Citizens Say

Sun (Auckland), Volume III, Issue 762, 7 September 1929, Page 8

Citizens Say

(To the Editor.)

MAIL CONTRACTS Sir,— The apathy of the Auckland public is extraordinary when one considers that we have a United Party Government which promised us great things —and are giving us some—but not the ones that were promised. Sir Joseph Ward has determined upon th.e South Island railway, payable or otherwise, and it is rumoured that the Postmaster-General has concluded a mail contract with one of the shipping companies, for a fat subsidy, to make the Melbourne-Bluff service agreeable to the shipping line which naturally enough, will not entertain a proposal which would involve them in a loss. We have several new Auckland members of the United Party, all of whom, with the exception of Mr. Jenkins, appear to be supporting Sir Joseph Ward and forgetting election promises altogether. BENIGHTED AUCKLANDER. TERRIFYING STEPS Sir. — For over 20 years ratepayers and residents of the large, densely-popu-lated district along the Ponsonby and Herne Bay waterfront have been suffering untold hardships for the want of a traffic outlet from Harbour Street to Fanshawe Street. Between these two streets there is a patch a few chains in length which, if formed into a roadway, would give some thousands of people easy and direct access to the heart of the city. Instead of this, however, the only direct means of communication which we have is a ladderway of 85 steps and a rickety footbridge leading from Waitemata Street to Fanshawe Street. Up and down this wretched contrivance, at grave risk of slipping and being dashed to death, hundreds of toilers and business people travel to and from their work, while thousands of others with less nerve are forced to travel to the Herne Bay tramline to find their way to the city. Among those who risk the “death-trap” at the end of Waitemata Street is my own daughter, and, it is needless to state that each evening I am afraid she will be brought home on a stretcher as a result of trying to scale the ladder-way. Now why has this patch of road or link not been formed? It seems to us that the cause of the delay is that a part of this patch of roadway will have to be formed on land belonging to a company which, possibly, does not wish

to sell the necessary strip. We may be wrong, but we feel that if a private individual owned the land his objection would not be considered for long. Citizens have a rightful claim to expect that the safety of all those in the district shall be assured. And while we are waiting anxiously to have this crying need attended to, we see £300,000 being expended on a grand eastern outlet on the other side of the city, £200,000 of which is being found by the Auckland City Council, and we will have to help pay oft" that huge sum and the interest on it. Over a year ago a petition signed by 2,000 ratepayers and residents was forwarded to the council asking for this link—the natural outlet of this district —to be formed, and we are still in the dark as to when we are going to see the work carried out. E. HTJTTON. Ponsonby. “0 WAD THE POWER...” Sir, “City 'Woman” writes an interesting letter in Friday’s Sun. Sir Joseph Ward dares to talk about introducing what she calls the “dole” into this young country. Her husband has been 25 years in constant employment, and therefore she has never required the assistance of the dole, as it is called; who is responsible for the name I do not know. On two occasions I visited friends of mine who were in hospital, temporarily laid low with illness. I spoke to one or two patients, who were absolute strangers to me. After these visits, I thought to myself that a healthy man is not half thankful enough for his good health. He doesn’t realise how well off lie is until he actually sees the suffering of his fellow-creatures. I do not wish to quarrel with “City Woman” or any other person, but would just quote the words of a man who lived in luxury: “O wad the Power the giftie gi’e us; tae see oorsels as ithers see us.’* CRUACHAN. TRANS-HARBOUR TUNNEL Sir. While some road connection with North Shore is much to be desired, it ,is open to doubt whether the expense of the proposed bridge will not postpone it for many years. Then, too, the upkeep of such a bridge would be enormous. You will know that the painting staff of the

Forth Bridge finishes its work merely to recommence it. A very much better proposal to my mind is that advocated in the columns of your invaluable paper recently. I refer to the tunnel scheme. Its attractions may be tabulated thus: 1. The shortest distance, and a muefc better outlet for Devonport. The tunnel would dip at Mechanics’ Ba*L near where the ferry now starts, ataa emerge at Stanley Bay. 2. The point of upkeep: A tens* I would not have the wear and tear of a bridge. 3- The aesthetic viewpoint: A tunnel out of sight is better than a mass of girders against the sky, spoiling upper harbour vistas. We in New Zealand could not hope to emulate the architectural grandeur of Sydney’s bridge, with its massive pylons and upsweeping arch. 4. The land for approaches: A tunnel from the reclamation would take but a small amount of land compared with the huge amount of filling required for a bridge from the western reclamation. 5. The shipping viewpoint: The possibilities of the upper harbour in the future (e.g., the Whau Canal), which must be considered. New York has voted in favour of tunnels, the one recently completed having been such a success that another is mooted, and the famous one between Liverpool and Birkenhead will be remembered. . Certainly the advantages of a tunnel should be considered. POPULL