NORTH SHORE AFFAIRS

Sun (Auckland), Volume 1, Issue 47, 18 May 1927, Page 11

NORTH SHORE AFFAIRS

EAST COAST ROAD TRANSPORT BOARD WANTED The Waitemata Chamber of Commerce met at Devonport last evening, Mr. G. Minchin presiding. On the chairman’s motion it was decided to take steps to organise all the North Shore in time to petition Parliament to set up a North Shore Transport Board. Speaking at Devonport last week, the Mayor of Auckland said tue control of traffic o® the Shore had been pushed on to the City, which did not want it, and he hoped the Shore would take over the vexation of handling its own traffic problems. The “smothering of the East Coast Road route northwards,” which appears to be the policy of the Waitemata County Council and the Public AVorks Department, was adversely commented on by Mr. Walsh, and it was decided to organise Devonport, Takapuna and the residents along the East Coast Road immediately in an endeavour to have this road made a main highway and subsidised by Government. It was pointed out that the road carries 9-10ths of all the north-bound traffic and would always do so, no matter what road was put down from Birkenhead. The main highway did not make any provision for this fact and in view of the decision of the Highways Board to form the Birkenhead route it was now essential that some other method be found to keep the East Coast Road in order. The chamber did not think that a city controlled water board, which seems likely to be the outcome of the recent commission >n water supplies and which will mean that the North Shore would have to use Waitakere water at 2s 3d a 1,000 gallons, would help the progress of the North Shore.

The chamber is to closely watch the town-planning schemes to be formulated by the proposed conference to deal with a regional scheme for Auckland and suburbs. The reaction of any town-planning measures on industry and business generally is bound to be great, as are the financial burdens to be laid on the local bodies under the act.

The next meeting of the chamber will be held at Takapuna, when, in addition to considering transport board matters and the East Coast Road, steps are to be taken to launch a campaign to attract more population to tne North Shore.