TE ARO RAILWAY.

Dominion, Volume 6, Issue 1618, 9 December 1912, Page 6

TE ARO RAILWAY.

THE CLAIMS OF THE LEAGUE MINISTER'S PROMISEWILL DO WHAT 15 ASKED. IF MONEY CAN BE GOT. Quite a largo deputation from the To Aro Raihiay League waited upon the Minister for Railways, the Hon. W. H. Herrios, on Saturday morning to press claims to. a belter passenger service and a goods service at the To Aro Station. Dr. Newman, M.l\, was the first speak, cr. Ho stated that the deputation was very anxious to have tho railway gone on with. They represented tho To Aro Railway league with (JSOO signatures, and nearly 60,001) people behind it. Mr. A. Leigh Huut, chairman of tho league, mentioned that the reason why the through trains to To Aro were not freely patronised was that the running was not properly adveriaol. Mr. Hemes: That is not so. Mr. Hunt replied the trains were not scheduled on tno time-iable. He suggested that the Department should have dodgers printed. It that were done the league would see that these reached the people interested. He asked, also, that the delays at Lambton Station should be cut down. He further suggested that certain land which the Harbour Board had declined to transfer to the Government was not earmarked for any harbour purpose, It was not part of the water front and it was merely being held to be leased for business purposes. The speaker then went on to state that if a goods eerrioo were established at Te Aro, industrieo would ba greately stimulated. Under the existing state of things many industries were being retarded, and this was simply due to the uncertainty as to the fate of Te Aro Railway Station. To meet tha argument that trains on Jervois Quay would cause congestion, he pointed out that, in years to come,. Jervois Quay would be full of a stream of motor wagons, which would cause much more congestion than an occasional train.

Maks Te Aro the Main Station? The Hon. J. E.Jcnkinson, M.L.C., said that it was a reproach on State enterprise that passengers whom the Government had contracted to bring into Wellington were dropped at suburban, stations. It was a fact, also, that people who travelled had no idea that certain trains ran right through to Te Aro. He thought that the Government should acquire the land down at Te Aro, and make the station there the main station for Wellington. It was theimost central site for a station.

Mr. J. Brodie thought that the Eailway Department should secure as much land as possible in making extensions at Te Aro. The city was growing very rapidly, and provision must bo made for the future. This agitation would never die until some better communication facilities were given to tho people at the Te Aro end.

Tako That Harbour Board Land? Mr. F. G. Bolton stated that the Har» bour Board had only recently discovered the potentialities of this piece of land at Te Aro, and their refusal to part with it now was nothing more than part of the organised opposition to the scheme. If the board would not sell or exchange the land, he suggested that' the Minister should take it compulsorily'at thebare cost of reclamation—which would be a very bad bargain for the Harbour Board. The opposition tovthe scheme really cam« from a very few people, not more than fourteen or fifteen, who made a great deal of noise.' Mr. Len MTienzie supported the claims of the league. He pointed out that there was a possibility of passenger steamers leaving the Tarana&i. Street wharf presently, and then To Aro would very soon become ah even more important railway centre. . ■.. ~ . , ..-■ ...■;? -~.<■;•) Hon. F. "m. h B'. Fisher—"Public Opinion

Must Ultimately Win." . The Hon. F. M. B. Fisher, member for Wellington Central, said h'o'was somewhat interested in the proposals of the league, for the site of the suggested additions were in his own district. He felt bound to say to his colleague that he thought that, 'for years past, the Railway Depart, ment had been as blind as a bat to the advantages of the railway to Te Aro. The district which ho had the honour to represent was the most congested electoral distinct in Now Zealand, "but Wellington North, in which all the railway facilities for Wellington were provided, was the largest in area, and the most sparsely settled city electoral district in the Dominion. Tho Eailway Department had done its best—it seemed deliberately—to throttlo the Te Aro railway, and to have the line' abandoned. Fortuntely pubho' opinion had bean strong enough, to pre. vent this. Tho Eailway Department had never been able to realise what was the proper railway centre of Wellington. In point of faot, it was about the bottom of Cuba Street. It was a mere accident that our large Government Buildings and our railway facilities were all built at tho Thorndon end of the town. He hoped that by a perception of tho true facts of the case the Minister would see that there would have to be a revolution in railway administration in the city of .Wellington. Ultimately public opinion must win, and tho people of Wellington would insist upon having tho railway station where it ought to be-in the centre of tho town. Ho attached no importance to the objection to-the railway on tho ground of the conception of Jervois Quay. Mr T. Bollinger urged that some attempt should be made to bring in peoplo from the Manawatu line, who were now compelled to disembark at Thorndon. Mr F. Townsend remarked that he had overy confidence in the Minister. Sir. Hemes had promised that the line to Te Aro would not be pulled up, and he belived that Mr. Hemes would not leava the rails there and put them to no use. He urged tho Minister to deal with the matter without delay. There could be not tho slightest doubt about the lino paying.

MINISTER'S REPLY. The Minister then replied. He stated that he was very glad to hear the, views of tho deputation, but he was getting somewhat familiar now with the question of the railway to To Aro. Ho thought that, so far as goods traffic was concerned, the deputation had a 1 the best of tho argument. Mr. Hunt had been a little' in error in saving that the running of' the trains to To Aro had not been advertised. It had b"en advertised in all the Wellington, Wairarnpa, and Hawke's Bay papers. It was true that the trains were not scheduled in tho time-table, but this was duo to'difficulties in the matter of having the time-table printed. The timetables were always printed a month in advance, and the alterations wore not decided in time. Unfortunately tho January time-tnblc was also printed, and tho alterations would not bo in it cither. Mr. D. Robertson suggested that ; the fare to To Aro ought to be made the same as the fare to Lambten. The Minister replied that he could not do this. He was convinced that a goods station would have to be built at To Aro, to servo the auction marts in Allen Street, But, if a big expenditure of money was involved, he could not provide for a goodg service there this year. All the moneys for additions to open lines were already nllosated. The building of a goods shed at To Aro Was part and parcel of the whole question of stationing Wellington, and he intended to go thoroughly into all the proposals directly after tho holidays. Afterwards ho would-submit his proposals te Cabinet. It was a big'question, and the Government's action must depend very largelv upon' Mr. Allen's success in Engi land. They could not make bricks without straw, and if thoy could not get money thev could not build new stations in Wellington. Ho believed goods accommodation at To Aro must bo .provided, and if money was available ho would pro. vide it. , , . ~ Mr. Townssnd asked whether thero waj any chance of tho summer produce from Hawke's Bay bflinff taken on to le Aro this vear. Anything from 4000 to 5000 packages would be coming through daily. Mr. Herries: That is too big a quantity to be handled at tho Te Aro end now. . Dr. Newman asked the Minister to see that the Harbour Board did not lease in perpetuity such of the land as was now available, and so place the Government in tho position of paying heavy compeu. Tho'Minister promised to refer the matter to the Crown Law' officers,.