NAPIER.

Dominion, Volume 3, Issue 930, 24 September 1910, Page 13

NAPIER.

The town.'was constituted, a borough: on November. 20, 1874, and since that time only eight gentlemen have occu-' pied the Mayoral office. The first Mayor of Napier was Mr. Robert Stuart, who held office from January 19,' 1875, to December, 1878. He was followed by Mr. J. H. , Yautier, who was elected three consecutive years, ending in 1882. The next Mayor was Mr. W. T. Spencer, who also filled a' term 6 'of'■bh're© years. Mr. G. H. Swan, , who succeeded him, held office from December. 16, 1886, to April, 1901", a period : of sixteen years* ' which' coristitxrtes ''a 'Jlayoral' record in New Zealand. Mr*- J. C;' M'Va-y, the next Mayor, was..in,for on]y .one'year, Mr ; F. W. WiUiams'for.two years,;after which followed Mr.' S. CarneJl, who had; a'run'of four/years; and who was succeeded: by the present occupant, Mr. J. Vigor Brown,; MvP. ..-.f

THE SUNSHINE TOWN. A STORY. OF PROGRESS. / Napier.is a sunshine town,.where the: air is. ever mild.aiid clear, and tiie skyi;. ■seems' to 1« .always blue,;:.. . It .is av pretty town,. b iilt partly on a' fiat; ani: partly upon a deiightful bluff, wliicH's; frowns upon tho : relentless sea, but-; which in its inaermbst recesses abpundsi, witli 'cliai-ming slopes and'valleys.' I There 1 is an ever-readjr tonic in Napier.in; its,/! blilo sky. and bright sunshine,:, its. lovely; shades of colour on tho liills,; its': clear mild/,atmosphere,- and 1 last-,/ but', not least, th^ : /muniiur' of its,JevOT,<;ii ; isti'. : less friiig© pf -ocean'. ; This is\the ( 'rausi6/ whicli. goos: on :all'the'time, loudji,angry.\! murmurs sometimes,' but. at best.. £f sort of .sea lullaby.", Frontmgjhis 'great/ blue belt of the Pacific is/Napier's great',esplanadej 1 aiid - it . is here, 'whether ' by .■ day or '.'night,'.' tlio'visitor 'rnaH' sit aiid; be soothed by,-, tho strange-/dirge-likoi swell, ; neycr.:ending. pier becomes more/-and mora f tho ; ri>; cilperatirig ; igronnd -'/for. rilfvjilids] situated !;• amidstk/such ' ■ pleasant rouiidingSj'/it ;is', a''.dolightful-'ire'so ; i't. : for.: :those. in ..vigorous,; health /V'Thp' climate. of/Napierj'!:said;ail-authority/; "may be" described in "oho'iwprd/; lative.' " The' : summer.,'days;,;are'i<tempered'by ljalinyi' -salubrious breezes'from ;tho sea, fwfiile' the- the iwest . aiid south protect: the'.ttowii. ifroth f;the; winter/gales. Ahion^ : the/.attractions to ; sportsman,-and .tourists are. excellent 'fishing,goodshooting,- rowing,sailing,.' ■surf-bathing, ,golfing,i.tehnis, iiind.'bowling, while :the.'splendid- level'iroads: of; th 0.,.. town : -and; ; district 1 are: /eminently: adaptedfor/.cyclirig .-anH;. motoripg.' j. . Napier lie's,'..deep ; ,down''. in;::.the. /bight'■ which extends. from Maliia tp . Cape Kidiia'ppei's'.VV'it.,stands upbn : ;a.'peiiinr: suhij- which/terniinates in a group of liills,.at ono time surrounded, by water j and still.'call(kl"Scinde Island.''.; tie business, ppr.tipij i-;of the. town: Vis' built, upon the /j'ljatvrlajid . which fronts the: bayj' but whicsli,. tiiroUgh, the .drainage;, is..tiiowj,creeping 'out tpwards'. : Farhdbn. i.'."lWiffi.' the. a-dveiit of , an-;elecr/. ,'tric, tram/ service, jiwhich' .is., shortly / to; ;be institiited' k.' l(apier^, one 'may ;expect'

The; Napier-Harbour Board was incorporated in .1875, .when, its first- members, were Messrs'.;. j. D. . Ormond,, A. Kennedy, J. 1 GibSofi Kinross, J; 'A:. Smith, A. Newman,' J;'N.Williams) J. Rhodes, P.' Sutton, ;vH: C.- Robjolms, 'and J. .immediately • after Its formation, the board commenced the building of ; tlie; present ; In-ner Harbour, and.'by..'lß77 had constructed two piers, and ', made'^'gobd..'progress - with : the , wharves;'.. and ;'; landing"'; facilities,.. so 'much so'.that now vessels;drawing;>fourteen and fifteen feet are, able to berth. Tho wharf 'accommodation'is/something .between 2100 and 3000 feet. ' The Innex Harbour is the headquarters; of. the. fine' trawling. fleet,' which has,.in ,a measure revolutionised tho .fishing'"industry in. '■tho, c Hawke's Bay-.and Wellington provinces; ■ ■■..'

