Kau Head, Miamar North, 7th December, 1907.

Evening Post, Volume LXXIV, Issue 138, 7 December 1907, Page 2

Kau Head, Miamar North, 7th December, 1907.

B. G. Never-Wrong, Esq., Mount Victoria, Wellington City. DEAR BHUTUS— "OVERYTHINO has an ending, and ■"-^ at last I have arrived at my closing letter of a very inteicsting controversy. During lbs past few weeks I havo endeavoured honestly, and to the best of my ability, to bring under your notice and that of the public the special advantages pertaining to Miramar, a district that undoubtedly ha.s a great -future before it — a. far greater future than most people to-day realise. It is to further the interests of the district, and to give those that arc not familiar with its advantages an opportunity of leviewing thorn that I havo gone so fully into the question. Evon during the pj§t few days large developments are on foot, and likely to come- to a final issue, that in themselves must send Miramar and this end of Wellington rapidly ahead. I refer to the reclamation scheme at Evans Bay and the recent investment made by tho. Union Company in the Patent Slip. Within a. comparatively short space of timo all the foundries of Wellington aio sure to find their way into this neighbourhood, and the operatives working . for them must take up their abode unionist us. Just, imagine the reclamation of the bay practically tip to a line drawn from the Kilhirnie Hotel to the Jlrramar Cutting. Picture a- main thoroughfare connecting these two points, with foundries and factories on the- one side, and extensive shipping wharves oh the other, and what must inevitably follow a new tram route branching oft"' from the Kilbirnic Hotel and running through tho MiramaT Cutting to connect with the piesent lino. This in itself will shorten tho journey from Miramar North to the city by over a mile. Kilbirnie will become as busy as a bee-hive, and thero will not be much room for residence in itts immediate vicinity. New town is already well populated, and Miramar -will become the residential area of ito rapidly-increasing population. Thinking people arc already talking and speculating' on the futiue, and within six months investors will be seeking Miramar property in -hundreds, as by that time thoy Mill have fully realised the immense future this district has befoie it. I havo gone- fully into the question of the advantages of suburban residence as againit city. Out here wo have much larger areas to exist upon, lower Tents to pay, and abundance of breathing-space, recreation for our children without limit, all the. advanlagcsr of gardening and domestic occupation, asagainsfc high units in the city, cramped areas to exist upon, "absolutely no playgrounds or recreation for children without purchasing it, no chance whatever of cultivating or growing oven a cabbage, and breathing-space that is all too limited. I think I have clearly demonstrated that as the population of this city increase? — and increase >it must with rapid strides — tjie lequirements of the business portion of the town are so great that year by year the people must be driven further out to seek residence, and for this Teason Wellington's suburbs have a ' bright and prosperous outlook "before them. For this reason there is no doubt that those that look a few years ahead of them, and anticipate ©vents by securing for themselves homes in the suburbs, arc going to be more than rewarded' for their forethought. I sincerely hope that those who havo followed our controversy will have grasped this fact, and that at least some of them will act upon it whilst there id yet a chance of procuring laud at leasouablo prices. No doubt many vill think that 1 am biassed, and possibly io a certain extent I may be so, but J t havo invited all to look for themfcclvos, feeling confident that they have only got to do .so to become convinced themselves. I would only ask anyone who is desirous of ascertaining for himself to stand at tho top of Constablestreet and review Kilbirnie, the proposed reclamation of Evans Bay and the Miramar Peninsula, and form an opinion for himself as to its pio&pects for the next* ten years to come. Tho man is blind indeed who cannoot foresee the enormous developments that are in stoic for us in the immediate future. In years to como j I shall lake gTcat pleasure' in re-reading { my forecasts in this correspondence^ and shall point with nc- small amount of pride to the accuracy with which I havo gauged the future of Minima*, and quite expect and sincerely hopa that many will bo able to thank mo for having drawn their' attention to the right locality to invest in. I have gone' fully into the question of saving money by banking, and the fact that theje aro so many thousaiuls even in this city who possess a banking account i« direct evidence of the ability of our people to save. If it bo ho simple a matter, and the inducement of bank interest at three per cent is Miilieient to load so many to .save, how much greater should be the encouragement to invest in hind that van be purchased^ upon the easiest of terms, and instead of offering a return of a meagro three per cent, will in all probability yield two or three huudied per cent, on" its c.ipital value in a Aery few years. A little instance of early history has just occmred to mo. Some liltlo time ago a man dmv my attention to a piece of land in Napier. Ho staled that when his father landed ■ there this section was offering for bale at £5, and ho intended puiehaiing it, but was dissuaded by his wife, who said that ho did not want it. Ho then informed me of the fact that the self-samo section had recently been sold for £17,000. Instances of this sort could be enumerated by the hundred as illustration of the opportunities tliat our fathers had forty years ago, and but too few of them had this foresight to avail themselves of thorn, 'they, of eotuwo, constitute our wealthy men to-day, and we are in the habit of criticising thorn as ''lucky begjiuis." well deserving of the graduated UIX, I|\UlC forgetting to ..How them owht foi their foicthouqht and thrift in sltirting c.irly to build up .i fnitunr. There are oppoi luiulics, it not quite ns good at least ajU2rpathjxi£ tlieia, to bo had to-dft-yj

in Miramar by- the bcore. Within fifleon .years tho frontages, of Park-road, Miramar Xoith, will easily realise from £ ( B0 to £100 per fool, and to-day they can be purchased horn £5 upwards. There in no necessity to bemoan our own sad fate, and envy our fntlicjs their good fortuno in ariivmg in tlio c;uly diiys, whilsL tliese chances -stare us in Uio- face. As 1 have already said, it requires but a little grit and Vickbone to mako a atari, and we have plenty of opportunities, and good ones, of hiulcling up an independence. The niisfo:lunc lies in the fact that too nuny 'people only consider tho immediate present, and will not try to look into tho future. Tho person who does not avail hiuuclf of the opporf unities of investment, and is contented to lay past the few pounds at his disposal for saving each year in the Savings Ijank, will never become lich. Some plucky and independent fellow Avho frees the futinre with a stout hcail, and defies reverses and misfortunes, borrows his' savings from tho bankfer at a slightly advanced rate, of inteiaii, and speculates it in land, the unearned inuiemeufc of which enables him in a surprisingly short time to repay the banket;, at the same time- giving himself an uncommonly good chance of an independence a few years hence. Now, Never-Wrong, the lime has arrived to close down this correspondence and layaside the pen. Bollt of us, I am sure, have been actuated by the same impulse, viz., to ventilate our ideas pro bono publico, and if we have succeeded in inducing evfcn. a few to so much as pause and consider what ws have been writing about, our efforts have nob been in vain* Much is to' bo gained at all times by the interchange "of ideas, and this is multiI plied v hundredfold if the ideas are ex- : changed in tho 'columns of the press, for there everybody has tho opportunity of perusing them with the object of. fair ciiticism, and. seeds may be sown" that \may yet yield an abundant harvest. Trusting that Miramar will get her fair share of tho CTop, and feel ing -confident (hat tho'o who are actuated by my motives will be more than 1 awarded, for their efforts, I will bring my correspondence to a close by wishing you and yours a Merry Christmas and 1 a' Happy New Year. I am, yours faithfully, A. D. EVER-KIGET.