TE ARO RAILWAY

Evening Post, Volume LXXXVI, Issue 7, 8 July 1913, Page 3

TE ARO RAILWAY

AN ADVANTAGE OR NOT? PROS AND CONS DEBATED JPPOSITION TO THE PROPOSAL. Debates of the full-drese type out of Parliament and other official bodies are usually of academic interest only, but there was something live in the subject of a debate held in No. 1 Committee Room of the Town Hall last evening, under the auspices of the Greater Wellington Municipal Electors' Association. The question was whether or not railway facilities should be extended at the Te Aro railway station. Mr. H. G. Hill presided, in the unavoidable absence- of Mr. J. G. W. Aitken. There was an attendance of under twenty. Mr. A. Leigh Hunt took tho affirmative in the proposition that it was in the best interests of the city:— (l) That the Te Aro railway station should have accommodation for goods traffic, and also that tho passenger service should be extended; and (2) that the Railway Department and the Harbour Board should at once make provision whereby the railway passengers can be transferred direct from the brain to the ferry steamers., viz., at the proposed Te Aro wharf. DEVELOPMENT OF THE CITY. The mover's main contention was that the development of the city was wholly to the eastward and we&tward, and therefore that provision should be made for railway traffic to the centre of the new area, namely, Te Aro. He characterised as blunders the present positions of the railway stations, and declared that theTe should be two centres — one at Bunny-street, the proposed new station — and the other at Te Aro. Very serious delays in the delivery of goods — especially of perishable goods — were caused by the distance of the present goods stations from the markets and the principal business quarter of the town. In the future Jervois-quay would be a great thoroughfare for motor transport, and the brains would also carry immense quantities. As to bne danger of the Te Aro railway, he pointed out thab there had only been one fatal accident on the line in twenty years. The passing to and fro of the trams consbitubed a far greater danger. The goods shed asked for at Te Aro was promised by the Premier of the colony twenty years ago and a timber siding also. If the shed were established there a quicker delivery of goods would follow, and bhe city would bo saved an immense sum on the upkeep of its streets. Mr. Hunt quoted the opinion of the Minister of Railways in favour of the proposal for a goods shed at Te Aro. In explanation of the poor patronage of the Wairarapa trains starting from Te Aro, the speaker said that bhe cause was bhe lack of reasonable facilities. The race brains to Trentham were all very well patronised from bhe Te Aro station. On the second half of the proposition, Mr. Hunb maintained bhab the lack of facilities to connect bhe railway trains and the inter-island ferry boats and bhe Sydney boat constibuted a positive scandal. The engineer of the Harbour Board (Mr. Marchbanks) had recommended bhe consbrucbiort of a wharf at Te Aro for ferry steamers, but the board had not baken ib seriously. The board had ample land in bhe 19 acres of ?eclamabk>n at Te Aro, not earmarked for any specific purpose. This might be used for railway purposes for the general benefib of bhe community. The opportunity was one which might never recur in the history of the city. THE CASE AGAINST THE RAIIIWAY. Mr. 0. C Mazengarb, in reply, urged that Te Aro was not bhe business Cenbre of the city. While bhe residences were going to bhe soubh, the developmenb of bhe business side of the community wasgoing to bhe nortb end. (Voice : Question!) The reclaimed land should be an endowment for the future. At present it mighb be paying nothing; ben years lience ib mighb be paying 10 per cent. It was necessary bhab the board should have outside revenues and assets to meeb the fluctuation of its revenue from shipping and to meet also bhe heavy cost of new wharves and obher developmenbal wharves. Mr. Mazengarb held further that* the proposal was nob in the best interests of bhe Railway Department The passenger brains did not Jun empty to Te Aro— ho had himself seen three people geb oub — the engine-driver, bhe fireman, and the guard. (Voice : Whai> aboub bhe dog?) The Minisber of Rail* ; ways was nob an impartial judge—he ' must have votes at all costs, and therefore he was not unbiased. A ,singlefline would nob be sufficienb to carry 1 the traffic bhe Minister seemed to gbwould go to Te Aro, nor would j ten acres be sufficienb for shunbing yards. Whab were the interests ab Te Ato? Why, simply bhe inberesbs of a few wholesale merchants, auctioneers, and produce men and timber yards ! (Ex» pressions of protest and cries of "rot.") Whab obher interests were there? Voice : Population. Mr. Mazengarb added bhab bhe whole brand was to concenbrate traffic in modern railway systems. Thab was to build the station and yards in bhe proper cenbre. (Voices : Te Aro, Kaiwarra.) Mr. Mazengarb : "Kaiwarra as much as Te Aro." (Laughber.) The speaker further contended bhab bhe Te Aro proposal would be against the general interesbs of bhe communiby in the injury ib would do the tramways. If the city tramways would extend their freight service bhey would facilitate delivery. (Voices : "No," and laughter.) The speaker attacked Mr. Hunt's proposal for a ferry wharf ab Te Aro. Why should bhe passenger who invariably came from the north be carried right round bhe waterfronb bo the ferry wharf ? Ib was a purely visionary proposal. He failed to see that bhere was any urgency whatever for Mr. Hunb's proposals, which simply meanb the Harbour Board combining with the Railway Department to carry oub the confiscation policy of the Government. "Is it right," concluded the speaker, "thab bhe private interests of a section of tho communiby should bo preferred to the disinterested opinions of the majority of tht» communiby? Thab a. doubtful suburban experimenb should be carried oub ab the national expense was nob in the besb interests of the country nor in the best, interests of bhe city." (Applause.) Mr. 11. H. Cornish supported Mr. Afazengarb, making his chief poinb in the contention that motor transport was cheaper th;m railway transport. The speaker quoted tho report of an expert o/i the plans for bhe new Commonwealth capital, Canberra, namely Mr. W. B. Oriffin, to tht< effect thab thero would bo only one railway passenger station, and the goods yards would be outside the city proper. That was the modern way. The pf/eet of railways and goods yards was to depreciate the value of 'residential property in the neighbourhood. A railway yard at Te Aro would rain the Oriental Bay Esplanade aa an attraction to the city. The proposal of Mr. Bunb was entirely unreasonable and voiced simply the wishes of a small coterie of interests at To Aro. (Applause.) THE MAYOR OFMIfcAMAR SPEAKS. Mr F. A. Townsend declared as an old lesident that- Te Aro was the business

