THE CHAMBER OF COMMERCE AND WATER STREETS.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XLI, Issue 12523, 16 March 1904, Page 6

THE CHAMBER OF COMMERCE AND WATER STREETS.

■ TO THE KDITC2. ■■-.;.,.}' Sir, Will' you : kindly .'. allow me .;. spsce to, reply to the protest issued by the 'Chamber of r Commerce ; against the adoption of ;*:the water'streets scheme by the Harbour Board ? ■'" The report of the council ■; states that Hay- ' ing examined the plans of both schemes, -received deputations and' heard the views of witnesses both for and against walei streets, they are of opinion that Mr. Napier Bell'V scheme should not be interfered with. Tub. question, is: Who are , the .members' of ;.the. council, which'; came to this decision, find, are the? ' competent— /'with the limited '■information- and time fit their cons rnand—to .judge on ~ such ,; a _ complex ; matter ; as this" If they have received deputations' and lizard witnesses,' how very* quiet they must have been about H, for we have' yet to learn who composed the deputations, and if the witnesses for or against were experienced. in harbour work',' or were " merely experts in' hair pins and flannelette. .The council seems to have ■. a very good conceit of itself, for after, at the most, a few -hours' inquiry" with closed doors, it considers itself competent to settle the water streets right out of hand. The secrecy alone of the inquiry renders 'the report valueless-— an expert point of view. , , - Briefly stated, Mr. Napier' Bell's scheme provides for- a sloping stone wall along the ; water frontage from, Hobson-street Wharf to ; the far side of Freeman's Bay, the whole of 1 the space inside the wall" to be filled in to above high water mark. It may possibly surprise the Chamber of Commerce to learn : that that scheme has already been considerably interfered with. On.-October 31, 1901, a contract was let to Mr. 'Martin (£4944) for a timber breastwork at right angles to Hob-' son-street Wharf. The piles are driven for a distance of 500 ft, .and that breastwork is 420 ft outside, and parallel with, Mr. Napier Bell's line. A contract" 1 was also let to Mr. Gouk (£5999), May 17, 1902—since cancelled —for 'a timber breastwork'42oft inside Martin's and running parallel with it. The space between these breastworks Was to'. be filled in with dredgings to form a pier. This pier was to be built in accordance with a resolution of the Board, dated September 9, 1900, as follows:—"Thai, with a view to providing . extra accommodation ■ for the smaller class .of vessels, and for tenants of allotments between Hobson and Nelson' Streets,' the site for embankment be' removed northwards a sufficient distance to provide roadway and allotments." Here, then, is Mr. Napier Bell's scheme knocked kite high in one act, and, extraordinary .; to relate, the water streets. scheme, the pier, the allotments, the-roadway, and everything else pertaining to it, decided upon three years ago, and partly canned out by the very men who are now protesting that Mr. Napier Bell's scheme must not be interfered with Messrs. Napier, Philson and Nathan, who are all members of the Chamber of Commerce, were all members of the Harbour Board when this interference was decided on and carried out. Mr. Napier took an especially active part in the discussion as to the thickness of the planking to be used. What was it that induced the Board, 13 months after Mr. Napier Bell's report had been adopted, to interfere with and vary his plans? It was the absolute necessity for providing more accommodation- for the smaller class of vessels, and the unsatisfied demand for waterside allotments, just as the resolution puts it. ..-.■;.. •-,'.,.,', The reasons for the protest are- stated* alphabetically, and I will deal with them seriatim:—(a) "That the existence 'of.'; water streets west of Hobson-street Wharf will be a complete bar for many years to come to further extension of the city westward." The question is,,what is the extension of the city to consist of The Chamber of Commerce seems to be of opinion that the only extension necessary is the setting aside of more sites for warehouses and buildings of. that kind, although the Board has now and has had for years past 16 vacant warehouse sites on the eastern side of Queen-street. The Chamber would have the Board drive out all their tenants.to make room for a reclamation of the bay to the timber company's boundary and the creation of a huge dumping ground for rubbish—a second Freeman's Bay, with all its savoury odours, and when the people have .become sufficiently sick of it to curse it for an intolerable nuisance it may be used by some budding politician to catch votes and make a beautiful park, or, having remained ', vacant for a quarter of a century or s©, some future Harbour Board may curse us for stupid -idiots,, and commence digging canals, into .it for "accommodation for ..the smaller class of 'vessels and for. tenants of allotments," It is easy to see that there is little hearing in mind the 16 vacant lots— any, warehouses ; being built ; on irtiiih a reclamation for many years to 7;, come. Meantime, the interest on cost of reclamation would be helping to cripple the resources, of the Board. May I ask, also, how many more warehouses are wo likely to require if we smother our industries and hamper our coastal fleet ? Both these are assisting to * develop the resources of the country, and are daily adding to the wealth of the city. In the 2000 ft' between Hobsonstreet and Parker's mill some 550 men are employed, over £55,000 per annum Is paid in wages, besides all other expenditure, probably double the amount of-wages. .These men handle over 25,0Q0,.0Q0ft- of * timber yearly.! Can the Chamber of " Commerce show 2000 ft of warehouses disbursing a tenth of $> ho above amount of wages ? I doubt it. It seems ,to me that any scheme for the extension of the city westward should provide lor the extension of these industries as well as the erection of warehouses, and the water streets scheme is the only practicable method of doing.it. The Board found this out three years- ago. ' ■ '■ ' (p.) "That, the letting- of allotments fronting the* water streets with only a 10ft rightof way 'constitutes practically a sacrifice of the Board's water rights," etc. The 10ft reservation conserves all the riparian rights of the Board. There is no getting away from that fact. Mi*."Napier is a lawyer, and he suggested in committee that the space reserved should, 10ft, and his suggestion was adopted- (I notice that the Chamber is careful not to mention that public landing a.nd 66ft-' road). ; >:'; : #'• ■'--;■, * . (c) "That the water streets will be a great menace ti the health of the city." The water streets are ; 120 ft wide, with 20ft of water at the, outer end to dry at the 'shore end, low water, and 30ft and 10ft. at high water. , If. a body of water this size is a menace to the health of the city, what about the berths . on-, the' eastern side ? They'are just as shallow in shore as the water streets, and as the City Council will persist in delivering sewage into the harbour hadn't we better fill it up for health's sake ? ;■■'.-■ "" (d) (1) "That sufficient berthage accommodation could be provided for small coastal craft against the breastwork of" th 3 reclamation proposed; (2) and also in Mechanics' Bay; (3) and that the necessary ''accommodation for small coastal-, craft could be made by wharves extending out from Freeman's Bay." This is what I call being kicked from pillar to post. It is evident that small craft will have a bad time of it' if the Chamber of Commerce gets its way. (1) At the beginning of the report the Council states that it has examined Mr. Napier Bell's plan. I begin to doubt this statement, because the plan provides for a sloping stone wall on the frontage for the express purpose of preventing.any vessel lying alongside or discharging cargo on to the proposed wide street;' besides, how would small craft fare on that frontage with a ' northerly bustor ? {2)' The .report; fails to state how:many vessels could be accommodated in Mechanics'. Bay. ;.>; (3) This project is in- the dim misty future, and not worth discussing. ' : (e). "That the Harbour Board's policy should be one of . continuity, and that the water streets scheme will-prove a bar ; to • such." ; The water streets scheme is the only one likely to prove a continuity, because it - is ; the only practicable scheme. Ask, the , three members of the Chamber of Coinmcirce, , who, were members of the Board three years .ago, why Mr, Napier Bell's scheme was not a continuity. '; ' ' ' . '■';■ . M, (1) "That the site proposed to bs used for water streets is more urgently .wanted lor building sites in connection with the future extension of the city westwards, and (2) that outside this reclamation provision should be made for; the extension, of berthage .accommodation of large ocean-going steamers." (1) Here we have the warehouse idea' again. The Board has "-16 vacant warehouse liiites east of;. Queen-street on hand, but they -.haven't a single inch of water frontage, to dispose of from Mechanics' Bay to - Freeman's Bay. How does this strike the Chamber of Commerce ?■■ (2). The water streets scheme provides, accommodation for ocean , liners . whenever required in exactly the same way and at the same cost as by Mr. Napier Bell's scheme. . ' ■• HH

