THE Hauraki Plains Gazette With which is incorporated THE OHINEMURI GAZETTE. Motto: Public Service. MONDAY, WEDNESDAY, & FRIDAY. FRIDAY, DECEMBER 29, 1922. A YEAR’S PROGRESS.

Hauraki Plains Gazette, Volume XXXIII, Issue 4509, 29 December 1922, Page 2

THE Hauraki Plains Gazette With which is incorporated THE OHINEMURI GAZETTE. Motto: Public Service. MONDAY, WEDNESDAY, & FRIDAY. FRIDAY, DECEMBER 29, 1922. A YEAR’S PROGRESS.

Each year sees wonderful changes in the progress of PaerOa and the development of the Hauraki Plains, The past year has, perhaps, seen more evidence of the growth of the town and a greater expansion of the dairying industry on the Hauraki Plains than any previous period. One of the surest signs of progress in a town is building activity. During the year 1922 Paeroa has been made larger by the, addition- of numerous residences, a new block of modern shops, and -the Centenary Hall- There has also been talk of the erection of i new and large theatre. Sanitation is essential - to the health of any closely settled area, and Paeroa is not backward in this respect. An extensive sewerage system is at present'being installed, the number 1 area having been partly completed during the year. .. With, the rapid growth of Paeroa and the increased business in all quarters no added facilities have been provided for the largely increased postal business. The present post office has outlived its usefulness - ; it i-s now no longer in the centre of the town, and it is too small for requirements. A new post office has been promised, and a grant off £5OOO has been made for its erection, bu.t so far no move has been made by the department, to fulfil its promises. This has - not escaped the notice .of the local business men, who have made repeated efforts during the past 12 months to secure the erection of the new office, but without success. -Next year, no doubt, will see more efforts on this behalf, and It is hoped that in the interests of the town .and district as a whole we will be able to qhronicle at the close of next yea? that Paeroa is in possession of 1 a new and up-to date post office. Possibly the most noticeable work in Paeroa during the year is that effected by the Beautifying Society, which is to be complimented on its fine achievements in an endeavour to transform a few of the town’s unsightly and unused pieces of ground into places of beauty, thus - giving the town an attractive appearance. The attention given to the strip of roadside beside the railway -station is the most striking of the society’s wont during the year. The band rotunda in .the main street Is another of the town’s acquisitions placed there by the efforts of the society. The year’s events' have not all been for the benefit pf Paeroa. The rapid

silting up of the Waihou River is to the decided detriment of not only Paeroa, but also Te Aroha and' Waihi. Not so very many months ago the district was threatened with the possibility of. the river silting up co such an extent that the Auckland steamers would no longer be able to go past the Public Works Department's wharf at the Puke bridge, and the cost of berthing at and Using this wharf would be added to the cost of the goods landed there. Needless to say, efforts been made to have the department dredge the river, to enable the present service to continue, and time only-will tell whether these efforts will be successful. The proposed railway from Paeroa to Pokeno is not merely a parochial matter, but concerns not only Paeroa and the Hauraki Plains but alsb the efficient working of the Bast Coast Main Trunk railway. A sum of £5OOO has been granted for preliminary works on this line, but none pfi it ilnas yet been spent. During the last few months the various local bodies in the district have, at the invitation of the Auckland. Railways and Development League, petitioned Parliament to have the grant expended before it expires at the end of March next. If these representations' a.r,e effective it is POo 1 - sible that the line, which means so much to the district, will be an accomplished fact before very many more years have passed. Paeroa, wholly dependent on the surrounding farming district, has much to be thankful for that it is in close proximity to the wonderful Hauraki Plains. The closer settlement of land, and its more intense cultivation in this rich and fertile area, is naturally reacting on the nearest town —Paet’oa. The development of the Plains has proceeded rapidly during the past few years, and last year has seen not any more land being opened up, or sold at high figm cs, but more industrious work by the farmers on their 'holdings', the introduction of better, cattle into the herds, and the consequent increase in production. Many of the farmers are now using the electric power provided by the reticulation of the eastern portion of the Plains by the Thames Valley Electric Power Board. The electric power will be found to be a distinct acquisition, combining cleanliness with economy. The settlers have also been blessed with increased telephonic facilities. New exchanges have been opened at Ngatea and Patetonga, Where new offices have been erected, while the Turua exchange has now a service until 11 p.m. and for two hours on Sundays. Turua also gained partial independence from the Hauraki Plains Qgun’ty Council by the formation of a town board, amt to finish up 1922 a portion of the Turua riding only last week decided to go in l for a permanent rpading scheme. \ In the progress of Paeroa and the Hauraki Plains there is much we can be thankful for. While the town cannot dp without the country, tine country, likewise, cannot dp without the town, and both sections of the community, recognising their interdependence, should continue to Workharmoniously with each, other ; work not only in their own interests, but in the interests of the district as a whole and for the epuntry generally. The coming year should be a bright one — we sincerely hope it is—and it is up to each one of us to help to make 1923 even a better year than the one of which we are now at. the end. With -this we wish all a Bright and Prosperous New Year, and may unfailing perseverance lead us to prosperity.