SPOILING QUEEN-STREET.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XLV, Issue 13781, 20 June 1908, Page 4

SPOILING QUEEN-STREET.

j The proposed spoiling of the water I frontage of Queen-street by the ! Auckland Harbour Board should be | resisted by every possible means. j It is quite contrary to the usual ! spirit of the Board that so little eonI sideration should be shown to the ' j reasonable claims of the city, and j we can only assume that the build- ! ing of the new,, Ferry Buildings out j of alignment, with the street was | projected without realising the efi feet of it, and that any alteration in this is mistakenly thought to be a confession of weakness. To say that a true alignment, on the western side is impossible is surely exaggerating any difficulties that exist, for the | very sufficient reason that if the city boundaries were extended to include I the ground in question the alignj ment, would be promptly insisted j upon and all necessary buildings erected without, further demur. The j whole question is one of expense. j and of expense only ; and taking in- | to account the intertwined relations j of harbour and city, there should be no hesitation on the part of the Board in assisting to maintain unbroken the very fine entrance to the great thoroughfare of Auckland, The. City Council has again appealed ' to the Harbour Board to reconsider j its determination, but the matter j is far too important, to be left to letter-writing. We would urgently | suggest that a representative depuI tation from the City Council and the I Chamber of Commerce should wait ' upon the Board, and do their ut- | most, to influence the members of | that public body towards a more | public-spirited policy. For if the j foot of Queen-street, is spoiled now, it is spoiled for all time, and the disfigurement will remain a lasting i and permanent monument of corporate disregard of public opinion and architectural harmony.