NEWS AND NOTES.

Hokitika Guardian, 26 November 1929, Page 7

NEWS AND NOTES.

One of the most up-to-clate and complete sets of laundry equipment in the world will be housed at York when the extensions to the present railway laundry there are completed. But wonderful as the new machinery will be, with its 901 b and 1101 b irons, hydro extractors, clothes, tumblers, and the rest, to many people the real portent of the railway laundry is the llact that even now men as well as girls are engaged in washing the soiled linen from the train, steamships, and hotels served by this great ‘ wash house.” It is a sign of the times, for there are more men doing domestic work to-day than ever before. Partly because of the shortage of girls willing to enter service,” young men have frequently been engaged to do work ol this kind. A numlier of ex-servicemen are employed thus, and successful experiments have also been made with unemployed youngsters from the depressed mining areas. According to their employers, male servants are more easily trained than women and perform most of the ordinary household tasks more efficiently.

Turtles Brothers have apparently not forgotten the trouble that came to their circus when it visited Dunedin during the Exhibition year. The season was not a very successful one, and a gale of wind knocked the tents about, Moreover, there was trouble in regard to getting a site for the Cii'CUH. At the conclusion of the season the Wirths stated that they would never show in Dunedin again. They passed the city by on their next visit to New Zealand, and they intend to do so again' this year. The circus will land at the Bluff on Monday, and will play the southern towns. It will even appear at Mosgiel on one side of Dunedin and Palmerston on the other. Whether the circus people are not “ cutting off their noses to spite their faces is open, to question.

An ex-Wellington resident, writing fl'om Chicago on October 9, gives a few striking snapshots di that wonder city. He writes as follows“ Chicago is packed on account of the world series of baseball finals, which are being played here this week. The interest and excitement are unbelievable, They are paying as high as 390 dollars for U seat, and the stadium seats 491,000. 'Hie lowest price is 25 dollars (£5). The ticket speculators do this and tho public falls for it. Just before I left New York I visited the National Broadcasting building in Fifth avenue, and in the studio saw Sousa and his band of So broadcasting on behalf of the General Motors Company. That little advertisement cost the company 5000 dollars for one hour. Sousa seemed to he very tired and ..a little wan. He is a wistful little figure ill his old uniform coat; Hot much fire in Ills stick, but the band is SO perfect that it does not need much conducting. . .

Chicago is growing marvellously. I have never seen such activity. New York is a placid village compared with it; and the quicker it grows the louder it shrieks. It seems to me to he destined to be the greatest city in the world. Some 4,000,000 here now—very lawless, but very good-natured. Big in every way for good or evil.

Involving an expenditure of at least £4,000,000, it is proposed to construct a huge sea dam on the northern side of the deep-water channels which run into Cardiff Docks on the Welsh side of the Bristol Channel. The dam would extend from the Cardiff breakwater to Penarth, and would, without further effort, transform Cardiff from a tidal port into a deep-water port capable of holding the biggest liners and cargo vessels in the world. Should . the scheme materialise it will affect other important ports, and this aspect of it has already been discussed bv the Bristol City Council. From the Welsh standpoint it will practically double Cardiff’s population and transform the port into one of the most important in Europe.