HARBOUR BRIDGE

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXXIII, Issue 22580, 19 November 1936, Page 9

HARBOUR BRIDGE

. DEVONPORT CRITICISM TUNNEL . SCHEME FAVOURED Adverse criticism of the Auckland Harbour Bridge proposals was made by members of the Devon port Borough Council last night, speakers preferring ' the construction of a tunnel and fav- . ouring a Government- investigation of such tt scheme. The matter arose when a letter was received from Mr. R. D. Stewart, chair- ' man ot the Waitemata Tunnel Commit- i tee, stating that the Prime Minister, * Mr. Savage, had advised that he had requested the Minister of Public Worts, the Hon. R. Semple, to investigate the construction of a tunnel. 'V/. Mr. A. Aldridge, said he was in V'.; favour of having a tunnel scheme in- ; vestigated. For a motor-car to get to the city from Devonport by means of 4 the proposed bridge would cost 3s 6d. .'lt The Mayor, Mr. H. F. W. Meikle, said the cost of a bus-mile was Id. •!_ If, as had been stated, the distance f ■ from Devonport to Auckland would be » 11 miles by the bridge, the cost was easy to arrive at. Further, it would not be possible to get to the city in t 15 minutes. . ■ ,■„ . v>;.\ If a tunnel could be put through for > £2,000,000, it would be well worth while, said the Mayor. It would be out ' of sight and would be an admirable retreat, if ever gas or bomb attacks occurred in the future. The matter of " a tunnel should be examined further in the light of the fact that they could " be built much more cheaply now than formerly Mr. A. McDonald said the council should ask the Government to investigate the question of a tunnel before deciding oil any means of trans-harbour communication. A motion on these lines was carried.