THE NEW GOODS SHED.

Timaru Herald, Volume LXXVI, Issue 11663, 23 January 1902, Page 3

THE NEW GOODS SHED.

OVERHEAD FOOTWAY. A petition to the Hon. Sir J. G. Ward, Minister of Railways, has been drawn up by Mr W. R. McLaren, and is now in course of signature, asking for an overhead footway across the railway yard from George street to the new goods shed. About forty signatures, of business men and firms have already been appended while the petition was in charge of Mr T. D. Young. The document is now in the hands of Mr Wallis, at the N.M. and A. Company's office, for the convenience of business men at the south end of the town who may wish to sign it. The petition is in the following terms: —"Dear Sir. — We, the undersigned ratepayers in the Borough of Timaru, beg to draw your attention to the want that exists here for a footbridge across to connect the town with the new goods shed and the stores on the reclaimed land on the seaside of the railway station. Consequent on the removal of the goods shed to the present site, immediately south of the railway station, the foot traffic from the centre of the town is finding its way across the line where there is no recognised crossing " The saving in distance to men coming from the neighbourhood of George street/ as compared to having to go round by the Strathallan street crossing, is_ fully_ half a mile, and as in addition to its being a short route to the goods shed, fully 150 workmen cross and recross daily to their work in stores now built on the reclaimed land, and it will be seen at a glance how necessary a footbridge is at the point indicated." "Attached is a plan showing the position of the suggested footbridge. " Trusting the matter will have your favourable consideration, we are, etc." The plan referred to, drawn by Mr E. A. Austin, indicates a site for the bridge across the yard from a few feet south of George street, square across the railway lines to the south end of the new goods shed, the length as per scale being about four chains.

Bridges of the kind required have been erected by the Department elsewhere very cheaply, out of old Tailway metals. We have an impression that such bridges have been erected at a cost of less than £1 t>er foot _____________