THE New Zealand Herald AND DAILY SOUTHERN CROSS. THURSDAY, JULY 27, 1922. QUAY STREET RAILWAY.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LIX, Issue 18153, 27 July 1922, Page 6

THE New Zealand Herald AND DAILY SOUTHERN CROSS. THURSDAY, JULY 27, 1922. QUAY STREET RAILWAY.

: Proper regard for the issues in- | volved in the construction of the | railway in Quay Street is shown by i the request made to the Harbour | Board by those Devonport residents j who have asked for a clear statej ment of the safeguards to be insti- | tuted in the interests of patrons of j the ferry steamers. It is a question [ which may very properly be asked \ by people resident on the northern side of the harbour. That it should j have been put in so reasonable a | way is perhaps a sign that there is I to be some respite from the torrents of rhetorical denunciation which ; have, up to the present, been | directed against the Harbour Board , ! for having planned a work, the sole , purpose of which is to extend the 1 berthing facilities of the port and I equip them in the manner best cal- • culated to serve the needs of commerce. Up to the present the idea ' has been industriously promulgated ; that nothing short of the abandonment of the scheme would meet the case of those who live on the northern side of the harbour. Reprej 3entatives of the most populous ; marine borough are now asking to I hear the other side of the case ", this !is something new, since heretofore ! the opponents of the railway have j consistently refused to listen to it, 1 or at all events have given no indica- . Dion of having appreciated any of .' che points. There is a case for the railway, and a case for the pedesl trians who use Quay Street. The ' Harbour Board has had to defend its 1 scheme against headlong attack, . against arguments based on the 1 assumption that nothing can justify • its fulfilment, that no conditions can , make it acceptable. So far, the ! board has concentrated on making the case for the construction of the ; 'ine. Assurances in general terms i have been given that*the interests jf the travelling public will be conserved. From Devonport there has ; come the very reasonable request : that details should be given. This * I request the board is bound to answer. Those who claim that in no circumstances should the waterfront j railway be extended eastward are j attacking the policy of providing deep-water berthage on the site of Prince's Wharf. Unless it provides rail connection the board will be spending largely in vain the £700,000 which the wharf is to cost. The latest figures compiled by the Harbour Bos.rd show that, under present conditions, in a period of six months over 23 per cent, of imports were loaded iato trucks at the ship's side, and that over 63 per cent, of the exports were railed on to the wharves. These are proportions which should make any sane person pause before asserting that a deep water wharf does not require rail connection. The same report stated that one goods train of 37 waggons could carry 300 tons of cargo, and that travelling at four miles an hour it would pass a given point in less than two minutes. To shift the same amount by motor-lorries, 20 would be required to make three Or four trips ) at a rate of from 10 to 15 miles an hour. Since Quay Street would still be the means of outlet, it is instructive to contrast the two methods. In the one case, a single goods train, moving at a strictly regulated speed over a defined track ; " in the other, heavy lorries, choosing the most convenient part of the road, and dashing along at a much more considerable speed. Hitherto it has been more popular to assume for the h purposes of argument that once the £ rails were laid Quay Street would be 9 - traversed by a constant succession - of trains travelling at express speed. Observation of conditions at Queen's and King's Wharves shows this to be grotesque. This is sufficient to demonstrate the benefits of rail connection even without taking any cognisance of the time lost and extra expense involved by the use of the lorries. The narrowness of the section of street fronting the Ferry Building is still a reproach to the 3 lack of foresight with which the 2 j board planned part of its works. It I does not, however, serve as a con- : elusive argument against the railway " ! when the bulk of the traffic from u! Prince's Wharf would still flow I i through the same avenue. ? To maintain that a deep-water tt j wharf west of Queen Street will be | superfluous is to take a narrow view i- of the possible development of the © port. The wharf is needed, the rail way is needed, and parallel with those needs exists another, that ' I irrangeraents should be made for the | traffic so that it can be conducted - j without danger. The board has ! calked of overhead bridges or sub- ! ways. The difficulty about both is to induce the public to use them Y ance they are provided. In any case h the need for them is not yet urgent, b', .hough the time may come when they will be required. Representatives of the board have already discussed ■?. the regulation of traffic with the Minister for Railways, and will do \ -o again. Attention therefore is m being given to the rights of the . oublie in this matter. This is the uore necessary because of the s - narrowness of a section of the street. The ever-growing traffic east and west in Quay Street makes it essenS ial thai sonic measure of control should be instituted, irrespective of he coming of the trains. If the • ooard devotes consideration to the ; solution of this problem, and informs he public beforehand what the pre- " cautions will be, it will have answered the only objection to its st. >olicy that can be taken with any -eriousness. Meantime, Devonport p s ; ias given a lead to the other >oroughs, which they might follow iio o advantage instead of indulging in )a * purely destructive criticism. i

RESIGNATION OF MR. TIBBS. ♦ The resignation of Mr. Tibbs, and the approach of the day when he will lay down the cares of headmastership, will carry with it a sense of loss to many generations of ex-pupils of the Auckland Grammar School, to all parents who have had children under his care, and to the public of Auckland generally. For 32 years Mr. Tibbs has been identified with the school as headmaster ; in many ways he has been the school, as is customary with the men who are written down in history as belonging to the list, by no means long, of great headmasters. Ripe scholarship, unusual qualities of mind and character, and untiring energy have been devoted whole-heartedly to the school and to the cause of education. Many changes have occurred in that time. The base of secondary education has been broadened. From the privilege of the few, it has become the right of all showing the capacity and the will to benefit by it. The Grammar School has undergone a transformation in consequence, but through the whole process Mr. Tibbs has exhibited the same qualities which have contributed in so large a measure to making the school one of the leading educational establishments of the Dominion. Wise guidance in times of change, clear sight to detect the virtues as well as the weaknesses of new systems, and invariable readiness to warn as well as to commend have characterised his policy as new developments have appeared. The true calibre of his rule may be found in the records of those who have passed through the school. Their achievements in science, letters, public and commercial life, and perhaps more than anything, the records of the old boys in the war, all testify eloquently to its success, under his control, in doing its true work, making good citizens. Mr. Tibbs will not be grudged the right to hand to another the charge he has administered so long and with such distinction; the greatest task will be to find another who may fitly wear the mantle he is putting off.