AN EXPANDING CITY.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LX, Issue 18461, 26 July 1923, Page 12

AN EXPANDING CITY.

(TRANSIT FACILITIES VITAL. " team, BOAT AND" TRAIN.; VISION OF THE FUTURE. 'As roads and railways are the arteries fend veins of a countryside, so are passen- • ger transport facilities in a city, These things are ' vital. The life of a city depends upon them. Without them there could never have been a modern city, and to the degree that they grow ' and . extend so does the city Their extension must ■ always be a present question, because the amenities of living as well as the con- ■} venience of the people depend upon them. Auckland was a small place in 1884 ,4 when its first horse trams were started. !>• Before that time. horse 'buses and jaunting cars did service in the town and, perh haps to a /greater degree, did "shank's - pony." Old identities talk-proudly of the day when , walking was the common accomplishment. "Even before the horse • trams ,the people, were not concerned about ' living a few miles out from the centre, / said one'the other day. But, of course, ;L" conditions were entirely different.. The ? community was small, those who worked in the commercial area of the town were a far smaller proportion of tlio whole than . they are to-day, and life was much more simple. Modern business was to make a limited horse tram service .as out of date

as the stage coach. In November, 1902, the electric tramway was opened, the lirst section put into use being that, to Newton and I onsonby. In the two decades that have elapsed since then, the tram service has bad a most important bearing upon the manner the city has developed. The concern which was taken over" by the mu "Jl cipality from the company in 1919 has u/ miles of lines, and an extension along the Great South Road to the Harp of Erin is now being made. The last few years have seen the tram service taxed to the utmost, but new rolling stock is being procured, and in capable hands, there is little doubt that the service will become efficient.. As the tram routes extend the residential suburbs will push out into the fields. The proportion of flat .•■.dwellers j may increase, but people who are nor- j mally circumstanced will, in the main, prefer the suburban home With a garden and plenty of fresh air. ; ; ■ The expansion of the; city, however, will by no means bo restricted to those open areas .which extended tram lines will tap. Already a marked movement of city workers to the , townships served by the suburban - trains has been noticed, and this, despite the fact that the suburban railway services are slow and restricted to such an extent that the centres within the zone have 110 real connection with the city as far as social .life is concerned. Many city workers are attracted by the conditions of life in these outlying places, and there is every indication that an improvement, in the suburban railway services will be followed bv a -great increase in 'their population." Tho duplication _of the southern line is . proceeding, and this will permit of better service on that route.. . So far there is no indication that the duplication .of the suburban . section of the northern line _is contemplated, 'but that must com* in time. 0 : " ; Another railway scheme regarded ast| definitely agreed upon is a" line across Hob-, son Bay and by a semi-circular sweep to the sooth line at Westfield. This line will bring, a very delightful! piece of conn- j try within : a .few - minutes' ride of the city, amd it is certain"that a", charming suburb will speedily grow ! there when access i 3 provided. The lin® will serve an-, other important purpose. Its grades being easy the difficulties which the Parnell incline now imposes on railway haulage will he dispelled. < ' Authorities are not agreed, on the subject- of tie. electrification of suburban /railways, but as far as Auckland is concerned. the harnessipg of . Arapuni will probably make such a change possible if the authorities find in favour of electricity. , . . # \ , A part of Greater Auckland which continues to grew is the North' Shore ferry services to Birkenhead, Northcote, and Devonport, placing these boroughs in the category of near-by suburbs. ; Takapuna, facing the open gulf, is more difficult of access, because a journey by steam tram must be made after the boat trip to Bayswatevj. The * advantages of Takapuna as a place of residence so pronounced however, that the borough continues to develop, and one does not require .the gift of a / seer"to/ predict travelling facilities throughout the North Shore district which : will cover the whole of- it , with , a dense population. ' ' ' ' > , An almost certain direction in which the city population must extend is along ■ the southern shores of the Waitemata. Such localities as St. HelieriJ, and Howick may • reasonably expect to grow in size as time goes on, for there, as in the suburbs within railway range, ; people may secuie area 3 of. sufficient size to enable them to indulge taste for . cultivation which' are denied to a great extent in the city itself. . • ' ■ A factor not in itself, residentially, increasing the city j/ but adding to the pleasures of city 'life, is the development Of r seaside settlements along the shores of the harbours, and cn the islands of the

gulf. These settlements are essentially holiday places for city families who prefer the freedom of their own cottages to boarding house?. . Holidays of such a character, particularly in a locality so blessed with sunshine ,as Auckland, add great charm to - city life, and-, under ordinary economic conditions tend to make people content with their lot. It means much to parents that the. can take their children'-; to "run wild" , at a quiet seashore for this summer holidays, .for nothing is so calculated to make them happy, healthy children, and to counteract any sordid - city influences which 'might reach them. - ■'i ''j' : Then again", there are the bush-clad ranges so. easy of access from the suburban section of the Kaipargjine. On these sun crowned heights city folk find a complete change bf air. Every summer the number of holiday cottages increases, and more and more families go there for change and rest. At present the roads to the range resorts are far Irom perfection, but. the coming years will undoubtedly bring about great changes in this respect, and more and ' more will the hills become: available for the 'masses of the people. •