DECLARED OPEN

Hauraki Plains Gazette, Volume 48, Issue 2864, 17 November 1939, Page 5

DECLARED OPEN

NEW PLAINS THEATRE FINE BUILDING AT NGATEA WEDNESDAY NIGHT’S FUNCTION Describing the event as another milestone in the history of Hauraki Plains, Mr C. W. Parfitt, county chairman, officially opened the new theatre building at Ngatea on Wednesday evening. The new theatre, which will be known as the Hauraki Theatre, is a large building specially constructed for motion pictures, on the most up-to-date lines, and it is capable of comfortably seating 500 persons. Capacity Audience A capacity attendance greeted ’ the raising of the curtain and the singing of the National Anthem.

Prior to the screening of the programme, Mr J. W. Neate introduced. Mr Parfitt and the proprietors of the new theatre, Messrs P. Jennings, A. Hamilton and T. Billings, whom, he said, were all well-known to the audience, the proprietors having been connected with the picture business for many years. He considered the people of the district very fortunate in having such an up-to-date theatre at Ngatea, and he was sure the efforts and the enterprise of the proprietors would, meet with the success they deserved. He then called upon Mr Parfitt to formally open the theatre.

The District’s Progress

Mr Parfitt congratulated the proprietors upon their enterprise, and he trusted, their efforts would be appreciated by the people of the district. The building was a credit to the builders, Messrs Lee Bros., of Paeroa, and the following sub-con-tractors:—Electrical fittings, Mr W. J. Baxter (Ngatea); painting and decorating, Mr'E. Morrison (Paeroa); plastering, Mr A. E. Pearson. .(.Paeroa). The sound equipment had been installed by Mr P. Jennings. Mr Parfitt enumerated the principal events in the history of the district. The first, he said, was the ballot for sections in 1910, when the whole county was little more than a swamp. Then followed the erection of the Ngatea bridge, the dairy factory, the County Council chambers and the construction of the Hauraki bridge. The first school was erected at Pipiroa in 1910, when there were not metal roads on the Plains. Today there are 144 miles of metalled roads and 45 miles of tar-sealed roads. The first picture show was shown by Mr Hamilton at Ngatea in 1920, and electric power came in 19216. There was now a population of over 5000 people settled on the Plains.

“ We enjoy all these amenities today through the hard work and efforts of the early settlers, who had to contend with many difficulties, but finally they made good, and I urge all of you to emulate the fine example set by those early settlers,” said Mr Parfitt. He advocated the opening up of the Maukaru block, near Ngatea, which would provide farms for a large number of ,settlers and would greatly assist the township. Mr Parfitt concluded by officially declaring the building open for public business, and wished the proprietors every success in the future.