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The Social Side of Railway Life
New Dining Hall Opened at Addington Workshops.

The new dining hall at the Addington Railway Workshops (South Island) was officially opened on 19th May, in the presence of a large gathering of railway employees and their friends. The evening took the form of a social and dance (says the Christchurch Times).

The new hall is a very substantial structure. It is 100ft. by 50ft., and is to be used solely as a dining room, where the men can obtain anything from a substantial hot dinner, at 9d., down to a cup of hot tea. The hall is being run by the Railways Refreshment Branch, to which all proceeds will be credited.

Mr. C. A. Jenkins (Manager of the Workshops) said the new hall, which was provided by the Department for the use and convenience of the workshops employees, was one of the projects of the reorganisation scheme. The success of the hall would depend on the support given it. The Department felt that every employee in the workshops should have facilities for partaking of meals in an atmosphere conducive to freer social communion. On behalf of the Department he declared the hall open, and expressed the hope that it would be used to the fullest possible extent in promoting the general social activities of the workshops. (Applause.)

In conjunction with the new hall, is a new library building, 50ft. by 30ft. On the shelves are nearly 6,000 books, consisting of novels, magazines and technical works. There are 175 members, each of whom is allowed to take out three books a day.

Mr. J. S. Cummings, President of the Library Committee, in opening the building, said that the library was the oldest railway library in New Zealand, having been established fifty-three years ago. Every year 278 magazines were put on the library shelves, besides technical works (some of which were provided by the Head Office). There is also included in the new hall building an Apprentices' Room, where sixty-five apprentices (under the supervision of a competent instructor (Mr. W. Robbins) undergo instruction in drawing, mathematics, shop theory and practice. The Department provides everything in the way of instruments, books and stationery.

During the evening excellent vocal items were given by Messrs. T. W. Cotton, H. E. Hamilton, C. A. Brown, F. Donaldson, and J. Lockhart. The music was rendered by the Workshops Orchestra.