Many Irons in Fire

Sun (Auckland), Volume 1, Issue 66, 9 June 1927, Page 8

Many Irons in Fire

The Growth of Rotorua — New Zealand’s Greatest Spa ABOUT 50,000 tourists visited Rotorua last year and Auckland’s leading spa-township is bounding ahead. Close on £120,000 has been spent on building and £40,000 on roads and footpaths in the past year or two; a new high schools is nearing completion and an up-to-date theatre and an amusement park by the lakeside are projected.

ASK a resident of Rotorua —an average resident—what the town lives on, and he’ll scratch his head, and agree without much thought that it lives oil tourists. Rotorua’s 5,000 or so citizens, however, are interested in quite a number of activities outside the tourist traffic. There is farming, both sheep and dairy, which supports two large factories; and there is timber. The Forestry Department now has endless miles of tree plantations. And the spa must not be overlooked. Last year baths or treatments were given to 140,000 callers. A FAVOURABLE CHANGE

Rotorua is making steady progress. This refers to the appearance of the town. The real cause of progress is the change that was made about four years ago in the tenure under which the residents held their sections. Briefly, Rotorua was under a board until 1900, and after that, until 1907, was under the Government and an elected Town Board. From 1907 until 1923 its administration was entirely in the hands of the Tourist Department. Becoming unwieldy, it was then placed under a borough council of eight elected members, and two Government nominees.

A new era in the history of Rotorua was opened by the alteration by which the lessees of sections (99 years, without right of renewal, or compensation) were afforded’the opportunity of acquiring the freeholds at any time during the currency of tile lease. WOODEN BUILDINGS GO The result has been that in the past four years many of the old wooden structures, with an estimated life of twenty years, and a practical life far exceeding that period, have disappeared, and the main street in particular has seen erected, or is seeing erected, or in prospect, many substantial and attractive concrete buildings which are entirely altering the appearance of the town. In the past four years, outside Government building, the new buildings erected have reached an estimated total of £116,337, and this year prom-

ises a greater total than ever before. Several new buildings are nearing completion, and three more are in view, two of which will entirely eclipse modern buildings in the town. One is a new theatre (for pictures and general purposes), estimated to cost £12,500. The company to build this structure is being formed. The other is rather more advanced. It is the Rotorua High School, which was designed by Mr. E. La Trobe Hill, of Rotorua, and is already half-finished. This is in concrete, with a huge amount of window and will contain seven rooms, a laboratory, and other smaller rooms. Messrs. Gleany and Clark, of Rotorua, are carrying out the work, and the contract price is about £II,OOO. It will be finished about August. A bank building, estimated to cost £5,500, is on the way. MANY IMPROVEMENTS The borough has spent some £36,500 on its roads and footpaths in the last year or two, and is now getting rid of some £3,000 of a supplementary loan. It has recently planted 2,000 trees in its streets, and has

opened up and fully equipped a very fine motor-camping ground, which ac commodated 200 cars at one time last year, the area being lent by the Steele family. Rotorua rates, by the way, are set down at .SB9d in the pound on capiral value, and produce slightly over £B,OOO. The borough is endowed by the Government with ground rents amounting yearly to £1,700, or thereabout, and for the first five years draws about £1,300 annually, as its share of bath fees. Drainage, water and light are still under Government control. The borough is entitled to rate up to £I,OOO annually for advertising and entertainment purposes, and the borough has been endowed recently with 13 acres on the lake front, which will probably be turned into an amusement park providing, among other things, the daqcing facilities which are lacking at present.