FIFTY YEARS AGO

Evening Post, Volume CXVI, Issue 103, 28 October 1933, Page 17

FIFTY YEARS AGO

ITEMS EEO3I" THE POST "

"FLOATING PALACES"

"It may legitimately lie assumed ithat tho ready subscription in London of tho additional capital required by tho New Zealand Shipping Company for the prosecution of their great enterprise —tho Direct Steam Service —is a distinct testimony to tho confidenco with which that enterprise is regarded at, Home," remarks "Tho Post" of this date fifty years ago. "Thefull amount required has been subscribed, and already tho first of tho steamers recently built for tho company is loading in London, to sail for Now Zealand next week. The second and third boats are, we learn, well on their way towards completion, and now the energy of this vigorous company has taken a sew and still bolder departure. Encouraged by tho remarkable success which has so far attended their courageous experiment they have ordered , two more steamers to be built, each of a tonnage of 1000 tons larger than that of the first three, or over 5000 tons gross register—that is to say, some 400 or 500 tons larger than the Doric or lonic. These will be floating palaces indeed, and should reduce to a minimum, tho disagreeablenesa of a long voyage. Direct, communication with Great Britain by such a service cannot fail to exercise an enormous influence in promoting the progress of this colony, and we quito agree with those who regret, that Parliament should have bo irrationally withheld all aid and encouragement from so valuable and laudable an -undertaking." PRINTING OFFICE SITE. "Everyone will freely admit that the Government, in seizing part of the Wellington Harbour Endowment for a printing office site, have at least acted upon a rule of great antiquity. The Government have the undoubted legal power, to seize our endowments, and tho • possession of that power is made tho excuso for its exercise. No justification is attempted for the act of spoliation, save the plea that it is sanctioned by law. . But what every Wellington man does, and will, and_ must question, is the wisdom, the fairness, the equity, the common honesty of this 'wresting the law to their authority,' and taking advantage of its provisions to inflict a gross wrong on this community. That is the point. We all "know p, new, Government Printing Office is urgently needed. But that is a colonial necessity, a colonial work. Whylevy blackmail on the Wellington Harbour Board to provide a site?" FROZEN MEAT TRADE., "Tho signal: success of the frozen frneat trade of New Zealand has attracted close attention and deep interest in America. - The Australian shipments jnet with such varied fortunes, and the climate is as.a rule so unsuitable for such a trade, that America jdoea not seem to havo apprehended;any jvery formidable rivalry in that quarter. But with New Zealand the case is [totally different. Tho climate is eminently favourable, and hitherto there !have been only two or three failures put of the numerous shipments of jfrozen meat which have been dispatched ifrom this colony. So much importance. 5s attached in the United1 Sta,tes to [New Zealand competition in the English meat market, that an American paper recently sent a reporter expressly to interview Mr.-; Philip Armour, •the great meat exporter, whose advice, at.. will^be ' rocollectedj was' asked not' .long ago" by the New" Zealand Government relative to meat.preserving. Mr. lArmour remarked that New Zealand' would be able to make a success of frozen sheep's meat, but in canned beef 'America would beat us. Mr. Armour apparently believes that New. Zealand can beat America in the exportation of frozen meat in carcass, both of mutton and-beef, but not as regards canned beef. But we are not disposed to beJieve all that he says." THE MAKARA GOLDFIELD. "While.carefully guarding ourselves ifrom either entertaining or inspiring false hopes as to the future of the new goldfield which appears to have been ppened up in the Makara district, we may fairly express our. gratification at |the highly satisfactory result of the first test of stone from that locality. [It is undoubtedly of a most encouragpng character; and should the same rate iof yield be found to bo maintained by jfclic reef generally, there is reasonable ground for. believing that it can be >vorked at a satisfactory profit. It is peedless to expiate on the advantage iwhich must accrue to Wellington in [having a payable goldfield, if only of imodest dimensions, at her very door, and we heartily hope that tho Makara ieefs, after the disappointment of Tera; >v:hiti, will fulfil the most sanguine expectations ,of those' concerned in .their ■development. Wo ti-ust that no means Will ,be left unturned to test the reefsthoroughly,. and in such a. way ' as" to 3eave no possibility of doubt on the pubject."' VOLCANIC SUNSETS. "During the last few nights the sunEets have been remarkably beautiful and the same- thing has been noticed in Australia too.; Tho sunrises, ■ when clear, have been of the same character. A somowhat favourite speculation is that this is,connected in some way •with the lat'o volcanic eruptions in the Straits of Sunda, and that the red glare is produced by the illuminations of volcanic dust, or something of the kind, in the upper regions of tho atmosphere. It is difficult, however, to imagino that a purely local volcanic outburst, like that near-Java, should project enough Sust or other matter to pervade the atmosphere covering an area so far jtway as New Zealand and Australia." POST OFFICE CLOCK BELLS. "The four bells recently cast at Messrs. Mills and Cable's foundry for tho new Post Office clock were tested •yesterday afternoon prior to their being hung in tho tower. Tho experiment proved highly successful. Tho bells' are tuned in the natural key, and are to chime every quarter of an hour. On teing tested the keynote was found to be an eighth of a tone flat in one and to bo a quarter of a tone sharp in another, the remaining bells being as near perfection in regard to pitch as could be desired. The defects are easily capable of rectification, and this is being done at the foundry. Considering the extraordinary difficulties connected: with bell-casting, even in English* and Continental foundries, where this kind of work is constantly performed, Messrs. Mills and Cable, who aro the first to have made such largo bells in the colony, must be warmly congratulated upon the success of the experiment. The iron framework of the dials is. now being cast, and tho first face ,-just turned out is a fine piece of work. The diameter is seven feot, and the size of the characters to denote the hours is just under one foot, the characters being of the plainest description so as to make them easily discernible at a long distance. Messrs. Littlejohn and Sons are marking excellent progress with the works of the clock, one gratifying feature- in connection with the job being that everything that is required for it is being supplied in Wellington." _^^^_____