THEN. AND NOW.

Dominion, Volume 1, Issue 7, 3 October 1907, Page 4

THEN. AND NOW.

WSLIiIHGTON AMD ITS ENVIROM' MENTS.

SUBURBIA,

PART 11.

• A cjty.cannot expaiuKin tho maimer Wellington has,done during-'tho. past twenty, years without ■ creating' for itself,residential; settlements hoyond the. statutory borders of. tho city—suburbs that,,tho, surplus population in search of -,reasonable rents havo , eagerly rush.Q^,, contenting themsclvfis for,tho nonet;,,with. less comfort than s tho.city-, dweller enjoys. .It is merely-a phase, hoivevci',; in tho history of the place, as .tho element ,of change is bom. of gro\yth,.and the close-up suburbs only remain, such until they aro strong enough to .urgo - amalgamation-,with tho citj", and lusty-lunged enough to clamour for all tho .advantages of city life.,. This carries with it.,a.steady ad-, vanco in the price of land and a corrc-i spoiicling increase in, rent; as.'the- adrvantagi.'S of iirban areas-are. extended to. include such lands. At present'tlio boundaries' of Wellington"'City aro easilyr. defined—to the' cast tlie' 1 harbour.,, totho north and'- north-west tlio boundaries of' ,Onslow and Karon; Boroughs, to tho south Cook ..Strait, and "to' tlio. south-east .Brans Bay. .anda. lirio"exten<!ing across the'Miramar Isthmus—the . western-„ ,boundary ...of; Miramar'Borough. There arc,. therefore, 'tliree boroughs, - tho, lands of whieli abut on to .the city.- -.- OflSlown .. Taking, them, in .tho same sequence as. b<Jfo&,' tiie first is Onslow,i ,-AUic i Oll Mp-rch I'll 1890, wheuj jth.o.- lands c&!S w,;{'-**a«wri-hn Croftpri,',Khandajlah, Wadcstov/n, and (.'ol.l hit)rue I'U.t 6ft frci:v,the'- tint-t County,,,. During, the interval.. a ,fair amount of settlement-has,taken.place at Kiiari'dallah,. Croftonj arid AVadestowii,;and a 'great deal of land, lias' iip into'building aflotmorfts, part;qulai'!y,.along the railway, lino-at Croft;on.,.and Khandallah, : : whichcpro-: misc.,. to., .beeomof. charming -.'inland suburbs:; ; Quito ■ recently-.WadestoTsrn and G'oldesbrao ; decided ■-thai"'they. better' off if- included)in thecity.,,, 'l'liese two places'Jwcrovthc.nearcist; place's of settlement ;to<tJio city within; the". Borough',- Gold'csbrao; in• • •partiijular-.hnins; merely.. :>;L>i)i«iclo''ex- : tensiop. of Tliorndon North:' Tlio-agi-' tation.*,for .amalgamation. was;'successful, an,4 both places—the South Ward —wero .absorbed by Wellington Gifcv as from. April 1 last-.' Tlio pepula-' ,tion of.,the 'remaining' portions of .tfw Borojigh 'at tho last-census was 12G1 (and that of Wadestown and' Goldes- • brad, •i'B3i)-. The rateable) value -of' Onslow Borough- at'present' is:—Capital; ,-£29s,ooounimproved; £169,000. Tho following is tho personal constitution of.'l.the municipal body—Mayor," :tfr. J.jG'. Harkncss; Council- I —Messrs'. W. ,R..'Plimmcr, -I). J. Watson, Chris. A'pJin,;.. jun., B.crger liynnoberg, 'P. 1 Kionian; and John Ed. Fitzgerald:-' Karorj.''' 