Diamond Jubilee Attained HISTORY OF THE SUBURB BY THE SEA ”

Evening Star, Issue 22212, 14 December 1935, Page 10

Diamond Jubilee Attained HISTORY OF THE SUBURB BY THE SEA ”

INTERESTING COMPARISONS POPULATION AND PROPERTY FIGURES Statistics compiled a month after the borough’s proclamation gave the area of St. Kilda as 507 acres, population 345, number of dwellings 70, number of ratepayers 400, rateable properties 370, estimated value of properties £63,000, and rental value £3,150. In 1882 portion of Musselburgh was added to the borough, the boundaries of which to-day are east of Forbury road, St. Clair, south of Bay View road, arid west of Islington street, Tainui. Altogether the presentarea is 462 acres, a population of approximately 9,000 inhabiting some 2,000 houses. Freehold properties are estimated to be worth £B,OOO, on an unimproved basis. A balance sheet for 1,888 makes an interesting comparison for to-day’s finances. It was then estimated that annual revenue was £1,092, with expenditure totalling £872, including a hospital levy of a little more than £25. To-day the yearly revenue account deals with £28,350, the hospital grant has swelled to more than £6OO, and perhaps the most extensive expenditure is for road improvements and maintenance, costing about £5,000. The net public debt stands at £82,600. RESIDENTS’ EARLY CONCERN. Following an announcement in the ‘ Evening Star ’ of November 24, 1875, that the St. Kilda municipality had been proclaimed, a deputation of South

Virgin paddocks in the south end o’f Dunedin, the extent of which was once obstructed by only an occasional-dwelling, tree, or animal, have been converted within the past 60 yeais into a wide panorama of streets and homes and parks, bearing little evidence that pioneers could indicate as linking the district of past with that found to-day. Such is the Borough of St. Kilda, a chosen home of the working man, whose progress has kept pace with its growing popularity, until in this, its diamond jubilee year, its population capacity appears' to have reached its limit, and its prosperity, which at times has been threatened, seems assured under careful administration. Independence has been a pre-eminent characteristic in the development of this suburb by the sea. The borough was formed in preference to merging with Dunedin city, as the citizens felt that they were capable of directing their own responsibilities, and this attitude has never been forsaken.

Dunedin residents (consisting of Messrs N. Moloney, J. Melican, and N. Thomas) waited on the Provincial Superintendent (Mr James Macandrew) on Thursday, December 2, to urge that the proposed municipality be proclaimed with a minimum of delay in the terms of a petition lodged and gazetted some months previously, and also of the Under-Secretary’s letter of October 14 to the effect that the Government had agreed to grant it. The deputation presented another petition in support of its request,' signed by 219 of the district’s 269 householders. Only 15, it was said, had actually refused to sign it, and if more time had been available a larger number of signatures might have been obtained. Mr Macandrew said the majority in favour of granting the municipality was the final . requirement to sanction the matter. They appeared to have reached the end of a very troublesome affair, and he was glad of it. The Provincial Government had been made a fooj of, inasmuch as no sooner was a petition .presented than a counter one came in, and then petitioners withdrew their names, so that at last Mr Sessions (clerk to the Provincial Council) had been appointed to visit the householders to ascertain the real feeling in the district. He hoped none of those signing the present petition would be withdrawing their names. Mr Moloney said there was no fear of that. Originally almost everybody was in favour of the municipality, and the trouble was caused by the intermeddling'of persons outside the district. His Honour said the executive w r ould meet'next day, and if the members concurred in the matter the municipality would be proclaimed at once.

PROCLAMATIONS AND ELECTIONS The Municipality of St. Kilda was proclaimed by the Superintendent on Tuesday, December 7, 1876, and was gazetted the following day, when it was also reported that the nomination of candidates for the mayoralty had been fixed for December 15. The noniinations for the first mayor of the township of St. Kilda and Musselburgh were duly received, the candidates proposed being Messrs J. P. Jones and Robert Goodison. Mr Jones was returned with a majority of 11. Nominations for the council closed on Tuesday, December 28, and were Musselburgh Ward—Messrs _J. T. i Roughton, Mitchell, and Bobbin; Park Ward —Messrs Robert Goodison, William Halligan, W. Vickery, and Henderson. The council of four ultimately elected included Mesrss Vickery (who later became town clerk for a few months in 1877, and whose son is now chairman of the Broadcasting Board), Henderson, Bobbin, and Mitchell. FAITHFUL SERVANTS. Twenty-two mayors have guided the borough’s business affairs in the past 60 years, and of that number 10 live to-day. Only four ever held the office during two separated terms, and the longest service in this capacity was given by the late Mr H. Gourley, who was mayor for 10 years altogether, during terms from 1883 to 1888' and from 1890 to 1895. Mr G. T. Clarke, who was mayor between 1880 and 1883, later earned the distinction of Lord Mayor of Sydney. Another former mavor (for four years altogether) and present councillor who has devoted himself to the interests of the borough is Mr A. D. Edgar, who has been associated with the council for oyer 20 years. He is now a member of the diamond jubilee • council, under Mr H. H. Leary, mayor since the last election in May, and previously a councillor for 11 years. Other councillors are Messrs George Glue (deputy mayor), W. J. Davidson, J. J-J. Hinton, R. S. Brent, T. D. B. Roy, N. D. Anderson, J. C. Cherry, W. J. Lovell, and W. Rutherford. Of the borough’s 10 town clerks, only the present one (Mr J. V. Tresize) remains to celebrate the jubilee. The late Mr J. B. Dick was the servant of longest standing, being clerk for 20 years, between 1901 and 1921, while the 14 years’ record of the last officer (the late Mr W. G. Griffin) was also a worthy one. Actually, there were 11 town clerks, but the first (Mr John Henry Cooks), who was appointed from the first “ tenders called for a town clerk, valuer, and collector,” received the princely remuneration of 7s a week, and handed in his resignation after 14 days. Mr T. Dodds, whose name now heads the list, was then engaged at £1 a week. MAYORS AND TOWN CLERKS. Following are complete details of the mayors ami town clerks to date, an asterisk indicating those still living:— —Mayors.— 1875- —J. P. Jones. 1877- —C. Moore. 1878- J. P. Jones. 1880-83—G. T. Clarke. 1883-88—H. Gourley. 1888-90—J. Stenhouse, 1890-95—H. Gourley. 1895-00—T. S. Culling. 1900- R. Mitchell. 1901- —G. Hodges. 1903- C. J. Gore. 1904- J. Marlow.* 1903-03—W. J. Burk.* 1908-10—W. T. M’Farlane. 1910- —D. C. Cameron.* 1911- H. M. Ewing. 1912- S. B. Macdonald.* 1913- W. T. M’Farlane. 1917- C. W. Souit. 1918- A. D. Edgar.* 1921-23—J. W. Dove.* 1923-25—Charles Todd.* 1925-29—R. W. Hali. 1929-34—John Beattie.* 1931-35—A. D. Edgar.* 1935 H. H. Leary.* —Town Clerks.— 1876- T. Dodds. 1877 \V. Vickery. 1877- —J. James. 1879- A. Rankin. 1890- J. Rankin. 1891- W. J. Gore.

