A TOWN OF PROGRESS

Evening Post, Volume XCII, Issue 108, 3 November 1926, Page 15

A TOWN OF PROGRESS

PAST, PRESENT, AND FUTURE

The early . history of Palmerston North makes romantic reading, "'for the story shows how the town has grown from the most modest of beginnings into a flourishing centre of a flourishing district. In 1868 Palmerston North and the districts immediately surrounding it boasted a population, of thirty - 'one settlers and their families, but even then the little settlement showed distinct signs of progress, a quality which is retained by those who now make up the population of the town. With little assistance from tho Provincial Government, the settlers made noble efforts vto overcome the many dif-

Acuities with -which ■ they were confronted, and it was not until the Foxton line was; established that their difficulties became less acute. Even then, it was by no means an easy matter to maintain a, constant communication with Foxton,. and food supplies were not at all regular. It was in 1870 that a proposal for the erection of a tramway from:Foxton to'the.'con-templated-site of Palmerston North was first mooted,-.but;the estimate for the1 work—£looo—proved beyond tho resources of the Provincial Government, until in the following year, when the financial position improved, a rumour gained curioncy that the Government' intended to construct tho proposed tramway. The rumour had tho effect of enticing a number of now settlers to tho district, and the foundation of Palmerston North; was well and truly laid by the opening of a store by Mr. G. M. Snclson. Following that, progress was very marked, Mr. James Linton building tho first house in Palmerston. It was built at Terrace End. Following this, a butcher's shop was opened near the present station site, and the erection of more houses gave the place a prosperous appearance. Hitherto, communication with Wellington had only been maintained with very great difficulty, but the completion of the old military road between Wellington and Hawkcs Bay saw -the establishment of a coaching service. RAPID PROGRESS. From 1870 the town of Palmerston North made rapid forward strides, and by tho .end of 1873 there were six business places, all-of which,were warranted by the increase which had taken place in the population. By 1875 the town was able to support a newspaper, the "Manawatu Daily Times'.' making its- first appearance on Saturday, 23rd October. Five years later the "Standard" made its appearance. In tho meantime, the old tram from Foxtonto Palmerston North had been replaced

by a train. How greatly tho advent of the train affected the growth of Palmerston North, even in tho early stages, may be judged from the fact that in 1877 the Square was quite a busy place from a business point of view. At that timo the station was in the centre of the Square. In the 'eightios there was a strong agitation for the completion of the . Manawatu line, which had been started only to be stopped when Sir George Grey went out of office in 1879. Repeated representations to-the .Government to go on with the work met with no success, and finally a private company was. set up to carry on the work, certain concessions having been' granted by the Government, which also passed the Railways , Construction and" Land Act, enabling the company to proceed with the work and endowing it with 215,000 acres in tho Manawatu. So expeditiously was the work pushed ahead by the company that the whole line was completed by November, ISBG. On 29th November of the same year tho first

HOW PALMERSTON HAS GROWN

Probably no town in New Zealand has enjoyed such mar_ed pro as Palmerston North. In a comparatively short space of time it has grown from a mere bush settlement to one of the most important inland towns in New Zealand. In the process of development, it has outgrown many of its rivals, and its growth is not yet completed. The future is bright, and those who believe in the town —and to be a resident of Palmerston North is to believe in it —are looking to the time when in size said importance it will bo second only to the four main cities.

train, consisting of ten carriages, ran through from Wellington to Manawatu. One historian, writing of this first trip, says:— Many of the .five hundred passengers who came by that train had I never before passed beyond the confines of the city, and the amazement ! with which they beheld a town of Palmerston's magnitude set in the heart of the bush, was equalled only by the enthusiasm with which they contemplated the magnificent stretch of rich, though undeveloped, country through which they had passed, i It was this railway, later taken over by the Government, that really laid the foundation of Palmerston North's real progress.

If Palmerston!, North; has .a < romantic past aJad a promising f uture,, it, may also be said with truth that it has a very, prosperous present. In recent years the progress of,the town, has been little short ,of wonderful. . Not only has the residential portion of the: town gone ahead by leaps and bounds,- but new business premises, are also being, erected .in and near tho Square. The town has an nir-of prosperity which speaks well for tho district which surrounds it. Some idea of the progress that the town is making may bo gained from the following figures showing the number of building permits issued during the past six months: —

The total number of. permits issued during the .period under review was 255, the total value of the proposed new buildings and alterations . being £160,411/. '... .;. ' . • During the last two yoars three miles of new residential streets have been opened by the Borough Council. A PROGRESSIVE PEOPLE. Probably no town or city in tho Dominion possesses a more progressive people than the town of Palmerston North. As the early settlers believed in the future of their settlement and 'did everything in their power to ensure its progress, so are the people of to-day imbued with the same spirit, the spirit of progress. The people of Palmerston North are firm, believers in tho town in which they live. "It is no small-town pride, but , a solid belief that Palmerston North will, before long be entitled to rank .as a city. Something o 4 f this' spirit was demonstrated jUst recently when the ratepayers of

the town expressed their approval by means of the ballot-box of the action of tho Mayor in making a presentation to tho Government of the site of the proposed Agricultural College. Speaking to tho writer recently, the Mayor of Palmerston North • said that there were unmistakable signs that^the town was going ahead rapidly. "It will soon be a city," he said, "and a very important one, too." Mr. Nathan said that just recently a great deal of land had been cut up for building purposes, and new houses. were springing up everywhere. The. population was ' increasing, and ho preditced that it would go on to increase at a very rapid rate. Not only were houses springing up, but various business concerns were going in for new premises. This was a sure sign of progress. The Mayor believes, that the time is not far distant when Palmerston North will bo something more than a centre for the distribution of .primary . products. He foresees Palmerston North as quite an important industrial centre.

Dwellings. Permits. Value. April ...... 19 £19,071 May 17 £13,752 Juno ...... 18 £16,603 July 15 £12,860 August 21 £22,015 September ..21 £16,859 Alterations and Additions. Permits. Value. April ... . 10 £1912 May 13 £1940 June 11 , £1257 July 4 £547 August .... 11 £1175 September ... 10 £1229 Other Buildings. ' Permits. Value. April- ..... : 11 £325 May 13 £440 June • 9- £1115 July: 12 £1095' August 11 £311 September -..13 ■ £510 - Business Premises; : Permits.' Value. April .j..:. 1 . £1180 May 2 £1415 June 2 £3560 ' July ....;.. «2 £3110 August - ■ 4 . £32,580 ' September .. 5 ,' ' £6000-^