IN OTHER CENTRES.

Dominion, Volume 1, Issue 62, 6 December 1907, Page 4

IN OTHER CENTRES.

(PIMM ODH SPECIAL CORRESPONDENTS.) ♦ AUCKLAND. December 4. The Premier's decision to havo the new ■Auckland Post Office erected on the railway station frontage has aroused a chorus of dissent in business circles. The dissatisfaction felt is thus voiced editorially by the " Hornld " : " Auckland greatly needs a new post office and a new railway station, and tho Government ovidontly proposes, by erecting tlio proposed post office building upon the railway frontago to Queen Street not only to save tho money that, would be roquired to buy a central site, but to evado the demand for a now railway station; but although Sir Joseph Ward announces his decision that Aucklandors shall go to tho foot of Queon Stroet whenover business calls them to tho General Post Office, and tells us-that-a new railway station will subsequently bo built'in a back courtyard of this Post Office, there are circumstances to take into consideration which are stronger . than any Premier or Government. We. were recently told. by a Minister of the Crown that our civic objection to. the violation of municipal building regulations by the Railway Department would be visited upon our heads, and this is a part of the visitation, but no official determination can prevent Auckland from growing so largo that its commercial centre will bo far removed from tho proposed Post Office, and that its railway business will imperatively demand reasonable consideration. Whatever building is now erected on the railway frontago, and to whatever use it is now put, it will speedily become impossible for any but railway business, and will havo to be transformed into a railway station while another and more central site is obtained for a General Post Office. Already we are told that the railway engineering staff will bo accommodated in tho new building with tho Tourist and other public offices, and we may depoiid upon it that oventually it will be the departments immediately associated with transit and transport which will evict from tho buildings those for whom the location is altogether unsuitable.- Meanwhilej we may hopo that the Government will make its choice (if irrevocable) as little to be deprecated as is possible by leaving a Money Order and Savings Bank branch with the intended Telegraph Office in Shortland Street. We can scarcely boliovoj however,' that the last word has been' said on this question, or that tho people of Auckland will quietly submit to tho decision which tho Government has arrived at." Similar in tono to this leading article are letters to the Press from business men, one of whom remarks:—"Two hundred thousand pounds are available for the new Post Offices of Auckland and Wellington. To this has. to bo added another sum of, say, £40,000, from the salo_of tho present Post Office at Auckland; £75,000 is required to complete tho Wellington building,, leaving £175,000 for Auckland. Surely this sum is sufficient to secure, a suitable block of land and erect a building worthy of our city. Unless some strong protest is made at once it will be too Let us agitate for something equal to 'Wellington,' which claims two magnificent sites for its Post Office and railway, station, and not have our railway offices in the backyard of the Post Office." A Route to Cisborne. A .matter of great interest to. the farming community hero and further south is dealt with in a ; special article in the "Herald," which states:—"Both Auckland and Poverty Bay districts havo long:felt tho want of a route to enasble the former to purchase and the latter to sell sheop suitable for various purposes. The Gisborno district is all parts of Auckland province, and it is Auckland's biggest sheep-bearing area, over two millions being grazed in Cook, Waiapu, and part of Wairoa counties. The other part of Auckland wants breeding ewes, and wants them badly, and- Gisborno district has the finest breeding owes; in the Dominion, for tho roason that tho flocks thero havo , not been picked ovor so much for lambs for. freezing.purposes. i There -is a good routo from Opotiki .to : Gisborno over tho ; Moou, but thero aro five rivers to swim,, rondering-that- road almost 'impassable for sheep. What the. districts want, and what they must,, havo. in' tho immediate future, is a. stock-track connecting the Waikato with Poverty Bay district, via Galatea and V" aikarcmoana. As a-matter of fact, there are only about seventeen , miles of stocktrack required. For years, there has been agitation for tho cutting through of this , track. The Chamber of Commerco has passed.resolutions, the Farmers' Union has urged it upon the Government, Auckland members have worked for it; but the track is not through yet. Tho Hon. J. Carroll states that in the Supplementary Estimate? a .vote is provided under the tourist tracks I section.. It. does not matter to the country which Department carries out the work so ong as it in done, but tho completion of this stock-route is one of tho most urgent public works in tho. province of Auckland. In addition, the routo will be a splondid tourist track, opening up some of tho most picturesque scenery of tho Waikaremoana district. Tho opening-up of tho WaikatoGisborne stock-route would immediately send up Auckland's export of frozen lamb from about 5(J,000.,t0 150,000 per annum. Sheop como all the way from Wellington province up through tho King 'Country, whereas that great trade should all be done by Auckland's own territory in tho Gisborno district. The opening of the Waikato-Gis-borno track would, enable it to. at once establish one of the largest shoep rotufns of any province in tho Dominion. An endeavour is .being made to interest tho Povortyß ay branches of the Farmers' Union, the Gisborne Chamber of Commerce, 'and the Poverty Bay people gonerally, so that combined action may be taken to press upon tho Government tho. necessity for completing this work at the earliest possible moment." ' .. Lamplighters' Troubles. The marine suburb of Devonport is haying trouble of tho kind that reads rather like a screaming farce in connection with its.street lighting. It appears that .the prevailing conditions all tend to plungo tho place in darkness and drive lamplighters to an-early grave. For instance, tho Borough Council recently having complained to the Gas Company regarding tho lighting, the secretary of. the company replied, stating that .the reason for the lamps being unlighted was chiefly due to persons swinging on them, turning them oif and on, and breaking .tho glass with stones. Ho had also been informed that boys made a practice .of signalling by the,lamps by pulling the lovers off and on in imitation of the signalling, carried on at the forts. "There is still another cause of complaint, and that is the number of horses and cattle roaming about tho_ roads," continned the writer. "These animals havo repoatodly been seen rubbing .. themselves against the posts, and Uie vibration caused thereby cannot fail to destroy the mantles and prevent a good light from tho lamps." Sex Distinctions. A protest against the conservatism of,tho universities of Oxford and Cambridge'in respect _to sex distinctions was uttered by Sir Maurico O'Rorke whilst speaking at the'ecremony of tho laying of the memorial stono at tho new girls' grammar school. AH the universities north of the Tweed, he said, were opon to boys and girls aliko, and when they got across to Erin's Isle they found that the same advanced policy prevailed. Of the ton English universities eight were open to girls, but he regretted to havo to say that the two greatest of these institutions still kept their doors closed to women. It had been said that these two universities had been founded in the Dark Ages, when it was considered sufficient to enlighten one-half of the community. He hoped,- however, that bettor counsels would yet prevail, and that tho King and Queen would bo among tho first to take steps to ensure the same advantages for girls that were now enjoyed by boys at Oxford and Cambridge.