THE RAILWAY RESERVE

Hastings Standard, Volume XII, Issue 5847, 11 May 1908, Page 2

THE RAILWAY RESERVE

STATION STREET EYESORE.

COUNCIL CAN ENFORCE BRICK AREA BY-LAW. STATEMENT BY GENERAL MANAGER N.Z.R. It may be remembered that in i March last Mr James Jackson Jones, ! of Hat-tings, addressed a letter to the Secretary of the Office, Welijngton suggesting the alienation ot the railway land in Station street so that solid structures should take the place of the wooden shanties which are invariably erected on land held on short lease. Mr T. Ronayne, General Manager of Railways, has replied to Mr J. J. Jones as follows : " Sir, — With reference to your letter of 16th March last addressed to the Secretary to the Post Office in regard to portiun of Railway Reserve as Hastings, I have the honour to inform you that the provisions of "The Government Railways Act, iooo," forbids the alienation of any railway land at suggested by you. If the present lessees are agreeable to determine their leases fresh leases of the sections for for a term of 21 years, with a right of renewal for a further term of 21 years, might be put up for sale by tender or public auction, with a suitable upset rental. This would provide a long enough tenure to warrant the erection of permanent buildings, and in this connection 1 would point out that even at present the Borough Coi**f6;l might enforce the erection of any new buildings in brick by declaring the land within the brick area and refusing permits for wooden buildings. —I have, &c, T. RuNAYNE, General Manager."