A UNIQUE TOWN.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LX, Issue 18325, 15 February 1923, Page 10

A UNIQUE TOWN.

I CENTRE OF GREAT PROMISE. PROGRESS OF SETTLEMENT. AN ENCOURAGING PROSPECT Rotorua; tho centre of New Zealand's thermal wonderland admittedly has no rival as a magnet for travellers, and as a spa has no superior in the world, Very I nearly 1000 ft. 'above sea level, the town of Rotorua possesses a clear, bright and invigorating climate. While the springs and k geysers of Rotorua and nearby WhakaS-ewarewa are: the best known of ! the thermal phenomena, the whole dis- > trict teems with, strange sights, with examples of the marvellous effects produced by volcanic, thermal, and chemical action. Chief of tho attractions are the healing waters, but all round are the wonderful lakes and the extensive bush lands that afford the visitors ample scope for recreation and sport. No one spendsia week in this place of soft and soothing hot .baths, charming land and water scapes, > and coiling fountains without resolving to return to it again The very atmosphere is restful, conducive to an easy, laxy holiday. . . . .. Rotorua, the residential centre of the ) thermal zone, as a town, came into.exisI tence when, induced by the necessity of providine accommodation for visitors, private enterprise erected accommodation houses, and so great hM ' of this weird region for New Zealanders and visitors from overseas, that these establishments have grown both in size and number, and to-day there is ample accommodation for the many thousands who ) flock yearly to this wonderful region in I quest of health and recreation. Rotorua, however, is no longer merely a tourist town, for in recent years it has develI oped a healthy and progressive civic ; ) spirit, and with the proving and development of the vast | area of farming land of which Rotorua is the natural centre, it is destined to. become an exceptionally thriving business centre. The far-seeing planners of the town provided for wide streets, and bavins wisely selected a s:to on the shore* of beautiful Lake Rotorua, it has only remained for later generations ■ to add ornamental avenues of trees and \ to establish cool and restful gardens both public and private, to make it a delightful place of shade and flowers. [ i From its inception in 1883 until the present day, Rotorua has enjoyed the distinction of being the only State-owned and State-managed town in the Dominion or Australia, and perhaps in the Empire, but it is about to go forward under a more democratic method of control. From 1883 it was administered by a board elected under the. provisions of tho TherImal Springs Region Act. From 1900 to 1907, the control was entrusted to" ft council formed under the Rotorua Town , k Council : Act. From then to the present I time municipal affairs have been under i the absolute control of the • Government i through the Department • of -Tourist and I Health Eesorts, as represented by a resl- \ dent officer, a* system which in the in--9 terests of a growing and more # exacting 1 community, has proved unsatisfactory. The administration was not given any rating powers and as it had to rely on a fixed revenue derived ■ from the rents ' of €he Crown leases , obtaining throughout the town, it was found impossible to cope with the increasing demands for road and street formation made necessary by the ever-growing traffic. 9 To- rectify this, the Government has I repealed the Rotorua Town Act, 1907, and by an .Act passed last session has constituted the Borough of Rotorua, which with % certain modifications, "will operate % under the provisions of the Municipal * Corporations Act. • The council is to conI sist of six members, exclusive of the I Mayor* Two of these are to be appointed I by the Governor-General to .represent the Government which will in the meantime at least retain control of certain of the ser- - vices, the remaining \ four members to be chosen by the electors of the borough. This election is to take place in the lm- & mediate future and the council will be \ able to embark on ; a policy of municipal I development which is so necessary if § Rotorua is to keep abreast of its growing 1 tide of visitors. , . I The thermal springs and most of the Z land containing natural features which i are of Interest • to visitors belong to the I Crown. Large sums of public money have I been expended from time to time by the I State in the erection of baths and other I means of utilising the ; valuable curative natural springs of the district, in the creation* and maintenance of public ; gardens and recreation grounds and generft ally in rendering more available and enI joyable the numerous objects and places 1 of interest in the district. While ! deI pending largely for its existence on visi--1 tors, Rotorua affords ■ a material and in- | dispensable assistance to the State-in at- £ trading sightseers from overseas, and such i tourists invariably have j their appetites 1 whettecT for, farther glimpses of the Do-' 1 minion and so the State services, the hotels, 1 and the business people of the Dominion I generally, reap a direct -benefit. ; The I public services, water, drainage, and elec- | tric light have been constructed: and are 3 controlled by the State -.Department of .. Tourist and Health ■ Resorts. ; The j water 1 supply is brought into ■ the town from : pure springs about eight miles away, and the electricity for the town and the baths is generated at the Okere Falls, the outlet from Lakes Rotorua and Rotoiti. ) Tho leasehold principle upon which Jtlotorua town was founded, has proved" a serious bar to. municipal development and civic enterprise and a very welcome I change is now taking place. All sections serious bar to municipal development and civic enterprise and a very welcome change is now taking place. All sections in tho town ana suburbs were originally leased from the - Crown for. ! ' ' '■■ '>: "'/;.

