AUCKLAND SUBURBS.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XXI, Issue 7175, 14 November 1884, Page 6

AUCKLAND SUBURBS.

THE PROGRESS OF DEVONPORT. Perhaps in none of the suburbs of Auckland; has there been more Bteady and rapid im-; provement and advance as in the marine, suburb of Devonport, and unquestionably this is to a very great extent due to the splendid steam ferry service established by the Devonport ferry Company. The company bas recently, at a large expenditure, refitted their two principal boats the Vic toria at a cost of £250, and the Alexandra It a cost of £80, and the Takapuna is nowtaken up for repairs and renovation. The handsome waiting rooms erected by the com- [ uany on the Victoria Wharf are a great public convenience, and the company, now keep their own drays and horses for the delivery of goods shippedtoDevonportby their boats. Of course, the starting of the construction of the Calliope Dock -will be the great public work of the district, and no doubt it -will lead to many of those employed at that work taking up their residences there. It is, however, in the number and class of the new dwellings which have been erected and are now in course of erection, that the marked progress of the district is most noticeable, but in other respects the increase in the value of property show a great and marked improvement. Only recently the Calliope estate was cut up by Messrs. Alison, and there are already thirteen new houses erected on it, ranging in value from. £300 to £500 each, a very nice class of dwellings, well situated and well finished. The Melrose property was only quite recently a waste, but during the past two years no fewer than 80 houses have been erected on it, and building is still going on there. The houses are all of a good class. In Belling

; the sections a provision was made that only one house should be erected on each allotment of 50 feet frontage, and each to con- ' tain not less than four good rooms. The ' object was to prevent crowding of buildings • of an inferior class on the sites. Along the 1 Lake-road, beyond the bridge, numerous houses are going up, also in Victoria Park i and Belmont, these latter being of a very '. superior class. Several houses of a good class ? are also in course of erection on ', Cheltenham Beach, s>tanley-street,_ and ' Domain-street, and twelve 5-roomed houses

are being built in St. Ann's Road. The two hotels, the Masonic and the Flagstaff, have been renovated and enlarged—the former at a cost of £1500, and the latter about £1800, and they are now amongst _ the best furnished and fitted in the province. Mr. Niccol, shipbuilder, has recently constructed a large patent slip, suitable for taking up steamers and large vessels for repairs, and we are glad to learn that the shipbuilding industry of the district is pretty brisk. Of course the erection of the gasworks has been a great boon to the district. The works are situated beside the Lake-road, and a- canal has been cut through the swamp, through which all coal and other material is brought direct to the works at a very reason-

able cost. ■ The mains extend through the district as far as Mr. J. B. Russell's house on Vauxhall-road. The roads ale generaUy in a pretty fair state, and the Highway Board have now commenced to metal them with blue metal, finding that the traffic was too Eevere to be sustained by the scoria hitherto used. The Wesleyan body has purchased a site in Church-Btreet, opposite Trinity Church, and this is now being excavated preparatory to erecting a new church, school-room, and parsonage; and the further extension of the Anglican church will shortly be commenced at an estimated cost of about £1000. The public school is well attended, and its conduct under Mr. JBenge, the head teacher, affords great satisfaction to the residents. A movement is now on foot to ask the Harbour Board to reclaim Brick Bay by building a sea wall in-a straight line from the dock to Stanley Point, and it is estimated that by this means 150 acres would be reclaimed, which, beingnearly opposite Queenstreet Wharf, would prove immensely valuable for shipbuilding sites. Mr. Holdship has recently purchased from "Mr. Stark the site enclosed by a concrete wall, where it was intended- that public sports should be held, and this, it is thought will be converted into a timber yard for the Auckland Timber Company. We must not omit to mention that the New Zealand Timber Company has erected a saw mill and timber yard on Messrs. Sims and Brown's lease, and have run out a wharf nearly 100 feet in length. The plant is now in full operation. Other mattera of public importance are being attended to. There is already a telephone bureau there, but the residents are now arranging for the requisite number of subscribers to entitle them to a telephone exchange, and a money order office is, we understand, about to be opened in Devonport at once. I The above brief description of the progress i of the district, shows that the advance has not only been, steady but rapid, and the fact that the value of property has increased fully 40 per cent, within the last two years, is a proof that the advance has been warranted by the increased population and popularity of Devonport. ,