PORT CHALMERS WHARVES.

Evening Star, Issue 22329, 4 May 1936, Page 14

PORT CHALMERS WHARVES.

TO THE EDITOn. Sir, —In your Saturday's issue I noticed an interesting letter about the congestion of traffic at Port Chalmers by Mr Thomas Anderson. There is, at the present time, a very bad congestion of traffic at Port Chalmers. Mr Anderson's suggestions for reclaiming such a large area as meni tioned were.rather extreme. The work i would take, decades to do, and the amount of debris needed would not 1available. Any reclamation near Goat | Island would be useless owing to th terrific speed of the tide. I certainly I agren that the railway layouts at Port Chalmers are not suitable for such busy traffic, but as these layouts were made in the early days when the rolling stock was small, it can be seen that the fault is there. I should also say Mussel Bay should be used as : marshalling yard and so relieve Por' Chalmers main yards of some of their traffic. When the elections were drawing near I was told by a Port Chalmers candidate for the Harbour Board that if he got in his first step would bo to make use of the Mussel Hay reclaimed ground. The result was that he got in and lias apparently forgotten his former intentions. But now wo must look ahead and be prepared. If we are unable at Port

Chalmers to work the rush of ships, the owners will divert them to better equipped ports. In regard to shifting tho Port Chalmers central station to Mussel Bay I am entirely against it. Think of the people from Reynold’s Town, Mansford Town, Carey Bay, Deborah Bay, Lower Harbour, and the surrounding places who would have to walk all that unnecessary distance for the purpose of catching tho trains, think if the Borough Council, tlm Port Chalmers Progressive League, and the Railway Department would approach the Harbour Board some form of agreement could be made to improve the present works. In recent issues of tho ‘ Star ’ it was stated that the Harbour Board was going to start in March and repair tho shipping area at Port at a sum of approximately £43,000, hut March is now past and no start has been made. Why ? May I also inquire if any of your readers have any idea of the Harbour Board, Railway Department, or any other body making use of the reclaimed Mussel Ray? Recently a largo overseas ship swung her stern round when berthing at this port and it hit tho end of the Bowen pier, but because of only one such accident I do not think Mr Anderson’s idea of removing the Bowen pier is worth carrying out.—l am etc., May 4. J.S,