ADVANCE WELLINGTON

Dominion, Volume 13, Issue 81, 31 December 1919, Page 3

ADVANCE WELLINGTON

PROGRESS DURING THE YEAR

[GREATER METROPOLITAN AREA ;

(By "Sylvius.")

Although, for ohrious reasons, no fcrent amount of new work of any considerable dimension lias b:en done municipally during the year now drawing to n close, tho year IDti) will rank as one of considerable 1111 poflance in the history of the city fiom a'purely civic point of view. From April 1 last'the boundaries of tho city were extended to includo the Onslow torous'.i, lyin;r contiguous to Iho old nwth'-wejt boundary of the city. This merger brings into the n-etropolitaii area a fine extent of jood building land —very e;ood in and around Khaj'.dallah, but.hilly in the vicinity cf N;'aio. Thw district,' although within between three and four miles of the middle of tho city as the crow hies, has been retarded in growth owing to the wretehfd fiibnrbnn train service on which it depends for communication with the city. Wers Onslow tm the ilat. this would probably have been jemedjed longi aro, but nature has placed it anion? the hills 500 or GSOft. above the level of the sea, and any mechanical means of transit involves engineering problems, and considerable expense, in jrivhif; effect to the best of them. This i;> realisable w&en it is known that tho railway between Wellington and Iv.ga/o passes throu?h no fewer than five tunnels; s'o that in the task of giving Onslow lytte.r transit facilities the city lias a "facer" bsforo it, and uuli! there is food t'an'it tlbe area of buildable loud is' not likely to bo rushed'N by hnniiMnakers. Onslow, too, will want a high-pressure-water fuppl.v and a drainage system, both works of considerable magnitude, and liardlv justified until the population is a good deal greater than it is ta-dny. The'population of that part of •the cit.v will nnd does depend .on better mean? of access or a _ inuc.h-improved twin service. 60 that this must neeessnrily be the first and greatest, question for consideration before other: big works can ba undertaken. .The year, too, has seen two other contiguous boroughs' weighing the pros and cons of an amalrriniation with the city. Iv'arori has wisely decided "fc> throw in her lot with Wellinirton. ar.d will automatically become part and nareel of the city on Aaril 1 next. Miramar borough, on the othe- hand, although dependent on tho eitv services, far ■water, electric light, nnd power for her tframwavg, threw out the amalgamation proposal at a rejent noil, lite ratepayers deciding amongst themselw t'tat they had nothing to gain and something to loso by throwing' in their lot with the city. As to their wisdom in so deciding time alone can, and probably will, prove. Our Greatest Need. . Ono subject on which much has been (?aid and litfle done during the year in tho augmentation of fbc city's' wat»r supply. When Mr. Morton 'went to England early in the vp»r. bo left a voluminous rcnort on the subject, only scraps of which have been permitted (o aptienr. This report nrov'dcs for another /lan Tat IVainui. tunnelling through the hill to tan the Oronssrnngo Stream, duplication of the main ni n "s betiveen tho dam; and the W'ainui Hi!!, and a great deal ef main extension within tho city. _ The report also - mentions other possible sources of water supniy availnb'e for Wellington, cuc'i ns the Hutt liiver and v Akat;n'nwa Sireain fat tbe,]iead of the Hutt YellevV As Wellington line hcen nntorionsly short of water for the last three or four autumn?., nnd advertisements mni'-sting the public not .to hose their frnrder.s in Jfare'n arc familiar, if was thought that the unrest and quickest way of augmenting our water supply would be ti reinforce our supnly by bringing the Orongorong.-' Stream (or ns much "f if as was wanted) info Wainui, but Mr. Morton's re-art (aci'onliiig to (lie "Mayor mid' against, his ideas) was'to make flic hniVling of n n(jw conservation dam the first olijective. ' Po' (h» nast six montlis have-been in "fpelinj for foundations" much lower >. jlnwn the ptveam than the. lowest existing da"'. That work was still soing.on, r.ot- with • vorv encouraging resnlfc, vbpn it was last reported on—and th« driest on record s'nres the c-'tv in tbe face. It is cordmlly hoped that tbe.work of pushing on with the n'>'-?jnrr ,'nf. th" Oronsorenco tiiiun.l (at'tbe head of Georie Creek) will '<f> 'givn i-'med'-te consideration now H-at lh» C :, y Engineer has returned from abroad.'

