CITY AND SUBURBAN

Dominion, Volume 22, Issue 96, 17 January 1929, Page 11

CITY AND SUBURBAN

HAPPENINGS IN AND ABOUT TOWN

A Kilbirnie bootmaker announces on his window that he is a “perairer.”

A correspondent asks when Pencarrow Head Lighthouse was first lighted. The present lighthouse was erected in 1858 and lighted on January 1, 1859. There had been a temporary lighthouse there since about 1852.

The Uta, the Harbour Board's oillaunch, was moored all day yesterday to the beacon at Point Jerningham, apparently in connection with the new light at that point.

To-day there are about 40,000 consumers of electricity for light, power and heat in Wellington, the number having approximately doubled in the last ten years.

M. Corbett, of 15 Walter Street, Wellington City Council foreman, was working in Liardet Street, Vogeltown, yesterday when at 11.30 a.m. he fell down a bank eleven feet. He sustained injuries to his left hand and ankle and stiff,ered from shock. He was attended by the Free Ambulance and conveyed to hospital.

There are several officers and men in the tramways department of the City Council who were in the service in the days of the old horse trams, prior to the introduction of the electric trams in 1904. Some of them were either drivers or conductors on the horse trams, and one or two of these now hold important positions in the department.

•Now the time approaches when fires among the' gorse plantations that are allowed to flourish within the city boundaries may be exp » ted. If anyone allows his chimney to catch on fire he is brought to book, but the owner of a good gorse tire gets off free.

Some time k,’s elapsed since the laying of the cable under the eastern footpath of Hataitai Road was completed. A long brown line down the centre of this muchused pavement persistently reminds residents of the locality that no steps have yet been taken to replace the ripped-up bitumen.

Outboard motor-boats have been much in evidence in Evans Bay and Oriental Bay lately, and last evening several were in action in the harbour. The new sport gives quite a thrill, and the boats in rapid motion are spectacular. In contradistinction to the graceful and speedy movements of the power-driven boats yesterday was the laborious progress of an oar-propelled ship’s boat carrying the Sea Scouts.

A visitor to Wellington commented upon the extent to which the tramcars were crowded at peak load time between 4 and 5 o’clock yesterday afternoon. He was informed that the strap-hangers did a great deal towards ny king the trams pay in Wellington. But for them it would probably not be possible to give the cheap concession tickets which have contributed so largely to suburban developments.

Concerning the further references to snails and their natural enemies, “Motorist-Gardener” writes: “Notwithstanding the opinions expressed, I prefer the hedgehog to the duck in the war on snails. In the cities there is no temptation for the hedgehog to raid hen’s nests as there are few, if any, fowl runs. As I mentioned previously, motorists at one time ran over every hedgehog they encountered on the road. To-day those of us who are gardeners stop and pick them up. We know their value in the garden.”

_ The city troop of the Legion of Frontiersmen had their first annual rally at the R.S.A. Rooms, Featherston Street, on Monday night, when an enjoyable musical programme and toast list was gone through. Captain J. A. W. Prater presided. Major Watson, secretary to the R.S.A., in the course of the evening spoke on the work being done by his organisation. Captain Prater said the legion would always be ready to assist in the good work of the R.S.A. when possible to do so.

When the Wellington telephone authorities were installing a telephone on the Melrose heights they would have done well to have erected a similar booth at Houghton Bay. There there are now quite a number of residents and as there is only one private ’phone in the settlement it is high time that a public telephone was installed. Particularly so in view of the fact that whenever a hard southerly blow comes along this solitary means of communication with the city is put out of action owing to a fault. The need for action in this respect is pressing as. in case of emergency the delay caused might be of serious consequence.

If the weather conditions are suitable tlie ferro-concrete tower which has been built on the Thorndon breastwork to replace the light buoy off Jerningham Point will be placed in position to-day. The tower, which weighs about 6U tons, measures 17ft. Gin. in diameter at its base and 9ft. Gin. across the top. It will be lifted early this morning by the floating crane Hikitia, which will then steam across the harbour and lower it into position on the bed off Jerningham Point, which has been prepared for it by divers. Immediately the tower is iu position the work of sealing the bottom of it will be gone on with. Mass concrete will be deposited ipside the tower to a depth of from eight to ten feet. Above this will be built a thick lining of concrete, leaving a central core to be filled with gravel. Later on a small concrete house will be built on top of the tower and a red flashing lamp will be installed above the house. The light will be 17ft. above the water.

