HAND OF THE SPOILER

Auckland Star, Volume XLVI, Issue 62, 13 March 1915, Page 9

HAND OF THE SPOILER

:. ALREADY AT WORK. —— DESTRUCTION OF CAMPBELL'S POINT. POINT RESOLUTION TO GO NEXT. JUDGE'S BAY TO DISAPPEAR. A PROMINENT ENGINEER'S PREDICTION. The many thousands who, in travelling daily to and from the citrv, have the opportunity of viewing the most ' picturesque part of the Waitemata's wa*«rfront —the bold headlands of Pariell suburb —have been surprised by what "«t a first glance appears to have'been a •landslide. Hundreds of tons of eartli ■ bare come down at Campbell's Point, ""leaving an ugly gaping wound. It is the ! ' first result of the hand of the spoiler. '■-" Earth, millions of tons of it, is wanted "-" for a waterfront railway, and the har- ** - bour's beauty spots are being demolished, ostensibly to make way for the iron rails, but in reality to provide spoil for * the embankments and reclamations " which will efface bays and beauty spots. * In yesterday's "Star" was published plans of an alternative route, easy of - ■ construction, which will meet with all requirements, and save the waterfront from destruction. Public feeling upon the subject is voiced in the following interviews :— If the Auckiand public is foolish enough to let it happen, Campbell's Point and Point Resolution are going to disappear, and Judge's Bay will be transformed from a ■ beautiful and popular beach into a reclaimed area on which the Railway Department will construct shunting yards and unlovely sheds," declared Mr. H. H. Metcalfe, one of Auckland's best known civil engineers. "It is not too late for the people to stop this wilful destruction of the waterfront. The damage done to Campbell's Point, though bad enough, is not irreparable. The city authorities have been com- | pletely gulled. The Mayor was told that Judge's Bay would not be spoiled —that it would still be possible to use it as a boat haven, and for ordinary beach purposes. The scheme to leave an opening in the railway embankment through which boats may pass in and out is mere talk. Such a tremendous current would sweep out on the turn of the tide that bathers, and even children paddling on the beach, would be carried eiray, while the passage for boats would ;" be impossible." A DISEfGENCOrs STATEMENT. "Xo," added Mr. Metcalfe, 'it is just M. disingenuous statement, made for the purpose. 01-gußing.the- ; public- The idea fronr;itiie?hegrrining: has.been to fill in Judge's' Bay, and no other scheme has •ever been seriously contemplated. The plans provide for putting down four lines of railo'and an esplanade some 80ft. wide. Will the public not stop to consider what that means? Where do they expect to get the earth to provide a filling 120 ft wide all the way round the stately headlands of the harbour from St. George's Bay to Hobson Bay? Where but from the headlands themselves. Campbell's Point alone will not suffice. After it has gone. Point Resolution will also be demolished. PREPARING AX ABOMINATIOX. "Then they propose to run the line on an embankment across Hobson Bay. from Point Resolution to Wilson's "Point —a distance of over a mile. That would leave an area of hundreds of acres to be reclaimed. From the embankment to the be quite half a mile. To talk of reclaiming that area is easy enough. To do it would take ten years ? at least, which would mean converting " Hobson Bay into an abomination, and ' the stench of it. for ten years to come, would be nauseating. Why should '"-* shunting yards and railway sheds be within the' city at all. least of all right • on the waterfront? Sydney cleared its railway yards miles out of the metropolis years ago. Yet the real objective % -of this scheme is to appropriate Judge's c Bay. one of our finest harbour assets, for this particular purpose. It is atro- "-■' '-eious." THE OTHER WAY. '"And the public is being told that this .is necessary in order that the province may make progress, and because there is ■:. - no other way," continued Mr Metcalfe. '"There is mother way, and an eminently , r -practicable way. The scheme outlined in plans published in yesterday's 'Star' is - : perfectly feasible, and would give the 6ame results so far as an improved railway route is concerned. The new line could be taken from the end of King's Drive across Cleveland Road, near St. George's Bay Road, thence along the gully behind" Craig's stables, through a 30ft cutting £o Stratford Street, and thence into a tunnel which would come out at Campbell Terrace, near Hobson Bay Road. Construction would be an - easy matter, and this route would save Campbell's Point, Point Resolution, and Judy's Bay. The line, moreover, would ■ run bc?ide the present sewer in Hobson I Bay. and would save that locality from the unpleasant consequences which the construction of a railway embankment i half a mile further out to sea would involve. Tunnels to take four " lines of rails are frequently met with in -'"'■ other parts of the world. In fact, it would be quite an easy matter for the \ authorities to build a double tunnel, pro- '~'- Tiding for sis lines. If the new scheme is carried into operation it will mean that there will be no level crossings between the Freezing Works and Point Eesolution. while the suggestion that St. Stephen's Avenue, Gladstone Road, and other thoroughfares will link up , ; with the waterfront esplanade is just a ': blind. Such a Echeme would be an engineering impossibility, and all the public - Kill will be a steep footbridge in each instance. IJ is impossible to believe that ' the citizens'of Auckland realise what is .happening, and unless something is done. a nd done quickly. Campbell's Point, ■ Judge's Bay, Point Resolution, and Hob- ; *on Bay are doomed." H PUBLIC ACTION SHOULD BE TAKEX. I ilr- D. Teed. Mayor of Newmarket, is , one of those most emphatic in the opin- < ion that the public should refuee to allow ~y the spoliation of these beauty spots to I 'C proceed. "I think the leading article in . yesterday's 'Star' summed the position I «p correctly," remarked Mr. Teed. •""The .;- Eailway Department ie simply taking the x T*»rest and easiest ronte, qnite irreepeci eve of Vhat Auckland citizene may desire

