HIGH STREET.

Auckland Star, Volume LXVI, Issue 170, 20 July 1935, Page 11

HIGH STREET.

EXTENSION PLANS.

OLD POST OFFICE SITE.

QUICK DECISION NEEDED,

The decision of the Auckland City Council tc continue High Street through the old post office site from Shortland Street to Fort Street, provided the price for the strip of land fixed by a Compensation Court is not too high, was :conveyed by the Mayor, Mr. Ernest Davis, to the Hon. R. Masters, Minister of Industries and Commerce, who was in Auckland yesterday.

Mr. Davis explained to the Minister that there would lie no loss to the Government if the right of withdrawal were conceded, since in any case it was the intention of the Government to build on the wholo of the site if the present negotiations collapsed. He contended that a reasonable arrangement if agreement were reached would be to spread* the payments over a term of ten years.

Mr. Masters said the Government was desirous of reaching finality without delay. He also recognised that the council wanted a speedy decision. He undertook to confer with the Minister of Public Works immediately lie returned to Wellington. He did not think there would be any delay in advising the Mayor of the result.

If the City Council succeeds in its efforts to obtain a 40-foot strip of the site for street purposes, there will still be ample room for the Government to erect extensive buildings. The old post office buildings still house a number of departments, including labour, fire and accident insurance, as well as the Shortland Street post office.

A prominent land agent stated that witli the extension of High Street the new frontage would enhance the value of the property, but that -would not be the case in the event of the Government building over the whole site. High Street was becoming increasingly important as a parallel to Queen Street as far as the retail trade was concerned.