Auckland’s Second City

Sun (Auckland), Volume IV, Issue 1076, 13 September 1930, Page 25

Auckland’s Second City

Hamilton Prospers and Expands

Hamilton is truly a “mushroom” town. Though its recognition as a centre came only with the advent o£ the railway, its phenomenal growth in size and population has taken place in the post-war years. Dependent though the town is and always has been on dairy wealth, its quick recovery from

the slump and its handy geographical position at once marked it as the province’s second city. Manufacturing industries have sprung up in a decade, although the natural resources of the district other than the dairy cow for the yielding of raw material are not extensive. Auckland business nrms have not been slow to realise Hamilton’s value as a distributing nucleus and innumerable branch offices embracing many ramifications of the commercial world have been established. Ample recognition of the coming metropolis has also been made by the Government, the various departments of Which operate with Hamilton as their natural headquarters. Enough is known of Hamilton’s picturesque parks, river walks and delightful suburban gardens not to require repetition in this article, which must deal with the truly amazing building progress which, in a period of economic depression, has given the the town the reputation of being the “livest” in New Zealand. Thus at a time when most of the cities and other centres of population are complaining of the tightness of money and the general restriction of the spending power of the people Hamilton prospers. Last year was virtually the “annus mirabilis” for building in Hamilton. It gave an enormous stimulus to local trade but, what was more important, the building activity was the direct outcome of local trade. In the borough 205 permits for buildings valued at £166,128 were issued, compared with 195 permits at £55,032 for the previous year—an increase of £111,096. The most sanguine expectations of the municipal authorities and the leading merchants and business men were exceeded. It was a Dominion record and showed that investors had every faith in the future. That their hopes were not built on a

false foundation has been proved by the steady extension of building this year. Government economy has necessarily limited addit.ons an-1 extensions to public buildings, but private enterprise is unflagging in the gradual replacement of older structures by modern premises. First on the list of notable additions to Hamilton’s architecture comes (he courthouse, which is described as the largest and most up-to-date in the Dominion. Built on an eminence behind St- Peter’s Cathedral and within two minutes’ walk from busy Victoria Street, the new halls of justice are a %'aluable asset to the imposing State buildings already erected. For years the police and legal profession have tolerated impossible court conditions, and when the change-over lo the new building is effected early in 1931 it will be like moving from a barn to a palace. Every possible convenience

I for Bench and Bar has been incorporated and no expense is being spared in providing appropriate finished touches. An elaborate bathroom and bedroom for the judge, magnificent tiled floors, excellent accommodation for the law library, two courtrooms panelled in oak, and innumerable rooms for juries and various officials are some of the amenities

provided. The stately dormitory block for the Waikato Diocesan Girls’ School, situated in beautiful surroundings at Claudelands, which was opened by Lord Bledisloe last June, was another of last year’s big contracts. Hamilton’s educational edifices were greatly enhanced by the corner block j of the Technical School, a three- j storeyed structure which is unfortu- j nately hidden in a back street. Another public building of imposing aspect was the Central Power Board’s new offices in Alexandra Street, provision having been made here for additional storeys. Prominent among the latest build- I ings due to private enterprise comes! the Hamilton Hotel, which has been! spread over a lengthy frontage in the| heart of the business quarter. Costing nearly £ IS,OOO, the new block makes! the hotel the largest ana most luxurious in the land outside the cities. I Though only two-storeyed, the hotel j covers a wide area, and the construe- j tion of more storeys in the future will j be inevitable. From the tourist point of view the hotel is a haven of comfort, the scene of terraced lawns, sloping to the river’s edge from windows of the lounges and* dining room not being readily forgettable. Mention must also be made of the Frankton Hotel, which has been rebuilt after the Spanish Mission style, and is a fine improvement to the commercial quarter of the railway suburb. At the gateway of the town from the north, the big branch building of the Bank of New Zealand, furnishes ready evidence of the rapid development in Whitiora and Hamilton North. Opened some months ago, the building is a striking contrast to the old head office, opposite the past office, constructed over 30 years ago. At the other end of the town, on the traffic bridge approach, a fine addition has been made to the brewery buildings of C. L. Innes and Company. Other new business premises, many comprising shops and offices, which testify to the buoyant condition of trade in the town,

are buildings valued from £1,600 to £5,000 which have been erected for Hamilton Motors, Limited, Garrick Nisbet, Limited, MacDonald Ice Cream Company, and the Bartholomew Timber Company. The ever-growing buildings of the Waikato Hospital have in the last eighteen months been increased by the maternity block embracing the most modern appliances and improve-1 ments. while a new private maternity j hospital has been erected for Sister j Young. There has been a corresponding j building development in private homes | and some impressive residences have i been built for Mrs. R. Worley, in Forest Lake Road: Mr. C. Hume, in Lake Road, Mrs. M. Christie and Mr.! A. S. McKenzie. The flat craze, which gripped Auek- j land a year or so ago, has apparently •not yet fired the imagination of in-j

vestors at Hamilton. Modern flats at a reasonable rental are at a premium and there are practically no buildings of several storeys for the accommodation of flat dwellers. There is much scope in this direction and experiments are likely to bring gratifying results. Signs that building has proceeded at too rapid a rate and that those responsible have been over confident are

nowhere apparent. On the contrary Hamilton's outlook for the future could hardly be bettered.