communities in the county. The population grew five times between 1900 and 1910, and in August of the following year, New Lynn became a town district. By 1 April 1919 it had grown enough to become a borough, allowing the council to take out larger loans to invest in the infrastructure of the area. Many of the street names in New Lynn are named for commissioners of the town and borough, as well as indigenous tree species. During the early 20th century, a significant Scottish immigrant population moved to New Lynn. The Astley Tannery, which first opened in 1888, became one of the largest employers in New Lynn during World War I when demand for leather goods significantly increased. The business was greatly successful in the 1930s, closing in the 1990s. Industrial waste from the tannery and neighbouring abbatoir was discharged directly into the Whau River, becoming a major source of pollution for the waterway. In 1925, Rice Owen Clark moved his large clay pipeworks factory from Hobsonville to New Lynn. Due to the pressures of the Great Depression, the various brick and ceramics businesses of West Auckland merged to form the Amalgamated Brick and Pipe Compan in 1929, who focused operations at New Lynn. The company were able to produce up to 30,000 red facing bricks per fortnight at their Ambrico kiln. The brickworks was known for its 46 metre-high chimney in central New Lynn. In 1926, the Delta Theatre opened in New Lynn, becoming a focal point of the community, holding a range of events including film showings, live entertainment and dances. The theatre was demolished 1986. A new bridge crossing the Whau River was completed in December 1931, replacing the older wooden structures on Great North Road. The bridge was a point of contention between the New Lynn borough council and the Waitemata County and Auckland City, who wanted a bridge of a significantly smaller size to what the borough council proposed. By 1935, the population of New Lynn had grown to 3,500. Crown Lynn and LynnMall During World War II, New Lynn was considered a vulnerable area by the government, due to the brickworks and its proximity to the border of Auckland City. Because of this, concrete machine gun posts and barbed wire were installed along the railway between Portage Road and St Georges Road, tank traps were built in the area, and air raid shelters