A SMELLFUL SUBURB. "Oh, My Offence is Rank."

Free Lance, Volume III, Issue 155, 20 June 1903, Page 8

A SMELLFUL SUBURB. "Oh, My Offence is Rank."

KAIWARRA'S perfumes are not the subject for a poem, nor w ould they, if distilled, jeopardise the sale of attar of roses. As a matter of fact, like all other plac s bearing the smellful burden of slaughterhouses, boiling-down, and other works of a like nature, Kaiwarra air to a pei son with a fastidious appetite in ozone is not exactly refreshing. * * * It is Kaiwarra's own fault that it is drinking in big draughts of odoriferous ozone. Mr. Bull, of the candle w orks, is our authority, for, according to (he daily papers, he pointed out to 'he Onslow Borough Council, at its mae*--ing, on Saturday night, that for forty years the boiling-down works had existed, and that the residents had made their homes in that vicinity knowing its drawbacks. As a matter of fact, the Kaiwarraites could, if they had been disposed, have made their homes at Petone, or Constantinople, or Thursday Island. They might have left Kaiwarra in the undisturbed possession of soap-boilers, candle-makeis, and others engaged in more or less odoriferous pursuits. * * • People having valuable land are not forced to build on it. They may leave it vacant, fanned by the breezes from savoury products, the haunts of the blow-fly and the investigating, aromaloving rat. The property-owning public is at liberty toi have several hundred ?cres of its land vacant to allow full scope to necessary industries. It is not the industries that should be moved. O dear, no! It is il.e houses. People who do not like smells should not buy property at all. A soap-boiler may come along next year, and buy some too, in which ease your investment may not prove to be a very paying one. It is your fault for not having been able to see into the future. It is reasonable to suppose that people who haven't land in close proximity to works of this type won't rush in to buy it in order to partake in the general foetor, so that, as a matter of fact, such a business might reasonr ably be deemed to be one that prohibits progress to other kinds of industries and the erection of residences. This is a very large country in comparison with its population, and there are easilyaccessible spots where such works could diffuse smells as much as they liked, annoying no one, not even the workers, who, it is asserted, thrive on odors. * * * Not all the disinfectants in existence could kill the smell of a thriving boiling-down works, so that the only two ways out of the difficulty are to get the works as far as possible from human habitations, or move the habitations as far as possible from the works. Someday, maybe, a genius will arise who will be able to cope with these aromas, w ith destructor smoke and the tractionengine nuisance. In the meantime, Kaiwarra, and many other budding cities, will have to grin and bear it — and carry eau de Cologne.

Messis. Turnbull, Watkins, and Williams are to sell, on July Ist, at their auction rooms in Panama-street, sixtyone building sites at Berhampore, on the Adelaide-road section of the Island Bay electric tram extension. The district is well roaded, lighted and sxmolied with city water. It is a splendid investment. Plans of the property are obtainable from the auctioneers. "The Drink Peril in Scotland" appears to be a grave one, and Arthur Sherwell, who sends along his little hook on the subject, publishes statistics showing the enormous increase of intemperance, crime, and lunacy in

Scotland during the past few yeans. The brochure contains many quotations intended to show that "to successfully cope with the "destroyer" it is njecessaa*y to use social amusements of a high class to combat the hotels. The book is published at 3d. Those on the look out for bargains in. mercery are reminded that Goldstein's 20 per cent, discount sale is now on at 10, Cuba-street (next Silver Grid). The Premier Boxing Club gave the first of its series of "smokers" in its new room, in Willis-street, on Friday night last. There were interesting boxing bouts between Rogers and Taylor, heavyweights; Ross and Hunt, middle weights • and Parker and Leary, welter weights. All were excellent exmbitions. Refreshments were handed round at intervals. Mr. F. T. Cory, land and financial agent, of 7 Grey-street, has taken Mr Theodore Barclay into partnership, and the business will je continued under the style of Corv and Co. Mr. Cory has a wide experience in the selme: and buying of Wellington properties, and will devote his attention as heretofore in the interests of has numerous clients to the disposal of their town properties. Country clients who have farms for sale will find their business faathfullv attended to by Mr. Barclay, who will also attend to the negotiation of loans and the disposal of town or country businesses.