MARANUI LINE OPENED.

Dominion, Volume 3, Issue 691, 16 December 1909, Page 8

MARANUI LINE OPENED.

I' ■- ' SOME SPEECHES, : ' TA'AXL BAY IN 1200 AD. • Tho City Fathers wero unfortunate in their •' choice of a day for the official opening of tho , new Marnnui tramline, a heavy northerly i ' araking things generallj uncomlortablo at i the bay yesterday afternoon, when his Wor- ', stun tho Mayor (Br. Newman) formally opened ' i tiie line. 'Special cots laden with City Councillors and their wives left tho Town Hall at [ 2.30, and made tho' passage to tho hay in t Bood time. A largo number of residents of " ' tho bay, and tho local school-children met 1 k the bjpeciaJs at the terminus, and tho Mayor j -- iocmally declared tho line -.open. 1 Dr. Newman, in a brief speech, remarked f ' that the City Council, iecogmsuig\that LjaU i Q3ay urns one of tho finest beaches anywhere in \, New Zealand, had bien anxious to open tho • line for somo timo past, and now everything f, was in working order, and the city had made j a Brighten and a Bournemouth rolled into , ' _, one 'easily accessible to tho public. Ho had (' been asked by tho youngest of tho City Count, cillois, whether mixed bathing was to bo \> ftlloT'od at tho bay. Mixed bathing had been £ instituted on this beach yerj roanv years ago by (be Maons, and ho saw no reason why (f they should not keep to their venerable cus- • torn. Aftei they had had afternoon tea, ho V (tho Mayor) hoped to sco them nil mixing I- together ic the-water. (Laughter.) The t, beach had many attractions, but it was only f in the rough. Already, however,, they had 5 tho tram, they had a waiting shed, a band rotunda, and dressing sheds tor bathers. In I' - futurj they hoped to have a morry-go-round, i > swings, and a Punch-and-Jndy Show In fact, f all that went to mako lifo happj Tho council 1 r " i. h. bls ? " ght ac - ICS ot land ]n tJl ° middle z of tho bay, and when tho money was available, this land would be formed into a beautiful park, with cool green, sward, which would extend to tho water's edge It was the intention to erect a paindo, which was pait E ?£ Ft °"S" 1 '»1 schemo Maoii legend had it s. that Lyall Bay was discovered 700 years ago V' , by one 1 opi, who established a pa, which ,/ he named "tho best of heavens." The beach , was at that time all rock, and tho ancient > / Maori prayed tho "God of tho Ocean" to >,„ bring sand instead of the rock, which hurt f, his feet . Thero was a simplo faith in the old Maori which moved mountain?," continued t tho Mayor, and, at any rate, thoro wero tlfo ' , I a i lhe Ma y° r ur B° d citizens to ( ' : bp. loyal to^lho.new:,beach., (Applause.) • i. a * ' X lsl ? p - Ci -Mayor of tho city, f in whoso term the tramway movement was in- ,. troduced,;. rei ? ff f kcd that the city owed a good i deal to tho late Mr H. D. Criwfoul for th" ■ line, which was really a gift Tho lato Capt:, sV ., : „. r tain, Crawford, had rememborctl tho /public I when ho was, cutting up his cstat'e.'aud're-' \ ' VfT 13 SS! 1 bene- ; . followed r.is father's example, and,'when-it i was suggested to him that, he should give the » Lyall Bay, and < Evans Bay foreshoro-to the- | crty, ho responded immodiatoly, behaving wfth f characteristic generosity. As ho had stated, J tho city practically owed tho gift of this tram: j. way t, tho late Air. Crawford, because tho proi' - perty 'which ho gava would realise far more ; than the cost of the tram. , r Councillor J. P Luko referred to the cxcol- ? lent work put into tho tramway undertaking > 5? 'i 6. C l ly Engineer (Mr. W. H. Morton), and >_ tho Electrical Engineer (irr Stoart Kicbardt gon), and ihoir stales. On behalf of tho Mayor { the w°oTdon° r rCSS ° d hlg1 ' appredatioll ' of \ Aftornoon tea was provided in the tramway waiting-shi'd. * \ i •