FIFTY YEARS AGO

Evening Post, Volume CXV, Issue 35, 11 February 1933, Page 9

FIFTY YEARS AGO

ITEMS PROM " THE POST "

EIGHTEENTH BIRTHDAY

"Our natal anniversary has come round once more/ remarks "The Post" of Bth, February, 1883, "and to-day 'The Evening Post' completes its eighteenth year of publication, the first number having been issued on Bth February, 1865. The past year has been in every sense a progressive one with us. Our circulation, alike in town and country, has steadily increased. At the same time the pressure on our space, especially in the way of advertisements, haa also so persistently grown that our columns, as they were a year ago, were utterly inadequate to afford the necessary accommodation. We found it absolutely needful to take steps for grappling with both of these conditions; and some months back we endeavoured to meat the demands on our space by a .very substantial enlargement, th 6 additional room thus provided being no leas than four columns, an extra column, to each page. Even this has already proved barely sufficient for our rapidly-expanding requirements, and the pressure is still often very embarrassing. Our fast augmenting circulation has also demanded a special effort to enable us to get the paper out with due promptitude.'• .For some years we have used a 'two-feeder 5 printing machine, which prints two copies at a time and turns out 3500 per hour. This however, is wholly unequal to our present and prospective requirements^ and we have therefore sent Home for s a 'four-feeder' machine of the newest aad most approved construction, which we expect to'receive very shortly. When that is ill use it will print four copies at a time, £nd turn out no fewer than SOOO per hour. This will, of course, enable us to bring out the paper with much more celerity than is practicable under existing conditions. Further improvements are. also in contemplation and will be carried *>ut as required. We have every confidence in the future of this city and district, .and feel satisfied that in - looking somewhat ahead and preparing for a large increase in population^ and trade we are indulging, in, no vain anticipation, but are exercising a wise forethought. Even since our last 'anniversary "the prospects of Welling-: ton have'brightened. The actualcom-; mencement of work on the WellingtonManawatu'; railway, that long-desired means of communication between this city and her finest back country, is in itself an event fraught with the happiest augury." : '■' WAINUI-O-MATA TUNNEL. "An important" stage in the progress of the. Wainui-o-mata Waterworks was reached this morning, when the boring of what is known as the long tunnel' was completed. This is • the tunnel which carries the pipes through the hill which separates the Wainui-o-mata Valley from Wellington Harbour. It was commenced nearly three years ago, and the progress has necessarily been slow from the fact that only four men could work at it at a time—namely, two at each end. Part of the tunnel has had to be carried through very hard rock, and this has made the work more tedious than even contemplated originally. However, the men have 'been working night and day in eight-hour shifts ever since they started, and the patience, and perseverance of those engaged was at length rewarded at 4 o'clock this morning, when the two working parties who had teen boring so industriously from each side of the hill met at the centre. So exact, were the calculations that there was not an inch of difference between the two sections of the tunnel. Considering that the latter is 37 chains, or nearly half a mile in length, this is a feat'of which an engineer may justly feel proud. The tunnel, in fact, is believed to'be the longest in the North Island,'the longest on the Eimutaka railway being only 30 chains in .length. Dynamite has had to be freely used for blasting out the hard rock referred to, and it was found that after the boring had proceeded some 15 chains it was impossible! to work ia the confined space available without some special means of ventilat-! ing the tunnel.. The process by which air is driven.into subterranean works by means of falling water was adopted with entire: success. The tunnel is partly lined with brickwork and partly with moulded; concrete blocks. Not a single accident has occurred during the whole progress of. the iwork.' ■ ■ WATER FOE WELLINGTON. , "We have said that the completion of the tunnel is an important stage in the progress of the waterworks. It is, in fact, the main factor upon -which the date of completion of the waterworks has all along depended. Now that'it .has been practically completed, but little remains to be done before ■ the pure stream of the Wainui-o-mata finds its way into the houses of the citizens of Wellington./ The mains' have been laid from, Wellington to the foot of the Waiuui-,0-mata Hill, and from the other side of. the hill to the reservoir. Tho only works of any importance now to be •executed consist of the- construction of the dam, tenders for which will be invited immediately, and the laying of about 50 chains of pipes up the incline and through the tunnel. It is hoped that this will be finished by about' June next, and the new water supply then turned into the Wellington mains." / : - NEW BONUSES OFFERED. ."It has.been decided to offer several new" industrial bonuses. A bonus of 50 per cent, on the value realised for the first £ 1000 worth of cocoons of the silkworm, or silkworms'- eggs, produced in the colony, will be paid on quantities of not less than £50, not more .than £100-produced by ono person. A bonus of £500 will be given for the first £2500 worth of manganeisen, and a similar bonus for a like amount of manganese-bronze, produced in the colony from New Zealand ores, ana sold at a fair market price in a foreign market. A bonus of £300 will be given for the first £1500 worth of ■New Zealand marble exported from the colony and sold in a foreign market at a price of not less than nine shillings per cubic foot. A bonus of £500 will be given for the first 250 tons of antimony regulus produced in the colony from New Zealand ores and sold at a ±air market-price in a foreign market Also a bonus of £1000 will be given for the production m New Zealand by a. direct process, of 200v tbns of 'iron blooms,' of marketable quality, from ore produced,in New Zealand >'