TE ARO STATION

Evening Post, Volume LXXXV, Issue 150, 26 June 1913, Page 2

TE ARO STATION

• — - GOVERNMENT PROPOSAL RESISTED The Harbour Board engineer (Mr. Marchbanks) reported last evening that he understood the Government proposed to take ten acres of reclamation, board's property at Te Aro, for a goods depot. Such an acquisition if made would seriously prejudice the board's interests, and would be a greaft inconvenience by the land being used for the shunting of trucks across approaches to the board's wharf. The Chairman said the time had clearly now arrived that th& board should .make a most emphatic protest to the Government against tbus trenching on what would become a most valuable endowment of the board. To do this kind of thing could only end in the raising of port^chargea. He suggested that a deputation of the board as a whole should wait upon the Prime Minister to emphatically protest against the taking of this land, pointing out that a great, injustice would accrue to the board if this land were taken for railway purposes. Mr. Jones heartily endorsed the Chairman's remarks. Mr. Wright thought, the board could not ask the Prime Minister to alter the Act. Mr. Cobbe quite approved of a protest being made to the Government against taking the land in question. It would be -a serious thing if the port charges were increased in consequence. Mr. Daniell thought consideration should no doubt lie given to producers wanting to get their goods into the city. Mr. Macfarlane strongly disapproved of the proposal to take the land from the board. Mr. Trevor concurred. The board must keep the land. The Chairman (Mr. E. Fletcher) while approving of the Public Works Act, said it was quite wrong to apply it in this case, and so deprive a public body of its source of revenue. The whole of the perishable goods were discharged at the Thorndon end of the city. The traffic on the Te Aro line did not pay axle grease. He hoped members would Unanimously join in the protest to the Government against the proposed taking of this land. He pointed out that he had never as chairman mentioned Te Aro station until he had been informed that the Government intended to tab* the ten acres at Te Aro, leaving the board seven and a half acres, out of which roads had to be taken. It was decided to wait on the Prime Minister at a quarter to 10 a.m. on Wednesday.