WASTE OF MONEY.

New Zealand Times, Volume XXXVI, Issue 8192, 6 August 1912, Page 8

WASTE OF MONEY.

IE ARO LINE. CHAMBER OF COMMERCE WANTS IT CLOSED. Once again the Te Are railway lino was discussed by the council of tho Wellington Chamber of Commerce yesterday afternoon, and a resolution was passed urging that tho lino ho at once closed to prevent further waste of money. The question was raised when the chairman reported on a recent deputation to tho Minister of Railways. Mr E. G. Pilcher reminded tho council that there was already a resolution on tho books asking the Minister to close the To Aro line. This ought to be reaffirmed.

Air F. AY. Manton said that tho matter was one in which tho chamber should take an interest. It would he a very long time before there were any industries at .Miramar which would warrant the railway being extended so far.

-Mr T. Ballinger supported the suggestion to extend the To Aro station by tho addition of a. goocls-shed. This would bo as much, for the benefit of passengers as anyone else, as now they were dropped at ono extreme of tho city and left to find their way to the real business centre. Mr Pilcher moved: That representations bo made to the Minister of Railways urging the closing of To Aro railway line with a view to avoiding the great waste of money now incurred in running useless trains between the AVellington terminus and the Te Aro station. He reminded the council that the site for tho new central railway station had already been fixed by the department, and said they might as well talk of shifting the wharves to bring about what some people required. The future traffic to Miramar would be by sea. The department knew tha,t it if as losing money on the Te Are line, and if the late Government had had the courage of its opinions tho lino would have been closes! long ago. It was largely a political railway. In seconding the motion, Mr J. McLellan said ho did not think the population of Newtown warranted a railway station at T© Arc. If a railway” were needed there in the future it would have to be brought around the hills from the Manawatu lino. Railways running through a city were always bad; for one thing, they were an impediment to the ordinary traffic. Air Ballinger said that a goods station was needed at Te Aro. Later the railway would have to go through to Kilbirnie.

Tho chairman, Mr A. E. Alabin, said that there were certain crimes against civilisation, and running a railway through a city was ono of them. Ho did not approve the suggestion to carry tho line overhead, as it would spoil the streets for business. This had been proved by American experience. It would be better for AVellington to lose many things rather than introduce overhead railways. The motion was carried with only on© dissentient, Air Ballinger.