ACCESS TO THE FORESHORE

Otago Daily Times, Issue 13468, 16 December 1905, Page 7

ACCESS TO THE FORESHORE

PETITION TO THE MINISTER OF. . RAILWAYS.

Another attempt is being made to induce Sir J. G. Ward, as Minister of Railways, to give s'onio facilities for crossing the railway yard and so giving access 'to tlio foroshoro by the construction of an overbridgo or a subway at Stuart street, which was closed when tho now railway station was built. A petition was. recently prepared, and has been signed by.. 3000 adult residents, including about 300 represbnlativoo of public companies, merchants, and leading public men. Tho case is thus set out in tho petition:—

' 1. Stuart street, before it was closed, led directly from the central portion o£ the city to tho seaward side of tho railway, and was used as a means of Mcess by most of Hid persona residing or employed on tha-t side of tho railway, but now that the street has been closed persons who have to and repasa between 'tho main portion and the senwaril portion of the city must make detours either to Eattiay atreet (20 ohaiuo distent) or to Hanover street (25 chains distant). 2. Upon tho semi-isolated seaward side lihe.ro are situated such establishments na Sargoocl's lmt and boot factory, tie Otago Foundry, tho officers and stores of the Jfew Zealand Loan and Mercantile Agency, tho D.I.C. factory, the iron work? o> the New Zealand Engineering Company tmd of Messrs Joseph Sparrow a-ncl Sons, tho yards of tho Westport Coal Company, and various timber yards and other manufactories, Altogether these employ over 1130 persons. Besides this, 950 people reside on tho area aleotcd, 2080 persons being thus affected, in nil. 3. The Victoria wherf, -which is situated within the part cut oft as before-mentioned, is being largely nsnd, and mil bo .used more and more 'for ioading and discharoing lar»e steamers. Tho closing of the streets, therefore means a detour to lumpers Mid other workmen redding at the north end or centre of the city.

4. Tlio establishment of tire TCaikorai tramway and the extension of the Roslyu tramway liavo largely increased settlement at Koikoiai and Roslyn, Mm? increasing the n-mnbor of parsons wlio would naturally use-Stuart street as- a means of access to and from the factories anil works before mentioned. Also, the Castle street lino of the electric service would land people at Stuart street from the northern and oontral portions of tho city if there ware any means of access across'tho street, and business -would be reached more quickly by such persons

5. Persona residing on the seaward side of the railway who desire to travel by rail lmvo row to go round eMier by Eattray street or Hanover street, although they may live opposite tho railway station, and passengers arriving by train could catoh a steamer much more oxpedttiously if they could go by way of Stuart street instead of by a circuitous route. .

G. JEany of tho petitioner? aro employed in the above-mentioned factories, workshops, etc. ethers reside.on. the land cut off from tho main portion of the city by the elosiw of Stuart and St. Andrew streets, while still others own properties on that land; n-nd the fact that this land is so cut off will continue to cause them serious inconvenience and monetary lose. °

The petition concludes by stating that a foctbridiro over the railway lino or a subway under it would not bo an expensive undertaking.