The' Harbour Board's greatest work, so'far. as' tiriie and money'"are concernbeen,on„.w:hat..is. known, as the, Breakwater, about three-quarters of . a mile from the town, : and lying under _the shadows of a huge bluff. For years ;t^-bii«rd. : with '&V, : Pacific..O(^n,:'.iand:afteividany set-, ;'|,acks''. : appears^-tofbo .making\Boine-;hea'd-: a inst ,'ffie ; Titanieifprce^:':;There is•an; opinion', now : -w6uld. fprobably-halveheeh'.i in'lfthe'; first' ynstanpe: if the^harb^ur;proper, had been Mnstructo'd ;at ' : E6rt';'Ahnnri,;;{tie>lnner; this- should, be done even now. As diffi- ! culty ? iu'; the matter i appears .'to :be : the. jadanifintinC. natureV6f^^ : the''irinor;li'drbour; bottom, but .divided- even' ;on; : ;this 'not 1 ■:seem to:;haye;.entM 'mill do'. ultiriat4lyThe' 'progress -made fa'cjfc'; '".that! recently' a ferro-coiicrete, wharf' j>{ ,ber; 'tween..' 4000 . and 50C0'. tons ihave - been '•'berthed there; . . , ... ;

i first". Jbloct] of^liewas ~laid/on; January 25,> '1887^,'and/on:, June .'l2p:lß93,' : tliO' first; vessel# a*, of 910 tons, was berthed-; alongside: the ivharf ; 'for .the- shipment 'ofi.'-i - circus menagerie.... <In <1890, a new portion was built;,-, tat next ■ Tear,: /iwhiloaa;.'contract wasv being '/let.: for ' its loontmuance, •teiTible.-storm .-wqsh.ed/'ar.'poj'tion- of . it away. /'.lhe ~ broken :: ,parts - avere.-'joined "againji however, ■■and:, year-by/yeartthe. "hirti'of masonryis being, steadily pushed out. to sea m the form of an angle, and is now between 2500 and 3000 feet out from : the bluff. - The. line, of ■ masonry ,is constructed of concrete'blocks,-weigh-, lngvabout; .thirty .tons- eachy. upon. a rubble formation,- as the.(whole, is well protected by. thirty: ton: blocks which are piled irregularly .along the weather ■side to-act as wave- breakers. It is recorded, . however,'/that ■ when. great storms shake the . Bay, these lingo blocks are : sometimes, shifted like, match boxes, and all the time the- sea,:is warring, at them.;.necessitating; constant attention: >. on. the . part ot 'the-Harbour Board staff i / /-No 'one/-.doubts .- that ''the : work , offorming a-..proper 'harbour.-, ui -.Napier is ■weH-worth all the money .-and time w-lnch may, bo .spent upon it. The-.-district is . probably* ,ap4'. most fer-. -tile , in; all. New Zealand,., and ..to-day its port- as aa-export port ■ stands' third/on the last in, all: New Zealand. -,v .

a': very : 'decided- extension' of tho. town southwardsoverwhat was' a : few' years. : ago' nothing more than a raupo''s\vamp'.-, A great hill, 'called Bluff hill, whicli overlooks-7 the;' business j portion of . tho toivn,' is surmounted by a number of very handsome private residences- and artistically - laid-oiit. grounds ' "and gar-: dens, v ■ -V-.. - ";7" vV'-'V:.' '■ ' It is something' over fifty--fivo' ; years "ago since Napier, came into' existence. The town- .was;'laid :out arid- tfe- first sale of !ar.d took place on April 5, 1855,when- £5. per. cjuarter-acro was" paid for the'-very'few. sections which were sold. •At' tli?t time,'there, was some doubt as' 'to whore the 'ceiitre' of tho; town would 1 , eventually .be:': The- Clive I Square .' area,, about which; 'members' of . PaTliament ; have displayed great'anxiety, lately,'was at first 'favoured,rbut business gradually grow rapidly' to Hastings and Emerson Streets.' At that time-'the .-shipping trade - was' confined. to Port Ahuriri, where,' in 1858, ,; .; Messrs. Richardsqnfand Charlton conducted a wholesale : warehouse at tlie Western Spiti .;The' total European •population of Hawke's Bav at this period.'Wai: 1514, Najiier .contributing about 300; of this 'riumbch By 1860 the; population' had increased to 3500, and : there, were also about- that number of Natives._ ; Napier--then had a European population of 500. Tho. streets', of Napier, tlie -names/of which arouso 'much interest amongst scholars, were named between- 1855. and 1800, by t-lio Hon. Alfred Domett; who was then Provincial Crown Lands Commissioner. This gentleman -had. decided: literary tastes,-and tlieso were shown'in the following: names wliichr.he gavo to tlie roads Shakespeare Road,-."Milton-Road, and ■ Browning; Byron, Dickons,' Emerson,' and : T-haokcray; Streets'. '■ The' peHod was. about the time of the Indian: Mutiny, ; and as tho names, associated with-- Hindu history also "loomed large then; they were given' -to Various, localities suoh. as Scinde, Napier, Olive, Havelock,; Meeauee, Hydrabad, Clyde, and Hardinjo.

•;;:1n,.:.1872 -,the tonnage, of' vessels., inwards was 52,732 ; : tons/ wliileVin 11905 (tliis had increased to 730,703 tops, while now it exceeds,:l',soo,ooo :,t6ns:', .In 1877 jho; general revenue, exclusive, of rates,'' interest,/.and. Government grants, was' J24386; .in: dBB7, £12,836: in' 1597, (119,937; in, 1905, : :£23,950 ; \vliile now it exceeds £30,000. The present .chairman 'of'tlie .board' is! 31r. J. Vigor Brown, M.P ; 'i .who' came' to, New':: Zealand some thirty-five years ago,/.and since that time?has been' largely' connected, with, many "of the enterprises: 'which, have spelt'success for Napier, in which, town he-' now possesses largo commercial : interosts. ■ • v fsT , a Pier!'S,. latest advance is '. municipal electwc,trams and, a. municipal. theatre. Tlie/mojiey has bc?n, raised ; for these works,/and it'" is they will be 'completed . in'"'the .course of the next two' 'yearfe; ;:;Electric-'tramw-ays will add to' the''charm already possessed by, •theitown-,'as/a! place for,' holiday purposes. V'- r- ■