History Matters 1910-1919 from Council minutes
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Bill Cameron noted the ten years before 1920 from the Municipal Council minutes 1910-1919
...'Between 1910 and 1919 most of the work on the streets was for forming and draining and as time went on metal and gravel was placed on the main thoroughfares.
It was done contract at the rate of 3/10 per cubic yard and in 1915 a contract was let for 818 cubic yards of metal @ 3/11 per yard.
...1910 stumps and logs were removed from Bourke and Meade streets.
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In 1912 asphalt was being used on the footpaths at the main shopping centre and in 1915 cement was put on the footpath in front of Kwong Sings and concrete for kerbing and guttering was used in
Bourke and Grey Streets which had previously been granite and by 1919 cement was being used for drains.
In the 10 year period something like 378 buildings were constructed and as time wore on there was an increase in the extensions and alterations to existing buildings which leads one to speculate that as time wore on people were becoming better off and this also applied to an increase in buggy sheds and outbuildings.
When water was laid on to the town in 1918 it caused a demand for washhouses and bathrooms.
Prior to this most houses relied on 1,000-gallon tank for their water supply and under the circumstances, water was used very sparingly.
Among the main buildings constructed in this period were three shops in Grey Street in 1912, a two- storey building in Grey Street for Louis Sergel in 1914, the Majestic Theatre (now Maccas) in 1915 for Jack Amstead and a school building for B G Lawrence.
St Joseph's Convent as built in 1916 and that year J Lonsdale built five shops for J A Martin.
In 1917 State Savings Bank was built [site now Commonwealth Bank] and the Church Of England built a Sunday School hall in 1918 and in 1919 F W Hickey commenced building the Cameron Memorial Presbyterian Church.
In 1910 the estimate of expenditure was £1,608/10/- and by 1914 it had risen to £2,586/1-/-
Gas was very popular and by 1912 11/2 inch mains had to be laid in the busy areas to keep up the supply. Gas engines were being used in some businesses.
In 1910 dairies, horse drawn vehicle licences, motor cars and drivers, Slaughter and Butcher shops, and Bill Posters licences had to be obtained from the Municipal, later hotels and shops selling food were also licenced.
By 1919 septic tanks had been installed at the main hotels as well as St Joseph's Convent and Kwong Sings...'