PROGRESS OF THE TOWN.

Taranaki Daily News, 2 January 1917, Page 6

PROGRESS OF THE TOWN.

PAST AXi) FUTURE WORKS. ALL RECORDS BHOIiEV, the tramway service, Respite. the lvar and the ]iin-h cost of material, the progress made in Xew Plymouth in (lie vear just exj'ired lias been phenomenal. On every h; 1 nd are to be seen evidences of municipal and private rntcrprisc. ' The most important work so far as the borough is concerned was the, completion of tlio tramway contract and the inauguration of the service. The official opening took place on June 1, and the work was completed at a cost of jCfiO,Sllfl. The service lias proved highly

satisfactory and lias been an inestimable boon to residents and visitors. The extent to which the trains were used during the Christmas a"..' New Year holidays is ]Sroof of their value, while the steadily increasing use bv residents throughout the year shows that the service is an important fact.]'- in attracting people and in the progress of the town. Although not quite a naynble proposition as vet (lie tramways have conferred many benefits upon the 'own, and it is almost beyond question tint the indirect gain to the town as a whole will more than compensate fi.r the small monetary loss. The authorities are optimistic enough to believe that eventually the profits from the undertaking will be sufficient to reimburse the losses of the first year or two. In connection with the tramway system, a sub-station was built in I.iardet street af a cost of .CtlfflO In addition to this the electric light department incurred a liability of £3:HIO to provide uiaehin n rv to supply now-"- 'or ihe tramways. The train-sheds at Fitrrov, erectid at a cost of t-.'oftO. ,vciv also built in connection with the tramway system.

EXPENDITURE OX ROADS. It became necessary to raise a loan for (lie purpose of constructing in a permanent manner tlie roads rnmpri-ing the tram route, and edvantage was taken of this to raise money for other vorks required to be done The poll was taken in Hay, 1910. and a loan of .122,000 was sanctioned, the first work undertaken was the laving of the tram route in tar niaeadam. Unfortunately the cost greatly exceeded the estimate, which had been set down at .-£IO,OOO. and the Council found it could not proceed with the other works contemplated. There still remains a considerable amount of work to be done to effect a satisfactory job of the train route.

Of the £42,000 loan borrowed by the "(ii'.neil for street improvement, only a -mall proportion has been spc-nt. Tl--••laims of various works requiting attention under this head were deferred again and again. The Council spent ffifiO in ■/. id"iiing and improving Pavnter's Lane, and work costing about -£IOO, has been done in Waiwaka Terrace, and Chilman and Karamu streets.

WORKS REQUIRING ATTENTION There is wide scope for municipal aeitivitv during the coining year. A i.(w town luvll will sooner or later have to be provided, and othe.- public offices c! the town will naturally group themselves round the town hall. It is likely, however, that the municipal offices will remain in the sub-station as at present for some time. Among the most important matters requiring attention are the improvement of streets nameu in the schedule of the .€42.080 loan. SEASIDE IIII'ROVniENT. Little was done by the Council in the matter of town-planning a::d improving the sea-front during last year, though improvements were cll'eeted by the seaside committees. The question of acquiring a stretch of seafraut near Xgamotti for an esplanade a'.d recreation purposes lias been before the Council, and will probably receive further consideration. PUBLIC COXYEX.^XC-ES. It lias been acknowledged for many years past that there has been a great peed for the erection of public conveniences in the town, but «im-e 19)4, when p. site was under consideration, nothing has been done to provide this need. It will have to be taken in hand before long if the town is to keep in the van of progress.

RESULT OF PRIVATE ENTERPRISE. A splendid testimony to private enterprise is contained in the building figures for tlio borough for the i.i-t year. The number of permits and the aggregate value of buildings «rro:-ll;.- exceeded those of previous years. The permits lota lied 10:1. and the aggregate value vas £64,288. The only other year when these figures were approached was in I'.Hli-U, when the hospital a public institution costing £28,001'. was erected. The buildings comprise a hull for the lirelhren in Kobe street, tiir Breakwater Hotel and Cliatsworth House, the Bovs' nipli School boarding establishment, the tiii'ls' IliL'h School. Everybody's Theatre (one of the most beautiful structures in tlii> Dominion and a credit to the town), two picture theatres which were remodelled. a fine ferro concrete building for the A.M.I-'. and extensive alteration? to Messrs. White and Sons' and A tilbury Bros.' drapery establishments in Devon street. In addition new works are being constructed for the Moturoa Tronsand Co.. Ltd., while the Education Board have built a new engineering «ehool and a commodious workshop for their nermanent construction staff. Building activity on the Ngamotu beach been responsible for the erection of a new pavilion and 14 cottages, while at Kawaroa the pavilion has been considerably extended. A contract lias just b>sn let for the construction of a fine new warehouse for Messrs. Cock and Co. in Currie street.

Tim expiring year lias also witnessed tlit- completion of the new freezing works at Fitzroy. Although outside the borough boundary and 'therefore not included in the borough bn'iding returns, (lie works will necessarily affect New Plymouth to a large extent. FORTY-FOUR NEW RESIDENCES. During the year 44 residences, includir.gr 14 cottages at Ngainotu. have been rrected in the borough. The rate of building is insufficient to keep pace with the rate of expansion, and :f the demand can be supplied this yea. - , a period of marked prosperity is promised. A feature of the new bnjyiings has been the extent to which materials other than wood has been used. Despite the high cost of steel, frro-conerete has been I employed in several instances, while concrete, poilite, and asbestos sheeting fotind favor in other cases. Timber is very dear, and it has been found that concrete and roueli cast cost very little I WJ'«e " v