CITY AND SUBURBAN

Dominion, Volume 22, Issue 131, 27 February 1929, Page 13

CITY AND SUBURBAN

HAPPENINGS IN AND ABOUT TOWN

The tar sealing of a portion of the main road footpath at Upper Hutt was commenced yesterday.

The final portion of the work of reconstruction of Camp Road, Trentham, is being proceeded with apace, and will be completed before the forthcoming meeting of the Wellington Racing Club.

Through being hit by the handle of a hydraulic jack yesterday afternoon, Eric McVicar, a fitter, employed at the locomotive sheds at Thorndon, had his left wrist badly sprained. He was removed to the hospital by the Free Ambulance.

“It is pleasing to know that the Wellington Technical College is open not only to children but to those older in life, who are thus enabled to make themselves more useful in the home,” said the chairman at the meeting last night of the Wellington Technical College Board of Governors.

The annual competition for the bowling champion pairs is to open at 9 o’clock this morning at Thorndon bowling green. The champion rinks will commence next Wednesday.

It was decided at last night’s meeting of the Wellington Technical College Board of Governors to forward a letter of sympathy to Mr. G. L. Stewart in his illness.

Plans are in course of preparation for the new sub fire station at Northlands, which will be on a somewhat larger scale than the ones at Miramar and Brooklyn, which were built to the same plans. The plans will be submitted to the Fire Board for approval shortly.

J. Law. an engineer, working in Cable and Co.’s foundry at Kaiwarra, had the fingers of his right hand caught in a lathe yesterday afternoon. The second finger was severed at the first joint, and the others were injured. Law, who resides at No. 24 Portland Crescent, was taken by the Free Ambulance to the hospital.

The biennial conference of the Grand Lodge of the United Ancient Order of Druids is to take place at the Dominion Farmers’ Institute, Wellington, on March 18, and two following days. It is expected that over 100 delegates from the whole of the North Island, Marlborough, Nelson, and West Coast, and from Grand Lodges at Canterbury and Otago, will be present, and that Bro. T. H. Wilson, Grand President, of Auckland, will preside. Arrangements are being made for a suitable welcome to be extended to the delegates, and a reunion will take place on March 20 in the Concert Chamber of the Town Hall.

At the annual meeting of the Royal Wellington Choral Union last night, the honorary librarian (Mr. J. E. Perry), who has held the office for ten years, was re-elected to that important office, which involves the safe-keeping of 7000 volumes of music. In returning thanks for his re-election, Mr. Perry appealed to members to observe closely the rule providing for the' return of music within fourteen days after its use. He knew of members who had not returned music for fourteen months.

“It is amusing to watch the antics of some motorists on rounding corners,” writes “Observer.” “I was standing at the turn of a busy street when three motor vehicles followed each other at intervals. The first driver put his hand out in a lackadaisical manner, the next put his hand on the door, while the other lazily waved as if greeting a friend. This sort of thing is to be deplored, as on small matters such as these life and death may depend.”

Oversea visitors present at the Wellington Rotary Club’s luncheon yesterday included Dr. J. B. Condliffe (Honolulu) and Messrs. Charles R. Frazier (Honolulu), Harley W. Morrell (Springfield, Massachussetts), and G. Vaughan (Portland, Oregon). Other visiting Rotarians present were Messrs. C. Rhodes, C. Hutchison. W. Holdsworth, R. Angus, F. Ambler, H. Jenkins (Auckland), Messrs. C. Adair, G. A. Nicholls (Gisborne), Mr. F. J. Nathan (Palmerston North), and Mr. Rishworth (Whangarei).

It is very surprising at times to notice the variation in the figures in tenders received for public works. Recently. the City Council invited tenders for the construction of reinforced concrete culverts and grit chambers at Thorndon Quay. The one accepted was that of Messrs. Mitchell, and King, at £6039 Bs. 2d. The next lowest tender was on’- £26 higher, the third £3BO more, while the fourth and last was £l3OO higher. Uhe same four firms and one other tendered for the construction of the outfall ciilvcrt and grit chamber, Miramar drainage scheme. The accepted tender was that of Messrs. Christian! and Nielsen, at £8323. One tender, slightly lower, was not accepted, probably upon the report of the Engineer’s Department. The other three tench's were: £9lll, £12.684. and £15.636, the last being that of the firm successful in the other case.

