STEADY GROWTH OF THE TOWN

Dominion, Volume 9, Issue 2699, 19 February 1916, Page 9

STEADY GROWTH OF THE TOWN

PROGRESSIVE TOWN BOARD

THE BRANCH RAILWAY

The care of the town,is in-the hands of the Raetihi Town Board, which is now in its fourth year of ; existence. The population-- of. the town district was about 450" when the board was formed; the population to-day" i* about GOO. Six hundred; of course, gives no idea of the volume of business done in the town, as it takes no count of the population in the surrounding country. The Town Board has just started upon the expenditure of £30,000 in an improvement scheme, which will include water supply, electric light, sanitary drainage, and street works. At present the streets are lighted by acetylene gas.

Raetihi is nine miles from the Main Trunk, railway. A branch railway to the town is in course of construction, and on this a sum exceeding £50,000 has already been expended. The track formation is practically complete along the whole length of line, and the rails are kid for half the distance—the half from the main line out toward Raetihi. It is expected that this half will be opened for traffic within the next two months. The branch line will benefit mot- only Raetihi, but the whole of the surrounding districts, the roadsfrom which oonvergc on Raetihi. It is said that the Government was induced to liave the branch line made on proof being supplied of the tremendous amount of farm produce and timber which, in a few years, would require to be carried between Raetihi .and the Main Trunk railway. Tho opening of the.new line should reduce considerablyfche: cost of commodities, and this will

be welcomed by the townspeople, and j tho farmers. A Town of Cash Trading. | town district is very compact, comprising approximately *600 acres laid out on tho block -system, with particularly wide streets. All the principal streets have a width of a chain and a half._ Thero is one main business street, which has been named Seddon Street. In this thoroughfare substantial blocks of business premises have been erected. Every branch of retail trade is represented. An indication of the soundness of tho class of business done in Raetihi is the fact that there is (so Raetihi claims') a- greater proportion of- cash trade done hero than in

any other town in the country. Only one man in the town is known to have to give extensive credit. There has been only one bankruptcy in the last 6ix years, and that was not the case of a business man.

_ One of the largo, banking institutions, and several of the leading stock firms of the island are operating in the district with headquarters in the town. Only 14 years ago the post office was a corner of a local store. Subsequently this State Department removed to a small place now used as a photographer's dark room. To-day there is an up-to-date post office, telegraph office, money-order office, etc., with a staff of half a dozen or more officers. Plenty Public Reserves. There is also a telephone exchange, with which nearly fifty of the local residents are connected. It is hoped that before long Raetihi will be connected by telephone with Wanganui, via the Parapara Road, a distance of 62 miles. The town is well provided with public reserves. A recreation reserve of eleven acres lias been set aside in the middle of the town, on which there are football grounds, cricket grounds, and tennis courts. There is a gardens reserve of about four acres, which local residents intend to make attractive in the very near future. ' Along the banks of the Makotuku River there is a domain, which is a natural beauty spot in original bush. All of these reserves are under the jurisdiction of the Town Board, and in addition there is the show ground of 17} acres, within the town district, which is always available -for recreation purposes. Tlio chairman of the Town Board is Mr. P. G. Smith, who has held office since the constitution of that body*.

Several farms adjoining the town ■boundary have recently been cut up for settlement purposes, and there ha 6 been keen demand for suburban sites.