CITY AND SUBURBAN

Dominion, Volume 22, Issue 136, 5 March 1929, Page 13

CITY AND SUBURBAN

HAPPENINGS IN AND ABOUT TOWN '

Mrs. Margaret McLean, of 121 Daniel Street, was knocked down by a motorear at 8.10 p.m. yesterday at the intersection of Constable and Owen Streets. She sustained a fractured rib and suffered from shock. She was attended by the free ambulance and taken to hospital.

The town clerk of Upper Hutt (Mr. L. F. Grimstone) conveyed the council’s thanks to the Wellington Automobile Club last night for having erected danger signs near Trentham School. “This is the only body which thanks us for all we have done for them,” remarked the secretary (Mr. H. J. Stott).

J. Beasley, a watersider, of IS9 Thorndon Quay, had his right hand caught in a cargo hook on the s.s. Northumberland early last evening, and sustained an incised wound. He was attended by the Free Ambulance and conveyed to hospital.

- Yesterday the 1929 session of Victoria University College commenecd. All day the professors were engaged in interviewing those who seek the knowledge which is power, and the same task will, occupy them throughout today. To-morrow the lectures will commence, and for the next eight months, students will be preparing for the fateful examinations of November.

The need of a room where the girls attending the Wellington East College may eat their lunches was commented on by Mrs. S. Duncan at the annual meeting of the ladies’ auxiliary of the Parents’ Association last night. It was necessary, to turn the girls out of the classrooms in order that the rooms might have an airing, she said, and while parents realised the need for this proceeding, they were unanimous in their'demands for a dining room.

The Wellington Automobile Club has arranged to give the children of the city and suburban orphanages their annual outing on March 9. The secretary (Mr. H. J. Stott) informed the executive of the club last night that all the, arrangements were complete. There w.ould not be such a large number of children to take out this yeqr, he explained, as the Salvation Army Boys’ Home had been moved to ,Wallaceville, and sickness had broken out at one of the city girls’ homes.

Some comment has been made concerning the stringency of the “Parking Prohibited” notices, as it appears that it is not now permissible for a carowner to leave his car even for two or three minutes in front of such a notice while he enters the building at the spot to deliver or collect a letter. The old forty-minute allowance apparently does not now apply, and car-owners in all innocence incur a penalty for a breach of the by-laws.

Members of the City Council’s Tramways Committee, accompajiied by the Mayor (Mr. G. A. Troup) and the engineer (Mr. M. Cable), visited Nc.lnland yesterday morning to view the proposed extension of the tramway to Wilkins’ Stores. The matter was discussed on the spot, and will be further considered, together with the engineer’s report, at the next meeting of the Tramways Committee.

After all the harsh criticism which has been levelled against the modern flapper, it is refreshing to learn that some people have a high opinion of Miss New Zealand. “Intelligent girls are hard to beat; they are better than men,” remarked Mr. I. V. Wilson at the meeting of the executive of the Wellington Automobile Club last night. The remark was made while the question of staffing a branch office at Palmerston North was under discussion. Mr. H. W. Lawrence mentioned that he had recently gone into an office for directions as to motor routes, and a girl had supplied him * with all the information he required in a few moments.

When anything goes wrong with the electric power system and the tram service is held up or the lighting fluctuates, quite a number of people .ring up the power or lighting stations to complain, overlooking the fact that that 'is just the time when the engineers and staff are fully engaged in putting matters right, and that telephone rings only delay them in their work. One fractious ratepayer, upon finding the lights fluctuating, promptly rang up the tramways engineer at his residence asking why the lights kept on going off, as “it was interfering with their game of bridge.”

A regular user of the trams between Newtown and the city yesterday drew the attention of “The Dominion” to the very dangerous nature of the tramstop at the corner by the Caledonian Hotel on the south side of the Basin Reserve. Oftentimes children get off here to go to school, but the traffic in the morning is so heavy that it is positively dangerous for them to cross the road. It was suggested that a compulsory stop should be made at Dufferin Street, .which would be more convenient for school children, and a far safer spot to cross. People leaving a tram at the Basin Reserve corner to proceed in the direction of Tasman Street or the Technical College need to be very careful. The tram moves on round the curve, obstructing the view’ of oncoming traffic, and in proceeding across the road one has io be very wary of trams and motor vehicles coming from the south. There have been several very narrow escapes, and there appears to be real need for a speed-limit at this corner.

The National Government of China is faced with a very serious nonpolitical position by the famine in the provinces of Kansu, Shensi, and Honan In North-West China, which is the result, partly of a bad season due to drought and partly of the disturbances of the last few years. The Government has taken the matter in hand very seriously, and is obliged to seek assistance from every possible quarter. It has instructed its Ministers and Consuls in various parts of the world to enlist the sympathies of the Chinese resident abroad, and to ensure the proper application of money subscribed, has arranged that the relief shall be superintended by an influential central committee in .Shanghai, and Messrs. Wing On and Co.; well-known metchants and cotton spinners, have been appointed treasurers. At a meeting of the Wellington Chinese held in the Tong Jang Association room in Frederick .Street on Saturday night over £lOO was subscribed du the room, and a committee consisting of the ActingConsul for China and 15 leading Chinese merchants was formed to make a canvass of their countrymen in Wellington and throughout the Dominion. At that meeting it was announced that some English sympathisers in New Zealand had already subscribed liberally to the Famine Relief Fund. Mr. Yue 11. Jackson. Act-ing-Consul for China, stated to the meeting that all moneys handed to him would be Immediately remitted by cable to Messrs. Wing On and Co., Shanghai.

