A PUKEKOHE GRIEVANCE.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XLIX, Issue 14912, 10 February 1912, Page 9

A PUKEKOHE GRIEVANCE.

fl „ 4 ; «». J • THE NEW RAILWAY BRIDGE. >.. _____ *. * QUESTION OF SITE. QUESTION OF SITE. BIG INDIGNATION MEETING. ■ ; '*' [BY TELECIU.FH— SPECIAL CORRESPONDENT.] roKEKOHE, Friday. A largely attended public indignation i ■ meeting of the residents of the Pukekohe ''' .> township and the surrounding districts " wis held in the Masonic Hall this even- ■ ing-for tho purpose of protesting against j ; the action of the- Minister for Railways in deciding to erect the new overhead ■ . railway bridge on the site of the present ■ crossing instead ot at the end of King--S: ;;■*'■> street, ,* , Ah'. C. K. Lawrie, .LP., who was voted ; \ to the chair, said that a vote taken at a ■',-. previous meeting resulted in the King61reel site for the bridge being favoured >■ bv 40 odd ratepayers to about 20. This ' expression of opinion, however, had been . Snored and it had been decided to place the bridge on the site of the present crossing. The members of the Town Board and the Pukekohe West Road Board were , , ; , >, unanimously in favour of the bridge be- .' ing placed at the end of King-street. (Ap- ... piausc.) Mr. R. F. Webster, chairman of the <> Town Board, • said that some time ago the Town Board and the Pukekoho West ■ / Road Board, alter consultation, had agreed that the best site for the bridge would : ■ be at the end of King-street. This would ' '"- enable the traffic from the township to teach tho new railway station with only '. >' one turning instead of having the three ; : turnings that would be involved by placing the bridge where tho Department bow proposed to build it. As the result of a'deputation to the Minister for Railways .- it had been understood that the Depart- ' meat was agreeable to placing the bridge at llio end of King-street provided that the local bodies contributed a portion of the extra cost that would bo involved. • The .Minister, however, subsequently v changed his mind and the only inference was that somebody had pulled the wires. The fact that the previous public meeting had decided some weeks ago in favour Luis the King-street site had been communicated to the Minister on the following day, but no reply had yet been received L>. from Mr. Millar although a further letter had been sent asking for a reply. It was in the interests of the public as a whole that the bridge should bo placed at the end of King-street. (Applause.) The Town Board had also consulted an engineer (Mr, Suggate) on the subject and he had expressed the opinion that the Kingstreet site was the best. (Hear, hear.)

«, The Question of Cost. Mr. Walter Johns (chairman of the Pukekohe West Road Board), who also supported the King-street cite, said that ,i ' when the deputation went to Wellington Mr. Millar said that to place the bridge ~ id the end of King-street would involve an extra cost of £300, and he had asked whether the local bodies would be prepared to pay that amount. The 'deputation had demurred to this, and Mr. Millar then suggested that the local bodies should contribute one-third. The deputation had accepted this, although they did not think ;• that they should have to pay anything, || seeing that the residents in any case would have to submit to the inconvenience of the ' station being removed 18 chains to the ''•. south of the present site. If the bridge were placed at the end of King-street "there would be only one angle (and that an obtuse one) in getting to the station, whereas if the bridge were placed where proposed there would be three angles in lour chains. Ho referred to a petition in favour of the crossing site which had been 3ent to the Minister, and said that he had been informed that signatures to tlu'i had been collected as far away as 15 miles. (Laughter. It had been asserted -v- that the King street *ito would be un- •*' JHuitaWe for stock driving, but this was only a "bogey.'' (Hear, Hear.) Ja Favour of King-street. , Mr. S. Little said that the Kingstreet site Mould bo the best. £ . Mr. F. Perkins said that there was no '" doubt whatever that the King-street site > "was the best, and this opinion would be - endorsed by all residents interested. <:<. Mr. J. Coinrie said that the idea of having three angles in a main street was absurd, and opposed to all correct principles of town planning. In referring to the stock-driving question, ho expressed ';' the opinion that the sale yards should be formed by the. Town Board.

Resolutions Carried.

" Mr. W. Dunn (a member of the Puke- ■•■ kohe West Road Board) moved, and Mr. -4 31. Wright seconded, "That this meeting expresses its disappointment, at the action of the Hon. J, A. Millar in receding from his arrangement with the delegates irem the local bodies, and that the Minis- , ter be requested to carry out that arrange- " ment."

The motion was carried without dissent, amidst applause. Mr. Dunn spoke strongly regarding tho action of certain persons, whom he named, in forwarding a petition to Wellington against the King-street .- bridge, after an undertaking had been given that it would not bo sent. He bad challenged one of these persons to ; . have a poll taken on the subject, the losing side to pay the expense, but the challenge w.".3 not taken up. He also deprecated private individual ignoring ■ the elected representatives of the people in ■ connection with local matters. On the motion of Mr. Perkins, seconded by Mr. Comrie, it was resolved to ask the Railway Department to construct an ."island" passenger platform as nearas i! * possible to the site of the, present pfat- : j form. There were two dissentients. It was resolved, on the motion of Mr. Perkins, seconded 'by Mr. Comrie, that ! ' the meeting protest to th© Minister against his action in paying more heed to the , representations of private individuals than to those of the local bodies, and tho pre- *?.;';. vious public meeting. The meeting, which was an enthusiastic one throughout, then closed.