in regard to the preservation of .the natural beauties of the' harbour. It suits them to go Tound the waterfront, and co they calmly proceed to saw off ac much of Campbell's Point as stands in the way, and no doubt the came will be done with Point Resolution, unless the public wakee up and cries 'hands off.' The tunnel idea seems to be quite practicable. I think that the various local bodies should at once communicate with the Mayor of Auckland, on his return from Wellington, and ask that a conference be held. We should aek the Government to devfee some other route, and refuse absolutely to allow the presenc echeme to proceed. I will certainly favour some such action." A RESIDENT'S VIEW. Mr. Richard Goulding, a resident of Gladstone Road, Parnell, writes: "Mr. Gunson, chairman of the Harbour Board, declares that Judge's Bay beach is not to be destroyed. Perhaps' you will allow mc the privilege of a few words. One of two things will happen: Either the railway embankment will go outside Judge's Bay, and enclose it, as shown in various plans, or it will not. If the former, then the sea can only be admitted to the bay through openfaga or arehe3 in the bank. Such enclosures are known to become rapidly very dirty and impure. Instead of an embankment a structure of ferro-concrete similar to that employed at the wharf could be used. The rails would be, say, Oft above high-water mark, and carried on concrete beams, perhaps a foot or eighteen inches through. A person standing on Judge's Bay beach at high water would be able to sec over the rails the summit of Rangitoto and of North Head,'and the tops of, t sails and masts as ships and yachts pass 'by. The bold sea headlands that form the jawe of Judge's Bay would no longer present any appearance of headlands. They would merely be cuttings rising' from five or six lines of rails. In short, the great beauty of the harbour entrance, including the wide stretch of Hobson Bay. would have gone. It is extremely difficult, or almost "impossible, to imagine how anything like free access can be gained from the park to the waterside across five or six lines of railway." THE AGREEMENT. The City Council, it will be remembered, at first violently opposed the proposal that the Railway Department should be allowed to lay hands on Campbell's Point. Then it was announced that the following agreement had been entered At its intersection with the west line of Gladstone Road at Campbell's Point the inner (southernmost) line of railway track will be about 90ft south of a line drawn in continuation or the northern alignment of Quay Street extension, and the southern boundary of the land to be taken for railway purposes will be a line parallel to and distant about 52ft from the centre line of such inner railway track as shown on plan 21855, this being approximately to the top of a batter of * to 1. Railway Department to take by proclamation the whole of Campbell's Point north of such line, comprising parts of the city reserve, Gladstone Road and the "Kilbryde" Estate. Railway Department to extend the 100 ft road to east side of line of Gladstone Road, and later on to vest such extension in the Council. Railway Department to provide bridge over railway for foot traffic to give access from the 100 ft road to park at Campbell's Point." Railway Department to acquire from Harbour" Board for £4,000 the block marked (part of "Kilbryde" Estate), comprising about two acTes, and to arrange for vesting same in Council. Council to purchase the balance of "Kilbryde" Estate south of the railway boundary, including the house, for the sum of £5,250, payment to be due on Ist January, 1915. Railway Department to treat with Harbour Board regarding cpmpensation for the portion of "Kilbryde" Estate north of railway boundary. Railway Department reserves its right to deal w.th the portion of Campbell's Point nortri of the 100 ft road as may be decided later. The railway to be carried across Judge's Bay, on solid embankment, with suitable culverts and floodgates to allow of the ingress and egress of tide water as desired, arid so form a salt water lake between railway and shore. The railway will keep either outside Point Resolution and run straight across Hobson Bay to Orakei Point, or tunnel through Point Resolution and run straight for Orakei Basin, as may be decided, but in either case as large an area as possible, and not less than 10 acres, to be left on the shoreward side of the railway for salt water lake in Judge's Bay— the Council's baths not to be interfered with.