TE ARO STATION.

Evening Post, Volume LXXXIII, Issue 102, 30 April 1912, Page 8

TE ARO STATION.

SHOULD IT BE USED FOR GOODS TRAFFIC? MEETING OF CHAMBER OF COMMERCE.

A special meeting of the members of the Wellington Chamber of Commerce was held yesterday afternoon for tho purpose of considering the attitude of the council in reference to the Te Aro Railway Station. Mr. Mabin, president of the council, presided. Amongst the apologies for absence was one from Mr. G. Shirtelilfe, in which he said he was opposed lo the "establishment of a goods station at T© Aro, and expressed the opinion that the drawbacks and risks following upon the running of trains through, the city should h© minimised as far, as possible. Mi. A. T. Clark -wrote expressing a con trary opinion. About thirty members were present. Mr. A- Leigh Hunt, in explaining the reasons for the calling of the meeting, read from the last annual report of the chamber in which the idea of making Te Aro a goods station was endorsed. Recently he was surprised to find there wa# considerable opposition to the proposal to establish a goods station at Te Aro,' and an amendment was actually carried asking the Government to pull up the line from Lambton to Te Aro. In this he thought the council had- rather ffculfcifokl ihe chamber. He moved that tho policy .outlined in. the last report should be endorsed, and that the council be instructed to^ carry the policy previously outlined into effect. He argued that if the line from Lambion to Te Aro wero used for goods traffic it would be an immense convenience to the, people, iv South Wellington, and would in all probability bo turned from a losing into a paying concern. There would be no difficulty in' getting sufficient land for shunting the < trains. NO CHAiNCE O? KEMOYAL. Personally, he did nofc think there was the slightest chance of the railway line being removed. If that were so the battle would be half won. It was said that there was danger because of the trains running through tho city and passing the head of the Queen's Wharf. This, however,, was a matter for the Department, and -the making of the station one for the reception of goods would not necessarily increase the number of trains. Shortly, he had no doubt, the City Council would be establishing a milk depot, and it had also to be remembered that the fruit market was directly concerned. It was true that Jervois-quay carried heavy traffic, but that was largely due io the fact that goods had to bo received at Lambton and Thorndon, and not at Te Aro. The movement for the establishment of *ai goods station at Te Aro was receiving the support of the Farmers' Union, the Citizens' League, and the Wellington members of Parliament. It was probable that tho railway was destined to be carried as far as Miramar,. where large industrial concerns would be carried on. He ridiculed the- argument that the asking for a goods station at Te Aro would jeopardise the getting of a. central railway station. INDTJSTKIAL CENTRE OF THE FUTUKE. Mr. J. P. Luk© seconded ih« motion. He regretted that tho president's first year of office had been marked by a, resolution to throw aside the previous j determination of the council. He outlined what had been done in other great cities, and said that Wellington had a moral responsibility for the people in the Suburbs. He was not concerned whether the people used the Harbour or,' City Council leaseholds or whether industries were established in South Wellington. For years he had maintained that the industries of the city would go to Miramar. There were men in the Chamber of Commerce and Jeremiahs in business who would evidently . strangle business. The city had" to go ahead — things had to be pushed on. j Now it appeared that the city was go- { ing to be keyt back by the Chamber of Commerce. Petone did not offer the 1 same opportunities as Miramar. He be- ! iioved the time was not far distant %vhen the railway would be extended to Miramar. NO GREATER DANGER THAN THE TEAMS. Mr. B. Dawson also supported the motion. He said there were many cities six times as large as Wellington that had important arterial railways rushing along principal streets. Ab far as the alleged danger was concerned, ho eaid, it did not approach the danger occasioned by the running of a double line . cf trams along Willisstrect. ' In the matter of railways Wel"lington was_ worse served than any other town in Australasia. He referred to the r«£offc he had made himself on the question of railway extension to Island Bay, some years ago, and said that he heartily endorsed the motion. PAST HISTORY QUOTED. Mr. Gk Pilcher, in answer to these statements, said that question had been introduced by a motion by Mr Leigh Hunt himself. He had asked for a central goods* shed and an auxiliary Koodfi shea at Te Aio. He (the speaker) field that to ask for an auxiliary goods shed one mile away from the central goods shed was impracticable from a railway point of yiev/, and in general absurd. In establishing a central goody station they did not want to have bits of the traffic here and there. The present nuisance, with a goods station at Te Aro, would be greatly magnified. Few people really knew how much, land wae inquired for a railway station. No thought had been given to the loee of time that would be involved in shunting ; and tha es±ra charges that would- b« imposed for shunting, an well as the congestion that would necessarily occur, had been ova-looked. He happened to know that one of the difficulties in the way of getting on with a central station was to know what to do with this fagend of a line. At present tho passenger traffic on the Lambton-Te Aro line was very small, and chiefly confined to workmen. It would pay tho Government to btibnidise ths City Council to carry these people on its trams. They could thereby xsach their homes much more quickly. If the railway line was to be extended to Miramar it would bo done by overhead or underground, or eomo other system, and the Te Aro line would not much, matter. He had always been a strong opponent of the suggested proposal. In 1906 the council had affirmed the position that the 'le Aro lino was useless ami a nuisance. Again, in 1907 tho council said, in itfe annual report; thai it Lad only been partially successful in getting the nuisance abated. At the annual meeting a motion wafi carried, calling for tho abolition of To Aro «ieclior.. In NWember, 1911, a. proposal was bi ought, before tho council by Mr. A. Lsigh Hunt, on tho lines of his present attitude. He maintained that the council of thtf chamber had always been coetasUmt in ite attitude. In his opinion if the Minwter could be persuaded that ±be public sentiment "was behind tha dcauuul to have tho line taken up, the uew central station would be proceeded ■with <>& once. ÜBGKD TO LOOK AHEAD. .Mr. W. Jack hoped iie ruction iwuld Boi be looked upon ac » vote « waat'of-

