THE EMPIRE CITY

Ashburton Guardian, Volume V, Issue 1565, 23 May 1887, Page 3

THE EMPIRE CITY

The NZ. "Times" of Wednesdiiy s*ys : — An eocentrio patitlon was preBented to Parliament yesterday by Mr Fisher from a person named G. E. Nias. 'It set forth that the Und for building ' purpoaea m the city of Wellington is limited m quantity owing to the conformation of the ground, the town site being hemmed mby high hills, and, as consequence, the rent of dwellings is unreasonably high, especially of class sought for by machanics, clerks, and employes, the rents having risen during the last four or five years 6 to 10 per c:nt per annum That such inorease of rent is a great hardship on the rontpayora, as no rise m wages corresponding thereto has taken place, That m coneequence of the demand for houses baildlng3 are being orowded together, gardens ara built over and backyards are curtailed to a few square feet m siza. That such crowding together i 3 very injurious to health, and as the process 13 continued and Intensified will render, Wellington one of the mes 1 ; unhealthy, aa it is now one of the dearest oitieß to live m In the Southern Hemisphere. That the petitioner is credibly informed that m the event of war breaking out, with the improved projeo tiles now m use a large portion of the most valuable part of the city could be destroyed without any hostile, vessels entering the harbor ; projeatiles fired by H.M.S. £y\x having a range of seven or eight miles and weighing 100 Ib 3. That on all these considerations Wellington Is nut a fit site for the capital of New Zealand. The petitioner therofore praya :— " That your honorable House will see the advisability, and take measures accordingly to remove the capital to some inland plain where there will be room for a large oity to grow and where walks and pleasant drives can be constructed around it such aB would encourage wealthy and independent persons to nettle there, and constitute Bcciet7 for the Governor suitable to his rank eni posiifon." The intense snobbery and exquisite toadyism of- the last paragraph of this precioiu petition are quite too charm- ' ing.