WELLINGTON NOTES.

Hokitika Guardian, 5 September 1924, Page 1

WELLINGTON NOTES.

TRAFFIC REGULATIONS. (Special to “Guardian”.) WELLINGTON Sep. For years the- street tralPie of Wellington Inis hern remarkahh- lor the total disregard of all rules, and this applies particularly to foot trallie on the footpaths. In the old days before i In- advent ol the motor car the vehicular trallie ohserved no rules, although Icy laws on the matter did exist. At night il was not an uneiiin111c■ n tiling to see an expre-s being driven tlirougli the streets with the driver carrying a hintcrn as tin- only illitin iit a ill. A single lamp in the socket was also occasionally used. When the electric- tram ears la-gan to run the vehicle' traffic- regulations improved, and there has lie-ell turlher ililprovoinciil since the advent of the iiiotor car. In the busy thoroughfares speeding mi tin- part of motorists is still to he noted, especially when some fool motorist lakes a risk and heats tie- train to it- next stopping place. Some taxi drivers, too, run the risk of turning their ears ill sou-e of lhe rtariiiw littSy streets. While- il can Insaid that vehicular trallie has improved out of sight in respect to the observance of trallie regulations the same cannot lie said for the foot iraflie. Pedestrians have long made it a practice to loiter in the streets, to walk abreast and block the centre of the footpath. It is no unc-iiniinciii tiling to see half-a-div'.eu women holding an animated conversation in the middle of a footpath in a busy thoroughfare. Men, too. may be seen engaged in conversation in threes and lours, and w ben races of any importance are being held anywhere in the Dominion lln- entrances to certain hotels are invariably blocked. ’1 lie ( ily ( nulled tried a few months ago to regulate the foot trallie. ( balk lines wen- run a long the middle of the footpaths and at intervals lie- warning " Keep to tin- let I ” was stencilled. This was accepted as a bilge joke- Tin regulation was observed bv a few for a time, but tbev a 1-el abandoned tbeir eflorls to eon-plv with tin- regulations. Now* tbe ( itv (\iniicil lias arranged lor an ollicrr to lake enlitrnl of t lie- trallie. and Constable Hollis who lias bail considerable experience lias been selected for the posit ion. If lie rail make Wellingtoiiiaus " Kec-pt to the left !u- will do good work. TIIK AMERICAN Iit)(ITI.F.GCER. A gent lonian who has iiisi relnrnc-d from a holiday visit to I lie l nited States, and who visited several large American cities slated in the course of a private conversation that the bootlegger is a recognised trader in the Stales. Tile coast line of the I nited States is so immense, and the Inoilier line between C a hi and the Stales so long that the authorities are liinling it almost impossible to cheek llm operations of bootleggers. I.i(|imr is being smuggled into the country in huge cpumtili"-. and wlu-re il is not sold openly in saloons as ol old, il i' •till sold fre.-ly. Those wlm Mali)’ h,,.mr have I Ic-ir ow n boolJt-ggers. josl ;u they bitvi* lheir tailors, and an nr-,l,-r liy telephone lo llm hoollegger will result in prompt delivery ol Hm licpmi ordered. Even amongst ollieiaU whose duty it is to help in the suppression ~! j,,. illicit trallie there is It■ r the prohibition law. Ihe worst 1,.;,! oi" i, I hat. I lie iln Ic li im me ■.■ 11• • 1 11 lo ll.oif lie- law. ami oaim.ilL lb.-v are growing lIP with ob-a. ol c-il izeusbip. NOT (.HITE LEV El. HEADED. The Wellington City Council is perhaps no better and on wnisi- than oilier similar bodies, hut it can make soil- ■ laci'l costly lilnnch-rs. The Council is laving down a loop tramway line to connec t' (’listniulmuse Quay w u.h |.Mini.ton Quay. The junction with the latter will be c-lfeeted at a very busy intersection and it will he marvellous it there are not several accidents at the spot before the people bc-eoiim nroust umod to it. Rill this is not all. Apparentlv the levels ill connection with the laying of the Irani rails were not taken. and when the work was -iarted it was diseevered iliat ibe- rails w ere being laid lie-low I lie level ol , (puiy. Tim result i' that thericil- have to I"- raised and tbe whole' sirret ri"-cach-d. Inste ad of doing the' l-iii-lavill-' 11, I le-giading logc-.her I he- bitter is Icing deferred until the nil- are down. Then the- street will |„. torn nil and il will probably be .mar ( brist.nas before the «;>> l„. lit for trallie. This si real wa- laid diiwii under a coaling ol bitumen not n very Inn*' :«••«» wliirli inputs that a lot „l'motley lt«s t...... s.|Ua,.dered. Tim work is being done by day Inborn and the work is going; "" pace. Not so very long ago llm 1“---nuin of another C o.t.i. il job was asked if the men could 111,1 s l , *‘ t ‘‘ l u >’ a , tie without hurling themselves. He re'dic'd that they could speed up a 1,1 • \sked whv lie did not make them wake in, he explained that if !»' tr.i-.l lo ~‘t a lull clay’s work out ol them. Hiere would he numerous imp amts and tin' aullmrities won,l most ''ke y judge these eon.plaiills llmt W «’„u ' not handle tl.e men and sack him. ' is time that most of the muiueipal work was done by emilrael.