WAITEMATA TO MANUKAU.

Auckland Star, Volume LVIII, Issue 152, 30 June 1927, Page 9

WAITEMATA TO MANUKAU.

MTJCH-DISCUSSED CANAL.

WIIAU SCHEME FAVOURED.

Even as far back as sixty years ago, schemes of joining the Waitemata and Manukau Harbours by means of a canal were thought of. Not one of these proposals, however, has ever passed the primary stages, and now it is high time that something definite was done about the matter. For the purpose of discussing possible proposals, a meeting, presided over by the Mayor of Avondale, Mr. H. Tiarks, and attended by the Mayor of Mount Eden, Mr. E. H. Potter, was called at Avondale last night. Two schemes, the Whau Creek and the Tamaki River have been put forward, but the undoubted advantages of the Whau Creek were well explained by Mr. D. G. Russell, who addressed the meeting, The possibility of some direct means of communication between the Mauakau Harbour and the mouth of the Waikato River were also discusscd. Mr. Russell pointed out very clearly that the Whau scheme would be the best and the most economical. By this scheme a canal only one mile long would be required to join the two harbours, whereas, if the Tamaki proposal were carried out, a five-mile waterway would be needed. Moreover, there was rock and scoria in the country to be cut through in the Tamaki scheme, and also, at Mangere Bridge, which would be one end of such a canal, there is only four feet of water at low tide. At the Tamaki end there is but two feet.

None of these difficulties would be present in the other proposal, and it would not be a hard matter to connect the Waiuku Stream and the Waikato River. In the event of this being done, produce from the farms of that district could be carried from -as far away as Cambridge by water. A method of financing th scheme was outlined by Mr. W. Noton, who advocated the issuing of premium- bonds. At present this waS prevented by what Mr. Noton called a technicality of the Gaming Act, but he thought that if the matter were put to the public, they would be in favour of such bonds being issued. A motion by the chairman, that the matter be brought before local bodies which were interested, was carried.