The Growth of Hamilton.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LX, Issue 18411, 29 May 1923, Page 1 (Supplement)

The Growth of Hamilton.

Ilk Old Perils and New Needs.

"sbv, EXT year Hamilton will celebrate its diamond jubilee. In the life of an individual, sixty years ||fpy| mean a lung span ; but, for a community, they are. a brief period indeed, and Hamilton is really f||fv?| y°t i" its infancy. It is because there is no communal memory, only the recollection of individual **■ -> men and women, that the landing of the pioneers in 1864 seems far away; and with the passing of our years that critical event recedes rapidly into the dim distance. There are few survivors of the landing, or even of the troubled days that followed, and those who remain find memory treacherous and wayward. No worthy memorial marks the classic spot. There is a name —Ferry Bank—that commemorates the old river-crossing that did duty before a bridge was built; and, opposite this bank, are still to be seen twin piles that, later than the very early times, have done duty for the ferry. , But nothing more—unless it be the remains of the " Rangiriri," the little steamer that brought the pioneers, which, by a lucky mischance, has been left on the river's brink, within sight of the old landing place. Half-buried in a tangle of weeds, with young trees growing through her, she is still washed by the ancient stream that bore her on many momentous adventures. She deserves a better resting-place than this; and some day, unless wholesome sentiment be found wanting, she will be gently lifted out, her ironplate hull stayed with a concrete filling, and put upon an enduring base close to where she lies. Then, just as she is, her contour bent, bolt-holes showing through her rusted frame, the empty brackets of her stern-paddle-wheel and the fragments of her rudder timbers telling a wondering posterity how she forged her way against the mighty current generations ago, she will tell her tale of courageous endeavour. The journey of the pioneers was no picnic. The way they took led past scenes of desperate conflict, and there was no little likelihood that at some bend or other in the river the rebel Maoris might lie in ambush. And long after their homes were made near the river's brink they lived in dread of attack. The alarm might at any moment sound from the redoubt on the hill above : and then, calling to their children, the women would gather up the clothes they had been washing in the stream, or the food prepared in their little dwellings, and rush pell-mell to the stockade's shelter, while the men stood to arms. Out on the farm sections it was often deemed perilous to stay. Happily, although in the heart of a hostile country, the early settlers were spared fierce mortal combat; but ceaseless-dread is a grim test of courage, and even false alarms tax endurance. Whatever the distance in years, it is a far. cry from that day of pioneering to this era of prosperity. To-day a papulation" of nearly 13,000 lives within the borough boundary; and round about it others have settled. The waterway, although still used for some, classes of freight, has been superseded for general traffic by the steel road of the locomotive. From the farming lands a great industry has sprung, and the dairy ■.section of the Waikato Winter Show— far beyond New Zealand's shores—bears annual: witness to this wonderful pastoral and commercial achievement. The town that is the centre of this established industry, reflects it at every turn. On its outskirts huge factories and workshops arc set, and within it all the manifold interests of a modern city are findings footing. Instead of the ferry that once linked the two portions of the settlement, each with its redoubt, two fine bridges span the river. Commodious business premises flank broad streets, and beautiful residences abound. The capital value of the borough's ratable lands exceeds four millions sterlinc. with

lands exempt from rating represent-— . ing another half-million.' Care for the educational needs of the. town is manifest in its half-dozen primary schools within short radius, and its excellent secondary and technical schools. Facilities of travel allow young folk from outlying areas to live at home and vet attend the primary schools -as full-time pupils. Hamilton's religious life is served by notably substantial places of public worship and their adjuncts. Nor is its aesthetic culture forgot- 1 ten. Realising that man lives not by bread alone, nor even by bread and butter and cheese, some diligent enthusiasts have done marvels in improving (he scenic asset of river and lake, planting the streets with beautiful trees, and turning waste spaces into ideal playing-fields and neglected nooks into cameos of garden loveliness. When the citizen ser ' vice of its profile is reckoned, th» ( toil of Hamilton's Domain Bonn 1 I and Beautifying Society, backed by the watchful care of its municipal authorities, must count for much. And in its ministry to pain, no | than in its cult of beauty, the town j has done well. I'pon a lofty -He, of easy access the district hospital's J many wards and homes for the aged j needy "get ample air and sunshine:! and there an updo-date equipment used by a. skilful staff make as tolerable as can be the ills to which flash is heir. _ Such rapid growth as Hamilton 3las known of late lias created new Seeds. This is inevitable. At its [ birth, in the war days, it- "ants Were few and simple Komi * iln I cient, a little clothinc, —«>riic- amuse merit.. and protection from harm these were all. But the Hamilton of to da\ i's a lust \ infant. Its need? |-~-,\r multiplied; and those tt'ho an- it.- Loin i-dian-. b' either ap ' rmritn em i>r their own |o\ c of it. have p.. !mhi la-k Yesterdays fariiiTif- ■• i!i not suffice for r> da.\ . anrl there i- [.. jri• • i >>\\ to be thought about, ;..... Kami i ■ : . ioii-lv grow jut,' out of if. (~•'.,. ||, 'Municipal offices «Tv in :,|<. . ...-.- a.d aliin st disreJmtih|, !•. ~ ,1, hall helonßS to mranf ;!• , I■- oulilic lib'-ar\ is not hi, _ •,. •• 'He ||, mm about. alt'-., ._■■• ~.,,. ~(' ; 1,,. ii'miiov for its bin'.i ;.; .-■•■• 'i a not" d philan thr ... - . ~., v. !•., lis d there in late ■ • , ! • , i. n!di:« i> l>v no | lUf'Hi . i .' ir:: m - ii" vc-pi- in In" , T)Wi;:< v . ~| ' air--'- and if ■ colli , i j. .-. ;, ;., . e 1,,,k- wo'lM rmt -..■ . . ..:.■, ,1 man of it'. sma:' ' • - . i ■•. Ati- i e-«mm. . B-tt, .- . V ~, ■■'•'! ;•-,.!. An ; adrlil . •,■:. • ... dj.'i- -" s <"' lv Tir- ■!. ~ .. ,!-.... ate- need rnai:- i. . ; _•. {~:■ their < ,oi.-e. A j trior. :•- .■ ;... .j. ii tian-poit service beiv, f .< ~ t;,,. [• i ~.,k; ■ii rail" ny - ta " j tion and 'h. Hamilton I'ost Office - munic'p-il in. not buses or trams — Ought to be metalled ere long. The!

completion of the drainage scheme for the whole borough and the expediting of the gravitation water supply from Pirongia, are urgent necessities. The presence of these needs is no very serious reflection on Hamil-

ton's public spirit or management. They are rather marks of the town's rapid growth, and the men at the head of affairs merit the loyal aid of every resident in their efforts to keep pace with the march of progress.