CITY AND SUBURBAN

Dominion, Volume 23, Issue 75, 21 December 1929, Page 13

CITY AND SUBURBAN

HAPPENINGS IN AND ABOUT TOWN

Cabinet has approved of a grant for the erection of a new school at Happy Valley.

A rather fuller skeleton tramway and bus service will be provided this Christmas Day than was the case last year. Morning cars will commence running on most lines between 7 and 8 o’clock, and on the main lines will give 20-minute services. Afternoon services will be of 20 minutes on certain lines and 10 minutes on others, up till about 10 p.m. No trams will run on the Lyall Bay route, which will be served by buses. There will be no bus services to Happy Valley, Brooklyn, Karaim Bay, View road, Kelburn, or Duthie street. The usual time-table will be run on Boxing Day, with certain additions and amendments.

Councillor W. H. Bennett informed the City Council on Thursday night that there was only a very small area of sand in Balena Bay (on the western side of Evans Bay), and consequently there was very little room for the children to play, the rest of the beach being very stony. But. he added, they were even prevented from using that little bit of sandy beach by reason of the existence there of a derelict launch, which had been stranded for some time past, and was now slowly but surely going ■to pieces. He wished to know from the Mayor whether this boat could be removed, and so liberate the beach for the children during the holidays. The Mayor (Mr. G. A. Troup) stated that inquiries had been made, and it seemed that the owner was in Auckland, and desired an extension of time to remove the boat as he thought he could sell it. It was agreed that the owner be ordered to remove the boat forthwith, and that no further extension of time be granted.

Whilst the Mayor (Mr. G. A. Troup) and several of the City Councillors hacked away at the rock face at the head of Patterson Street yesterday afternoon, they probably believed that they were initiating the actual bore. Such was not the case, as it has been decided, on account of the comparatively low height of the exposed face to extend the open cut another 15 feet into the hill before commencing the double 9ft, bores. It has been further decided to make the tunnel 3ft. higher than originally planned in order to provide for high load emergencies of the future. This will not disturb the existing plans to any extent, as the additional height is to be provided by lowering the level of the floor, which will mean a further easement of the grade of the approaches.

The surface-sealing of Ross Street, Yule Street, Cockburn Street, Cruickshank Street, Duthie Street, and Halton Street (out of 1927 loan money) is being carried out this month.

■ Two works that are going to confer a benefit on the Seatoun district are now well in hand. These are the widening of the Pass of Branda (between Seatoun and Breaker Bay) and the provision of a parking area for cars above the beach line at Worser Bay. It is estimated that these works will cost about £l5OO.

Work in connection with the continuation of the concrete, wall and pipe rail fence at Oriental Bay is now in hand. The aim is now to continue the .

sea wall round to Point Jerningham, and widen the road out considerably between the Orient’ Private Hotel and the point—now one of the narrowest footpathless roads in the city, and yet part of Wellinton’s superb harbourside promenade.

A party of Salvation Army officers visited Wi Tako Prison on Tuesday last and gave the prisoners a Christmas entertainment There was a full'muster of the men, and they joined heartily in the carol singing, which was a feature of the evening. Several of the prisoners contributed items to the programme. On Thursday the Mt. Crawford Prison was visited, where a similar event took place. Field-Major Avenell, the Army’s prison-gate brigade officer, arranged these entertainments, and the chair was taken at each place by Lieut.-Colonel Toomer, the men’s social secretary. The superintendents of the prisons warmly thanked the visitors for their efforts,, on behalf of the men. Provisions for the Christmas treats provided were donated by friends.

Though only commenced between three and four weeks ago, the airshaft in the side of Mt. Victoria, which is to ventilate the new tunnel, has already been sunk to the level of the tunnel. As the shaft-sinkers had to penetrate through one fairly thick strata of hard blue stone, it is possible that the tunnel operations may yield a supply of valuable metal. The arrangement made by the contractors with the City Council is that all such metal shall be delivered to the corporation. Otherwise the spoil will be carted away by motor-lorries to a gully on the Town Belt behind the Winter Show buildings. The spoil from the eastern end will be conveyed to the Kilbirnie (Town Belt) fillings by trucks drawn by a small locomotive.