WATERFRONT RAILWAY.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LX, Issue 18380, 21 April 1923, Page 11

WATERFRONT RAILWAY.

NORTH SHORE INTERESTS.

NEW WHARF FOR DEVONPORT BOARD'S POLICY CRITICISED The statement regarding the policy of the Auckland Harbour Board in respect to the waterfront railway, which was made in yesterday's issue by Mr. J. Henderson, a sitting member of the board, was traversed at a meeting at Birkdaie last evening by Mr. A. E. Greenslade, who 13 contesting the seat for the Devonport, Northcote, and Birkenhead Boroughs. * Mr. Greenslade said that Mr. Henderson implied that the • much-debated railway, had been authorised by the Government in 1919. He asked how Mr. . Henderson could reconcile this statement with the repeated assertions made by the Minister for Railways in Parliament last year to the effect that the Government was not committed to this work. On July 11 last year, the Minister, when replying to Mr. A. Harris, MP., said: •"Some years ago an agreement was entered into between the Railway Department and the Auckland Harbour Board, which set out what was to be done in connection with two wharves. At that time an extension to Prince's Wharf was not taken into consideration." The Minister added that " yesterday the chairman of the Harbour Board waited upon me, and was informed of the policy of the departmentthat it would not take the further responsibility for life and limb that would be involved in the present proposal." In a further reply to Mr. Harris,, the Minister said that the Government could not agree to shoulder a responsibility concerning "a work that responsible people considered a death-trap." A similar statement also bad' been made to Mr. Clutha Mackenzie. These statements by the Minister, said Mr. Greenslade, proved that the proposed railway line past the Ferry Build-' ings was still not approved by the Government, and that the strenuous efforts that had been put forth to induce the Government to effect railway connection to Prince's Wharf emanated, from the present board. This attitude was foreign to the policy of the previous board, as outlined by the then chairman, the late Mr. H. D. Heather, and who said that the rail connections with the King's, Queen's, and Central Wharves _ would meet all requirements for some time to come. • The new Victoria Wharf for Devonport, said 'Mr. Greenslade, had been included in the schedule of loan works in 1919, when Mr. Wallace was member, but would any of the £1,000,000 loan be left for this work It seemed to ; him that the large sum expended on the wide Prince's Wharf, with its huge concrete warehouses, with other works to be pro-; ceeded with, would absorb all the money that was intended to be available' for Devonport'Victoria Wharf. The speaker also complained that a new, wharf had been promised for Northcote in 'the prewar days. The war was assigned as the reason for its postponement, but it now appeared to have been lost sight of altogether. ____^_^_^___