HARBOUR BOARD STEPS.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LI, Issue 15662, 16 July 1914, Page 11

HARBOUR BOARD STEPS.

Sir Everyone who had occasion to be near'the foot of Queen Street on the evening of Friday last has some idea of what those who live- on the north Bide of the harbour had to encounter to get to their homes. Some up-harbour residents had rather a disagreeable experience on an oil launch. , After a long day in town, the passengers for the launch, amongst them being ladies carrying babies, trudged wearily through sloppy, badly-lighted streets to a very sloppy, very badlylighted corner of Hobson Street Wharf. This place has been given them for a landing, instead of the concrete steps beside the Ferry Buildings at Quay Street, which were very convenient to the trams and shops. The launch, with her passengers, left the Hobson Street Wharf at 6 p.m. The fog, instead of lifting as was expected, became more dense as the launch got out from the wharf. After groping in the fog and being twice very nearly run down by ferry boats, the launch brought up at the Ponsonby baths. The moon lightened up the fog a little, but it was still too thick to think of proceeding to Albany, so those in charge decided to return to town. They coasted in along ! the new tide deflector works and managed ' to reach their place of departure 'at a I quarter to nine. The weary passengers ' were obliged to plod back to Queen Street through the mud and the darkness to look for somewhere to epAd the night. It is to be hoped that the Harbour Board will, in the interests of humanity, reconsider their decision about reserving the' concrete steps at Quay Street and allow the travelling public to use them in order to reach the ferry launches. One 01 the Passengebs.