HILLSIDE WORKSHOPS

Evening Star, Issue 19789, 13 February 1928, Page 7

HILLSIDE WORKSHOPS

NEW SOCIAL HALL AHD LIBRARY As part of the reorganisation and. rebuilding at the Hillside Railway Workshops, a very fine new social nail has been built on the opposite side of Cargill road. It was lucky that a vacant bit ot ground, half an acre or more, was available in exactly the position that is most desirable, separate from . the. works, yet only halt a minute’s walk from any of the shops. The area is half an acre, so the new building could be so planned as to give ample accommodation on the ground level and leave room lor beautifying on either side and at the back. The Love Construction Company took the contract, at a sum in the neighborhood of £5,000, and, attei unavoidable delay, caused mostly by the difficulty of getting all-heart timber thoroughly seasoned, the company is about to hand over to the Hallway Department. The building is of wood, on concrete foundations. It consists of the social hall (54 bv 29), the dining room (80 by 30), the library (49.0 by 30), and the apprentices’ room (30 by 30). Ine walls are of weatherboard; the interna finishing, is in plaster board and figured red pine. A visit to tie premises this morning, tinder the guidance of Mr J. Y. Love, was quite convincing as to the cheerlulness and brightness of the whole place, it is exceptionally well lit, spacious, and friendly looking, and the six or seven hundred men who will be employed at these workshops when the reorganisation is complete will no doubt appreciate this addition to their comfort, and the facilities afforded for social intercourse. The front appearance is quite plain, perhaps a little severe. Iho heavy iarrah fence posts and four lines or wire indicate that economy has been studied in ■ non-essentials. For utility there has been no cheeseparing, ine porcelain bath in the caretakei a quarters upstairs is one of Twyford s best, of a quality that Cleopatra would not have despised. The library is on the western wing, attached structurally, yet away from the bustle. Here Mr D. Harris Hastings will preside, and ho is proud of ms now quarters. It is a big and growing library, with over 16,000 books on the catalogue, assets totalling £979, and no liabilities, and it takes in about fifty magazines and papers. Ihe subscriptions amounted in 1916 to £BB, and last year rose to £229. Those facts are eloquent. It is proposed to shift the books over at Easter. The social hall is practically a bijou theatre, with ticket office and anteroom at the entrance, and a neat stage with approaches for the performers and stage manager. As the ceiling is 18ft from the floor there is abundant air space. The apprentices’ room adjoins the library in front. It is intended for study and social purposes, and no doubt will help in the good work of making the young fellows develop into first-class artificers.

To the dining room a very fine kitchen is attached, with appliances that are of the most modern type; and there is a servery at the other end, presumably for quick lunches. It is not yet decided whether gas or electricity will be used for cooking. Four storerooms are provided at the rear. Sliding doors are in the partition _ that divides the social hall from the_ dining room. Ample provision is made for the men to cleanse their hands and faces, and the other conveniences are on an adequate scale.