DUNEDIN'S PROGRESS.

Evening Star, Issue 14630, 28 July 1911, Page 1

DUNEDIN'S PROGRESS.

j SLOW BUT SURE. j MORE PACE WANTED. j THE GOAL—IOO.COO PEOPLE. ! . Some fifty representative citizens of | Dunedin—mostly commercial men—met m the 'town Hail last night to hear put for ward arguments in favor of forming a league whose definite aim should be to bring the population of the City up to 100.000—a big idea!. The Mayor of Dun edin (Mr W. Burnett) vug in the chair. ,-Uie Mayor, after explaining the object I of the meeting, said it would be interesl- | ing to hear how it. was to he attained i Personally, he thought the City was doing | very well, fn 63 years the population had : reached about 59.000—a very fair achieve ; merit lor the number of people who cam. ■out here originally. He did not thin! i Dunedin was standing still altogether, i VVe had everything in our favor. We had Ivo < j dllcatori and energetic population. | VVe had an excellent climate—one of the ■ best climates in the world. Then we had i the cheapest electrical power in the world. •,na U(j_ had sea frontage. Perhaps w»were mit going ahead vorv fast, but wo were going ahead. .Last year 425 buildrug permit: had been granted, represent)'ng a total value of _ti0,635. A city that was doing that, could not be'accused of | standing still. A.s a matter of fact, wr I vere not standing still. Wo were not pro- , gresslng as rapidly as some of the othej ■ vitios. but we were progressing in a quiet j 1 ‘ < ? llonaI - Scotch way. If Mr Wright could ’ rho'.v them how something better could he i donp thp y be glad to take his ad | VJCC. j Mr ,'J. Inglif, W right, convener of the i meeting, then read a mnnber of apologies j lor absence, which lie bed received from i representative citizens. He said that he' ■ lv0lL “d present no arguments of a deroga I tory or deprecatory character. He ad ; milted that the ( ity was not ctocuant. 1 but gave i( as hj opinion that it was not i progressing rapidly enough. Olher cities, iof the Dominion were {ravelling faster, j .<u) would he present, any statistics. A i study of the export returns, however, held | a great lea on ’fgarding the change which . had come over Dunedin. Tlie conditions j had cnauged with the years, and products ; that once were, exported from Dunedin i 'Acre not now, _ The position i showed the need of developing our manni factm-cs. He went on to speak of the ob--1 jeets in view. Ihe first, was the creation '■ a . I|cw spin!—the spirit of civic en- , thusiasrn. Another object was to work for | -• common end. beautifying and developing j in every' way the factors' that will go to ' make. Dunedin the premier city of the ■ Dominion. Other objects were toetiraulate : enterprise among manufm-turers and traders, and to revive the aggressive altitude in ; commerce wiuch at one time made Dunj edin the first city in New Zealand ; to ooj ordinate and correlate every society' in, the 1 City which is in any way seeking the. wel- ] fare of Dunedin : and to spread bv means ! cf publicity the opportunities and facili- : existing here for the establishment of : manufactures, and s-. on, and to attract population of the right kind to the City. He spoke at. length of what was being ; done in Great Britain. United States, and | Canada, in the matter of municipal ad- | veitismg. He also uTerred to the work ! of civic societies and clubs in the United ■States for developing the growth of cities and Itvahties. Lr-M year Canada- hu<‘ spent a very large sum in advertising the country, and one result had been that 71.000 Americans had left the United States and had t-ikt u.yp their residence ii the three noil h-western provinces, ano too!