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MIRAMAR HISTORY

KEMINISCENCES OF EAELY DAYS Speaking at tho amalgamad'oi: "smoker" at Seatoun on Saturday evening, Mr. Alec. Crawford, in reviewing the history of Miramar, referred to the "misses" which bad ton mnile from lime to time by bodies in acquiring Minimnr lands. .Mr. Crawford said that they often heard of Mr. F. 11. E. (now Sir Francis) Bell's scheme of acquiring Mirainar. Mr. Bell had never had a scheme; nil ho said was that at one time it must helong to the City Council. Tho first time tlie Crnwfords were approached on behalf ol (he city was during the Hon. J. G. W. Aitken's term as Mayor. He asked for a price, and they quoted him and gave an option. The price was approved, hut in order to hn'ng the salo about the City Council had to promote an Empowering Bill. That Bill- was shelved, and the option was lost. He was not going to fay who was responsible, but he would say that It was an act and not the Act which brought about tho shelving of the Bill. As soon as tho. C'i'y Councils option expired, syndicates wanted to lake up the lot, but he and his brother believed that the whole of the land was too much for a. syndicate to handle successfully, so they'only sold a. part—about 500 acres. A lot of men wanted to be in the syndicate, but. there was not room for tiiem all. Then a- gentleman who had ton an insurance agent, a Mr. Chase-Morris, came along, and asked if (hero was any land (o be had. no was shown about' half of Miramar, and a nrioe was quoted, but he turned it down imd b:ught out No. 1 syndicate. Tho Wellingou Golf Club came along when the syndicates began te. buy, and wanted to buy links. At first he had refused, ns the club was not prepared to pay a fair price, but through the persistence of his brother (Charles) they at length quoted for IIW acres. The club turned it down, and went, to Heretaunga. Then iilong came the Wellington .Racing Chlb, who wanted n riicecoui-.se. Willi his Friend Mr. Bennett he went over the -•round and measured out a mile conrwo which would have been pear-shaped, situated to the north of the avenue, and near the Miramar cutting. Though nn extremely low price, was! quoted, the went 'o Trenlhani. Questioned w< [u whv they decided not to buy at Miramar, they said it was because the people could go on the hills and see the racing tt-i'liont paving. And yet at the present time the Athenic or tho Great Eastern could be berthed at the Miraninr Wharf, were it long enough, and at 3d. per head could land ha did not know bow many passengers there every half"Somehow or other, the'people of Wellington have nlwaws been against Mintmar," said Mr. Crawford. "I don't know whv, but it has always been the ease. Hi" tell you of a plan my father had drawn in 187G for cutting up Miramar into small farms. On that phn is a small reserve marked 'dock <ute.' Wellington later asked its Ilarlxmr Board ungincw to report upon, a dock site, and he reported in favour of Evans Bay. The board turned it down, and the engineer advocated Kaiwarra, and they turned I'm l - down. Then he reported in favour sf To Aro—and. you all know what happened there." His father's idea was to make a cutting in the hills near the Gad Company's works, reclaim with the spnii, mid have the dock between the faces ei the tutting, nnd he believed his father was right. There was 11ft. depth of water at the Miramar Wharf, and the speaker still believed that the' site of, Wellington's dock would lie in Evans' Pay. Mr. Crawford also mentioned that it .'lie early 'Id's his father had constructed the first tunnel in Now Zealand, th« nno ho had pierced to drain Miramar Flat. At the time -of the big -earthquakes in 1817 tho land at Miramar had risen 4ft. Gin., and in Wellington Oft. J'liey had to tower the floor of the tunnel Ift. Gin., and his one constant complaint igainst every Miramar Council was that chey would not keep the drains deep mough, and so allow tho water to drain iff. That was why in wet weather the water lay about, and the authorities had not seen that it would become a nenaco to health. He believed that tho liil slopes of eastern Miramar would one lay become tho most sought-after resileiitinl sites in tho whole of Wellington.

Permanent link to this item
Hononga pūmau ki tēnei tūemi

https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/newspapers/DOM19200906.2.11

Bibliographic details
Ngā taipitopito pukapuka

Dominion, Volume 13, Issue 294, 6 September 1920, Page 4

Word count
Tapeke kupu
771

MIRAMAR HISTORY Dominion, Volume 13, Issue 294, 6 September 1920, Page 4

MIRAMAR HISTORY Dominion, Volume 13, Issue 294, 6 September 1920, Page 4

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