jl(uo atfl s>bm q^sap GeupAi 'tnsMSi'Boq centre of the city, and the trend of the wholesale business was towards Te Aro. (Voice: And Miramar.) (Laughter.) The proposal pub forward by Mr. Hunt represented 45,000 inhabitants of Wellington. Mr. Mazengarb : Not 45,000 warehouses. ' Mr. Townsend : There are not 45,000 warehouses in New Zealand. (Laughter.) Mr. Townsend concluded by commending (he example of Messrs. Mazengarb and Cornish to other young men as a p means oi self-improvement. Mr. J. D. Sievwrighb added his con- * granulations, declaring that the two 1 young speakers had made out the better > case. lhe'Te Aro railway was a posi- , tive loss to the city and the country, and was not wanted at all. He suggested ' fche gentlemen who were to be benefited by the proposal sliould allow their property in the quaiter to be taxed for the railway. The proposal was in the interests of a few and not of the many. ' Mr. V. U. Bolton spoke strongly in favour of the Te ( Aro proposal. Mr. Georgo Winder said that what the young speakers against the proposal lacked was simply business experience. Everybody knew that business was dJI ] going To Arowards. If a timber >ard [ was established at Te Aro, house build- • ing would be £30 or £40 cheaper on that : side of the city. He regretted the young ] gentlemen from Victoria College should not have been more democratic. iHear, '■ hear, and laughter.) Mr. Mazengarb and Mr. Hunt replied briefly to the various poinjs raised by , different speakers. The meeting ended with a vote of thanks to the chair.