CITY AND SUBURBAN

Dominion, Volume 22, Issue 93, 14 January 1929, Page 11

CITY AND SUBURBAN

HAPPENINGS IN AND ABOUT TOWN

There are in all 48 libraries in the Wellington provincial district with a total of 10,169 subscribers. The number of books in these libraries totals 202,393, in addition to which they jegularly receive 479 newspapers and 779 magazines, periodicals, etc.

Two decaying wooden structures used for shooting down hillside spoil to Queen’s Drive near Freyberg Street, could with advantage be demolished. They do not lend beauty to the landscape.

“Sixth Standard” writes: “At first I thought it a typographical error, but vour paper persists in mis-spelliug Cape Koamaru, the point whence Miss Coppiestone will commence her Cook Strait swim. Your journal has on several occasions spelt it Koamani, which any New Zealander should know is incorrect.”

Of the persons married in 1927, 361 bridegrooms and 1955 brides were under 21 years of age. Of the bridegrooms 11 were between j, and 18, and 41 between 18 and 19. Oi pie brides one was between 14 and 15, 12 were between 15 and 16, and 64 between 16 and 17.

A motor-car driven by Leslie Schrader and a motor-cycle ridden by Herbert Harpham, came into collision on the corner of Calabar Road and Cook Street, Lyall Bay, at 2.30 p.m. on Saturday. Harpham was thrown from his machine, and suffered an injury to his eye. necessitating the insertion of several stitches. The motor-cycle was damaged.

Through falling off a motor-cycle which skidded on the road nt Porirua in the early afternoon of Saturday, N. F. Brookie, of 123 Tasman Street, a plasterer, suffered a fractured wrist. He was attended by the Free Ambulance, and taken to the hospital.

The junction of Glasgow Street with Upland Road is a busy corner at present. An awkward bend is being remedied by removing the concrete steps to the corner house further back. Also, kerbing is being laid for a footpath on the other corner.

After a comparatively quiet spell during the holidays the Wellington waterfront will be busy this we.ek. Apart from coastal shipping, to-day will see the arrival of several large oversea ships,_ including the Tahiti from San Francisco, the Manuka from Melbourne, the Wairuna from Pacific Coast ports, the Northumberland from Liverpool, and the Enton from Montreal. These ships between them have over 11,000 tons of cargo to discharge.

A small boy, bound for the Thorndon baths, boarded a tramcar at Wadestown on Saturday. So concerned was he with his surroundings that he missed the seat he had determined to occupy and fell out of the ear altogether. He alighted on his head, and, according to Hoyle, should have broken his neck. A cut knee and a few bruises were, however, all he had to show for his adventure.

“I was much amused when reading a short story by a famous sea writer, who professes to know a great deal about the different countries of the world, to see a reference to the ‘low drinking saloons which litter the harbour front of Auckland,’” writes “Wellingtonian“These allusions to the ‘hardness’ of life in New Zealand are by no means isolated. It is indeed surprising how little novelists generally know of ‘God's Own Country.’ ”

“Amateur Gardener,” referring to the recent paragraph concerning snails at Eastbourne, suggests that the residents of the locality engage the services of a few ducks. "I hud the same trouble with snails,’.’ the correspondent adds, “until I got half a dozen ducks; and not only has the garden been most successful for the first time in eight years, but there has been the advantage of four eggs a day on the average for the past nine weeks.”

Residents in the various suburbs where the footpaths have been surfaced with bitumen are fully appreciative of the comfort afforded, apart from the improved appearance given to the street. What is not appreciated so much is the ready manner in which youngsters have availed themselves of the smooth black surface to draw all sorts of weird figures upon the footpaths with chalk and clay, which to the resident who endeavours to keep his frontage clean and tidy is a perfect eyesore. The difiiculty is to find a remedy.

“Careful Driver” writes: “It would be as well for the patrol constable on the Hutt Road to keep a sharp eye on the speed of some of the railway ’buses. I was driving my car home ou Wednesday night, and when nearing Kaiwarra, one of the buses ran me right off the bitumen track, and nearly into the side of the hill, in passing me. Fortunately my car was travelling at only about twenty miles an hour, and I was able to pull up quickly. Surely the railway management does not intend to permit this sort of thing?”