a period of 99 years without any provision for a right of renewal or compensation for improvements. Under the Rotorua Town Lands Act, 1920, the lessees have been granted the right to acquire the freehold at any time during the currency of their leases on terms which, while favourable to the lessees, are at the same tune designed to protect the Crown and recoup it for tho public money spent in providing public services arid facilities. ■': ' . , Many fine buildings have been erected in the town, both public and private and some of the business establishments would do credit to towns with twice the population. There are three theatres, a. fine public library, two banks, and a live Chamber of Commerce, a district high school and technical school, in addition to tho public schools which serve the community. There is also an active A. and P. Association, whose annual show will be held on the Arawa Park Domain on February 28. In addition to the sports lawns in the bath-house reserve, there are football and cricket grounds, and within the limits of the town, a fine racecourse where the annual race meeting of the Rotorua Racing Club is held. Sportsmen have their organisation in the Rod and Gun Club, one of the most important bodies in the district, for on the lakes and rivers which abound, excellent fishing is to bo had, and deer stalking attract* many visitors to the hills. . The permanent population of Rotorua to-day is close upon 4000, but the volume of trade done in the shops of the town is' as great as many inland .towns twice the eizo, owing to the fact- that there is always a transient population, which greatly outnumbers the residents. It was the fashion in past years to go to Rotorua for the season, and in consequence the business done by the commercial community fluctuated considerably. Now, however, visitors frequent the resorts all the vear round, and this has tended to stabilise trade. This summer theTe has been a slackening of visitors from overseas, attributed to the recent shipping trouble, which prevented many hundreds of Australians from making the journey. On the other hand New Zealanders are taking a greater interest in the wonderland of tlie North, and with the improvement of the railway services, and the restoration of excursion concessions, following the dislocation caused by the war, residents of the Dominion may be expected to throng to the thermal region in greater numbers than ever. In recent years Rotorua has lacked efficient and adequate advertising, and to overcome this the new Borough Council is to be given powers to collect a special rate with which to advertise the district as a tourist and health' resort, and to develop the attractions of the place. That this is a very desirable move iB proved by the fact that Americans who visit the resort complain that until coming , to New Zealand, they heard very little of the wonders to be Been here, and continually assert that were the : attractions of the Dominion known to wealthy 1 Americans who are anxious to find further fields to explore, the stream of such visitors coming to New Zealand would be more than doubled. In very recent years the motor-driven vohicle has replaced the*, horse-drawn coaches which have for bo long been the only means whereby tourists could reach the sights from Rotorua. . With this faster means of 1 transport, visitors are able to spend ' more time viewing the wonders, and moreover, are able to travel in greater comfort. This however, makes the construction of smooth-surfaced roads an immediate necessity, and the new council will no doubt turn its attention to this problom without delay.