SEASIDE IMPROVEMENT

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LI, Issue 324, 15 January 1909, Page 4

SEASIDE IMPROVEMENT

EAST END OPENING CEREMONY. I

Notwithstanding the number of coun liM-iittraciiiiiis, there was an attention of about live hundred people at tin ceremony in. connection with the open ing ul tlie 'jv lli'iiui portion of the sea -id.' improvement scheme yesterday 'J lie- reserve at the Pines, where tlii allair look place, bore i|iiiUf a pienii appearand. .-iiiLiren disporting' them selves on the heaeli, adults "takiiij things ca->," a ud the. eaterer atteudin; to the waius »f the "inner man.'' His Worship t!„. ,\|. t u> r (Mr. liustav iliseh) opened ih.. proceedings by de tailing the events . ailing up to til completion of the lirst part of t'h -seheme of the beach improvement. 11, had for years been of opinion that ill people of New Plymouth had not don sullicient to popularise tile seasiil-: I(Hear. hear.) When he was eleetci (Mayor he felt the time for words Inn passed and the time for work arrived and within ten days he started to ex tend and improve the west end seasid walks. He felt that the nature of th hvork would commend itself to th people of the town, who would provid the sinews of war. He was not ilisap pointed. The work there completed, s .far as their means would permit, h started operations at the east end, hav ing been succcOjful in making satisfac tory arrangements with the Prisons Ui partment for the services of ; , gang <i prisoners, who under Warder Kiehai-i son and later under Warder Downs ha done splendid work. The warders too « lively interest in the work, and '. them they owed a lot, as well as I. ■Mr. Miilington, tlaoler, who had facili Hated the men's work in every wa\ 'As regards the improvement tliat ha 'been made, the beach, of course, colli not be compared with the fashionabl ■watering-places of Europe, but he doubt I'd whether they would lind a line Stretch of beach with such possibilitie anywhere. He had made a start wit the work—he had made the track, an it was for the townspeople to improv it. (Hear, hear.) He. hoped that in ■very few years they would have a cat Tinge drive as well. Without doubt i fcbul'd be made the most magnifieen drive in the Southern Hemisphere. Th 'beach had great possibilities, and i 'was for the townspeople to make th .'most of them. Referring to the con 'struction of the bridge, trader the T 'Henni railway bridge, lie said tha! 'thanks to Jlr. llillmgton, this work ■which builder and architect estimate' 'would cost €4ll, 'had been done for i little' over £l3. Dr. Leatham Inn kindly given permission to use a portioi of his land on the eastern side of th, 'bridge, so that the public could nov \valk as far along the beach as the l liked. The total cost of the work a the eastern end was £49 7s, made u] as follows:—Prison labor (eight men) three months, £3O; food for prisoners '£s 2s (id; ashes for paths, £1 8s; tim her for bridge, £8; material for same ' £49 Ts. The whole work (eastern am western) had run into £l3B 10s KM Donations to the extent of £127 17s (l ( had been received, and, with the Jior ough Council grant of £11), there \va: a deficiency of a little under a pound He thanked those who had contribute! •to the funds, and assured those whi had not done so that more would lie!) materially, as there was plenty of wort yet to be done in providing seats alon< the paths and planting trees. Hi 'thought they would agree with liiu Itliat the money contributed had beer Iwelt spent. (Hear, hear.) Of course they could not have obtained the re suits they had without the assistant! of prison labor, .Mr. Tisch then de clared the esplanade, open, anil askei (Miss Coleman to cut the ribbon that ■had been, stretched over the path, li doing so .Mr. Tisch attested tin- great ilielp that hail been rendered him ii feonnection with -the esplanade by tin Coleman family.

Miss Coleman having cut the rilibon. Mr. \V. Outfield, chairman of the FitzToy Town -Hoard, was asked' bv the ■Mayor to address the assemblage,'which 'Mr. Cutiield did in appropriate terms, stating that the work that had been "lone at the esplanade would he of great •benefit to Fitzroy. and that so soon las the local hoard was in funds an ■endeavor would be -made to continue 'the work. i PRKSKXTATIOX TO THE MA YOU.

Mr. Richard Cock, ex-Mayor of Xew 'Plymouth, then .stepped forward, and said he had a pleasant duty to perform That was to present the Mayor, on behalf of the citizens of the town, with Mil illuminated address, by way of acknowledging the splendid work lie hac done in improving the town's foreshow. 'He referred in felicitous terms- to Mr Tisch's connection with the public affairs of the town-as councillor, as (chairman of the Hospital Hoard, as a leading spirit in establishing Western IPark, as well as in establishing the Technical School, and as the man re ■sponsible for the improvement of the 'esplanade. In connection with the hitler, he hoped that the work that had licen, so well commenced by Mr. Tisch 'would continue. There was plenty o' 'scope for improvement. They should have a half-chain motor or carriage 'drive from the Te Henui to the break'water, with an avenue of suitable trees 'and shrubs, such as the pohutukawi. •planted. It could not all -lie done in ■' Vlay. Big things came out of little 'things. He. reminded those present that it took Wellington forty years before they got their Queen's drive, and then ■it was not the work of the citizens: 'it wan done by the Government to provide work for <hhe unemployed. Xew (Plymouth should not wait, but endeavor to push on a work that was destined to •make the town a seaside resort second to none. Mr. Cock then handed the adVlrcss- (particulars of which were published in yesterday's issue) to Air. Tisch. I Messrs. Roy (ex-Mayor), ,T. Gilbert '(West End),'and \V. ii. Malone (Central) also spoke. At Mr. Malonn's instance three hearty cheers were given for Mr. Tisch. ' Mr. Tisch feelingly renlicd. He could 'not sav he was taken by surprise, for lie had read in that morning's paper 'of the proposed presentation, but he 'could say he appreciated the good wishes that prompted the townsmen in the 'matter. He. had sought to do his dutv. 'and did not look for reward, (fe did 'not intend to seek re-election as Mavnr '—(A voice: Xonsense!)-but this fact 'would not prevent him continuing the 'work he was interested in, i.e.. the improvement of the town's esplanade and beauty-spots. He might tell them thai the Government had- constituted Marslaud Mill a public domain, and in future It would be known as "Marsland Hill "Domain." the control being vested in the iiorough Council. Prison labor would 'he available for the improvement of 'this commanding and beautiful spat. 'and he would not rest satisfied until it was a second Auckland Albert Park. 'His intention was to form a beautifying association to take this ami other similark work ill hand, and he had no doubt j that in a few years Xew Plymouth "would indeed be'the "garden of Xew 'Zealand." . He" disclaimed credit for being responsible for what had been done at Western Park. The credit in 'this respect was mainly due to Air. George Browne, who also was inainlv -i-iiMiiisilile for the footbridge, that had been constructed over the railway line it the old Waiinanu-strcet iioi.it. and which gave an outlet to the beach and oromenade. They could do with more money to build a bridge over the Ifuatok;. so that people could have, if they chose, an uninterrupted- walk from Te 'Henui to the breakwater along the seaYron't. and he had no doubt that ii 'would be forthcoming. He also mentioned that he had intended making a small presentation to Warder Down' (he had already acknowledged Warder Ilii-banNon's services), but that gentleman's duties prevented him from being present. However, he would ipake it nrivalely. He had just received an offer of 7") trees from Mr. George lloulliin for beautifying the esplanade, and he had little doubt that those townspeople who could do so would follow Mr. Bdultou's example and provide tree? sufficient to take away the bareness of thi. esplanade. ' An adjournment was then made to the refreshment tables, which were presided over by Mr. Thompson and his assistants.