Fifty years ago an old Wellington paper recorded that the annual valuation of property, excluding Government property, had been completed and stood at £241,808 for rating purposes, this being on the annual value. The number of rateable properties was 5126. lhe new edition of the City Council Year Book does not give the annual value, as the method of rating has been changed. The capital value is £34,981,96b, but, approximating the annual value at 10 ner cent, of this sum, the annual value to-day would be nearly £3,500,000. There are now 21,902 dwellings, 80 hotels, 58 institutions. 1989 business premises, 139 public buildings (including churches and halls), and 2703 other buildings. “In Friday’s City and Suburban column, in reference to the article A Romance of Shipping,’ ‘Accuracy that in the course of his readin o> he has never been able to find that Captain Coe> was closer than eight miles to M ton Heads,’” writes Explorer. Does ‘Accuracy’ mean ’Wellington Head, which is situated on the northward coast of the South Island, or does he meani Pencarrow Head or Barrett’s Reef which are situated respectively east and west of the entrance to Port Nicholson.

The Empire City, which hitherto has been regarded as the ugly buckling by the Queen City of the north and Otago s fair capital, is gradually < coming to be appraised at its true value. The Mayor of 1 Wellington (Mr. G -. A ', o d up 2 e aged that he had been surprised and Pleased during his recent visit to Rotorua to meet a prominent Auckland citizen who informed him that it was surprising to meet the number of Aucklanders lately who had been singing the praises of the many beautiful panoramas to be obtain ed from the hills overlooking Wellington. The visiting Australian bowlers had also been similarly impressed uAh the beauties of the Empire City. Mr. Troup stated that the Aucklander generously gave the palm to Wellington as far as climate was concerned. It was a treat, he said, to work in Wellington’s bracing atmosphere as compared with the enervating heat of Auckland.

The Avro Avian Cirrus Moth aeroplane which was purchased by Messrs. Goodwin and Chichester, arrived at Lyall Bay reserve at 2 p.m. on Saturday after a trying trip from Christchurch. The machine, which was piloted by Mr. Bolt, with Mr. Chichester as passenger, was stored at a local garage, and later took off from Lyall Bay for Napier. Mr. Chichester remarked that he received no encouragement for civil aviation in Wellington. where the council charged him £35 per week to land and take-off his aeroplane, while in Napier he received every encouragement. Messrs. Goodwin and Chichester expect to take delivery of another Avro early next month.

The heavy wind which was experienced on Friday snapped off one of the ornamental trees in Upland Road, Kelburn. The tree broke through the fencing protecting it.

A young Hindu fruiterer, who showed business acumen unusual in one of his years, had supplied a suburban housewife with an order. She expressed surprise at the price he asked. “Perhaps,” smiled the youth, “the ladee would like for to see the account?” The ladee would, so the young Hindu presented it, and again smiled. The account was compiled in his own language.

While working at the Lower Hutt railway workshops on Saturday morning, A. Munns, of 203 Sutherland Road, a plumber, fell on to a sheet of galvanised iron, and received a wound on his neck. He was attended by a doctor at Petone, and removed to his home by the Free Ambulance.

An unusual accident occurred at Thorndon at 3.20 yesterday afternoon. J. J. O’Sullivan, a trajn conductor, of Goring Street, leaned out of a tram while it was in motion to attend to the step. He was struck by one of the new poles which have been erected near the Thorndon tram sheds, and knocked off the tram. O’Sullivan suffered concussion and a wound on his scalp. He was attended by the Free Ambulance, and conveyed to hospital. After treatment he was able to return to his home.

The total amount of loans authorised by the citv loan poll of September 15, 1920, was i 1,705,916, of which £1,390,518 lias been raised, leaving a balance of £315,398 to be raised. The loans were required for street works, Orongorongo tunnel for water supply, tramways, baths, general improvements in various suburbs, fire protection buildings, and the new tunnel through Mt. Victoria (the last amount being £161.250). The construction of the tunnel is still “in the air.”

Credit has to be given to the City Council for the work done on the hillside to the west of Kilbirnie. Two or three years ago gorse, titree and weeds were over-running the slope, but to-day there is a young forest of beautiful trees in the making, adding a real beauty to the landscape. The trees at Point Halswell also have turned a bare hillside into a pleasing vista! proving as well that trees will grow on exposed hills.