7 " Bea.utiful Kai'ori "'is Wellington's" western-'suburb. Obscured- from"view 1 ' by a couple of ranges of high- hillgj the' dcclivity between which is' tho site'of one of Wellington's .roservpirs*'"(which is being extended by the formation of another dam ! higher up t-lio valley),' it lies peacefully serene. ,Up till y'erj/ rcccntly Karori was tlio most .conaerj vativo of all the boroughs,-but" during tho'past five years there'lias been a big'-'fOnvard moveihorit 'conSeguont upon the demand'for residential land, arid tlio suburb is now.'connected-'with. the city. by an electric tramway :sorvice .that-, continues: on ' to the place from ,tho terminus of-tho city .lino'at tlio southern end. of '• Tinakori Road. There, is also a suggestion now tliat the lino-at the viaduct should be nected -by electric tramway with Kelburno and the 'cable tramway. For many ; -years Karori was governed by a local ; body known -as; ..tho,'.Karori-:; ■ Makara-.;Road : Board, which also had Makara--under its jurisdiction.'Being; dissatisfied with .the treatment of: tlio. Hutt; County Council the-'ratepayers';" in 1893f resolved to form tlio district into a-boroiigh. Since that year great improvements havo been" niado in tho roads, alul. close' 1 settlement .has advanced steadily. Tho area/of tlio borough;, is 5127 acres, of which tho city .'holds nearly. 1000 acres - for waterworks and cemetery purposes. In January, 1901, there were 227 dwellings, which .number. had increased to, 544 in. January of tho pre-, sent year. In'l4 years the population lias, increased from ,900 to about 2400.Karori boasts a fine tract of. undulating coiinti-y, and, as it is within half-an-hour's tram, journey from iWellin'gton, it.-must.participate in the city's/growth. " Miramar. Miramar Borough is practically the 'whole of that peninsula which forms the western coast-lino of the' entrance to tlio harbour, and is a tract of country, v,obtained by. the ' lato' Mr.J. C. Crawford from the Now Zealand Company, .for which he afterwards received a Crown'griirit; It has been called- variously Hataitai (by tho Natives), Watts' Peninsula (Watts was the man. who brought the first sheep to Wellington from South Australia), Crawford's Peninsula,. : and : now' •Miramar.- Prior to 1888 tho-district was included with Melrose in' tlm Kilbirnio" Highway District,- the ■ whole formmg part of the'Hutt Co\mty: On the constitution of .Melroso - as; a 1 borough',-tho district became .:i "sep- : arato' entity under tho titl6' 'of' the" Seatoun Road District. As'late as" 1 1889 the value of -the district was £26,581, when there were 28 ratepayers.in, all, only ono of whom (Mr. CrawfoTd) lived, in tho district. Today tho capital-rateable value of the district .'exceeds £386,000 (vido an -old valuation mado in March, 1904). The valuation- to bo mado next year' may more than doublo ; those fig ir'js. 'Lack_ of "population prevontcd the . creation'Of a separate borOufh until Novomber,; 1904, whon tlio" "Seatoun Road '"District was gazetted, si, borough. . Since then tlio place, has jumped ahead, until it' is not considered -extravagant' "to regard , tlio 'Miramar'flat as a site for a city that: will one day become an integral part of Wellington.

