NEWS IN BRIEF

Dominion, Volume 29, Issue 200, 21 May 1936, Page 11

NEWS IN BRIEF

The Pipe of Peace

“Personally, I. like to see a good cloud of smoke; it: is the first step to conciliation,” said the Conciliation Commissioner (.Air. S. Ritchie) when the question of smoking at. the Wellington laundry workers’ proceedings heard before him yesterday came up. Closing of the Ritz.

The lease of the Ritz premises in Appleton's Building, Manners Street, having been acquired by Shillings, Ltd., the well-known restaurant will close down for business on Alay 30. Mrs. McKenzie, the proprietress, will probably hand over the premises on .Inly 1 to the new lessees. Schoolboy's Fall From Swing.

As a result of a fall from a swing at the Island Bay play area shortly before 5 p.m. yesterday, Noel Jones, a school pupil. 141 The Parade, Island Bay, received a fracture of the left leg. The Free Ambulance took him to hospital.

Katie Towers a New Zealander. Altich is being made of the fact that the two chief lady principals of Williamson’s New Comedy Company (Miss Ethel Alorrison and Miss Elaine Hamill) are New Zealand born and bred. At least one other popular member and talented performer in the company is also a New Zealander. Miss Katie Towers (Airs. George Chalmers), who has been a consistent performer with Williamson and other companies for over 39 years, was born at Thames. Fanners’ Party Reunion.

Aiembers of the Cook’s 1930 Farmers’ Party which toured England and the Continent of Europe are holding a reunion in Wellington, 45 taking part. Yesterday morning they visited Bryant and Alay’s factory, travelled to Eastbourne by a special boat and inspected the woollen mills, Petone. In the afternoon they were the guests of the Tourist Department at a screening of Australian Government publicity films, showing beauty spots in the various States, views of Melbourne, Sydney and Brisbane and life on big sheep and cattle stations.

Notable Clergyman. A distinguished Presbyterian divine in the person of the Rev. David Lang, ALA., D.D., of Pittsburg, U.S., and Canada, arrived in Wellington from Napier on Tuesday and left for Nelson by aeroplane yesterday afternoon in order to deliver a lecture there last evening. Dr. Lang is returning lo Wellington at the week-end and is to preach at St. Andrew’s Church on Sunday morning and the Kent Terrace Church in the evening. Next week Dr. Lang is to deliver addresses on Canada at the Rotary Club, the New Zealand Club, the English-Speaking Union, and Wellington College. On two previous occasions Hr, Lang has conducted round thc-world lecture tours. Diversity of Unions. "Wo are concerned at present with 1G unions, and it is very difficult to avoid infringing at one point or another,” said the chairman, Air. IV. J. Holdsworth, at a meeting of the Auckland Electric Power Board, when advice was received from the Electric Power Boards’ and Supply Authorities’ Association of New Zealand that, under the Industrial Conciliation and Arbitration Amendment Bill, employees must belong to some union. “It would be much better to have all employees in one union,” Air. Holdsworth sa.id. The board agreed to communicate further with the secretary of the association with this end In view. City Engineer’s Offices. Once more the Wellington City Council has been reminded that the city engineer’s department offices in Mercer Street are ill-adapted to the important work carried out there. In his report to the council, Air. K. E. Luke makes that quite clear. He is only repeating what t'he last Civic Commission said. Its idea was to build a big administration block l>et.ween the Town Hall and the Education Board’s offices, which could, in time, be extended up to the existing Public Library site (now made possible by the pending demolition of the old library building). The present offices of the .city engineer are ill-lighted, congested, ill-arranged, and generally unsuitable for the purpose. Big Culvert Taking Shape. The work of building the new Wellington storm-water culvert through the corporation yards is being pushed on with all expedition. As soon as that, length of culvert: is complete some of the storm water drains in that, locality will be connected with it, as there Jias been evidence of overloading of drains in that vicinity. The work of laying the new circular reinforced Gft. and -Ift. 6in. pipes in Cambridge Terrace lias reached the Alpha Street junction. It is anticipated that the work on ibis culvert will proceed much more rapidly when the pipes are down as far south as College Street. It will be well toward the end of the year before the gang reaches the Basin Reserve.