CIVIC SQUARE ABBA.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXII, Issue 18964, 11 March 1925, Page 11

CIVIC SQUARE ABBA.

ORIGINALLY A CROWN GRANT FORESIGHT OF PIONEERS. SUBSEQUENT LEGISLATION. The site ol the old city markets, nowcleared of ils ancient buildings and being prepared for a purpose of civic import ance--even if that purpose is nothing more than an unadorned civic square—is a monument to the foresight and sense of civic enterprise of the early pioneers. Seventy years ago—on March 17, IJJSS— whole area of six acres ten perches, bounded by Queen, Wellesley, Albert, and Cook Streets, became the. property of the "city and burgesses," by Crown grant. The old parchment document, with the ink of its neat script still as black as it was on the day it was written, is interestins;. It has no general heading. On one side are the words: "Grantees: '1 lie council and burgesses of the City of Auckland." Alongside it: "Victoria, by the Grace of God, of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, Queen Defender of the faith and so forth." Ihere is a touch of humour about the " and o forth." No doubt it. was the. common phraseology, but it suggests to the moderns that the writer, who had never dreamed of a printing machine on every clerk's desk, had fired in the preamble and ended it abruptly. This document conveyed the land to the City Council "to hold in trust for the purposes of a public market, for the use and convenience of the inhabitants," power being granted " in case the said piece or parcel of land, shall be more than .sufficient to satisfy the object aforesaid, to hold the remainder for the benefit of the, inhabitants of the city, or to lease same or any part, or parts for any term not, exceeding 21 years, and apply the rents, issues, and proceeds for the use and benefit of the inhabitants." The document bears tho signature of Colonel Wynyard, the Governor. There is no information as to what use. if any, the land was then being put. It is possible that it was a muddy gully or a place where cows were grazed, but even if that were the case, it was by no means valueless, if prices given for Queen Street land at the time are a reliable, indication. On March 27. according to the New Zealander, Mr. Macky's bonded store, possessing a frontage of 22ft. with a depth of 111 ft,., was sold at auction to Mr. T. Russell, solicitor, for £56 per foot frontage. " There is a brick store of three storeys," states the report, of the sale, which was conducted by Messrs. Thomas W 7 eston and Company, " but, the chief article of value is the, land itself." An adjoining lot with a " warehousing skillion " upon it, was purchased by Mr. David Graham for £44 per foot. Parnell lots, with frontages to Manuka,u Road, sold at £2 2s to £2 12s per foot, and a farm of seven acres in Epsom, " after a good deal of spirited bidding, was knocked down to Mr. Dilworth at the rate of £44 per acre." Judged in the light of these values, it is evident that the Crown grant of the market site to the city was anything but a nominal gift. No doubt a market was an urgent necessity in those days of small things, and in transferring the land to tho city the Provincial Government was serving the settlers. Provision, however, was made for using the surplus land for other purposes. The next occasion upon which the land figured in State papers was in 1875, when, under the " Auckland City Endowments and Reserves Act," the City Council wa given power to " enclose, lay out,, and plant the area or any part of it," and also " to erect any buildings for ornamental purposes, but not for making profit therefrom." Further legislation affecting the area was passed in 1913, the Auckland Citv Empowering Act of that year provided that, notwithstanding anything contained in the Crown grant for the market site, or in any Act, the council should henceforth hold the market site as an endowment, and not for any special purpose. The Act gave authority to the council to accept surrender of existing leases, and there were other provisions dealing with leasing that are now of no consequence. The right to close and extend roadways was also granted by this Act.