1(g)(1) "That the frontage right along the harbour should' be laid but a similar manner to Quay-street, viz., a continuous "street about two: chain? ' wide. (2) The : report was adopted." (1) This proposal makes things interesting. :., The Kauri Timber Company ; has a' lease with water 'frontage ..'right's,;: and 40 years yet to run. Unless the Board can borrow sufficient money to buy Uiem oat— which is • doubtful-y-that street will haviii ;to wait 40 years before it becomes continuous. Also, the graving dock will, have to be ; dug up and removed. These things are evidently small matters to the Chamber of Commerce, but . I" fear'that that street will have to "fia.it until Anno Domini 1945. (2) I am glad'; report was adopted, because it will _ : relievo the :■ terrible. mental; strain from : ' which";|ithe Chamber has been suffering. This wide street idea is not apart of Mr. Napier Moll's

v-v plan, ,l>u'« lias en tacked oti to' it by Mr. " ■ Napier, who 'is nothing if not • gratia, and M; Y'il who:describes;it as a m?wiiisenfßtteet—a. ' / Bo«l(|varde; de Freeway's Bay, let - assay— •> * with splendid warehouses;; loading . aearard.. .0: Shades of Admiralty House ! . ' . „.v . Last, loneliest, ■ ugK^t,, Looking sw.HJi. : Would ."we. hare history repeating itself?—! am, etc., J. A.. WaliKSs; ; . Devonpoit, MarcH 12, 1904.