REPORT TO THE CHAMBER OF COMMERCE

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

REPORT TO THE CHAMBER OF COMMERCE

"CENTRAL SCHEME TO BE ; ROBBED." The report of Mr. A. E. Mabin, president of the Wellington Chamber of Commerce, in connection with the deputation from the Chamber, which, with members of the Harbour Board, waited on the Prime Minister (Hon. W. F. Massey) and the Minister of Railways (Hon. W, Fraser), in regard to the Te Aro and Central railway stations, was presented at yesterday's meeting of the Chamber. Mr. Mabin stated that the Minister of Railways had explained that it was in his mind to make an auxiliary goods station at Te Aro as part of the central station arrangements. The Minister believed that one-third, if not onehalf, of the goods, and nearly all the timber, would go to Te Aro. This estimate, it was presumed, referred to the local traffic for the city, which was probably only a tithe of the total handled by the railway, the bulk of it being to and from shipping and the wharves. In any case, continued the report, it > did not follow that because a consignee's business was at Te Aro that all his goods must necessarily go there. A merchant ' would certainly always take the quickest and cheapest method of distribution. This would undoubtedly be by delivery from the main station, thus avoiding the 1 delay and expense inseparable from a divided traffic. TimEer or road gravel, 1 etc., did nob require a goods shed for discharge, nor would the elaborate array ' of sidings proposed hasten ' the arrival ' and despatch of such goods. The fruit 1 and produce merchants therefore were r the main users who would probably be affected by the Minister's proposals. The ' Minister suggested that in order to avoid ' danger to traffic along Jervois-quay the ! trains could be run late at night and J early in the morning. The trains under ' such a proposal would have to be de- ' layed at Thorndon for sorting and shunt- | ing, and the produce merchants would be the first to complain of the delay. ' The result would be a demand for day trains or the goods would be lifted at Thorndon by motor traffic. The latter in any case would be less costly and more rapid. "The Minister made a point of his opinion that the provision of facilities at Te Aro would reduce by so much the necessity for facilities at Thorndon, but this would not work out in practice," the report further stated. "It is clear that the Minister's proposal means that by a sum at least equal to the cost of the land acquired and the cost of laying out the yards and buildings, the central scheme is to be robbed, and the Dominion will be asked to foot an enormous expenditure on the combined scheme, which will bring forth strenuous opposition from other parts of the Dominion, and satisfy no one." The report concluded by adding that the Prime Minister's reply was satisfactory, inasmuch as he intimated that the matter was one which no individual Minister could deal with, but the whole question would have to be settled by Cabinet, and the Chamber could, it was to be hoped, rely upon the collective wisdom of the Government to do what was obviously the right thing— to concentrate the railway service of the city to one point.