HUTT VALLEY

Grey River Argus, 19 February 1945, Page 6

HUTT VALLEY

PROPOSED SEPARATE HARBOUR. NOT FAVOURED BY WORKS P.A. WELLINGTON, Feb. 18. The findings of the Hutt Valley Development Works Commission were released on Saturday by the Minister of Works (Mr .R. Semple). The Commission does not consider a separate harbour is necessary for the Hutt Valley, and, consequently, deals in detail with the transport facilities between Wellington and Hutt Valley. The Commission recommends the widening of the Hutt Road which skirts the harbour from Wellington to Petone. The Commission points out that, if harbour facilities were provided on the Valley side of the harbour, a _great deal of cargo for the valley probably would still be unloaded at the'Wellington quays, and, if it were’unloaded at the Valley, the ships have to go to Wellington to load outward cargo. The Commission points out that the concentration of shipping has been recognised, because of resultant economies, and that this has been amply demonstrated during the war by the way in which major shipping has been concentrated at major ports. The Commission stated that a harbour at Flutt Valley would cost close on two millions, which would be twice the quantity of the potential cargo for the Valley, and it considered that the saving on road transport would not be more than four shillings per ton on the actual cargo -handled. The Commission recommends the widening of the Hutt Road to avoid the congestion of traffic in future It states that the electrification of the Hutt Valley Railway will meet the needs of the Valley for many years.