"PROSPEROUS AUCKLAND."

New Zealand Herald, Volume XLVIII, Issue 14868, 20 December 1911, Page 10

"PROSPEROUS AUCKLAND."

A VISITOR'S IMPRESSIONS. RAPIDLY PROGRESSING. THE GENEROSITY OF CITIZENS. [B r TILECBAPn. rRESS ASSOCIATION.] CimiSTCiiuRCH, Tuesday. " There is every indication in Auckland of great prosperity," declared Mr. J. J. Dougall (Mayor of Christchurch) to a reporter to-day. Mr. Dougall has been visiting the Northern city with tho town clerk as the vepresentatives of Christchurch at the opening of the new Tmvn Hall, and reached homo again this morning. '

"New buildings are going up in all directions," ho added," and new suburbs are coming into existence. The settlement of the land all along tho lino is very marked, and thin must have an enormous effect upon the prosperity of tho province formally years to come. The Auckland people themselves axe very optimistic, and it would be an exceedingly difficult thing to find a man in Auckland who is not perfectly satisfied that the city is going to progress much faster in the : future than ever it has dono in - the past. That the people have confidence is evidenced by the iioncy they are- lion owing for city and harbour; improvments. : - - .*',*

" Anticipating the Future. _ " They have harbour accommodation; in Auckland now," -continued Mr. Dougall, to provide for, I should think, ten times the traffic of the city at the present time. There are people in Auckland who seem to think that to a much money is being borrowed, and, personally I*. am inclined to agree that Auckland people arc .',- anticipating the future at a faster rate than is prudent. Still there can be no doubt whatever that Auckland at the present time is progressing much faster than any other town in New Zealand." I think, as I have always thought that if the Christchurch people could only be ! inoculated with some of the Auckland progressive spirit, it would be better for the progress of Christchurch: generally. "Politically... Auckland is apparently jubilant over the result of the election" The people there seem to be quite satisfied that Sir. Massey is going to become Prime Minister, and as he is an Auckland man that is a source of great gratification to them. •'•■' <> Gifts to the • City.. "There is one feature that is pre-emi-nently characteristic of Auckland, and that is the wonderful generosity of m citizens in making gifts'to the city. The Mayor of Auckland published a little booklet in connection with the opening of the Town Hall, and that booklet contained a list of the names of those who had. made donations to the city institutions. It made one's mouth water to think of such gifts being showered upon a city. That is the kind of spirit that appears to animate the whole of the Auckland people, and it is disappointing to anyone engaged in civic affairs in Christchurch to find that there is so little response from well-to-do people in the town in the matter of beautifying i and adorning the city." The Town Hall Praised. Eeference to his recent visit to Auckland was made by the Mayor at the Special meeting of the City Council held to-night. Mr.. Dougall said that he and the town clerk had received a good deal of hospitality at Auckland at the opening of the new Town Hall. The hall itself was a credit to Auckland. It cost £126,000, which would seem an appalling sum to Christchurch to be spent on such a purpose, but a magnificent Town Hall was procured for the money, and one which Christchurch would be proud of if it only had it. An Example for Christchurch. Continuing, the Mayor said he would like to refer to the extraordinary quality possessed by some of the citizens of Auckland, a quality that lie would like to see emulated by the citizens of Christchurch. The organ at the Auckland Town Hall was presented by Mr.. Henry Brett to the city, the clock, which is to be the town clock, was presented by the former Mayor, Mr. Myers, and the civic donations of other citizens ran into a good many hundreds of thousands of nounds). That was a feature of Auckland civic life that struck every visitor, and he referred to it simply in the hope that Christchurch might :be in the proud position of having one or two citizens of that kind.