SISTER CITIES.

Dominion, Volume 1, Issue 1, 26 September 1907, Page 10

SISTER CITIES.

AUCKLAND. PATRIOTIC AND PUGNACIOUS, Aucklanders are proud of their city, and not without good reason, for it is really a most charming place, in fact one of the loveliest spots on" the face of the earth. No one who has had tlio privilege of seeing Auckland aud suburbs from the summit ot' Mount Eden on a fino summer morning will be inclined to say that this is an exaggeration. It is a plain statement of'fact. Auckland may not be the unblemished paradise that some of its over-enthusi-astic residents would have the world believe, but it is certainly a most attractive city, and, after making allowance for the poetic superlative, anyone with an eye for the beautiful, will gladly say i' amen " to Ivudyard : Kipling's description of Auckland as.;

Last, loneliest, loveliest, exquisite apart Oil us, on us, tin: unchanging season ElillkS, Who wonder 'mid our gem why men depart . To seek the happy isles. A Glorious Sight. On a bright sunny day one can sec from the top of-aiount Edon the whole stretch of land and water from rugged iiatigisoto to the Jlanukau Heads, 'i'ltere lies tiie city oil tho oue; hand nesl hug cosily 011 the • banks of the \Vaiteuata, and as the eye moves across the.isthmus tho green spaces uecomo larger and larger as tliejgrcat buildings 01 brick and stone give; place to suburban dwellings large and small, while Mount Hobson, Due Tree Hill, Jiount Albert, and the Three •Kings

add to the glory of the scene. A view of the city on entering the harbour is also a most delightful experience, and is only c-quallcd Ijv the appearance of the harbour when seen from soine of the high places in the city. Wellington Harbour surpasses tho Waifriniuta tor utilitarian purposes, but must bo content with a second place when looked at from tho aesthetic-stand-point. All things considered, it youkl be churlish to find fault with the most enthusiastic Aucklander for the pride ;\e takes iij his city, even though at tines lie seems to think that there is nothing beautiful that cannot be scon from mount Eden or the tower uf St. ,'ilatt-hew's Church. That- is quite a harmless delusion, and no^ doubt he will one day lie surprised to iearn that Auckland lias not quite a monopoly of tho natural beauties of tho Dominion. Touchy people in other places may regard the Aucklanders narrownpss of /ision as at times a little offensive, but lie really docs not mean to hurt anybody's I'oelings, and after all it is folly to he too thin-skinned. Diimate and Character. From time to time a discussion as to whether the climate and natural surroundings of a place.afreet he character of its people. .These things may, in a very long time, have some influence in tho formation of a community's character; but a much more pcuoat factor is history. - The early settlers of Auckland and' Wellington, for instance, were, roughly spnakiiig, the same, sore- of people; yot there is to-day a marked difference bn-t-ivccn the temperament of the Aucklandor and that of the YVcilingtoniau. As a community we have our Units and peculiarities, and a good many of them too; but they are drfferont- from tho faults and peculiarities of Auckhnders. For one thing, our northern friends aro suffering from political peevishness in an acute form, and hc.ro developed the irritating ways ef tiie man with a pviovance. The onuses ef this ailment arc historical, net. eli.wtis, and tho origin cf the troubleratty be tracet! fcaek in tho 'great ilrngglo in tho early days of [iarlis•eiitai'y institutions in the colon? fu--•he sent of government. Auckland lost the coveted distinction, anil 1-..-.. J forgotten that ia this mati.,; it, •.lory has dqiari;\l. Time, tho •a-er, i'.an no'. /: f onvi :l t-!r.« *p>r.r«, •Ji!i rank or: .n>! i. \r. ,V.i m lii-s T" ; ',h V. t !• is stlil the eMs:s.:.\ It i<

