SOMETHING ABOUT TAIHAPE.

Dominion, Volume 2, Issue 411, 21 January 1909, Page 3

SOMETHING ABOUT TAIHAPE.

A QUICKLY GROWING TOWN. J .The remarkable progress of the town of Taihape to be a fair indication of the manner.iu which settlement and industrial onterpriso .will bo pushed 'forward on the newly-opened Main Trunk-line. A few years ago. Taihapo was regarded-' as a Wild' West place smacking of Arizona, full of strange characters, with strange ways, whose especial sin appeared to be a predilection for turning tho Sabbath into a day of. sport. Four years ago the writer heard a clergyman state in tho course of an address at Carterton that he had received a.call to; Taihape, or Die Happy—ho was not quite sure of the name—but tlio-had:heard that it was a bush town where there was no Sunday, where the streets were always knee-deep in mud,' and whero the population was utterly godless. In the circumstances.(said'the clergyman) he thought that he. was: justified in refusing a call to such an embarrassing charge; The change from the Taihape of old days to the laihape of to-day is: remarkable. Three years ago it was made a borough, with Mr. Anthony Nathan as Mayor, and Mr.' G. Sutherland as town clerk and'engineer; The citizens immediately grappled with their difficulties and,proceeded to sot their town in oicier. Tho sum of £6000 was : raised to" construct the streets. The metal, crushed by the council's own plant. at Ohingaiti, was brought a' distance of 23 miles; and put: on the streets at a cost of 9s. per yard. • It was a large sum to pay, but the .result is, that now Taihape's well-paved .streets will compare more, than favourably with those of any other country borough in,New.Zealand. The new borough also.shouldered;a'debt of some £5000, left by the Rangitikei.County Council (whose country it had partly absorbed), and its: public debt now stands at £11,333 ,3s. With.enterprise,came, population, and now, Taihape houses between 1500 and 1800 men, women, and children; A new'post office was conferred-upon it, with chimes .which (with 'those of r.Carterton). are sweeter'than neatly any other post' office clock in New' Zealand. Taihape's telegraph.trade is equal to"'.that"of Mastertpn.- . : . ■ ■,■?.•■: _,The;,main objective, of the. residents' of Taihape now is. to make their: town the.halfway, house between .Wellington, and ,Auck- : land, and with this idea, a. scheme has been formulated 1 to' make the.place ,properly attractive to. visitors, .Authority Has 'been given, to raise a loan;of, £4270..f0r municipal buildings, and, then it is-proposed to raise...a further loan ..of ' £20,000'. for tho,. installation' .of an, • electric; Mighty ing. system, and also drainage, water supply, ;. municipal' baths, and . a fire brigade.station. 'The town is,.built right on the railway line, ..and "the. Mayor,, Mr..,A. Nathan,: and councillors,, with: Mr. Bennetti president of'the Taihape' Chamber, of. Commerce, are of the opinion that, "with Van at- 1 tractive town, the Government will be wise to make Taihape the half-way house' on the railway ■■ line between Wellington' and Auckland. '. , Y; :'..,,',„;; ■' ■■■'■:■ '■ •'•Speaking to a Dominion representative on. ■the subject, .Mr. M.:M:-:Carpenter, secretary of } the' Rangitikei Co-operative; Sawmillers' Association,' stated : that it was < only right that Taihape should .receive this-woper re,'oognition. It, was" well situated,", and'. the ■largest-town on the Main > Trunk line between Marton and Hamilton.', Then, again it.kad, a gjeat future as a: wool, arid 'sheepgrowing,, district. : .'At'the:present"time;.the timber .'industry ' meant, £10,000; a'."month ;to when .the,'.millsV,were",in"'fujl,working : 'prd,er', but, -jw'ith''se'ttlo.fiieht."tlio 'growth ■of :.tho-sheep industry -had -beeiiribstvmaTked,' and there, was rio doubt that 'this development would improve. The latest recognitions of the advance _of "Taihape 'were !the; formation' of a:.'bowling' club,: the .'erection .of a .technical school at a cost of. £1000,-and the, authority to build a ■ cottage; hospital: -at a cost approaching another £1000/. .This hos- : pital.will be, tho, only .one between Wanga-. nui. and -Hamilton. It is- with the-idea,;of placing the ; just claim of; Taihape' before .the Government that: a: deputation :'s to'" wait upon '.theV.Mihister : -for Railways' this, week in;-Wellington:, ■'-;'; i': u "':r ; '~;i<'"; 'p~'<'* : '-'--: , ii,'