confidence in the council. In reference to the railway, the council had to look twenty or thirty years ahead. Ho could not see why any suburb should be denied a. railway service. Could, ho asked, a central railway station be established in Thomdon? A "central" railway station to be central would have to be established iomewhero in the vicinity of Tory-street. Mr. J. M. Fleming said that the only argument in favour of pulling up the line was the present dangers to traffic. But if goods were taken to Te Aro the danger would be almost wholly eliminated. The goods' cars could easily be attached to the ordinary passenger trains. AN EX-PRESIDENT'S VIEW. Mr. J. G. Harkness, an ex-president of the chamber and member of the Hai Ibour Board, said that the most important asset in this, city was the harbour, ajid the To Aro railway was a "jolly uuisance." He would like to uso a stronger term. Whether the council decided to suggest the taking away of the line or its retention, he held that there were three parties interested — the Harbour Board, the municipality, and the Government. If a. general policy were to be laid down these three parties should decide it. Also, if railway communication was to be extended through the city it would haA'e to consult the City Council. ME. MABIN'S OPINION. The president pointed out that the Harbour Board, the municipality, and the Government were all opposed* to the extension of goods traffic to Te Aro. In the past the running of trains had bocome such a> nuisance that the council of the chamber was compelled to go to th« Government an 4 a-slc rt to abate tlio nuisance. The taking of goods trains to Te Aro would simply make a botch of th© propossd central railway station. If they were to have a central railway station it had to bo on composite lines so that a definite plan could, be laid down by the Government. It was a fact that there was not sufficient land at the Te Aro end for a goods station, and the Government could not be expected to pay £50,000 or £60,000 for the dock site in older that the necessary land might be obtained. For these and other reasons he was sti'ongly opposed to the extension of goods traffic to Te Aro. Mr. T. Ballinger supported the motion. Mr. James M'lntosh explained that although, he had signed the (requisition calling the meeting it did not follow that ho agreed with all that' had been said. He thought the chief point at issue had been lost sight of. It was high time that the Government said what it intended to do in regard to the central railway station. He added that h© did noL support the motion. , The.mot'iqn. was lost by 16 votes to