Mr. D. F. Wilkie having retired from the Wellington Fire Board, a new chairman will be elected at the meeting of the board on Friday week.

“Two witnesses?” asked Mr. F. K. Hunt, S.M., when expenses were being considered after a by-law case in the Magistrate’s Court yesterday afternoon. “Girls? Oh, they haven’t lost any time —ss. each!”

An epidemic of petty thieving is causing the residents of Russell Terrace considerable annoyance at the present time. At least one householder In that locality counts himself lucky if he can open the door and find both “The Dominion” and the milk awaiting him. Not unfrequently both necessities have been removed, while the disappearance of milk tokens is a common occurrence.

Shortly before 2 p.m. yesterday, C. Roe, a labourer, residing at No. 23 Holm Street, was struck on the head by the end of a crowbar, while working on the aerodrome ite at Lyall Bay. He suffered a severe wound on his right temple, and was taken by the Free Ambulance to the hospital.

Residents of Hawker Street are complaining of the state of the roadway, which they contend should now be laid down In bitumen, or, surface-dressed. At present the road is dressed with loose metal, and as it is very much used for testing motor-cars, apart from being widely used by other traffic, the dust nuisance is making housewives complain bitterly.

The old-time custom of a birthday being a day of gifts, was demonstrated at the Rotary Club’s luncheon yesterday, when on the suggestion of Mr. J. Myers, it was decided to honour the twenty-fourth birthday of the Rotary movement, by fining all the members present one shilling, the proceeds to go towards the building up of the club’s fur-’s.

“The truck is an old vehicle and my client is not certain whether it is actually capable of doing 25 miles per hour,” counsel for a defendant in a by-law case at the Magistrate’s Court yesterday afternoon informed the Magistrate. Mr. F. K. Hunt. “Well, he’s got a good reference now when he wants to sell it,” retorted the Magistrate in fining the offender £l.

While working on the dredge Eileen Ward, at the Patent Slip yesterday morning. Edwin Easton, a seaman, was struck by a rivet. A large Incised wound was made in his left hand, and he was removed to the hospital by the ambulance.

The comparatively flat patch of roadway at the foot of the steps leading out of Macdonell Crescent up towards The Terrace, has become a popular parking place for the cars and cycles of motorists living in this quarter. It is no uncommon sight to see as many as four motor-cars and sometimes as many as four or five motor-cycles clustered around this spot, and pedestrians using the steps have to thread their way between the cars, one of which is persistently parked right across the entrance to the steps.

On Saturday afternoon, local members of the Cyclist Touring Club rode around Queen’s Drive, via Oriental Bay and Evans Bay. A halt was made at Point Halswell, where some photographs were obtained, and the run concluded via Lyall Bay and Island Bay. Despite the somewhat boisterous weather, an enjoyable time was spent. Next Saturday, a trip will be made to Khandallah Domain, and then on to Johnsonville.

Experiments are being made in Mercer and Wakefield Streets in the vicinity of the Town Hall with new fire hydrant indicators. They are made up of small one inch square tiles in red, black, and white, the letter H in red indicating the hydrant opposite the spot. It seems rather an elaborate method of indicating a fire hydrant, the discs being set in a concrete slab about 18 x 24 inches. The fire hydrants in this vicinity have also had a white square about 2ft. each way painted round them. These are in the parking areas, and this has been done in order that motorists may not park over the hydrants, which will be provided against in the new regulations awaiting issue.

“It is a great thing for a man to be in a foreign country and yet not feel a foreigner,” said Mr. Charles R. Frazier, who will represent the Honolulu Rotary Club at the New Zealand Conference, at the Rotary luncheon yesterday. “After all, you people all speak the American language,” he added amidst laughter. In his opinion it was a splendid idea that the people of the various countries speaking the English language should get together and remain as one common brotherhood. In pursuance of this friendship, he presented the president, on behalf of the Honolulu Rotary Club, with a Hawaiian “leif.” In reply, Mr. McGowan thanked him for his gift, assuring him j that it would long remain a treasure of the Wellington Rotary Club.