The; Borough contains 2500' acres (including, .400 acres Government defence reserves),'has a population of 1400 (increasing to 1800 in tho. summer, when the people take advantage of its se.irfront settlements), and hits a rateable, value of £38G,038 (capital),, and -£290,589 (uniniproved).- • The • rato is lj<d. in the £.

Laiid ■ speculation , lir.s been a big factor-in bringing Miramar iiito pro-' miuence> as a residential "arei, and land syndicates havo been signally successful in their subdivisional schemes. The era of the syndicate commenced in 1903, when No. 1 syndicate bought' 525 acres, in Miraniar North at £50 an acre from Messrs; A. and- C: Crawford,.and sold'out to' "-Mira'har, Limited," at"£lso an acre. The present value is about GGOO per acre. The Evans Bay Land Company, acquired-tho Erie !Rtm block and tho centre (if tho flat, 186 acres, at £100 per acre.' In four years it has increased about eight times in value. Tho tliird syndicate, formed in 1903. was tho .'Watts' Peninsula Land Company, lialf of. whose property v.'as in the "borough and half within.'.tho oity. It acquired 86 acres at £150 per acre, land that would realise about £300 per acre to-day. There were no

moro syndicates formed until last year, when further Miramar land was acquired from tlio Crawfords for subdivision. Tho East Burnham Syndicate paid £360 por aero for 40 acres. This is all flat laud, valued to-day at about £1000 por aero. Tho same value also attaches to " Central Mirajuar's " (golf-links) land (60 acres flat, for which £450 per aero was paid), and tho " Miramar Tramway June-' lion" Syndicate's property (42 acres, for which £550 per aero was paid the Messrs. Crawford). Of lato years the Miramar fiat , has been tho sports ground' of Wellington, but its tenure for that purpose is limited until'such time 'as tho , syndicates interested plaeo the land on the market. There is, however,; .i schomo-.being worked out by " Miramar, Limited," to provide a" permanent •,recreation ground and "Wonderland" at Miramar North, at present tapped by the electric trains. The trams are to l-iin through a tunnel to Seatoun within a few weeks, onauiug <a quick and. regular service to Wellington independent of tho sea. Miramar Borough is at present controlled by . the following Council: Mayor, Mr. Charles J. Crawford; Council: "Messrs'. T. W. Witt, John' Witt,"Hector M'Leodi N. 8011, A. G. East, and It.' Chase-Morris. » EASTBOURNE. Where'should Eastbourne Borough bo but directly to the cast of .the city? It is tlio baby borough of-Wellington, aifd embraces the seaside - trans-liar-' hour places Rona ' Bay (next Day's Bay), -Okiwi-iti,' and Muritai (Robin-' soil's, Bay); Eastbourne as a borough, only came into' 'existence on April .1, 1906, having . broken'away from, tlio parent body, the Huu, County Council, owing to-the, .'same grievance that,.had causcd other,,secessions', viz.,. failing to spend in-the district;what-was considered an adequate proportion-of the rates collected.- The- '.area 'of the' Oorough is 500 acres,' but, though that. 1 'scorns a'small area; the'place boasts' a sandy "'of' two miles, wheroin iics ,tho sunime'r'charm of; tlie'l resort. ;Its. capital vqliie is £162,773 and the unimproved £111,036.-- The population, like ..that, of all seaside, places/ fluctuates ;,with ,tho - seasons,- j but it is estimated .that thero .is,; aresident all-thO-yeaM'ound populatiou'j of aboiit 501), increasing iii tlio summer, to 1000 and over. • A featuro of; the district'is its climate, which is gc'neiy ally five 'oif -six' decrees '.'warmer thaii Wolliiigtori,; which js accounted for. by three caiises—viz., n ! position' sheltered by bush-clad ' hills, a' '.sunny asp'ect, and a sandy soil, -which draws and retains tho.'heat'.'