Down through the years: Drawing a line on road costs

Presented by Mildura and District Historical Society. Compiled by Judi Hyde for Mildura Rural City Council Library Service.

100 years ago

Changing from solid lines to dashes and blanks saves on the cost of paint used in line marking.

CABLEGRAMS: At Glasgow Green, 10,000 engineers met and adopted a resolution resenting the apparent indifference of the government in replying to the men’s application for a pay increase. A second meeting protested against the arrest of the men’s leaders in their homes in the middle of the night. (2) Though the storm was at its height, many liberty men took boats and returned to the ship’s cutter belonging to the Conquest, which the steam launch was towing. The hawser broke. It is believed the cutter capsized, 45 were drowned, of whom 37 were married. The next day, the Admiralty­ stated that the cutter was found cast up on the shore many miles away. All the men were aboard. (5.4.1916)

BUSINESS: The very latest business advance is the opening, by Messrs Yule Bros, of an office and store in Langtree Avenue, managed by Mr Kelson. The idea is to capture the custom of the motoring public by catering to it. The office has all sorts and conditions of motoring accessories, including electric torches, etc, the Dodge car being especially catered for, including the handsome patriotte motor car mascot invented and made by a returned wounded soldier, and in the bricked-in cellar,­ with even temperature all year round, are stocked with more than 500 tyres and 300 tubes, there being 45 different sized tyres in stock. (8.4.1916)

SOLDIER: Private Alf Cameron, formerly secretary of the Merbein Football Club, in a letter to a friend in Merbein, mentions that Private Wm Smythe (“Snav”) at the Rest Camp in Egypt, was successful in winning the 75, 150, and 300 yards races from scratch. Among the “also rans” was an Echuca Gift winner, so that the triple winner’s performance was one of considerable merit. Private Smythe was a popular member of the Merbein Football Club team before enlisting. (8.4.1916)

75 years ago

ORIGIN: The origin of Easter goes back to Pagan days. The term Easter relates to Eastre, a Teutonic goddess of the rising light of day and spring, whose festival has been kept at the vernal equinox. In the ancient church the celebration lasted eight days. After the 11th Century it was limited to three days and in later times to eight days. It was formerly the favourite time for performing the rite of baptisms. The Courts of Justice were closed, and alms distributed to the poor and needy. Slaves also received their freedom, when the austerities of Lent were over, the people gave themselves up to enjoyment; hence the day was called the Sunday of Joy. In the East it was known as the Bright Day and in Bohemia it is the Great Night. (3.4.1941)

LINES: Motorists who use the country roads under the control of the Country Roads Board will have noticed that the board is economising in the paint by painting the white line in the middle of the road by the “dash-blank” system. This has resulted in a remarkable saving in paint, only 6 ½ gallons used for a mile as against 10 gallons used previously. Most drivers when asked to estimate the respective lengths of the lines and blanks say from 5 to 10 feet for the lines and 5 to 15 feet. for the blanks. Actually the lines are 15 feet in length and the blanks 25 feet. (4.4.1941)

WEDDING: An advert says that after a man “loses his head” he needs to recover confidence at the moment of entry into the land of matrimony, not all eyes will be on the bride so its “good-bye dear old bachelor days” and off to be suited by Mick Myer, Mildura’s “head” tailor. The glory boxes, or hope chests, as they are now called, often made of camphor wood, intricately carved, can be used afterwards to stow winter coats, furs, linen etc. Now the hope chests can be as high as a man’s wardrobe, have drawers, making a classification of the trousseau simpler, sheets in one drawer, lingerie in another etc. The bride will have at least two sets of luxuriously extravagant undies, the frail, pretty things wrapped up in cellophane, tied with bows of ribbon so that when shown to friends there is no undue handling. Shimmery-fine nightware, a glamorous negligee and three pairs of stockings are suggested. New ideas for wedding gifts are the offer of a cottage or flat for the honeymoon, a private wedding with family and a congratulatory cocktail party afterwards with no speeches, choosing gifts from a list of home items needed or a large check instead of a party from their family. (4.4.1941)

 50 years ago

SNOWY: Members of the Murray-Murrumbidgee Development Committee, who recently inspected progress on the Snowy Mountains Scheme, have recommended that the Snowy team be retained for national­ works. Cr E.Whyte, of Wentworth, was a chairman of the committee at the time of the inspection of the Blowering Dam where two million yards of soil have been removed down to bedrock and replaced with 10,000 yards of rock fill. The total cost of the scheme was $800 million and only $100 million was borrowed. (4.4.1966)

 RAIL: South Australian Railways will build a 20-mile spur to the site of the Chowilla Dam on the Murray downstream from the SA-Victorian border. The line will run from the existing line somewhere between Paringa and Yamba, to haul over a million tons of rock to the site. (4.4.1966)

 MILK: Sunraysia’s Milk for India campaign was launched at a meeting of more than 60 people from all over the district. Not since World War II has such an intensive eight-day drive with a target of 10,000 tons of dried milk, in a door-to-door campaign, been held for the starving and homeless millions in India. The committee for the drive will meet at Miss Fregon’s home in Kurrajong Avenue. (5.4.1966)

  25 years ago

 LOCAL PEOPLE: Leigh Adams made a promising return after his serious injury kept him out of this year’s Australian Solo Championship. Lyle Smedly won the 1990 Sunraysia College of TAFE Apprenticeship of the Year award. Greg Rhodes shot an outstanding 68 off the stick to be four up against par. The Mildura Workingman’s Club scholarship winners were Danielle Dickie, Sallyann Mayne, Christopher Stephens, Megan Tittensor, Leigh Tittensore, Kristie Lees and Adrienne Bibby. Excitations chose Robert Clarke, Deanne Barbary, Danielle Collins, Tamarah Crisp and Natasha Dyke as winners of the 1991 Debutante of the Year Award for their posture, grooming and total look. (3-5.4.1991)

 LEADERS: The entire Mildura City Council underwent preliminary breath analysis, but there will be no charges laid, even against those who snuck past .05. No, it wasn’t a matter of pulling strings to free our civic leaders, but an exercise by the police to show the difference between the alcohol content of various drinks. (4.4.1991)

 COLUMN 10: Daredevil Inge Vidar Svingen, 41, slid down a ski slope while lying on a bed of nails and survived without a puncture. He removed his shirt and lay on the bed of 270 15cm nails, mounted on skis. He then slid 500 metres down the children’s hill of a ski run in Norway, saying: “I am no masochist, abroad I am treated like a big entertainer and at home, I’m seen as an half-wit.” (4.4.1991).

For more of this story, purchase your copy of Wednesday’s Sunraysia Daily 06/04/2016.To subscribe to our Digital Edition Click here

Share and Enjoy