DIGNITY OF CITIES

Manawatu Herald, Volume LI, Issue 4467, 19 June 1930, Page 3

DIGNITY OF CITIES

POPULATION OF 20,000. THE POSITION OF NELSON. The elevation of Palmerston N. to eily status, will bring the number of cities in New Zealand to eight. The present cities are: — Auckland (attained city status 1871), Wellington (1870), Christchurch (1802), Dunedin • (4865), Wanganui (1024), Invercargill u.0'30), and Nelson (1856). •

All boroughs continuing a population of 20,000 or upwards are ontilled on petition to be'proclaimed cities by the Governor-General. In such cases the corporation remains unaltered and the new city receives no morn benefits or privileges as I'ar as ruling is concerned than it possessed under borough stains, indeed, the legislature continues lo regard if'si ill as a borough. The dignity of oily slalus .however, is na turn llv much prized. SMALLEST CITY IN DOMINION. Several towns are steadily qualifying for city slalus, by reason of lheir increasing population, as the following population figures, us in April, 1020, show: — Napier and Taradale 17,105 Timaru 16,300 New Plymouth 14,070 Hamilton 14,800 Gisborne 13,635 Hastings and Havelock North 11,010

The smallest city in New Zealand is Nelson, which owes its present stains (o 1 lie old, custom that city sinfns accompanied the existence of a cathedral in the town. Following English practice, as it oblained in those days, Ihe town was const Ruled the bishop’s sec and ordained a city by Royal Letters Hale at under the Great Seal of England in l Kofi, the year in which Nelson was created an Anglican diocese. No other town in New Zealand followed tlmt lead, with the result that to-day neither Napier, with its bishopric of Waiapu, nor Hamilton, with its Waikato bishopric, enjoys eily status, although iDcir respective piopula limns both exceed I hal of the City of Nelson.