-: with them almost 40.000.000d01. Good i results ha.l also been obtain'd in Great ‘ Britain and other iountries. He spoke of ; two ohjt-.tions lint hnd been raised against the movement. One was the cry that, i Dunedin would not budcc ; and the other I was Liat it was undesirable to add to the sock-tics exist inc at nresent, Such an organisation as was proposed aJTordod a 1 sph-uv of activity ior the enthusiasm of M.-utli. the energy of those in middle life. 1 rind the « isdom and experience of old age. They wanted tin- .-ream te Die British race 'to make their homes here, and thev : wanted to make Dunedin pre-orninenllv j the premier city of the 1 icr.inmr:. H j could be done. Mould it .' 1 ”Mr F. Zw bugle Moore r-lated a story ev! ; how the Yankees pnsivd things ahead. I He s-od that c.,mii;g from New Zr-alttv. I the l,,ie ai mop; nni.de ids h-.ir_ stand or : .auk But he bad mad" inquiries, are I found the si;.ten;-rite made to'be. absolufi fact. , -\T r A. M-aritzson sa : -! tint ii was tlmir I .■] ut \ to do scaii-v hire,:; in 1V- matter, lie the,light if won’ i be wise te form a com editor o’ ♦hose present te go into an--1 discuss details fullv. ite ogre.-d with • | grorit d»al of who Mr ricrirt had said ! Blit he agreed wiih His Worship when he said ih,V ih-‘ town was no! going bad. Any movement ter the welfare of tlm ; town had hi - eo-ope-rat :<-,n. The spanker , wen*, on t.u refer to ih- various leagie-.s v/hu’h ■■vi'td in ist^nfur Iho f-f'H R-munt lof the bail: i-ouatra He was ot opinion that I ow , avouid do more cord in its •,- nv than five i-ombinmi ro'ielierI , d; j [.. ecu I tied .-j rcm.niir.tee be . ;:f a up to ao into ike matter fully .md report to a m-w-tme. Mr M' I > na o i 0.-eeted the ire-t-on ■ A liininiiitrc sine Id he fn; rued to go int.- ' the mallei. fie. y eoi.ld n> ver La a cr-v-ii >, : iv un 1i : tii.-v eo-dd lied eriipiovnienl fo- ! foiie ~r hve item; and me i. Then the 1 dy ! voted ■onimeme 1-. g.- ah-ad. He thought 1 ; h-.l sri- v .ii- ago i ju- e tens 3 soej.-i.y ;h- (n,.go !,- igiie wh>« 1 was formed foi ? ■ j ripio sum as tio. proper ed es.e;etv. Tile league hj, M Jalli-ri through, but V ; Ig.ugiil that 1 ru-re w(g-e uonic jundo l:f ! . l.rilind ice tie- O'-nmi 1 league. Perhaps j >l|. v would b- available fog this society. ■ Vir IT Sha-k! ek ako -spoke, makir.g . |,r.-in! ref.-rep..- to the need of placing !]„. ha-ii-1 01 ra ling on 1 hose people w hj. ;■) 1 i’i.-t serums egijiiy. and ran i\v?v iniM! men will; imp* erterpiisc .and .ability ; ir-ei-e.T-'sj t’”- < ,ilu- n: t’-e negleeted pro■j / >•<y I-' I vac to d.a rometiling it; 1 that’ wav >1 aoii.a Mep in the light Mr IT Bair said thrt it was quite true dial tneic wa.s a li’tic money from the ; a,ig-> l.eagu-' in the h;irK:,-, of ;ho Mmsiees He had c - doiiLi i hat t!m funds would he ; if:hie for ■ir l; a o !-;ty a- ;t was pr< - The motion, on being pin to tit" inoet- ■ ing. was earned. 1 The following committee were ;.p ' pointed : IT'S Worship the Mayor, ylfcors J. M'Don.iVl, A. Moritzcon, J London. .1. PoL-ris. B. Duncan. T. G f-Tcpben?. .1. Lindsay. F. Shackl-nk. it. A. Ewing. J. B Waterr,, B, Chkholm, Gc-o. (frav. J. Bteen. G. Fenwick. M Cohen, ' Croaby Morris, -L F Mollit-on, E. Hal lenstmn. K. F Ramsay. W. Wilson. ; F. Wilkinson. W. Belcher. D, B. Eiinsm. 1 A. G. Crow. G. Esther. W. Taylor. •W. S'.-nicr. illc. and P. Milburn. It was stated that other gentleman dtsiring ; i< act on the comimttee could have their : nameo added te. tiirge rdre-idy apfiorn-ed. • A hearty vote of thanks ‘ tnia arcorde-1 the convoiior. Mr J. Jngiis Wright, who , brietiy repheM. (hi the motion of Mr J. C. Stonhett ;i : war. resolved thsi Mr J. Infllia Wrigin- be 1 appointed provisional roeretarv.