we do not rcciprocato this bitterness; not that there is anything very magnanimous in this, for the victor can afford to be generous. Aucklanders havo brooded over their wounded pride until the grievance has become chronic and has developed in other directions so that they now imagine that in matters political and commercial the whole colony is against them. It is, they think, " Athanasius contra liiundum " once again. They havo the " neglected north " and " stolen ewo lambs" on the brain, and they have said so often that they are being robbed of their rights that they have really come to believe it. By their pugnacious tactics, dovcloped alu'iost to perfection in fighting imaginary foes, they bid fair to compel the political representatives of other provinces to combine against them, and in this way a position which has so far no existence outside the Auckland mind may yet become a pitiful reality. Some Aucklanders are, however, beginning to sets the error of their ways, realising that a give-and-take policy is more profitable and more dignified thau an unlovely combination of peevishness and pugnacity. Of course, no one blames Aucklandors for insisting ou fair treatment; it is their methods that aro objectionable. Cosmopolitanism may be carricd too far, for we are nowhere told to lovo our noighbours better than ourselves. It is sufficient if wo lovo him " as " ourselves. Wo don't want Auckland to follow the example of the good old lady who took such, an enthusiastic interest in tlio conversion of the poor heathen in Timbuet.oo, that she had 110 time to attend to the training of her twelve children, who grew up as heathen in her own home. Charity begins at home, but it should not end there. Auckland en Fete. Whatever ho may be politically, the Aucklander in other respects is, gonerally spcakiilg, a delightful person, and is seen to special advantage at holiday time. Given fine weather, and a public holiday, and the whole city turns out of doors. On such an occasion it is. a sin .wilfully to remain shut up in a house. In the morning men, women, and children flock in an unending stream to the wharves, the parks, and the railway stations, tho number and variety of'the attractions being quite an embarrassment, and Auckland in summer time is tho picnickers' paradise. It is true that on seeing the same people who wont out in the morning so full of joy and expectation returning homo at night bedraggled and weary.— tired mothers with crying children hanging to their skirts, and cross fathers laden with babies and baskets — the cynic may shake his head and say something about taking pleasures sadly; but. after all,'life consists'of a mixture of pleasuro and pain, and the man who takes too much trouble to escape tho pain gonerally misses the pleasure also. Auckland en fete is a wonderful sight, and it is the same with indoor amusements. Theatrical managers declare that their companies draw the largest and heartiest audiences in Auckland and Wellington, and of tho two ccntres Auckland is often given the first place. Local PatriotisETi. An Aucklandet-'s worst enemy cannot truthfully accuse him of want of local patriotism. The love of these northerners for their city often finds more substantial expression than more words, for permanent monuments of generosity are to be found 011 every hand, l'n this matter they sat a splendid example, the public spirit and munificence of Auckland citizens being well known from the North Cape to tho Bluff. Auckland has tho finest free public library in the Dominion, tho unique literary collection of Sir GJoorgo Grey and tho Ji'Kelvie Art Gallery finding a worthy home in a magnificent budding erected out of the splendid bequest .of tho lato Mr. Edward Costley, whoso honoured name also goes down to posterity as that of the founder of the Costley Institute for boys, the Costley Homo for tho aged poor, and a benefactor of tho Sailors' Homo founded by tha late J'ishop Cowio. Other gifts to the city include the Dilworth Institute, the Blind Institute, tho "Women's Homes at Otahuhu, and tho Leys Institute at Ponsonby. In addition to these memorials of generosity must bo mentioned Cornwall Park, Sir John Logan Campbell's great "gift to the place ho loved .so well, and whoso gowth from a few wharcs to a magnificent modem city he has watched with such pride and pleasure during his long aud honourable career. The Price of Progress, But Auckland is not- content to accept these gifts from private citizens and do nothing for itself as a community. Its people are determined not to lag behind any other city in Now Zealand, not even Wellington—that is if they can help it — and they are prepared to pay tho price of progress. They are spending thousands and thousands of pounds on city improvements of every description; but it is the harbour which is their special joy and pride. Here they are attempting tho impossible, task of keeping pace with Wellington as regards shipping facilities, and aro handicapped by havto do by artificial means what .Nature lias done so well for us in tho v/ay of deep water frontage. They deserve every credit for their pluck and perseverance, and it is satisfactory to nil who admire those qualities to know that, though Auckland can never regain the first place among the commercial centres of Neiv Zealand, it will iways come a good second. Harbour works which win eventually cost about £2,000,000 are now in course of construction in the Waitemata, showing that tho people of the northern city are not afraid to spend jnoiiov, anil that they can look into tfie future with hope a;;d i confidcnco. These are tho characteristics of a progressive community. After all is said and done, when you got to know tho Aucklander at his best, and niako duo allowance for his provincialism, his narrow political outlook, and a. few other little eccentricities, you will find that ho has many excellent qualities; and when his isolation is broken down by through railway communication anil cheap fares, which will enable liini to travel moro freely and to. see his follow colonists in other parts of the Dominion as the.v really aro, ho will gradually lose his prejudices, forget- his provincial jealousies, and become an altogether charming character.