- '* * ■ Ono 'of the first acts'of the' iidw Borough Council, was. to( carry, ii. poll in favour of ratiiig on,,tlie uniiiipr'oved value. : Its progressive .character.,was, ■quickly ■ shown; in ,vegard to'; a niimber of important public-works;that; were f instituted almost at . once. . These in-,-eluded reconstruction of-.tho niain road: through tho borough, tlio laying-down-•of concrete culverts to : 'catty off tho I drainago '-water, ■ tho '-succcsmiil' combating."'of;, tho : saiid-drift 'trouble; | street' lighting,' of;'a, borough o(lieo ! site,''recreation grouiid', and tho public' forest-reserve on "tlio mountain range behind .t-lio township.. That tho Council's, policy, is approved by tlio • ratepayers- -was 'evidenced- lit tiio last election;-when tho Mayor and Councillors were ''returned unopnosod. The only administrative Officer 'is Mi\" 'J. • D..' Avory'i, Borougli'' Clerk; whoso tact 'aii'd abilit-V'/arq woll-khown and appreciated.. Communication between Eastbojirne'-.and,,' Wellington is,, forry ; steamors, which aro. 'diitcdiW a fine wharf recently erected hy the Wellington Harbour Board. Aa. far ai.lth'di sabiirb'i as• n-i seaside resprt •is' conderfl&l, "tho"' days of tho one or two-rooMod wharo has passed; and siili-' stantially-built houses, and beautiful homes aro taking their "place, and, with the steady'' advarino of, the city :seven,miles away (as the ferry boats ■ruii),,-EastboHvno:must progress.. • ■•'■' The Borough Council consists of Mr.; F.' G. Bolton (Mavor); and 'Messrs'. G. L. Rannatyrio, J. M. Fleming. T.. Foley, D. B. Howdeii, »F. W. Mackenzie, C. McKcegan, H. W. Shortt, and R. E. Wood. LOWER | ' N.Ni by' E.' across the harbour from, Wellington lies : !tlio. valley of.'the Hutt " River (so named' after Mv. William Hutt, a. director of tlio Now Zealand Company), within whoso immediate' : liiiiits. aro two of the oldest boroughs Wellington names, among.' her. offsprings. Indeed, it is a.moot:'point whether they can be -called offsprings of Wellington; f.or the authorities afßrm that the first defined settlement—oxeluding those of tho ,wild whaler days—was at Potono, as was related in tlio first article of this- seriesso if Britannia, alias Petone, -chose to bo " cheeky " regarding tho matter, it- could claim Wellington 'as an offshoot from the parent "settlement."' At the northern head of tlio' harbour,. north and cast of Petono borough, lies the borough of Lower Hutt; . and, though :tlie two districts adjoin; :it" is a strange fact that they are entirely dissimilar in character, and have a distinct atmosphere of their own.' Long' ago Petone set itself out to bo a'busy, bustling place, with a say in. thing's, determinod, perchance, to' provo that tho original settlers were quito'in • the wrong in shifting from the original lauding-; placo to,tho southern extremity of the' bay. In this it was -'aided hy three chief factors—tho establishment there by. the Government of hig railway workshops; by the Gear. Meat Company of extensive modern slaughterhouses and meat works, and by tlio Wellington Woollen Company, of a great fac : tory. On tho-other' hand, tho Hutt —and no Wcllingtoriiaii speaks of the Hutt without an: unconscious soften-, ing of tho voice and kindling of the eye—has always retained-its sleopily sedate rural sweetness, .arid to those 'who .tknow- not the' glamour thereof there aro summer days ahead when soft golden haze fills the afternoon,' and over against tlio hills are wonderful patches of mauve and -the deeper tints of purple-violet', the forerunners of oventidoi -The fever of land speculation has reached even its ouiet borders, and, though the vnlues hnv risen and risen, the. beautiful " air " of the place still remains., ~ , ~

