AN OLD LANDMARK.

Stratford Evening Post, Volume XXXVII, Issue 32, 8 October 1913, Page 3

AN OLD LANDMARK.

A SACRIFICE TO PROGRESS.

Handsome New Premises.

"Stratford—the commev'.al centre of Taianaki!"—This ph;»<se has been so often repeated that it has almost becomo proverbial; but what twenty years ago was a dream of a few struggling business pioneers is quickly becoming a realisation of a thriving and energetic community which is fully alive to the ever-widening possibilities of the province of Taranaki. And so—and 'twas ever thus—in the march of progress—where competition daily grows keener, where simpler and quicker methods are continually being brought into force, where the old conditions under which men worked and goods were displayed are forever being replaced by more ingenious and more modern business appliances : so—and especially in this generation, for is it not truly the age of quick changes, wonderful inventions (aye, even almost miracles) —must the old give place to- the new. Five short years ago—and it requires no great mental strain to remember it—there was really only one side of the main street in Stratford. The leasehold sites belonging to the Railway Department were neglected, and tho class of buildings on them, as a whole, was shockingly poor; but the expansion of business has, in the natural course of events, demanded on tho railway side a better class of shop, roomier offices and more up-to-date buildings, and it is quite reasonable to say that, roughly, in fivo years the railway side of Broadway has been converted from a rabble of buildings to a very respectable-look-ing line of shops and offices. Tho buildings erected have added considerably to the smart appearance of Stratford's main thoroughfare, and the buildings on the leasehold side compare favorably with those on the freehold side, while from the point of view of business -the leasehold side can confidently challenge the freehold side.

After so much genevetrtsation a little particularisation may be welcome. At the invitation of the manager of Mr Newton King's Stratford branch (Mr Abraham) a Post representative was shown over the firm's new ofilces, , now almost completed. And what , was seen certainly constituted a surprise. The old. land-mark, with its dingy front, .ifjs, ill-illuminated corridor, its stuffy, badly-ventilated and really overcrowded offices has disappeared—is deleted, bloiited out, finished, "a mempry of the'past" —and in, its stead there'stands a suite !of offices probably ,as w ( ell appointed, as .convenient and ; commodious', 'and :as modern in every detail as any to be ifound on the,coast. . <Mr s s. D. Healy,, the architect, and Mr J. W. ■ Boon, the contractor, deserve a good deal of credit for the improvement, made; and how the wit of man could evolve out. of the old ramshackle of a building which previously occupied the corner the remarkably imposing office jbuildin,g;'iiow in- the position is beyond the_ ken of the non-architecting and .npu-carpentering lay mind. . . . On entering the double Idoor in the middle of the main,frontage, on either side of which are two large plate-glass, windows, one encounters" what might be termed a "public place"—a wide space which runs along the whole of the frontage and down the Fonton Street side of the building to the storeroom (lately the mart). In front 'of the main entrance is the manager's room—a well-appointed, well-lighted, convenient and roomy office. On the right of the manager's office i 3 the public counter, which has an outward bend and is of considerable extent; and its position has been so skilfully decided in its relation to the public and the bookkeepers that in the biggest rush conceivable it is confidently expected that three clerks will be able to cope with the business, with the maximum of convenience to themselves and to customers. Those who remember* the inevitable crush at the counter on fruit-sale days will especially appreciate the new order of things. Between the counter and the store are found the different departmental private offices, all of which aro handy and well lighted. On the left are the land office, the stock office and the Phoenix Insurance office. Between the two rows of private rooms and behind the counter is the general offici*, a roomy and airy apartment fitted with a sufficiency of handsome office desks. The building measures 100 ft. by Qdtt, and the offices cover 60ft. by Gift, The space in front of the counter and punning back to the storeroom is eleven feet wide, which gives ample room for an effective display of seeds, manures, and the other goods in which the firm deai.~. The general office, is 40ft. by 33ft., and the private offices vary in sizo from 12ft, by 12ft. to < 14ft. by 12ft. Situated at the back of the general office are the stationery room, the telephone room and the strongroom.

An up-to-dato feature of the building is the heating system. The heating is done by means of radiators, supplied with hot water from a basement below the stomoom. Altogether cloven radiators will lvo installed—four in the general office and one in each, of the private offices. By doing away with chimneys the whole of the available floor space lias been utilised and the bill for fuel will bo reduced to a negligible quantity

Sub-contractors connected with the work were: Painting, etc., Messrs Beckett and Corlott; plumbing and heating, Messrs. McMillan'and Frederic; brickwork, Mr J. Murray*