BUSINESS MEN MAKE TOUR OF MURUPARA AREA

Bay of Plenty Beacon, Volume 15, Issue 10, 15 March 1950, Page 5

BUSINESS MEN MAKE TOUR OF MURUPARA AREA

The steady progress with which the work is proceeding in the proposed development of Murupara and the surrounding district was seen at close quarters by members of the Whakatane Chamber of Commerce when they visited the Murupara district on Sunday and were conducted on a tour by members of the Murupara Chamber of Commerce. Houses and schools were seen to be springing up and surveying ;svas found to have been completed. f

Commenting on the trip afterwards the president of the Whakatane Chamber, Mr B. L. Butler, said that it was obvious there was going to be a lot of big Work done there yet but to what extent the Government would go he was unable to say. It was probable that the recent change in Government had affected the work.

The first big work the visitors noticed in Murupara was the near completed district high school Ip which it was planned to accommodate 800 pupils. Then there was a neatly laid out block of about 40 prefabricated houses, all empty except for ten, that were occupied by displaced persons and their families.

Mr Butler said that they inspected two new 1 mills' and the site for the proposed new mill on the rail head of the proposed new railway line linking at Edgecumbe. Near the Kaingaroa mill 100 State houses have been built complete with lawns, roads and publifc reserve. There, was a large hostel for single men. >

Of his impressions of the visit Mr Butler said there was going to be a big development of the area but few local people had any idea what was going to happen. In the township of Murupara itself sections were almost impossible 'to obtain.