HICKS'S IDEA

Dominion, Volume 11, Issue 71, 17 December 1917, Page 16

HICKS'S IDEA

TO\f HASTINGS WAS BOIIX. •Oilpbasty enough the reid foujidor of Sasttags Hyes. It is Mr. Tlioratis MrmßT, of North, who is ieja in lespscrt and! oStoeny by the SjfefcrJok « is' extremely interesting to &4t& "STioit sj[R Tanner thb original •wmier of the area on whidb. the urwn Qi Eastings stands, onu remember the \«s& as an extent of rough paddoe.k We unbroken by thoploiigh. Tt ni s *lß Ifimf-a. hlook or

100 acres-to Mr. Frank Hicks, for £o an acre, but instead of Mr. Hicks paying the money down Mr. Tanner agreed to allow him to plough 500 acres for him at £1 an acre. When Mr. Hicks had ploughed 200 acres, he was induced by rumours he had heard to ask Mi". Tanner if he thought the then proposed raihvav would run through his place, and Mr. Tanner held that it would, and probably through the very block he had disposed of to Mr. Hicks. Thereupon Mr. Hicks, who was evidently'a person of some vision, asked Mr Tanner to lay out for him a township and name it. Mr. Tanner consented to do so, and named the town Hastings. The plana were duly handed over to the late Mr. Matthew Miller, who sold the land held by Mr. Hicks at auction for £5000, or at tho rate of £12 10s. per quarter acre, which was quite a good price in those, days. Out of the money received, Mr. Kicks paid Mr. Tanner the balance (£300) he owed him (as he had never completed the ploughing he had undertaken), and afterwards'left the district for the AVaikato. -where he invested the balance of his "easy money" in the land which had so recently been rid of. Maori troubles. . Not long afterwards Mr. Tanner laid out many more residential sections round the town Week, thoughtfully making reserves for a public school, for. the municipal buildings (now newly erected), and Queen's Square (which is referred to elsewhere in this issue). Feeling its Feet. As the town progressed the residents became dissatisfied with their lot, owing to the large portion of rates that was {roing to the Hawke's Bay County Council, and it was decided to constitute the place a Town Board district. Tho petition was successful, and Hasting was dulv constituted a Town Board district at the latter end of 188,'). The first meeting of the board was Held on February S, 1884, in Mr. College's office (between Roach's and the Pacilie Hotel corner). The board consisted of the late Sir William Russell (chairman). Messrs. T. Tanner. C. Doney, T. Foreman, and F. D. Luckie. Mr.

J. C'ollinge was appointed clerk to the board. The ratepayers -numbered 2125, and the number of rateable properties was 327. The annual rateable value was £9646, and for the first year rates to the amount of £797 irere collected, ns against an expenditure of £1006. The toivn district extended about halfway through, the racecourse, the northern boundary was the Heretaimga School, the western boundary was a little beyond Beresford Street, and :he eastern boundary was Willow Park lload. Since those days steady progress has been made on the right lines. As early as 1885 the tomi decided on an adequate drainage scheme, and the next year Mr. Scott's tmuler for the work was accepted. That same year (1886) Hastings plumed its wings, and was constituted a borough, with an area of nine square miles, or 5740 acres. The first meeting of the Hastings Borough Council was held on October 20, 1886, its personnel boing Messrs. R. Wetlwood (Mayor), Councillors G. TSBJs, T. 'Foreman, ,F. D. Liickie, 1). M'Leod, V.'. Morris, S. T. Tour, T. Tanner, J. N. Williams. Mr. ,J. Collinge was the first borough clerk. The number of ratepayers' then was 464, and the annual rateable value (on 500 properties) was -C 18.453. first year's revenue from rates was £1718 2h. 2d., and the expenditure £1022 12s. lOd. To-dav Hastings is well forward municipally. The town is lit by olectricity (which is s.ipplied by tlin Borough Council's electrical department). Tito now system of town and private lighting was inaugurated in 1012 with thirty-nine consumers. This year the number of consumers is JoOO. Ilavelock North (a separate Town Board district) is supplied with current for its streets and private lighting. At present there are thirty-three miles of cable employed in the electric lighting of Hastings ami suburbs. The town also lias a high-pressure water supply—artesian water pumped electrical!? up to a large reservoir m the Tfavelook hills. A good pressuro is always obtainable, and the quality of the water is excellent. The roads are'uniformly good. The best of them is Horetaunga Street, which has a snrfare of asphalt for the greater part of its length. An experiment in road-tarring on the Havelock North Bond—much used by motor trafi fio-looks like turning out a success.

Munioipal Builflinsn unci Theatre. Hastings (inn boast the most modern, caiironiciit, and picturesque block of municipal buildings in New Zealand. Borne two years ago or moro competi Live tenders v:en> called for a building which would provide a council chamber, offices for the stall', and an assembly hall, iis well as making the most ol the extended frontage to Herctaunga Street. • Six sets of nlans were sent in.

and those of Mr. A. Garuett (of Gisborne) were selected by the judge, Mr. J. Charlesworth, of Wellington. me choice was a good one, for Hastings has to-day a compact block which in style has" thrown tradition to. the winds, by providing what is initially an admirable suite of offices, on the ground floor, and large yet secluded chamber, a commodious committee room, and an assembly room (equally suitablo for concerts or dances), on the second floor, and fine balcony promenades running along the Heretaunga Street elevation, on ono side of the main entraco for the use of councillors, and on the other for those using tho nssombly room (which seats 650 persons). The ground floor on the main street is occupied by a series of eight commodious shops, which will bo a source of immediate revomie. The entrance to the council offices is from Hastings Street, and there are no hotter offices in New Zealand, as far as light, air, and convenience are concerned. The building is finished externally in white stucco, with broad sections (the, first floor level) treated in (lark slate-colourod stucco, the contrast being a now and altogether pleasing one. A squat square tower that rises from the centre of the block is a decorative feature of nice proportions. The interior was intended as a supper room in connection with the assembly hall, but that has been found to he impracticable, and one of tho ground floor shops has been reserved for the purpose.