THE GREY LYNN BOROUGH.

Auckland Star, Volume XLV, Issue 153, 29 June 1914, Page 2

THE GREY LYNN BOROUGH.

INCORPORATED IN JULY. (IROWTTI OF Till-: DISTRICT. Tile lillill meeting of tile (irey Lynn Roroiigli Council lakes place this even- . ing. as next inonili Ihe district will lie fornialh amalgamated with city of Atickland. Sonic of ihe past history of this borough is of interest. Il will no doubt ■ he rem.sobered Ivy old residents that ' when lirst formed Hie borough was - mimed "Newton." and remained so for • many years. Bven to-day. the school ' district .-till hears ihe mime of Newton. ■ When in the early days. Holdship's tim- - her mill started" in '\Ve-t Street, off • Kantngahapc Road, the place was called ' "Newtown."' Later on this was abbreviated Ito Newton. Then liie Newton Moid I Hoard was formed, which embraced the Surrey Hills Ktvtatp and Richmond. Mr. ■ K. T. Warnock. who still reside*, hale and hearty al Richmond, was chairman ■ of tlie Newton Koad Pxciril fnr 12 years, having succeeded "Mr. Francis .Jones in ' that oflicp in 1ST:!. The latter gentleman, ii may lie nicntione.l. was tlie 1 sutTOMior of Mr. Krank Luvry, who at - that time ran ;i big dairy on Surrey Hills. In ISS3 tin- Surrey* Hills K.slntc was out up mill sold, ami two years later the Borough oi Newton was gazetted. At that time there were only 30 houses in tlie district, and Mr. IL T. Warnock was ,-hoscn the first Mayor. which position lie belli for .1 years." lie ] was one of the deputation who subsequently .waited upon Mr. Frances .lone* and asked that gentleman to .-land for Mayor. It was somewhat sin_ular licit ' the genilenmn whom Air. Waruoik succeeded as ehairm-.i!) should afierwards follow him r.s Mayor. Some y.-uis later Mr. Warnock returned lo Hie I otineil as an ordinnrv member, ami vvdk Mayor the year of the < oromilion of King F.dwar.l. In his ollii-ia! capacity he t..ok part in the planting of the coronation oa'c which stands near tlie ~r.-ent Rorou_h Coumil Chnmbers. Altoorther Mr Warnock pill in about 2C year-' service for the public in the Koad Hoard nud Council, and upon his final retirement was the recipient from tiis fellow-councillors of a handsome silver !"H urd rof{--e service. Hi- broiher. Mr R'u-liaril Warnock. also na< Mayor for :: period, and l-.is poii. Vrr .1. A. VViirnock. i- a inemher of tiie present Council. Mr John Wisdom Shat-Uleford "a- the hut M:vyor of Newton, and lirsi Mayor of .(trey I.vnn. as ihe name of t'i" lvor.-oifrli w-is chan.eil -ilitrinj iii- term of ollicc. The reason for the alteration was the th- borough of Newton was often mixed up with the Karangah-.ipe ward of tiie ,itv of Alrtkland. which v..,.. and is still often called '-Newton." T!ihealth reports often credited the boniug-h with diseases which belr>n_'.tl I ■' j Karao2ahapc, and there was also trouble over covrcspondem-c which rendered a I'.lirje ;v Hisnh!.'. It ".is also rfliriri. |Mr Slia.-kleford'- t-rm oi offi.-s tli.it Ihe rat ins on 'mini;.roved va'itcs w, adopteii. A iar-e portion of Iho Surrrey Hills estate was ..-. tint time tnisuld. land it was foil Hi,it Ihe new -y-lec !,.:" ruing mi-hl evp-.iiie the sale ol the land. Dunns Hie las', ten years (.rev |,ynn lias been built upon ala great rale, ihe Richmond district in particular h-.ivincr developed remarkably since the tr.im service was cxli'itdod out thtu way. A feature of the Ore.y Lynn borough is the fact that a very lar_e proportion of the dwellinc*; are owned by the ocenpiTs. ■and it has for many y.-.irs been a -dry" district. In the "early days „f the borou.h it w;\- tilso remarkable from tbe fact that the Mayors, upon retiring- from office, very frequently were re-elected to the Council, tlie result being that e\prienced men were at the head of affairs, and had the benefit of the knowledge of those who hid previously occupied the 'same position. The metdinss of the first. [Council were held in a little room ill I what was known a- the Hall of t'otlimeree. on the f.reat North Road. After- - j wards a room was occupied in tiie lir-st St. Ceor.L'c's Hall, and later the pr.-sent brick buildin.s were erected in Rose Road. Mr John Currie was f,,r \cry many years clerk to the Newton Roroutih foiiiici!. and attended to pretty well evrri'tlunrr else connected with the workin- of the district. Win,i be wanted money to pay an account, he would -ro to town with bis rale book, and just Stick lip any ratepayers be caw until be F „t suflicioi'it for his p'.ir|M)M>s. rears after retiring from the position of Town n?rk. Mr f'urrii-v was elected a member of ibe Council, where bis pi_t knowledpe of the tlislrift w».< of value. Sliortly after the !«lirry Hills estate Wats cut up. the portion near Ihe < ity and alomr Hie Croat North Koad was liuilt in. Then aroev the problem of a water supply. The day of l/'y Uwus had not v-r-t come. and when L"2.(li«l was borrowe'il iijuiii debentures, it wats felt that serious responsibilities had Iveen ineurrod. The old Newton t'ouni-il. however, paid •oIT this loan, ami several otber-. Rapid build-in;; <d kite yeans ibij: borrowing vschemes. and when the vol" to join -the city wa- carried, a scheme ttv borrow £100.000 h.id been sniVmritted to the ititepaycrs. The boroupjli of C.re>- l/ynti will not come empty handed to Aucklaiul- i: owtts -a park reserve in the centre of the Surrv TTills estate, riteo -2"2 nereis reserve at 'the intake of Cox's C-rei-k. besides : iiavins recently ac<ruired- from the 1 Marine r>epnrtm-ent tire water-front from llerne Ray to llellaby's Point as a boat reserve and site for baths. <:rey Lynn i boroiitrh uko own? a tinarry on the city '.property at Western Spriims. which is ! «pib'e nf suppl>-irrr blue metal far the. ■ i western tside of the town.