. The' district broke away from the Hutt. county early' in ' 1801, being gazetted a borough on February 1 of' that year. It has an area of 3225 acres, mostly flat-laud, and when " boroughised " it liad a population of 1500 residing ill 265 dwellings, and there were. 225. ratepayers., At present, tho population of tlic- Hutt Borough"' is about 3500, and thero'aro 750 dwellings, about, 1000 ratepayers, arid' '2600 rateable properties. The ' rateable value '-(unimproved)vis approximately .£1,000,000. Tho ,Hutt lias .prospect's of a lino,', future. It is one of tho ffcw directions in wliich settle-.', ment, overflowing from Wellington,, can take arid is taking. As tho best indication of progress, the borough, has at present in haiid'works'involving an expenditure 0f'£.52.000 (drainage, £29,400; water, £17,800. and street improvements, £4000). In addition. the Council has rccentlv. purchased, ■at a cost of £9500,, the gas. plant within its boujidaries that was. formerly owned bv the Petone Borough Council. There is oven talk nf tramways within the . borough; say that t'vonty veers hence will seo the Lower Hutt _nml Petonc amalgamate in one larae citv. .

Racing down into the valley from the hills on either side, one can detcct the arms of settlement strotchnif? out in al! directions, but Hie ireneral trend is unmistakably for. the two bnroufri'i to elnto up—a central control v.oi'ld eertninly be more economical tlinn the double stnlt now within -°n area of three snuare miles in M>e,

Valley. In this brief rccord of a place oi sweat memories it is perhaps justifiable to place''on record its present local governors. These are—The Mayor—Air. T. A. Poterkin; Council —Messrs. H. Baldwin, G. J3. Oreip, C. E. Holliird, W. G. Hutchison, W. S. Jmitl. J. O'Sullivan, F. Ross, V,'. H. Russell, and J. Ward. PETONE. Thero is little need to relate the geographical position of Petono to these who have read tho first of these articles. ■- Suflico that it lies between tho northern foreshore of the harbour and the Hutt, and was the original landing-place, .of the-.first eitizons of Wellington, or rather Britannia, as tho settlement was known for tho first few months. Prior to August 28, 1888, 1 ctorio was governed by a Town Board, but on tho date mentioned tho first meeting inaugurating tho district; as a norough . was held. 'Petone has made, great strides since then,' and 'threatened at onetime to become "the workshop of \\ ellington," owing to the establishment there of • our largest, industrial works—the-Government railway workshops, t-liQ Gear -Meat and Preserving Company, apd : .tho Wellington Woollen Company, ' fiom tho presence of ..which tho thriving town takes its . sturdy manufacturing character. Tho' . large • bulk of - the land in Petono is flat, but there arc hills--to the .westward (that-com-mand a'fine, yiew of tho Hutt Valley and harbour) which aro being built oil extensively., Petono has a population ,of persons:' Its capital rateable ■vsju'e _is £1,243,166 (unimproved £7-14,956). and tho annual rate is ljd on the" unimproved value. The bor•ouuli' iVstill moving forward, as the .'followmgiist'of'works in hand shows: Settling-basin %'• connection with tho 'waterworks, ,£3OOO p purchase of re--creation ground. (33 acres), £6000 ;'adclitioris 'to plant, £5500; purchase- of thojcatchmeut area' of the i KorO' -Koro;'stream, £12,000.-' Other big works,-'.tho. cost of -which 'R b«m!r shared ibyi tho-borough, are the Harbour' Board's;wharf and stores (to cost •£13;000),: £3000; new foot, traffic, - and-pipo.rbridgo over the Hutt River(Tctoiio's:contribtition, £5000). There ire i)ow, r a.lso being considered schemes for tho., l draiiiaf r ? of the flood waters, from the hills direct to the- sea at an ostimatpf! cost., .of £12.400, and tho 'drainage of tho flat land between tho ■stop bank and White's Line, which will ■necessitate a'phiiiping plant. Potono— indeed the w hole "o f the Hutt Valley— is to benefit .'materially by tho straightening of the railway-line between'' Wellington /and Petono, which work has been going jslowlv forward for some, ti.me now. , It,is "unfortunate that this ,vork Is nieiiig 'carried out by such exDensive' r hnd primitive methods as are ■iii usov'-ns'tho benefits accruing will be longer deferred ' than if up-to-date .Qarth-shiftmg moans were adopted.

PetoiTo v is -ftt present in the care of ■tho following':gontlomon :—Tho Mayor •nrMr. • Ji M ! Eivan; Councillors—J)r. 'Harding,' Messrs. R-.' >S.. Shortt, A. J-.i Smith, J. G. Castle, W. B. Nicholson, W.iG. Lodder, J. Soutligilte, and A. Colquhoun. -