TE ARO RAILWAY RECLAMATION.

New Zealand Times, Volume LIV, Issue 9867, 25 March 1893, Page 2

TE ARO RAILWAY RECLAMATION.

The deputation which interviewed the Minister for Public Works ou Thursday afternoon in reference to the propose! reclamation fora goods shed at Te Aro wailed on the joint deputation from the City Council aud Harbour Board which bad previously interviewed the Minister yesterday morning at the Council Chamber, Tho deputation was ialroduced hy Mr W, McLian, M.H.R., wbo staled that ih-y wished to ascertain what was the objection of the local bodies to tho work. At the outset the Mayor informed tho deputation that there was not the slightest d-eire on tho part of the local bodies to oppose the work, and tho point at Bene was whether tho Corporation endowment should be taken as a site for the station.- - Messrs Luke, Hutched, I>, Robertson and Field addressed the meeting, expressing their gratification at learning ibat thsro was no desire on the part of the local authorities to prevent tho work boingoirried on.—Tho Mnyorexprosßed regret that the deputation should have gone to the Minister wi'.h-mt first obtaining the views of the Council on tho subject. 1c was absolutely ioiposs.ble that tho local authorities could act in the interests of the citizens if it was always to bo assumed that they were ia tho wrong, and that they had some underhand object. Tha endowment was one of the' moat vMiuble as ets the Corporation possessed, and he had certified to it* value as £53.000. He did not think 100 ft w« sufficient for the goods shed. While he was Mayor he would never consent to tho future of the oity being sacrificed for the sake of some immediate benefit. Ho would try to get what the citizens wanted, but so long as the law was behind him he would not allow suoh an endowment to be taken from the city.— Mr Jack siid the Barbour B ard's objection w»s that there would be no access to the dock site. It was necessary to Invea goods shed at Te Aco, and all they said was that it should be put in a different place.—-Mr McLean thought that the Council and Harbour Board had bad ample time to take action. He suggested that the Mayor should allow them to form a portion of the deputation to tho Minister.— Ihe deputation then withdrew.—The representatives of the Coun* ell and Harbour Board then decided to keep their previous appointment and interview the Minister by themselves. THE INTERVIEW WUH THE MINISTER. The deputation from the Council and Harbour Board then proceeded to the Minister's room at the Government Buildings, The Minister explained that be bad no intention of being discourteous on the oooadon of the previous interview and he would be very sorry if auoh an impremon went forth, upon the citizens.—Tho Mayor explained that the local authorities had no objection to the erection of the goods fched, and ha assured the Minister that tha matter bed no connection whatever with the question they had asked as to the repairing of tho esplanade wall, nor had they any connection with the proprietors of land in Grainger street. The area proposed to bo taken would not be sufficient, and therefore they would lose the whole endowment within a short apace of time. If the Council bad reclaimed ap to the define J limit five years ago, and built upon it, then the station mast have gone inside. It would be batter to take a corner of the gasworks el e than an endowment worth thousands. 'I hey were not in league with any faction.—The Minister asked if they bad considered tho question of the expense they would pat the Colony to if the plan was altered.—Tho Mayor sai-i It would cost the Colony leie than the value to the Corportion of tho endowments. Tho Minister said if the cost was even £10,003 it would mean the stoppage of the works, and the responsibility would ro*t upon the Corporation as the body which had induced the Government to take such a courao. At all events it would moan a postponement until the Government oould tell Parliament for the first time that there was an entirely new proposal to ba nub* mitted. The proposal lal been public property for nearly two years, and it was not until the eleventh hour that the Go* vernmtnt hoard that it waa objected to. As public men bo deeply interested in ihe reclamation, thsy should have been coaver* want with what was going ou. It was not the Minister's duty to Bee that local bidies were furniihod with Parliamentary papers. It seemed to him i.nposaiblathat the Council could not have been acquainted with what the Government proposed to do.—-The Mayor: It is an unfortunate fact.—The Minister : Then ihe responsibility rests upon your shoulders. Tho members for the city, the mouth p ; eoe3 of the cit zms, had said nothing about the matter in Parliament. He had never said there was any connection between the Council and the parties who wtre offering their freehold properties to the Government. If the Government bad to aoqu’ro the land tho action takon bad placed an increased va'ue on it, and the Government would have to pay for it. It bad been suggested that the Goveromett should take Victoria street and the Council take the Grainger street properties for the purpose of a street. This would be a matter for consideration.—ln reply to the Minister, the Mayor said the question had never been put before tho oitissns. —As to the dock site, the Minister said, it had been admitted that docks were white elephants, and ho would be eorry to see the Harbour Board constructing a dock. He took this opportunity of giving the board credit for the good work they had done. The Government, ho said, bad no desire to override the Council in the matter, for they, like the local authorities, were working iu the publie interest. He promised tho deputation that he would pUoa their representations before the Cabinet, and let them know the roiult. The Mayor tha kod Mr Seddon for Lis courtesy, and the deputation withdrew.