MELBOURNE'S GROWTH.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXV, Issue 19838, 7 January 1928, Page 13

MELBOURNE'S GROWTH.

EXPANSION IN SUBURBS. r OVER 8000 NEW HOUSES. Melbourne is growing rapidly. In almost every important thoroughfare in the city, giant buildings are being erected to tho full height allowed by the City Council by-laws—l32ft. During the past year 116 buildings have been erected, and most of them have been of the skyscraper type —massive structures of concrete and iron. Wonderful progress is also being made in the suburbs. A total of 8134 new houses have beefi built this year —an increase of 545 on last year's figures. The speediest growth is in the outer suburbs. Places like Camberwell and Moorabin are expanding rapidly, while in th» inner suburbs the tendency is exactly tho opposite. Indeed, districts like Fitz*oy, South Melbourne, Richmond and «Collingwood ar<s slipping back. Houses there are being replaced by factories. And the workers, instead of herding round the factories, as they did in former days, now dwell in cotnfort in the healthy outer suburbs. The growth of Melbourne also indicates the creat drift from the country. During the last four yeara 121,602 persons have arrived in Victoria, but the population of Melbourne has increased by 127,000. That is to say, Melbourne not only absorbed the nswcomers, but attracted nearly 6000 people from the rural districts.