TOWARDS AN IDEAL

Dominion, Volume 9, Issue 2745, 13 April 1916, Page 5

TOWARDS AN IDEAL

THE CITY'S PROGRESS

OFFICIAL INSPECTION OF'

WORKS

BY MAYOR AND COUNCILLORS -

_ This being the opening of a new financial year, the Major (Mr. J, P. Luke) and a number of the City councillors, accompanied by the City engineer, (Mr. VV. H: Morton), yesterday made a very comprehensive round of those places whire . City works -of any kind have been done during the; past financial year. The tour, which ivas made by motorcar, oommenced at Oriental Bay, where the wall-extending work eastward froin Fitzgerald's Point,-was inspected. When the party reached the 6oene of the works, ,whore about one hundred yards of the new concrete wall; has been uncased, the tide was almost/at its highest, and, as ~ .there; was a. gale blowing from the northwest, with a heavy sea smashing against the wall, the time was. most opportune ■ ' to .note how the new style of sea-wall was doing it? work, notadropof water was falling inside the wall. The provision, of this wall will make Oriental Parade 100 feet in' width, of which' 30 feet on the seaward side will be formed into a foot- • • path of cambi-e formation, i.e. the highest part of the surface of the path will be the centre. It is hoped to keep this . ,work going, through the winter out of revenuo. The concrete wall is to be ' finished off ' with neat galvanised-iron rail. . A Problem. On past Oriental Bay the party sped; by hillsides disappearing gradually , but ' - 'surely; under colonies oi ' pretty villas. In Evans Bay. the City engineer pointed out narrow, spots-that should not be on the road that winds round to the Patent Slip. - . There a peculiar problem, faces the Patent Slip- Company. They have been called on-by the Harbour Board to i erect''another slip (according to an igreejiient entered into some years ago), and . . are . looking, for the right ; to < cross the ■ public highway, With their rails, chains, '' cradle, etc.' Now this road is a very :' popular motor drive, and ship gear is very cumbrous material to ba allowed to sprawl across the road, but there is a way out. That"'is for the . Slip Company to ; construct- an alternative road -- (of a -grade of not more than. 1 in 15), cutting ..into the hill,' and- following a ' line that will traverse the hillside at the back of the proposed and the existing slip. The work would be an expensive one, but. it would add to the Picturesquenes3 .of the drive. '/A filter-, native plan would be for the .slipways and gear to be sunk well beneath the •level, of the road, and when not ;n a/jhon to be covered with a wooden niatfojm (in sections) that would ' make a satisfactory roadway. -The council lis' at present negotiating with ' -the Patent Slip Company. ' , ■ Just a few hundred yards to the south • . .of .the Patent Slip is a fine bit of solid concrete seawall,/which was erected r " ing the past year, and which hafe enabled Mr. Morton to widen'out the road where ■ 6Uoh attention was an urgent necessity in the.interest of safe traction. j:. V . '• A Noble-Reserve. The shallow waters at the head of Evans Bay lent themselves to reclamation. 'It is at the junction of two ■ healthy and fast-growing suburbs, 'and 'must soon be in active. demand by the residents of both as a sports area. So far,, the ground reolaimed there covers an area ■ * of 15 acres, and the present scheme pro- . vides for the reclaiming of another three acres on the south side. At 'present the '"'f work has ! been'"stopped-as the supply of jpoil from' the adjacent blufl has jut. . A Monster Carshed. ... Through .'populous; South Kilbirnie a. course was steered to Onepu Eoad, where ■ e big carsbed is being erected. , This shed is being built of reinforced concrete, with iron stanchions supporting the roof. i It will accommodate 50 cars, but by pusii- ■ in* out the temporary wall oil the north 'sicca, and extending the structure .on land in hand, houso room'can be provided for still onother 50 cars. Elaborate workshops are to be constructed at the back on the southern side of the building. ■ The choice. of site for this carshcd and workshop is a happy one,,as at that .point the tracks converge from four distinct points—Miramar, Lyali Bay,. Kilbirnie, and Constable Street—all districts destined to grow rapidly, in the tu'tuTe. Travelling- along Onepu 'Eoad, with no- ' thing ahead but the.blue expanse of Cook. Strait, one could not help but be struck - -with wonder-at the growth of settlement on the isthmus that was once offered lor eale to the council for-.£200, and refused. ■ At the Bay the sand flew inhospitably, but time was given to inspect the newlyerected conveniences for men and women ,at the rear of tho Maranui tramway waitling shed. The way back was via Tainui Terrace, which is being made into a thoroughly good city-like street. The builders of the houses : that front this road deserve this work.. At Newtown Park. ... Having seen' the eastern suburbs, the >®? rs J?ushed along up' the , rejuvenated Crawford Road, wnere -the engineer indi- ■ .cated the paring of banks and filling of .gullies which had. to be done to provide a well-graded 50ft. road with a double ■ tramway track. This is the outstanding i work of the:, year,.- and is or -the greatest credit to the City Council, and the engineer who .designed' it. ■ In' Constable Street the caTs travelled oveT a • beautiful surface —5 - inches of" concrete, covered with two inches of fine asphalt, rime has. yet to pronounce its verdict on' this style of construction. Tobogganing .along to the end of .Daniel Street, there was a general surprise at, an'} admiration of, the formal beauty' of the work that .has been done at the tramway, terminus opposite the Zoo gates. There' the loop has been fenced in. roughly, yet sym- , metrically, with' huge boulders, and all • within is planted with shrubs that appear ,to be doing amazingly well. Tho bank near the gate has been treated in the same manner with similar success. "Tonks's Trouble." What is this? The party had gone be- • .yond th© Zoo rates, • and weT6 travorsiiii? a new road leading InUward. ."Oh, this is . . 'Tonics s. trouble' f" And a, smile went round. As a matter of fact, the people of that locality owe a deep debt of gratitude 'to Hr. Win.' Tonks, who 'worried and . the council until the Work of .improving Park Eoad was put in hand. A 40ft. road of easy, grade has been made for nearly its full length by cutting away banks and filling in on the other, side, giving easy access to a district at the 'back of Newtown Parle which doubtless has a , residential future. Another big improvement has been made by filling in 1 the old nursery block (which is skirted by Park Road), and.' which is to bo converted into an ornamental garden during the winter. New Golf Links. From Newtown Park an excursion was 1 .made to the Island Bay Eoad, where a long extension of the concrete culvert that .has relieved the Island Bay flat from floods was inspected. This culvert is about 6ft. by sft., and is being carried as far northward as the Chinamen's gardens. Returning, a brief visit was paid to tho 'Municipal Golf Links, where several parties were enjoying a game. All conceded ' that these links were as "sporting" in : formation as one could wish, and were going to be a fine asset to the City. Through Liardefc Street and down Hutchison Road (recently widened), the cars travelled past Jam-Tin Gully, and down on to the wood . blocks of, Adelaide lioad once more. A fleeting visit was paid Central Park, and the new Brooklyn Road ■waa traversed. In Upper Willis Street the new road surface was admired, as was also the case in Molesworth Street. Tinakori Eoad made rough travelling for the cars. At tho beautiful Botanical Gardens tho new lake and lay-out improvements were inspected and pronounced to ,be just the thing. Finally.the party dashed through Kelburn, and via Salamanca Eoad, back to the dusty City, all well satisfied that Wellington people have much ■ to be thankful for, and little to 'complain about in comparison with' our 6ister cities.