WONDERFUL WELLINGTON.

Wairarapa Daily Times, Volume XXVIII, Issue 7725, 26 March 1904, Page 7

WONDERFUL WELLINGTON.

The Enterprising Metropolis.

And its Booming Progress.

(Otaln Mail)

Fully alive to the importance of its situation as the centre of the circle of New .Zealand commerce, and its incontestable claim to the possession of better than the best of other ports' natural endowments for safe and unlimited shipping, Wellington, Wonderful Wellington, is •feverishly forging ahead, to the dissonant music of trowels and hammers, dredges and locomotives, and picks and shovels. The monody produced is indicative not ■of but success, and is as weird as itnßleafening. Country visitors who knew their prolaic capital in a tolerable measure even two years, back stand agape at its complete transformation — caused principally by the filling up of the stray sections with mammoth buildings where there appeared scarcely sufficient room for a place half the size. The rebuilding of shops, the compliance with licensing committee requirements, and the speculations of shrewd landowners are filling the main streets with high-class retail premises, each successive building striving to "out-architec-ture " its pretentious neighour, changing many hotels from piggeries to palaces and covering the rugged heights encircling the city with picturesque villas. And wonderful is the ingenuity ottho speculative builder! And where else but in Wonderful Wellington would such daring ingenuity be payable ? Cutting the top off a big eminence and filling in its adjacent valley by dumping the aforesaid top into it is a mere trifle to the Wellington contractor, while transferring another hill from its base to a newone mile or two distant in Te Aro harbour to form a strip of reclaimed land is a common audacity'

Stepping from the train at the Manawatu station we notice at once a large improvement to the accommodation hitherto provided.

We saunter citywards past innumerable attractive edifices of quite recent erection, and of the most important we indulge in a little scrutiny, and of course admiration.

As an improvement of a very required order the new "sky-scraper" of Messrs Macky, Steen, Caldwell and Co.'s, on the old "Byko " corner stands triumphant. The building is sufficiently advanced to give an idea of its appearance when the plasterer has completed the artistic part of the business. Tbe Empire Hotel, which beggared its neighbours completely with its stories three of dazzling whiteness some three years back, now suffers a like difficulty itself from its towering neighbour, to which it appears to affectionately cling. We observe that the termination of the four stieets which the new building faces are now complete, &nd we are tempted to compare the architecture and structure of the four magnificent buildings which make this corner one of the grandest business localities in Australasia. In this case comparisons are odious, and we vote them all superb.

We pass through the busy thoroughfare of Willis-street, noting what a remarkably business-like looking folk Wellingtonians are, and how prosperous they appear to be, judging by their bright ways, and in pur stroll midway in this '• Strand " our eye ia arrested by an imposing tower, rearing itself loftily behind the Public Library, in Jervois Quay. It is the crown of Wellington's Town Hall. A majestic pile it is, and a credit to the city. We stand for some time deep in admiration and respect, and watching the final embellishments being affixed to what will be a truly venerable building. A tram route runs in front of ■ the ball, and Jervois Quay will in future be an extremely important thoroughfare. It is amazing to a stranger to be told that where this street is, together with the many acres of land through which run the leading trade routes of Victoria, Featherston, Hunter, and Mercer streets, and Customhouse Quay, with their connecting streets and lanes, was once beach, and that the flood tides •of the harbour rushed disdainfully over it.

We have already passed by Barrett's Hotel, which is being re-erected, a fine four-storied place in red brick, with freestone facings. In Manners-street the New Zealander, and in Cuba-street the Masonic and Imperial Hotels are being supplanted by brick successors of good appearance.

Lower Cuba-street; has of late years sprung into favour as a business locality, and just now it is the centre of building operations.

Prompted by curiosity, we make an excursion round to Te Aro foreshore to see what strides reclamation is making there. We find that a big stretch of iarbour, about half a square mile in area, enclosed by two concrete walls, is being rapidly filled in, and it is only a matter of months when foundries and workshops will throb with ponderous intensity on the spot where the mackerel and schnapper swallowed the small boy's bait. A fearful and wonderful

noise near the Queen's Wharf denotes that a reverse process is proceeding ■there,, where the Harbour Board's new dredge is scooping great hollows where shallows formally obstructed shipping. The laying of the ne^ , tram route keeps us interested wate.ing the care and precision exercised H laying the .ponderous rails. The wot L seems mighty heavy, and only possible to powerful men.

Wood-paving is proceeding briskly, we feel a pleasant relief in stepping from the tiring flagttones to the responsive jarrah blocks.

To secure a good panoramic view of modern Wellington we creep up to Kelburne Park, hoping also to secure an hour's rest and quiet from trudging the .grimy streets below. Of course we use the wonderful tram, and emerging on arrival at the summit are afforded glimpllte of unsuspected suburbs, nestling snugly in the bills everywhere. Below and around there is proceeding the eternal building, building, building, and up to our ears comes the ceaseless •clamour created, dispelling visions of respites. We are so appalled at the eight of a horde of labourers callously tearing down a noble hill to annihilate a steep ravine hard by, and so overcome by sights, sounds, and smells, that we rush down to our train, glad to be borne away to peaceful Otaki, even from Wonderful Wellington, the City of the Seventy Hills.