The letter which appeared in this column on Monday in defence of the efficiency and courtesy of dust collectors at Hataitai has been replied to by a correspondent who supports the contributor who originally raised the question. “I am glad Mrs. Brown has had such satisfaction,” he writes. "Her experience is such as almost to move me to Arawa Road. I anticipated that the men would have a busy time over the holidays, so I very carefully placed an ordinary tin alongside the approved sanitary container to obsorb the surplus refuse. Both quickly filled, but when the dustman did arrive he calmly overlooked the second tin. I placed this small tin in the bigger receptacle for the next call. Its contents certainly were removed on the second occasion, but they were then narly a fortnight old —and said so.”

A party of six Fijian Boy Scouts were the guests of the Wellington Rotary Club at lunch on Tuesday. At the invitation of Mr. Christie, of Wanganui, they attended the Scouts’ jamboree at Stratford, where 230 Scouts from all parts of the Dominion were gathered. They are now spending a brief holiday seeing the sights of Wellington. Yesterday morning they went over Parliament Buildings, visited the Scout Hall at Karori in the afternoon and St. Augustine’s Scout Hall, Betone, last night. They will leave tomorrow for Rotorua and sail by the Tofua from Auckland on January 26. Mr. J. Caughley, Commissioner at Suva, late Director of Education, and a member of the Rotary Club, is taking a keen interest in the boys, who were asked to convey greetings to him from Wellington.

With the continued rapid development of settlement in the eastern suburbs, emphasis is once more focussed on the lack of foresight shown by the authorities responsible in having the Hataitai tunnel constructed for tram traffic only. Many a resident of Hataitai who lias missed his last tram at night would willingly engage a taxi if the tunnel were available for those vehicles. As it is, to reach this near suburb by motor-car one of three very roundabout routes i» the only choice—over Carlton Gore Road, via Oriental and Evans Bay. or through Newtown and over Constable Street. To do the journey through the tunnel would cost about one-third of the fare by any of the other routes named.

A “hand-sewn bootmaker” is a rara avis, but some unblushingly announce that they are not machine-finished.

Hugh Shannon, aged 45, a second offender for drunkenness, was fine.l 10s., in default three days’ imprisonment, in the Magistrate's Court yesterday.

Yesterday morning a slip at Day's Bay Road, due to the collapse of a quarry, completely blocked all traffic. In a short time the obstruction was cleared, and buses were enabled to get through.

There is an institution in the city which is earning a reputation for daily halfmasting of a flag. Either the members are rapidly disappearing or the grief for those gone is very enduring. The flag is within a hundred yards of the Town Hall.

“Night Owl” writes: “The night life of Wellington is growing and it should pay the tramways department to run an hourly bus service from midnight to 6 a.m. from Lambton to Newtown or Kilbirnie at a uniform sixpenny fare or six rides for half-a-crown.”

Advice has been received from the Hutt County offices that rates for the ensuing year have now been nearly all paid. A few of the laggards, however, seem to have forgotten that the payment of rates is due,at the beginning, and not at the end of the current year.

The duplication of tramlines in Wallace Street would ease the pressure on Courtenay Place, Kent Terrace, and Adelaide Road, and half the Kilbirnie and eastern suburbs trams could be diverted. Allowing for delays at the tunnel on No. 2 route the journey could be made as quickly by the new way. Hataitai residents would then have a better service.

Renewal of the planking between the ladies’ and gentlemen’s swimming baths has necessitated the use of screens in front of the open cubicles fronting the temporary aperture between the Te Aro Baths. Swimmers are hoping that the necessary work will soon be completed so that the donning and discarding of swimming attire anay be resumed in the open sunshine.

There were four bankruptcies in Wellington for the month of December, 1928. as opposed to 5 for the same month of the previous year. In the past year there were 65 bankruptcies against 43 of the previous year. In addition to the 1928 figures three companies went into liquidation and their affairs were also administered by the Official Assignee.