At the conclusion of the special meeting of the City Council last evening Councillor Semple said he would defer his notice of'motion regarding the payment of union rates of wages on relief works.

Heard in the Magistrate’s Court yesterday:—Mr. F. K. Hunt. S.M.: “What did you leave your home for ?” Witness: “Because I couldn’t leave anything in it.” Mr. Hunt: “You left a wife and three children in it.”

A party from the Cyclists’ Touring Club rode to Johnsonville on Saturday afternoon, paying a visit ea route to the Khandallah Domain. An interesting time was also spent at the Khandallah sub-station, through the courtesy of the officer-in-charge. Next Saturday’s run will be to Day’s Bay.

The unfavourable weather during the past two days has greatly affected the attendances at the Te Aro baths. Instead of being crowded as during last week, only a few paid for admission on Sunday, and yesterday the baths were practically empty.

The cable steamer Iris left Wellington at 11 a.m. yesterday for Cook Strait, where she will engage In' repairing cables between the North and South Islands. If weather'conditions were favourable she was to remain at sea last night in order to make an early start with the work this morning. A small unlighted iron buoy was laid on Sunday afternoon off Lyall Bay by the Janie Seddon to mark thg end of the damaged cable. The buoy is in the track of small coastal vessels, and will remain in position until repairs are effected. . ;

The staff of Messrs. Bannatyne and Hunter, Allen Street, had their annual picnic on Saturday at Titahl Bay, the journey being made in cars and special motor-buses. Round games were played, and a very enjoyable day was spent. Mr. H. C. Hunter, managing director, and Messrs. H. A. Goodwin and E. Moult, directors, accompanied the party.

• “Patrol-Officer Morrison has proi»ably saved more lives than anyone in Wellington,” was a remark passed yesterday when one or two motorists and non-motorists were discussing tne question of speeds on the Hutt Road. All were agreed that the “traffic cop” was doing good work on the Hutt Road in checking the speed fiends while reasonably exercising his powers.

When the Tramways Committee of the City Council visited Northland yesterday morning, they were met by the president (Mr. G. E. Lambert) and members of the Progressive Assoclati< n. The question of the bus .service was raised, and the Mayor gave his assurance that a bus service to Te Aro would be maintained as required, although it might be necessary to slightly increase the concession fare on the buses when the trams were running. Mr. Lambert made a request that an additional bus stop should be grartol on Northland Road halfway betw • the junction with Glenmore Stic and the stop at Farm Road, and Mr. Cable undertook to give this matter his consideration. Good progress is now being made with the tramway construction, and trams should be running to Northland in a few weeks.

The Coroner (Mr. F. K. Hunt, S.M,) presided over an inquest sheld at Upper Hutt on Saturday to Inquire into the death of a baby girl, Gloria Dawn Colleen Braddock, who was found dead in her cot. Her mother stated that she gave the child a drink of humanised milk from a bottle, and then put her in a cot to sleep. Returnlater she saw that the child was not breathing. | Dr. Kemp was sent for. Dr. Kemp stated that he made a postmortem examination of the body, and found that death was due to suffocation due to regurgitation of food from the stomach into the lungs. The child had probably got into an awkward position and the food had come up into the back of the throat, and had been inhaled into the lungs. The finding was in accordance with the medical testimony.

A correspondent writes with regard to the collection of household refuse and garbage, and to the fact that while the City Council is at its own cost collecting all the garbage, from the back doors of residences within the old city area, no such service is given to the houses in the old borough districts of Miramar, Karori, and Onslow. Speaking to the chairman of the Works Committee (Councillor H. D. Bennett), a “Dominion” reporter was advised that the matter had been considered by that committee and that there was little doubt but that he council would accept its recommendation to extend the service to the localities named, beginning with the new municipal year —April 1' next.

Timaru bandsmen nearly monopolised the seating accommodation at one of the lunch restaurants in the city yesterday. They had taken part in the band contest at Wanganui, and left there at 7.30 yesterday morning, reaching Wellington shortly before 1 o’clock. Some of the bandsmen said the gathering just ended was the best in - the history of the contests, and had been so successful that there would be -a profit of something like £5OO. What was concerning them was the fate dr two of their men, who were told at the last moment that they could not have leave to go to the contest, and if they went they would lose their jobs. The band could not do without them, as they were soloists, and they went. It was hoped, however, that the firm concerned would not take the threatened drastic action, as the public of Timaru had subscribed £3OO to send the band away, and that had been justified by the fact that the band had gained third place in the championship, and had otherwise performed well. Yesterdav afternoon some of the men visited Wellington zoo, while others went for a trip on the observation bus. They continued the journey south last night. _ _____