consideration in the same correspondence, and it was decided to refer to the Streets Commitee an objection that the work in both places was unusually expensive. Reference was made at the meeting of the Birkenhead Borough Council last evening by Mr. A. Hadfield, that no payment had been made for upwards of five years by the Waitemata. County Council towards the upkeep of the main road between Birkenhead wharf and the cemetery. The Mayor, Mr. E. G. Skeates, stated that something like £400 or £500 was now owing in connection with this matter. It was resolved to take steps to secure payment of the amount owing. It was explained that as the result of a Government inquiry into the position of the main road upkeep some years ago, an award was made whereby the Waitemata County was to pay the Birkenhead Borough a stipulated annual sum. A scheme for converting the triangu- \ lar section at Highbury into an orna- J nlental area was outlined by the Mayor of Birkenhead, Mr. E. G. Skeates, to the Borough Council last evening. The Parks and Beautifying Committee was delegated to go into the matter fully, and report to the council. Mr. Skeates said it was proposed to grade, top-soil, and grass the plot adjoining the Borough Chambers on the northern side. He was desirous, however, of effecting the beautification of the whole area in the Vicinity of the council office. An entrance path from the corner facing Highbury should be formed, to meet a cross path from Rawene Road right through to Hauraki Street. The latter would ,be a "short-cut" between those two streets. To the centre of the Rawene-Hauraki path, and on its southern alignment, the chambers should be removed, just opposite the junction of the path south through the area to this point from the Highbury end. The grounds would be beautified on all sides. A fitting place for a war memorial would be the central position in the path leading from Highbury. The ends of all paths would be curved. A "Fifty-fifty Club" is the latest un■official organisation formed to assist in the solution of Auckland's suburban transport problems. There are no membership dues or registration cards. Those to whom its objects appeal simply join it, and so the good work goes on. Its principal field of operations is on the St. Heliers-Kohi bus route, where, owing to the withdrawal of the ferry service, the public vehicles are generally crowded with straphangers. Here the membership of the "Fifty-fifty" i 3 augmented daily, as a manifestation of that "fellowfeeling which makes the whole world kin." It is recruited from among those who, fortunate enough to obtain seats in the bus, are touched by the comparison between their own comfort and the sight of fellow-pasfeengers swaying hither and thither as the vehicle speeds along. This is tiie germ of the nftyfifty idea, which is responsible for an epidemic of courtesy which now results in a "general post" of passengers halfway, so that sitters and straphangers each get fifty-fifty of sitting and standing on the journey. Regular travellers say it is a great success. When a miner refers to his "dog" he is talking of the metal appliance used to fasten the tram-lines on which the coal-tubs travel. "Cat" is the name he gives to the lump of clay which he use 3 to ram home an explosive charge for blasting. Bad coal is known as "crows" by English miners, while Scottish miners call it "parrots." Where the coal has an iridescent glow it is called "peacocks." Sometimes the miner alights on a mass of stone in a seam of coal. This "horse" must be blasted away, and should the operation fail the result is a "bull." Runaway tubs are stopped by an appliance called a "goose," while a "crab" is that part of the windlass which lowers the miner to his dairy labour. Earth is known as "cod," and a part of the pump used to keep the mine free from water is termed a "fish-head." In Lancashire cotton factories are "mules." On a steamer the winch is often referred to as the "donkey," while a battleship's bow is known as her "ram." "I have just returned from a motor tour to Rotorua and I can tell you that the worst stretch of road on the whole trip is that through Papakura." said a prominent citizen to-day. "Certainly, the Mamaku Bush track* is bad, but it is nothing compared to the pot-holed area in the other place." There have been innumerable pomplaints about the road referred to,'it having been a nightmare to motorists for a long period now, and there still seems little likelihood of anything being done to improve it for some time yet. ,

j The Civil, or Magistrates' Court, rei opened to-day, Mr. F. K. Hunt, S.M., presiding for the first time since the long vacation. ! While running round the scene of the fire at Wilson and Canham's this morning, Fred Thursby, a boy of 10 years of j age cut two toes of his left foot badly I on a piece of iron. Mr. E. Butterworth, foreman at Wilson aud Canham's conveyed the boy to the house oi Dr. W. Howard-Thomas, where he was attended to. . The Onehunga Fire Brigade was called out yesterday to suppress a lire in some empty stables in Queen Street. Constable W. C. Poll discovered the fire and gave the alarm The property had been used for many years as livery and bait stables by Mr. Thos. H. Brain, but they had been vacant for some months. The fire started j ■ inside the building and burnt a portion j of the back wall. A few pounds will; I repair the damage. The property is j ; owned by Mrs. Halstead, of Heme Bay, | and is insured for £95 with the Home . Insurance Company. I "People like you are a danger to the community," said Mr. C. R. Orr Walker, S.M., in the Magistrate's Court, Wellington, when Guy Nicholson appeared on a : charge of exceeding the speed limit of 12 miles per hour at Koro Koro, and with i driving a motor cycle in a manner dangerous to the public. Motor Constable Morrison gave evidence that the defendant was travelling at 60 miles an hour j between the railway crossing at Petone land White's Line, Lower Hutt. Nicholson arrived late to answer the charges against him, which prompted Mr. Orr Walker to remark: "You were not driving fast enough to get here on time." Nicholson pleaded guilty, and the magistrate asked whether he had his driver's license with him. Defendant: Yes. The Magistrate: Then put it in. You will I not need it again, as I am going to take ! |it away from you. You will be convicted I and ordered to pay costs on the first charge, and on the second charge you j will be fined £10 and ordered to pay costs j and witnesses' expenses.