1901-21—J. B. Dick. 1921 W. A. M'Ara. 1921-35 —AV. G. Griffin. 1935 J. V. Trczisc.* EARLY MEETINGS IN HOTEL. The first meeting of the council was held on January 5, 1876. For a time the early proceedings were conducted every three or four days in the St. Kikla Hotel, situated on the site of the present hotel at the corner of Bay View and Prince Albert roads. Ratepayers objected to this procedure, whereafter meetings were hold at a councillor’s home, until a room was rented on November 21, 1876, at 7s a week. Later the first municipal buildings were erected in Scott street. ’They consisted of a small office on the road frontage, with the town clerk’s residence at the rear. Subsequently this property was used for a council yard

pose. Before this time, and for many years afterward, Maori drains carried the surface water; in fact, some of these drains still exist. Altogether they were less troublesome in some respects during heavy storms than the more ex pensive pipe lines of to-day, which empty at Lawyer’s Head. The borough’s first drains had their "outlet through the sandhills to the sea opposite the south-west end of Forbury Park. DEVELOPMENT OF TRAMWAYS. From days before the municipality St. Kildn was served by a railway, which took the route still laid out for Show trains from the foreshore, round Royal Crescent to Queen’s Drive. Its continuation along Victoria road to Forbury Park has long since disappeared. Much correspondence passed bet woo a the council and Mr Proudfoot (Dunedin’s tramway pioneer) jvhen

the volunteers disbanded and the borough decided to join the city fire department. This provision has been maintained, and a recent poll on the question of linking up with a- united fire area was carried by a’ decisive margin. It is worth noting that the bell, which once called the borough’s firemen from their beds and also assembled them during daylight hours, now calls St. Clair churchgoers to worship. A BEAUTIFUL BEACH, St. Kilda Beach is hailed far and wide as - holiday resort of unlimited value to the borough and city alike. For many years its worth to citizens _ was practically ignored, and an uninviting entrance to drab sandhills had the effect of keeping more away from the beach than the number who would venture on to the sands. That has all changed. The beach to-daj r lacks no-

thing that moderate expenditure can provide. In the past 10 years, but more especially since the St. Kilda Beach improvement Society was founded in 1927, the progress made with improvement schemes has caused an astoundin'" t--ns-formatiqn. A wide paved path, bordered with pine trees and a flower rockery, and a fine motor drive now make the entrance one of beauty, while the bathing facilities afforded 1m a large pavilion are equal to anything provided at any beach. Pulflic tennis courts, a children’s playground with manv amusement devices surrounding a paddling pool, .as well as a miniature railway train are features appreciated by all classes of visitors. Further improvements are promised as funds permit. CITIZENS’ PLAYGROUNDS. In addition to the spacious playing areas provided by the beach parks, there are four .fine parks of a total area of 58i acres scattered throughout the district. Two only are vested in the council. The larger and better known is Culling Park (four and a-half acres), bequeathed under the, estate of the late Mr T. S. Culling, a former mayor between 1895 and 1900. The smaller area is De Carle Park (two acres), until a few years ago known as Alexander Park.,

Older than the borough itself, however, and by; far more widely known, is Forbury Park, of 32 acres. The Forbury Park Trotting Club has alway« been the borough’s biggest ratepayer,; as well as one of its best advertisements. Lastly, there is the Otago A.and P._ Society’s Tahuna Parky (20 acres), the scene of perhaps the biggest summer event, and utilised as a Rugby field throughout the winter. , Another of the council’s property possessions is an endowment of 500 acrei in the Waipori district. It was gazetted to the council by the Provincial Government on August 3. • 1878. when it was looked upon as “ a worthless and inadequate area.” Nevertheless. th« council held that the property should be looked after, as it would one day become valuable. As yet its value haa not increased immeasurably, but it ha« been included in the City Corporation’# plantation area. EDUCATIONAL INSTITUTIONS Two State primary schools—St. Claif and Musselburgh—are to be found in the borough’s precincts, with two others not far beyond, while the new King George High School is being built on the Bay View road boundary. A kindergarten is also provided. There ara four churches within the borough boundaries.