Son-o Mo'ii"" Tho City Council has li&o housing problem -forced under iti .otico duijrij; . tho last six months, anil t"io vear ha.s witnessed 'vha formation of a "Labour party" in the council r.nct " a Jlou'siiisr Committee. Land has been acnuired at Noi'taliiiid,-and n somewhat hiphimrd scheme of house-building is beinK pursued as rapidly ;is the labour shortage and ether disabilities ponuii. The council has also acquired a block of ■land further on near AViltpn's Hush for future housc-buiidins, should the famine continue.' It is promised to give both blocks tramway facilities in the more or less distant, future Mention should also be made of tho foresight of the council in -sccurimr recreation reserves at Klinndallali.- Niraio, ami Wadestown, and gifts' have been made to' : the council of an \ , area of land to (no west of the ICarori './tunnel .for the purpose'of public baths ' and lawn tennis court--, and of an area for a rest nark at Island Bay. A good Fohemo is in hand for tho general in:nrorcment of Island Bay. ' ' Disfiguring a B;ach. ■The residents of Lyall Bay have forced the attention of the City Cu;:ui-{I lo the m.'imiM' iu which the council'# policy is cj.iduallv but surely spoiling the beach and promenade by tho erection of a multiplicity of unsightly wooden sheds, dot- - ted promiscuously along tiie . beach. * Whilst these sheds have not met the need of tho army of bathens (hat frequent the beach when summer days arc long (and v.;armi, they have shut out the view of the beach from promenaders along the [Parade. It has remained for the Lyali I 'Bay liatcp.iyers' Association (per idr. Howitti io submit ljy far. the best and most economical plan of meeting the rcm.irements of bathers and,-the public, and an'enthusiastic "heip-yourself" camDaren is to be initiated this tveeb by the holdiiis of a big beach carnival. The nromo'ers—and their building scheme— de.wrve. the encouragement of a sonwu hat tardy and behind-datc council in this mattev. , Yerv slowly (owing to a seemingly chronic shortage of labour) tho work of ereetin<r I he cea-v/all at Oriental . Bay lias progressed. It is now well on the wav to completion. but a'; the present Tate, of coustruelion that desideratum is not within view. The band rotunda, which disfigured Jervois Quay for so manv vears. lias been re-erected in Oriental Bav. and some day, perhaps, a band be induced to play in i;. Tho Dust Cur-o. Wellington's greatest nuisance is its dust, and lillle or nothing is done to combat if. Time after lime the council bus talked of tho dust nuisance and agreed that its genesis is in the macadamised roads which lead to the main streets in such a way that they are ideally situi ated so as to permit of the full force of the prevailing north-westers to c'arrj; the grit and giiine into every shop and house in the city. The cure, of eour.?e. is permanent road-surfacing, but macadam still has its adherent* 011 the City Corporation si alf—Lower Taranaki Street (from .Tervms Quay to the wharf) was recently relaid in macadam, and a first-class dust promoter is re-created for at least a year or two to conic. 'I he wood blocks in many parts have been allowed to perish for the want of a protective coating of tar. The .Mayor, councillors, and start' admit it —but nothing •has been or is being done. The tarring of the wood blocks goes on all the year round 011 the wharf. AYliy not on our Rtfcels? In many places the bare wood blocks in ivet weather have become a menace to life and limb (as the Chief Sanitary Inspector and many others are / awiire|.' The 'blocks cry aloud for tar— W there is no tar. Why? Motor Control, Another matter which has been forced under tho attention of the council is the lack of proper control of motor traffic

in our streets. The Motor Inspector has reported to the point on many occasions. The fact that this odicial years ago pointed to needed reforms that arc at length recsiviny some aftontion shows that lie was alert to the ligktninf; growth of motor traffic and (ho 7iecd of stringent laws to govern it. After a few mora fatalities the council, will draft a complete motor by-law. and the streets will onco more become reasonably snfo to women and children..