The municipal roll is now in process of being purged, and within the last fewweeks over 3000 notices have been sent out in cases where there are discrepancies in the name, address or qualification of the person concerned to remain on the roll. In the returns which have come to hand most of the doubtful cases have disposed of their property, left the city, or crossed the Great Divide. Other cases occur where in the past the name lias been wrongly spelt and has not been corrected, and the letter “e” in this connection is one that causes the most trouble, while the "Me’s” as distinct from the “Macs” in Scottish names are also a source of error. A few of the replies have been of a rather facetious nature, but ratepayers and others entitled to be on the roll should recognise that it is only desired to rectify any discrepancies and their right to be enrolled is not disputed.

It has been truly said that real art consists in naturalness. That there is something in the contention was proved at the Regtnt Theatre on Friday night, when a new programme of wide variety and charm was presented. Amongst the many accomplished artists who appeared on the stage no one acted more naturally or more firmly riveted attention that a tiny grey kitten, who held the stage when the lights went up, and the stage band led off with a spirited playing of “The Beggar.” Puss was evidently accustomed to the footlights. Disdaining the crowded house, she walked serenely to the front of the stage, and carefully examined each footlight. Satisfied that these were doing their duty, the kitten sedately retired to mid-stage, and, all unconscious of the hundreds of eyes riveted upon her. calmly faced the audience, and proceeded coolly to wash her face. Then there erme a blare from the trombones, and a scantily-clad ballet appeared as if by magic. This wag the signal for puss to take her departure, and she vanished in the twinkling of an eyelid.'

Splendid progress is being made with the paving of the Tawa Flat-Johnsonville road by the contractors, Messrs. McKenzie and Duncan. The macadam section of this long stretch of road makes a very dusty drive, especially when there is a good deal of traffic on the road. The pavement will therefore confer a blessing on the motorist and those whose homes are by the wayside. This drive is now made interesting by the tunnel works in connection with the Main Trunk deviation, which are going on on four faces. The two tunnels are already connected by table girder bridge on concrete piers across the Ngahauranga Gorge Road, and the work of erecting the bridge across the Hutt Road is being done this month. The western portal (Tawa Flat) to No. 2 tunnel is already completed, and the hills thereabouts are enlivened with a large colony of tunnel workers.

Visitors to New Zealand who travel on our railways have often remarked upon the tea-drinking propensities of the New Zealander. However true to their claim is that time-tables are lengthened to suit'travellers’ appetites for “tea and t ” there is no doubt that the refreshing cup of tea at the railway counterg makes railway travelling in this country of long journeys much less tedious. Probably the greatest demand for the beyerage is by the passengers on the night Limited, when they arrive at Hamilton and Palmerston North, travelling northwards and southwards respectively. In each case the express is making its last stop before the journey s end, and further, it is about the hour (7 a.m.) when a cup of hot tea is most welcomed. Unfortunately the arrangements in this connection fall a good deal short of perfee- - tion, so far as the sleeper cars are concerned. Orders are given to the attendant overnight, and it appears that he fakes his list of requirements to the refreshments room on arrival, and is there served in the ordinary course of routine. If the orders demand it a pot of tea is brought into the sleeper, but the expenence of frequent travellers has been, ana still is, that the tea, instead of being piping hot. is lukewarm, due to the delay between the making and the serving. It is contended by those who, after experience, have decided to get out and get their own tea hot across the counter, that the sleeper orders could be telegraphed ahead of the train, so that immediately on arrival they would be ready for instant serving. It is perhaps only a minor point in the railway service, but a good cup of tea to an early morning traveller means a lot. while a bad or cold cup of tea is not only useless —it is an insult.

The Mayor (Mr. G. A. Troup) has received the following letter from Mrs. Anne D. Brown, of 21 Arawa Road, Hataitai: “I was exceedingly surprised when I read a paragraph in ‘The Dominion’ of January 9 under ‘City and Suburban’ calling in question the courtesy and efficiency of the City Council dust collectors. Ido not know to whom to write re the matter, but should esteem it a favour if you would forward this letter to the right quarter. We have been in residence here for nearly twelve rears and on no occasion have we found them anything but courteous and obliging, nor have I heard anything but favourable comments from others. The present collectors are very decent. ot>< liging fellows. We surely do not begrudge them their Christmas and Boxing Dav holidays, which naturally brought them two days late all round. When we have had extra rubbish and have mentioned the fact to the cxillector has alwars taken it without dernnr, a.nu we feel the paragraph will give those in authority a totally wrong impression of the men in question."