Sixty-Five Today

Sun (Auckland), Volume III, Issue 750, 24 August 1929, Page 10

Sixty-Five Today

Hamilton’s Phenomenal Progress SIXTY-FIVE years ago —August 24, 1864—the settlement of Kirikiriroa was established. Today Kirikiriroa is called Hamilton, Auckland’s second city, and is the centre ot one of the richest agricultural fields in the world. On this, Hamilton’s birthday, those who have shared in its achievements are able to reflect upon a period of almost phenomenal growth, and to look forward to a future bright with the promise of even better things.

In 1564 Hamilton was a military camp. The district was cradled in war, and the fierce battles which were fought bet.wen the Maoris and the militia distinguished the province for niany years as a battleground rather than as a potential dairy farm and an adjunct to the agricultural development. of New Zealand. There was grave reason for the Waikato being overlooked as an important developmental centre. The land was not regarded favourably, because its possibilities differed largely from those of the grain-growing land of the South Island, and because the first graziers did not meet with the success which they expected upon virgin country. But that stage was eventually passed, and Hamilton began building at a quiet pace which later quickened into almost mushroom growth. But if Hamilton lias grown with mushroom speed, it shows none of the crudities of the traditional mushroom town. It. is fortunate, perhaps, that its development literally hung fire for a number of years, for, when its possibilities were eventually realised and the finger of progress moved more rapidly, Hamilton was enabled to enjoy all the advantages of modern town-planning methods and to avoid certain architectural errors which were so common in New Zealand towns in the days of early settlement. Hamilton, in short, is today a splendid example of a town which, in its progress and rapid expansion, has not neglected the call for beauty. Its pioneers, far-sighted men they have now proved, set a splendid example by planting trees along the river-bank and so laid the foundation for the work of a Beautifying Society that today is prominent in Hamilton’s public institutions. The banks of willows along the Waikato River, and the picturesque nature of the surroundings, comprise, in fact, one of the most attractive features of the town. The river was not bridged until 1878, but by that time Hamilton was merely beginning to find its feet and embark upon a plan of agricultural development which has led to the establishment of the largest dairy factory in the world.

At the beginning of the present century the population was just over 1,250, and the people in the whole of the Waikato County, including the borough, numbered 4,436. The latest census returns give Hamilton's population at 17,350, of whom 14,715 are in Hamilton proper and the remainder in the rest of its urban area. The town has been a borough since 1577, when its administrative area was 1,600 acres. From the start of its civic development, however, the problem for those conducting its affairs has been to keep pace with the rapid settlement and the annually increasing call upon public facilities. The inclusion of the suburb of Claudelands in 1912, the merging of the Boroughs of Frankton and Hamilton in 1917, and the absorption of the small suburban area of Maeroa in 1925 increased the area of the borough, and now it is 3,685 acres, possessing an improved value of over £2,500,000. For Hamilton the current of progress is running swiftly forward. Its wide streets, its modern and wellequipped business area, its picturesque environs, and the exceptional enterprise of its citizens combine to make it an attractive place in which to live, and a profitable field for commercial activity. The growth of dairying doubtless has made Hamilton, as it has made many districts throughout the Dominion, and now its productive record cannot be equalled anywhere in New Zealand, nor can an effective challenge be made against the quality of its goods. Railway and read facilities are admirably arranged, and the closer association between Sown and country interests has assisted in recent years toward achieving the ultimate goal of every progressive town —to become a community thoroughly and efficiently organised so that its agricultural products are combined with its manufacturing facilities in securing a proper balance :in the vrorld of supply and demand. The future of Hamilton is bright. The community is working steadily for greater achievement, and as the gardener nurtures and trains his vine, so are the enterprising businessmen of Hamilton guiding their town to that stage where it will justify the title of Auckland's second city.