MIRAMAR GROWING

Dominion, Volume 11, Issue 93, 12 January 1918, Page 12

MIRAMAR GROWING

A PROSPEROUS YEAR

j EVIDENCE OF FORWARD MOVEMENT

A survey of the progress of the. .borough -of Miramar during tho past year affords the Impression not only that the place lias been going ahead, but that it is likely, lo proceed very i'ar along the ■pa.tlis of prosperity. Porhaps the. best indication of bow the borough is thriving is afforded by the building statistics for the past two years. In 1916, twenty-four dwellings totalling in value £11,000, were erected. That meant a record leap in building for the.borough. The year VJI7 told a still better story. Thirtyfive dwellings, representing an expen(dituro of £16,000, were constructed. The average value oT the buildings appears from thoso figures as nearly £500, and the implication as to the general standard of the dwellings has a substantial basis in that there were no exceptionally big edifices to raise tho \ average/ cost. The Sea.toun flat' especially is going ahead in the building line, and six weeks ago tbero were only; two streets in Seatoun in which dwellings were not in course of erection. . Sales of sections in the borough last year'showed an increase of fully 50 per cent, upon sales for the previous year. The value of property is steadily on the up-grade, and land on the Miramar Flat which was practically unsaleable somo two years ago has found ready purchasers. Tho Town Clerk in : one week received notice of the transfer of twont.v-four sections. Tho sdil of Miramar. will grow almost ' nnything, and market gardening is carlied on in tho borough with distinct success. The census of 1911 ✓•showed that Miramar had a population of 1630; that of 1916 credited it with -2148; and now, at a moderate computation based on recent increases in the number of buildings the place is the home of 2600 persons. In the Miramar valley, tho spread of population from Kilbirnie can bo seen in _the number of dwellings that are being built near the boundary.

The borough is remarkably free from epidemics of infectious disease, and came off particularly well when diphtheria was recently rife in Wellington. The financial position of the municipality is steadily improving. Like most places, it lias an overdraft at the'bank, but during tho last financial year it reduced, that overdraft considerably; and very probably a further reduction will be made this year.

Miramar owns the tramline connecting it with the city, and has a fortyminute service supplied by the city. During rush-hours, a ten-minute service; from Courtenay, Place is run. With the growth of the population, the ordinary tram traffic has, of course, increased; but the holiday traffic has also become greater, as the seaside at Seatoun is becoming more and moro pqpular. The Borough Council lias by no moans failed to realise what an asset Miramar possesses in "VVorser Bay and Karaka Bay. Worser Bay is considered to be one of the finest of the sandy beaches in Wellington, safe in all weathers and in all states of the tide, an ideal spot'both for bathers and for picnickers. The council has provided plonty of shelter, and made great improvements by judicious tree-planting. Karaka Bay also enjoys increasing popularity as a place of resort for holi-day-makers. _ During the past year it was made easily accessible by the provision of a fine motor-bus service. A loan has been raised for the purpose of remedying erosion by the s\a, but lack of labour has-rendered the progress of the work very slow.