QUAY STREET RAILWAY.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LIX, Issue 18216, 9 October 1922, Page 8

QUAY STREET RAILWAY.

HARBOUR BOARD'S SCHEME. NO GOVERNMENT SANCTION. MR. A. HARRIS' STATEMENT. A statement on the subject of the proposed waterfront railway to the Prince's Wharf was mado on Saturday by Mr. A.! Han-is, M.P., on his arrival from Wellington. The Railway Department, said Mi-. Harris, 'would not sanction tho construction of the railway, nor, in the event of it being laid down by the Harbour Board, would the department uso it. So far as he was aware, the Government had no power to prohibit the rails being laid along Quay Street West, That was a matter for tho Auckland City Council. Presumably, with the consent of the latter body, the Harbour Board could lay down the railway, but in that event no Government i-olling stock would uso it, nor would any harbour Board truck or locomotive using tho line be allowed to connect with tho Government railway. The statement that tho Railway Department some years ago approved of tho Harbour Board improvement scheme, which included railway connection with the Prince's Wharf, was incorrect, said Mr. Han-is. The scheme approved by the department did not provide for the construction of a railway along Quay Street West. BOARD'S ACTION DEFENDED THE CHAIRMAN IN REPLY. NEGOTIATIONS IN PROGEESS A reply to Mr. Harris' statements was made last eveping by the chairman of the Auckland Harbour Board, Mr. H. R. Mackenzie, who denied their accuracy. "The board," he said, "is at present negotiating with the Railway Department in the direction of securing a definite agreement on a proposal whereby we will take over tho control, from the depart- | ttient, of all goods passing between the ! railway sidings and ships loading or unloading." Mr. Mackenzie said there was no suggestion whatever that the Govctrnmerrt would not supply trucks to run over the lines the board proposed laying down. " I would be quite safe in saying," continued Mr. Mackenzie. " that the statement made by Mr. Harris will not have the approval of Mr. Massey. No man having any appreciation of the saving in the cost of handling produce which the waterfront railway will effect woidd be foolish enough to suggest that the present costly system should continue. At present producers and consumers alike are taxed to the extent of 5s a ton for cartage and handling charges on all cargo passing between tho railway sidings and ships? and vice versa. " Tho saving in the cost of handling goods at the port of Auckland under our scheme will amount to £2 per head ot the population of the province annually," said Mr._ Mackenzie. " Last year we shifted 800 tons of cargo a day, and if the waterfront railway had been operating then it would have meant a saving of ,£3OO a day to the people. This only' serves to illustrate what is possible under the board's proposal, and I Van onjy assume that Mr. Harris' remarks were intended for electioneering purposes." The citizens of Auckland could rest assured, said Mr. Mackenzie, that the Auckland! Harbour Board was out to do only what would be a benefit to the community. Ho quoted the recent reply of the City Council to the Marine Boroughs Association's request for a conference on this question, which, he said, went to show that the City Council was satisfied with what was proposed by the board, and believed it to be in the "best interests of the province. Concerning the suggestion that the mnning of trains along Quay Street would be dangerous to the pedestrian traffic, Mr. Mackenzie said tho number of trips a day would be few. Trurks would be only two minutes in passing the point where pedestrians crowd the line. "Compare this with 70 motor lorries doing the same work daily at the extra cost of 5s a ton, and it will be seen that, the danger 'bogey' is so absurd as not to require further consideration." The statement by Mr. Harris that the harbour improvement scheme approved by the Railway Department did not provide for the laying-down of a line along Quay Street West, Mr. Mackenzie said, was not worthy of a reply at present. At a later date he hoped to place before the public facts which he felt would prove that the | action taken by the bsard was justified.