"A HORRIBLE THING"

Evening Post, Volume CXL, Issue 148, 20 December 1945, Page 5

"A HORRIBLE THING"

WATERFRONT SIREN

i Objection to the siren which has 7\taken the place of the steam whistle as the official time signal for the waterfront (and the city) was expressed at last evening's meeting of the Harbour Board. "It is a horrible thing," said Mr. W. I. J. Blyth. Another member: A jolly good whistle. Mr. Blyth: No. It is a hideous thing. Mr. E. V. Bevan said that the siren was upsetting ex-prisoners of war; it was just like the German whistle. The trouble, said the chairman (Mr. W. H. Price), was that no steam was available at present, and the. siren was the only alternative now that the electric pumping plant had been put into operation. Electrification of the •station had done away with the smoke nuisance, and it seemed that the use iof the siren would have to be conI tinued. ! "Is it the most pleasant type of siren jwe could have?" asked Mr. R. L. Macjalister. "Apparently we are going to ] have this kind of thing for a long time ]to come. Why not try to have the best ;we can get?" He thought the board's | officers should look into the matter land try to find some improvement, i The chief engineer (Mr. K. T. Jenssen) said that every avenue had been explored in an effort to obtain a suitable siren. The only one available in the city was the present type, an. old E.P.S. siren. ,_*_«. Sir Charles Norwood remarked that it might be a good thing for the Free Ambulance. . The discussion then terminated.