THE RAILWAY STATION SITE.

Evening Post, Volume XVII, Issue 310, 3 January 1879, Page 2

THE RAILWAY STATION SITE.

,? ¦ — This morning a deputation, headed by his Worship the Mayor, and including Mr. George Hunter, M.H.R., Mr. Barton, M.H.R., Mr. Walter Johnston, M.H.R., Mr. Krull, Chairman of the Chamber of Commerce, Messrs. J. E. Nathan, Mills, Levin, S. Brown, J. H. Wallace, R. Port, Bethune, Macdonald, R. Gardner, Shannon. Dawson, George, Dr. Newman, Captain Rose, and others, waited on the Hon. J. Macandrew, Minister for Public

! Works, relative to the railway station site. | The Mayor read the resolution passed at the recent public meeting, and at the meeting of the Chamber of Commerce, and said they showed the unanimous feeling of the citizens, that tbe railway , station should be brought as near the centre of the town as possible. The general opinion was that the best available site was that portion or the reclamation adjoining the Lion Foundry. '< On the plans issued by the auctioneer this ground was colored and marked for sale, and the (reputation sought to induce tbe Government to withdraw the two sections next to the Foundry from sale, so that they might be used for a railway terminus. Mr. Macandrbw— Whap. do you mean by a " railway station ?" \ The Mator— One for passengers, and, if possible/for goods also. \ Mr. Macakdrbw said it wouMd take forty acres to provide a passenger and goods terminus such as Wellington would adon require. The Mayor— lf we can't get afj we want we must get what we can. I would jnst point to Auckland where, within the last fe\V week-;, a large expenditure has been incurred to) enable the railway station to be brought nearer the centre of the town. Here at WeUingram the Govornment have the land, and if it & sold new it will take a large sum to buy vt back at a future date. > Mr. Macahdrbw replied that the expenditure at Auckland was not altogether incurred for the^purpose of bringing the station nearer the centre of the city, but because) the area of the present station was insufficient.^ Mr. Bartov, who prefaced his remarks by saying that he had not been invited to/ be present, but had taken care to be there, reminded Mr. Macandrew that he and others bad voted against the Thomdon Redamat ion Sale Bill chiefly because that would have dine away with all chance of the railway stat ion being on the reclamation. 7 Mr. Macandrbw— l may say at once thSat it is the intention of the Government to rur» the passenger carriages to the Lion Foundryl and to have a covered platform there. I fancy that is all you want. Several gentlemen — No; certainly not. The Mayor explained that the deputation) wished for an explicit assurance that the two sections ho had referred to would be withdrawn 1 from sale. (Hear, hear.) Any outside reJ plantation for a railway station would perhaps) mean a delay of yean. j Mr. Macahdkbw said he could promise that there would not be " a delay of years."/ The work should be gone on with as soon as' possible, and if, in the opinion of the engineers, ( it was necessary to leseive these two sections,! they would be reserved. If the reclamation! had got into the hands of tbe Corpotctfcm-hej did sot fancy that it would have been usedfc* • railway atttkra tito. "

The Mator said he was glad that point had been mentioned. Many of the City Councillors were in favor of reserving a site for a station, but at his suggestion they deferred taking any definite steps until they were assured that the reclamation would come into their possession. Mr. T. K. Macdonald pointed out that the increased price which would be obtained for the land immediately around the station would more than- recoup the loss sustained by tbe withdrawal of tbe two sections in question. Mr. Macandrbw said it was intended to reclaim twenty acres at Pipitea Point for a goods terminus. Mr. R. Gardner said that was four railes from the other end of the city. Mr. Macandrbw : No doubt there will ultimately be a station at the other end. Mr. Huntbr endorsed the latter remark. After some further discussion of a conversational nature, Mr. Macandrbw said it was the intention of the Government to sell all the land possible, and to devote the profits to the construction of the West Coast Railway. Mr. Barton asked whether the Government had ascertained that a practicable route could be found for that railway? Mr. Macandrbw said that several routes had been surveyed, and a close survey of one, now nearly completed, would, he thought, be : adopted. It was certain that a practicable route could be found, without any Rimutrtxas to cross. The Mator, Mr. Macdonald, Mr. Brown, and others urged Mr. Macandrew to give a more definite assurance that the land indicated would be reserved for a station. Mr. Macandrbw said he could not say any more than he had done— that a passenger terminus would be placed there, and, if necessary, the two sections pointed out would be reserved. Mr. Brown— No prevision for goods ? Mr. Macandrbw— No goods. Mr. Nathan said the citizens of Wellington should demand this, and demand it as a right, not as a favor. It should not be left to the engineers to say whether this land was necessary or not; such an influential deputation, representing* every interest in the city, was entitled to some more definite answer than that. Speaking for himself; ho could say that the goods traffic would be much larger if there were a central goods station. A merchant; bad now to pay 2s 6d per ton cartage on his goods to get them to the railway stttion, but it the station were nearer town it would only cost Is per ton. This might seem a smalt matter, but on tome classes otgoods it was a consideration. Tbe citizens should demand it as a right. Otago got everything it wanted, and he did not see why Wellington should not stand forward and demand the same treatment, i Mr. Macandrbw : I am not going on the stump here, Mr. Nation. Your remarks are quite uncalled for. I have said nothing to warrant such language. Those who manage the railways are those who can best say what is necessary for the passenger traffic. The whole of the reclaimed land could not possibly be given up for such a purpose, and, with all due deference to tbe opinions of those who think otherwise, I consider Pipitea Point the best site for a goods station. The Mator again explained that the deputation did not ask for the whole: they only asked for tbe two sections pointed out. Mr. Macandrbw again said he could only promise them that they would be reserved if necessary. The deputation then withdrew.