A diary just issued as an advertisement for a well-known brand of whisky does not include in its useful table relative to comparisons with Greenwich mean time, Wellington among the capital cities of the world, but instead gives the position to Auckland I A slight amende, however, is made in the table giving the high-power wireless stations of each country with the single entry: “New Zealand —Wellington, 2YA, 420 metres.”

No doubt actuated by past experience and the old proverb that a stitch in time saves several, two Island Bay launches were abroad early yesterday morning. Proceeding to the neighbourhood of the small whale which had drifted into Houghton Bay on the previous evening. They made a tow-rope fast to the carcass and dragged it behind them well out into the Strait. But for this timely action there might have been an unwanted “kick” in the ozone along, the marine drive in the not far distant future.

Motorists visiting Paekakariki and Paraparaumu have been causing trouble by driving along the beaches. The practice has been going on for some time, in spite of the efforts of the beach custodians to check it, and the Hutt County Council propose to employ a special traffic officer to call offenders to order. Actually, although a reasonable amount of latitude is allowed motorists by the council, it is an infringement of the by-laws for any. person to ride a horse or drive any vehicle on any beach under the jurisdiction of that body without its consent.

A well-known Wellington merchant had been assiduously deferring a necessary visit to his dentist. Finally he hit upon the novel idea that iu order to avoid the “dreadful anticipation” of the application of the forceps he would not arrange an appointment but would suddenly drop into the surgery the next time he passed. Yesterday he happened to pass the premises, and, remembering his decision, seized his courage in both hands and rushed upstairs to the dentist’s suite, ready for anything. The surgeon was away on holiday.

In narrow, congested streets like Willis Street, passengers about to alight from north-bound trams run a risk of injuring themselves through the now all too common practice of moving on to the running board as the trams approach their destinations. Any hour of the day you will see one or more commercial vehicles drawn up outside business premises between the Manners Street intersection and the Mercer Street stop, with the result that the trams have to slacken speed considerably to get past. Yesterday morning a tram passenger, who intended to alight at Mercer Street, attempted to step out on to the running board some yards before the stop, but luckily he saw the drawn-up lorry in time and withdrew to the safety of the compartment within an ace of his leg being jammed between the lorry and the tram.

Despite the fact that New Zealand has a million and a half more to spend this year as the result of increased prices for primary products, there appears to be verv little importing going on. Local waterside workers are complaining that there is very little doing on the wharves, and many hundreds of men are out of work. Mr. J. O. Johnson, secretary of the Wellington Waterside Workers Union, informed a “Dominion” reporter yesterday that the conversion of so many steamers to oil-burners had B r eatly reduced the amount of coal handled. At one time,” he said, “fully 500 men were constantly employed on the W ellmgton wharves handling coal cargoes; these men to-dav are forced to compete with their fellows who are handling general cargo. We have 1700 men in the union, and a great many are unable. to find anything at all to do on the wharves.”

A start is to be made with the demolition of the old Albert Hotel, on the corner of Willis and Boulcott Streets, next week. This famous hostelry was built in 1577 by the late Mr. John Plimmer, for so many years known as “the father of M elby the late Mr. John Plimmer, for so many’ years known as “the father of Wellington,” and for a period remained in possession of the Plimmer family. The late Mr. John Plimmer, who was a fine patriot and a good citizen, made almost a fetish of paying visible respect and homage to those builders of the young nation, his method of doing so taking .the line of displays on the more or less public buildings that he built or owned. So you have on the Albert Hotel —the upper part—the old identities of the colony immortalised in wood carved masks, headed bv Edward Gibbon Wakefield, the founder of Wellington, whose statue in wood surmounts that part of the hotel. The lower part of the building (the corner of Boulcott and Willis Streets) is dedicated in a way to the founders of the Wellington and Manawatu Railway Company, now part of the main trunk railway to Auckland (the section between Wellington and Longhorn). of whom Mr. Plimmer war one So the masks are to w ‘tpen nf the Joseph Nathan. W. H. Levin. Mr T. G. Ma earthy. Mr. G V ‘Shannon, and others who have passed on. whose vision was sufficiently developed to see great things for Wellington in the opening up of the west coast by rail.