HOPE AND CONFIDENCE

Evening Post, Volume CXI, Issue 72, 26 March 1931, Page 14

HOPE AND CONFIDENCE

IMPROVEMENT OF STREETS

STABILISING VALUES

A hopeful view of the future of Napier is taken by the Mayor, Mr. J. Vigor Brown, who stated that it was his opinion that Napier would bo rebuilt within a very short period, and they looked forward to having one of the most up-to-date and beautiful towns ni Now Zealand, says the "Hawkos Bay Tribune." Napier, he said; had the climate, and possessed a good site, fronted by the beautiful Marino parade, and all the people had to do was to use these uncqunllcd advantages. "In two or three years people visiting Napier would Tin astonished at the progress that the town had made," he said. As far as town planning was concerned he did not think that there would bo any great alteration in the laying out of the town again. One or two streets would probably be widened from 10ft to 20ft and several streets that led to Hastings street would be carried through to the Parade. For instance, it was thought tliat Dickens street and Station street should bo carried through. VALUES iS COMMERCIAL AREA. "The business section could not extend up the hills at the Shakespeare road end, and was restricted on the east by the foreshore, so that the expansion would bo to the south and south-west. This trend was noticeable before the earthquake and would be more apparent in the new town. Values in the closely built-on commercial section of Napier had climbed to an artificial level, mainly as a result of the outstanding success of certain businesses, which had brought a large volume of trade to their doors, and this hnd caused other properties in the vicinity to rise in value. These values were not real, and the calamity was going to bring about, a revelling down. They hoped to apply the betterment, principle in connection with widening and improvements, so that the benefits derived would bo distributed in an equal and faij.- way. A CENTRAL BLOCK. The Criterion block, with its main frontages to Hastings and TCmerson streets, is to bo rebuilt by the Borough Council, which owned tnoland and Ihe buildings which were destroyed. Mr. Vigor Brown said that before the earthquake and fire the council had arranged to reconstruct halt' of the block and the authority of the ratepayers had been received to borrow £29,000 for the work. The rents from the old- dilapidated buildings amounted to between £0000 and £7000 a year, and it was calculated that the new section of the building would have been paid for in a comparatively short period. The Mayor ventured the opinion that the proposed new block would cost up to £00,000, and said they had no fear of any difficulty in arranging the financing of buildings in the centre of the town. Money was being offered quite freely, the only stipulation being that the new structures be in reinforced concrete and built strictly to the special building regulations being framed by the Government. As far as he knew, the block would not ha built higher than two stories. CONFIDENCE IN FUTURE. The people of Napier had plenty of confidence in the future of tho lowa, said tho Mayor. Rebuilding would soon be active. The tobacco company at Port Ahuriri started rebuilding the day after the earthquake, and would have a largo factory ready for occupation within a few days, when a large number of hands would be employed. The Presbyterian congregation of Napier had decided to rebuild, although the church which they had under construction at a cost of £12,000 at the,time of tho disaster was ruined, j Tl^" Caledonian Hotel, built many years ago, was in good order, and would be wholly reopened within two weeks. He understood that the new post oflice building, although burned out, could bo satisfactorily remodelled, as the framework was sound, and much of the exterior sheathing of stone unharmed. All this led him lo say that Napier could face the future with confidence. They were the trading centre for a wonderfully rich back country. Their prosperity had boon retarded by an unusually prolonged dry spell and low market prices, but as conditions improved money would flow again, and in the place of the destroyed Napier there would grow a beautiful town, capable of catering for the needs of the highly-productive hinterland.