HUTT VALLEY NEWS

Dominion, Volume 28, Issue 92, 12 January 1935, Page 4

HUTT VALLEY NEWS

As a result of a motion at the meeting of the Upper Hutt Borough Council last evening, the medical officer of health, Dr. W. F. Findlay, is to be written to asking the reason for his objection to the borough using the racecourse water to augment its supply. Au interview with the Mayor, Mr. A. J. McCurJy, on this question, was published in "The Dominion” early in the week.

Thanks for the willing and ready response of the Upper Hutt Borough Council when bush fires recently threateend houses in the Plateau locality was conveyed in a letter from Plateau residents received at the meeting of the council last night.

A tribute to the municipal volunteer fire brigade was paid by the Mayor, Mr. A. J. McCurdy, at the meeting of the Upper Hutt Borough Council last evening. He said the brigade had got out wonderfully well at the recent fires, and had acted with great celerity. A motion of congratulation and appreciation was carried. FIREMEN’S HOBBIES Illustration at Petone MODEL ENGINE BUILT Firemen do not sit about sunning themselves iu their spare time. Instead they think out ingenious schemes and put them into practice. One, Motorman J. McGrath, of the Petone Fire Station, has been engaged for about 18 mouths on one of his ideas. He is making a model fire engine, which before long will travel at a spee’d of anything up to 15 miles an hour, and which will be capable, as are big machines at the station, of pumping water on to a fire and putting it out. Of course, the fire must not be too big, for the model itself is only 32 inches overall, being built on a scale of two inches to the foot. It is ]5 inches high and 10} inches wide. It is not an easy job making models such as this, and, like Rome, they can’t bo built in a day. In fact the tiny ornamental radiator cap, cut out of a solid piece of brass, took three to four hours to make. All of it was done with a file, for a lathe could not be used, 'fhe brake lever was not complete until after six and three-quarter hours, and the gear lever and slides occupied 14} hours. The brass steering wheel was a heavy job. It took a couple of days, but the water-tight radiator required a fortnight. Every conceivable gadget that a modern fire-fighting engine should have is embodied in this little model. Its mechanical what-nots function exactly like any motor-car. In fact it is doubtful if any model of a fire-engine of the size has been built in this country that so religiously follows the lines of the big machines. A Very Delicate Job. And there is hardly a part of the whole outfit that has not been built by (lie fireman himself. lie has gone to infinite trouble to make the-tlniest little screws and nuts, things that most model-builders would prefer to have made for them. Mr. McGrath has very decided views on that aspect. For instance. someone offered to lend him a number of illustrated magazines which showed how to go about the job. In- j cidentaily none of them dealt with fire-engines. But the fireman would have nothing to do with any of them for books showed only how to assemble the model. He wanted to make his. And that is what he is doing with this machine, which perhaps in a year will run for half an hour on end, and drink up petrol, water, and oil like any motorca r.

It seems strange that, in this exceedingly delicate job (which would be spoilt if the builder erred a fraction in his measurements), the tires are the most difiicult problem of all. The particular type Mr. McGrath wants are like those which a certain rubber firm uses as part of an asii tray Unfortunately, they are half an inch too big, and it is said that it would cost five pounds to have six tires of tlie size required made.

Like most hobbies, model engine building cannot be done without money. The fireman has had to spend quite a bit on iron, metal, woodwork and rubber, but be is as economical as possible. He showed this to a jeweller who wanted 4/6 to cut out seven letters (tlie name for the front of the engine). Mr. McGrath said that was too mucli. He did the job himself in half an hour with a hack-saw. J UPPER HUTT PHONES No Public Call Office The Upper Hult borough is not to have public call office facilities, according to a communication from the Direc-tor-General of tlie Post Office Department, in reply to tlie council's request for. the installation of the office. “I beg to inform yon that I lie following proposals have been thoroughly investigated,” the letter from the Post Office stated: “(a) Two public call offices at the Upper Hutt Post Office, one for service to local subscriliers and the other for service to Wellington subscribers. “(b) A public call office at Howell’s Corner giving service to local subscribers only. “(e) A publie call office at Chappell’s store. Silverstream, giving service to local subscribers only. “In each clise the revenue likely to be derived would be considerably below the annual maintenance and working costs. In the circumstances, it is very much regretted that your request cannot be given favourable consideration. “It is desired to point out that a reduction from 4d. to Id. has recently lieen made in tlie charge for calls from the Upper Hult Post Office to local subscribers, and in a measure this reduction will overcome the need for separate £nll office installations.” SILVERSTREAM WATER Better Since Mayor Made Restrictions “I should like to express.my appreciation of the efforts recently made to improve the water supply for the ] Silverstream portion of the borough, i stated a letter from Mr. J. Snell, received at the meeting of tho Upper Hut): Borbugli Council last evening. "For the past two months or morel

there has not been a drop of water for domestic or sanitary use from 0 a.m. until after 10 p.m. each day. and the inconvenience and unpleasantness of this experience can be imagined. I am pleased to say that since the issue of the recent notice of the Mayor there lias been a marked change for the better and we now have a regular and sufficient supply for all necessary purposes.” The writer also expressed the hope that the council was giving consideration to lhe urgent necessity of effecting some permanent improvement either by the provision of storage reservoirs or otherwise. The complete prohibition of tlie use of water for hosing could only be regarded as a temporary expedient. CHURCH ARMY MISSION Visitors to the I’etone district are Captain Kee and Sister Jutson, or the Church Army, London, who are holding a series of beacli services, especially for the children, during the school holidays Captin Kee and Sister Jutson are also holding special services in St. Augustine's Church every Sunday during January.