50,000 CLUB STARTED

Dominion, Volume 31, Issue 252, 21 July 1938, Page 7

50,000 CLUB STARTED

“Lower Hutt A City Within

Two Years”

SIR ALEXANDER ROBERTS LAUNCHES PROJECT

The project of a 50,000 elub for Lower Hutt and Petone was publicly launched by Sir Alexander Roberts at a meeting held at Lower Hutt lust night under the auspices of the chamber of commerce, two members of which, Messrs. Carey and Liebezeit, initiated the project. Mr. J. M. Carlson, who presided, said that within two years Lower Hutt would come under city classification. The idea behind such a club was to foster a civic spirit, which every town and city should have highly developed, said Sir Alexander. They were faced in the near future with Lower Hutt attaining the dignity of a city and it would be one of the main objectives of the club, with the assistance of Petone, to make Lower Hutt worthy of its position. The idea of such a club was exemplified at Napier, where there was a 30,000 club, and the work accomplished there was most creditable. Could anyone knowing the desolation and chaos following the 1931 earthquake at Napier have foreseen the transformation that had been

achieved? To-day Napier had the most attractive waterfront in New Zealand, and practically all of this had been accomplished by the efforts of the 30,000 club, which organised entertainments, galas and other means of raising the necessary money. It should be realised at the start that the effort must be that of the citizens ■ themselves, not of the local bodies. They wanted- to see the Hutt Valley’s natural beauty developed and thebest possible result produced from the excellent material there was. The efforts of the club must be self-supporting. They must not decide what to do and then ask the councils for money to do the work; they must do it themselves. From the inception they should see to this. The councils were

already under a heavy burden in providing the necessary services and too muct could not be expected from them in the way of luxuries. The growth of Lower Hutt from a village to near a city in 25 years said a lot for the district, and that this progress came about in such a short period showed that the town had the'attractions that brought residents. The club should in no way bring pressure to bear on the councils to spend money; they should do what was wanted themselves. No local body could spend money on amenities without the people having to pay. As long as the councils had to pay, so did the people. He could speak with feeling because he had received. his rate notice two days before. However, as long as he was allowed to live in such a place as the Hutt he would be glad to pay the rates. With the combined population of Petoue and Lower Hutt the club would be already within striking distance of its objective, and it might well be that within a few years the name would have to be changed to the 100,000 club, said Sir Alexander.