CITIES AND TOWNS IN NEW ZEALAND.

Taranaki Herald, Volume XXXIX, Issue 8755, 17 April 1890, Page 2

CITIES AND TOWNS IN NEW ZEALAND.

DUXEDIN AND ITS EXHIBITION. Du.vedin shows great wealth in its buildings. The churches, the public buildings, the banks, the merchants' warehouses, the hotels, the manufactories, and even the newspaper offices, are all substantial, well finished structures of either stone or brick, and would be a credit to a much larger city than Dunedin. Except, perhaps, in the outskirts or in the suburbs, wooden buildings are rarely to be seen, the houses being for the most of a more durable material. Within the business centre of the city — I may say within a radius of at least half a mile of (Jargiil's Monument — the architecture of the streets is ornamental and artistic, showing that the people have not only enterprise and goaheadness, but that thoy havo an eye to " the beautiful " as well. Whether the amount expended in atone and brickwork is returning a fair interest on the money invested, I am not in a position to say, but not being of a perishable nature the buildings will always be valuable; and the fact of Dunedin being a well built city, with a permanent look about its edifices, is sure to add to its importance as a commercial centre, I have not space to enumerate all the businc-s premis-es which I had iwavkod down 09 being wuithy o£ notice, but by

idea of the amount of capital that has beon invested in the buildings in the city. Situated at the corner of Princes-street, ■with its side facing Cargill's Monument, is the Bank of New Zealand. This is acknowledged to be onoof the finest buildinas in the City, and, considering it cost £30,000, it has every right to be so. Tt is built of Port Chalmers and Oamaru stone, and being substantial and well designed, the shareholders of the bank have something to look at for their money. The building is not devoid of ornamental ion, though it lias a massive look about it ; and taken altogether as a struct uu*, it is what might bo uxpocU'tl a wealthy monetary institution ■would erect in a city of some little importance. Adjoining the Bank of New Zetland and facing Primes street arc the premises of several insurance otiiees, as well as the Bunk of New South Wales and National Bank, all of which arc handsome buildings, and an ornament to the city. Facing Cargills monument, and at the corner of Princes and High-streets, stands the Grand Hotel, which is perhaps the most pictentions of all the edifices, though the Colonial Mutual Life Assurance offices, which have just been erected on the other coiner of High-street, and was nearing completion when I was in Dunedin, bids fair to rival it. The Grand Hotel was built about eiirht years ago, and is a magnificent building, both in its outward architectural embellishments as well as its internal fittings. It has three storiesabove its ground iloor, and its entrance is by a wide hall which leads into a spacious vestibule, the iloor of which is of Mosaic work. This quadrangle is lighted from a coloured glass doom in the roof ; the three floors above having railed in corridors at the sides of the open space, from which the visitors can look down upon the busy scene that is always to be witnessed below. The various apartments in this hotel are large and lofty, and all elegantly furnished. This building cost £40,000, and as the ground rent is £1900 a year, the rental would stand at nearly £4000 per annum. To meet this a great business has to be done. During the busy season as many as 300 visitors have been accommodated at one time, by utilizing the bedrooms of the Commercial Hotel, which adjoins the Grand. The average number of visitors during the summer race meeting was, I learn, about 130 a day. I tried to ascertain what the actual capital value of the property in Dunedin City was, but could not leara ; the net annual value, however, for rateable purposes for 1889-90 w.as £253,538. This sum, I shoild think, must be much under the true value of the properties, for in 1887-8 the rateable value was £270,000 ; in 1886-8 it was £291,971 ; and 1885-6 as much as £310,206. As many large and valuable buildings have been erected during the last five years, the natural sequence, one would think, would be an increase in the valuation rather than a falling off of more than £50,000. The people of Dunedin have a busy look about them. They are never to be seen dawdling about the streets, but seem apparently intent on doing something and going somewhere. Of course some idlers are to be seen standing round the corner of the Grand Hotel, which seems to be the terminus for the tramcars, but between 9 and 10 of a morning, and again from 4 to 6 of an af ternooij, there is in the centre of the city considerable bustle which gives an air of commercial activity to the spot. To convey the people to the suburbs there are tramcars, which run at intervals of about ten minutes. The cars going northerly, as well as those gO'ig in an opposite direction, are diawn by horses; but those which have to ascend the hills to reach the suburbs of Mornington and Eoslyn are hauled up bj' underground ropes. These ropes revolve on large wheels, driven by powerful steair. engines, which are 6xed in buildings er oteel on the top of the hills. The guards have, therefore, only to fix their grippers, which go through narrow openings in the road, on to the ropes to be able to ascend; whilst the descending trains are kept from going at too great a speed by fixing grippers on to the reverse sides of the ropes. The Mornington Tram Company has recently extended their line for so we distance — one part of it being as steep as on the " switchback." The Eoslyn tram is on a very steep incline, and the rope is only used to the top of the hill, the level portion of the distance being done by horse power. It is somewhere Dear Eoslyn that I obtained an admirable view of Dunedin. It was a fine morning. The sun was bright, and everything about had a cheerful appearance. To look down on the cKy with the hills as a foreground, the town with its hundreds of buildings as a middle distance, and the bay with the downs of the peninsida as a background, presented a most charming picture. At a short distance — a little below the hill on which I stood — ■ was the High School, with its well laid out grounds and gymnasium. Then taking a general survey of the scene before me, a mass of houses met my view. A stranger's first impression would be that the people were a very devout lot in Dunedin, from the number of churches, or what look like churches, everywhere to be seen. The slender spires of the Presbyterian Churches the towers of the Colonial Bank and Town Eall — which look like church steeples, — the turret of the University, with its peculiar looking pinnacles ; the Catholic Cathedral with its massive tower, and the various other religious edifices, outdoing the lioman Chnrch in prominence and size of the crosses placed on the gables of the roofs, all of which would suggest to a stranger that the Dunedinites were a , devout and a church going people. Turning to the right, and looking down on the flat is the Exhibition, with its many cupolas; then as the eyes turn to the lefc they encotiDter large buildngs— manufactories, warehouses, stores, hotels — all three or four stories in height. Then clusters of houses and hundreds of bright looking buildings, evidently built of (Jamaru stone from their whiteness. There is the railway station, and an engine puffing out its smoke, with a long train behind it, gliding along the line out of sight; and then by raising the head a little the shipping at the wharf is- seen —^earners and sailing vessels unloading or taking in cargo. A little beyond was the blue water of the bay, looking, though the sun was shining on it, so calm and cool, whilst small croft, like so many swans on a lake, were skimming slowly along on its surface. Still turning further to the left the eyes take in more buildings. There is the Octagon, clearly distinguishable by the high buildings that are on its sides. After that the houses are not so thickly massed together. They are in clusters — and more green is mixed with them. Further to the left gardens may be seen here and there, and at last the Botanical Gardens meet the eyes, and a little beyond it the cemetery, whHi bring a very beautiful panorama to sin end. I feel I have but faintly described the scene I viewed on the morning 1 refer to ; but I shall never forget it, and can only regret I cannot more vividly convey my impressions of this view of Dunedin than I have done. The people of Dunedin have every reason to be proud of their city, for it has a permanent and wealthy look about it, wbich no depression or financial difficulties can efface. There may be a dark side to all I saw — moat cities have a shady side — but there nre the buildings which, being of stone, will last for ages. It is true the present owners may fail or die and the buildings pass into other hands, but, us I have said — there they are and no one can remove them. The prosperity of Dunedin has, therefore, been Boi-ired by th se who }i;ive bad |Jj§ foresight tQ NW X\\W Wty | y| §torjy,2j