REPLY BY BOARD

Press, Volume XCV, Issue 28268, 4 May 1957, Page 12

REPLY BY BOARD

Before the legislation relating to the reconstruction of No. 7 wharf was submitted to Parliament a copy of the plans for the wharf ano the railway layout was sent to the general manager of New Zealand Railways, said the seoretary-manager of the Lyttelton Harbour Board (Mr A. L. Burk) yesterday when the statement of Mr R. L. Reid, chairman of the Christchurch branch of the Overseas Shipowners’ Committee, was referred to him.

In .February, 1955, before any rail tracks had been put down, the proposed layout was discussed by a senior member of the board’s engineering staff and the secretary of the Lyttelton branch of the Port Employers’ Association, said Mr Burk. A number of suggestions were made by the association, but there was no mention whatever of their desiring a connexion between the tracks on the east and west sides of the wharf.

The suggestion of the Port Employers’ Association was forwarded to the Railways Department in a letter to the district engineer of railways dated February 23, 1955. Discussions thereafter continued between the railways and the association, and as late as March, 1956, a meeting between members of the board’s staff and representatives of seven shipping companies discussed the layout of the rail tracks. Still no mention was made of the particular work now being carried out, said Mr Burk. Decking Completed In the meantime the board continued in its efforts to complete the work along the lines agreed upon, and it was not until July 4. 1956, that the board first heard of the suggestion, which they learned through the courtesy of the Railways Department, which supplied them with the minutes of a meeting held between representatives of the Railways Department and the shipping companies. However, by this time the board had made such excellent progress that the wharf decking had been completely laid over the affected area. “It is the sincere wish of the Harbour Board to work in harmony with the shipping interests and the Railways Department, but it would appear that certain statements made by representatives of shipping interests will ultimately prevent such harmony,” Mr Burk said.