FIFTY YEARS AGO

Evening Post, Volume CXXIII, Issue 108, 8 May 1937, Page 17

FIFTY YEARS AGO

ITEMS FROM THE

"POST"

UNIVERSITY COLLEGE

"Tardy and scant justice is proposed to be done to Wellington in the matter of higher education by the Bill introduced by the Premier, and yesterday, read a second time by the House, to establish a University College in'this; city," records "The Post" of this date fifty years ago. "Dunedin, Christchurch.and Auckland have long ago had1 their needs in this direction well ministered to, but Wellington has been left,out in the cold. Even now it is only ■proposed to give an endowment of lands, which the Premier describes as not valuable, and a paltry £1500, as compared with Auckland's £4000 a year from the consolidated revenue, arid the still more magnificent revenue's assured .to the Canterbury and Otago institutions. However, we supposewe muM be content with small mercies, and) regarding what it is now proposed to accord as a gift horse, must not look too closely at its teeth. We know that Sir Robert Stout has this question very much at heart, that he thoroughly sympathises with Weftington's position in the matter, and has devoted much attention and thought to devising means for meeting our requirements in regard to higher education. It may therefore be accepted that in this Bill he has. done, all that circumstances, permit of being done. We are glad to see'that there was no disposition in', the-House to cavil at the proposal, as the Bill passed its second reading' without debate. We hope soon to hail the Wellington University College as an accomplished fact,and to be ab|e to congratulate Dr. Hector and Mr. Skey on adding tha title of Professor to their other distinc- • tions." ROUND THE ROCKS. "It is to be hoped that the City Council will see its way to assist the Kilbirnie Road Board in opening up the coast road round to Island' Bay. The board is doing all it can with the funds at its disposal, and has, in-fact, ehown very praiseworthy energy and enterprise in the matter. The road will form"a charming^outlet to the city | end supply a much-felt .want. Wellington is sadly deficient in'suburban drives, and the'scenery on this proposed road would be of a character,unequalled .in the1 colony. The city would benefit greatly by the 'opening of' such a drive, and it is but right that the Corporation should bear some of the cost. ■■The Kilbirnie Road Board is very moderate in the amount for which it asks, and if the City Council can see its way to give the £250, there is good reason to believe that this Queen's drive may be completed by means of voluntary subscriptions Its completion would foim no unfitting commemoration oiC the Jubilee year." THE POST OFFICE CLOCK. "The City Council has acted promptly and properly in offering to renew its subscription of £150 towards a Post Office: clock. It is to be hoped that the Harbour Board will act in like manner. Such offers of renewed contributions from local bodies will show the Government how highly the, public estimated the convenience of having a reliable timekeeper chiming;out the quarters. . It is to be hoped that the Government ■ will lose no time in giving the order for a new clock to replace that ( destroyed in the recent disastrous fire, and when the tower is reerected care should be taken to include the belfry storey, so that the music of the • bells may find freer egress. and be heard at a greater distance than was formerly the case." TE KOOTI. - "Ten of Te Kooti-s followers 'are at present on a visit to their co-religionists at ■•Te Dre" Ore. *, They, have- just- arrived from the. Wairpa. district, and are under the' leadership of a chief named "Petara.and their object is to errange for a visit of Te Kooti to the Wairafapa" during the present year. Several of the Wairarapa Natives have been converted to Te Kootiism —a mixture of Hau'Hauism and something else —during the recent visit of the old chief to Porangahau, and they appear to place great'reliance in the new prophet." . ' PETONE WATER SUPPLY. "The poll of ratepayers of the Petone Town Board District, to decide whether a loan of £4500 should be raised for the purpose o£ providing a water supply for the district, resulted in an unfortunate defeat of the proposal. This was. no doubt, the result ■of the weather, for had the day beep fine it is probable that a greater number of votes would have been recorded and the loan carried; We believe that it is now the intention of the .board to at once commence preliminaries to take another poll on the question, when it is to be hoped that they will be successful. The. number of votes polled in favour of the scheme was 169, and the number against 20. The number of ratepayers who were in favour of the supply was 10,7, and only 16 against. One hundred and twenty-five voters and 177 votes were required to carry the vote, so it will be seen that the number of votes required to enable the work to be gone on with was very few in excess of those actually polled." , ■: ' ; • "* ' LOWER HUTT FINANCES. As affording an insight into the growth of Lower Hutt during the last fifty years, the following balance-sheet of the Hutt Town Board, taken from "The Post's" advertisement columns of fifty years ago, is instructive: —The year's estimated income was . £491 0s 3d, made up of: —Cash in hand, £9 17s 6d; a one halfpenny rate on £124,950, £260 6s 3d; three publicans' licences at £40 each, £120; one wholesale licence, £20; subsidy 'from Government, £65 Is 6d; and dog taxes, £15 15s. It was proposed to expend this munificent sum of £491 0s 3d as follows: —Roads and footpaths, £271 11s; bridges and culverts, £21 6s Od; Hospital and Charitable Aid, £65 Is 6d; salaries for clerk, treasurer, and collector, £30; advertising, £25; books, stationery, stamps, £10 Is 9d; timber 'or bridge repairing and kerbing, £20; ■ngineer and surveyor, £15; leaving *.23 for contingencies.