WAITEMATA CANAL SCHEME

New Zealand Herald, Volume LVIII, Issue 17753, 12 April 1921, Page 6

WAITEMATA CANAL SCHEME

I ROUTE AT "WHAU ADVOCATED. I

OPINIONS AT AVONDALE. . A public meeting convened by the

Avondale Road Board was held at Avondale last evening to discuss matters in connection with the proposed scheme for a canal at Whau between the Waitemata and Manukau Harbours. The chairman of the Avondale Road Board, Mr. G. F. Hosking, presided over a large attendance, among those being Mr. T. B. Olay, Mayor of Mount Albert, Mr. Marshall Laing and Capt, Theet, representing Titirangi and Watkumete Hidings, respectively, oi the Waitemata Coivsty Council, Mr. J. W. McLeod, representing Helensville interests, Ml". H. is. Russell who formerly obtained a concession from the Auckland Harbour Board to construct a canal through the Whau Creek, and Mr. C. F. Gardiner, representing ]Sew Lynn interests. A letter was received from Mr. G. Lawson, chairman of the New Lynn Town Board, stating that the residents of that township were heartily in accord with the=> action taken by the Avondale Road Board. , Mr. Gardiner said he considered that anyone who had studied the two proposed routes could not fail to come to the conclusion that the Whau scheme offered more advantages than the Tamaki one. Mr. Russell gave particulars of the data collected by him prior to the sitting of the 1914 commission, emphasing that there was only a mile and a. half of cutting to connect the two harbours by the Whau route, whereas by the Tamaki route there would be many miles of dredging in addition to the cutting. Mr. Clay, speaking as an old resident of Avondale, said he was heartily in favour of the Whau scheme. He regretted that owing to his early departure for England on a trip he would be unable to help them at present, but he assured the meeting that if on his return the matter should come before the Auckland Harbour Board, of which he was a member, he would do his utmost to further the Whau scheme. Mr. Marshall Laing,. speaking as a lifelong resident of the Manukau, stated that the cost of dredging the inner harbour of the Manukau right up to Tamaki would make that scheme far more costly than the Whau scheme.

Mr. B. Bollard said it was his firm opinion that a canal would have to have deep water at either end. The Whau scheme had this great advantage, the Tamaki scheme had not. The following committee, with power to add, was appointed to obtain , data to place before the commission :—Messrs. T. B. Clay, C. F. Gardiner, D. B. Russell, W. J. McLeod, M. Laing. B. Bollard, P. Robertson, W. Vallance, W. Wyman, A. J. Fnrr.ess, J. McLeod and A. J. Monnsh, the Avonda'e Road Board and New Lvnn Town Board to nominate three members each.