IS IT A WHITE ELEPHANT?

Dominion, Volume 2, Issue 601, 1 September 1909, Page 2

IS IT A WHITE ELEPHANT?

story;of pet'one wharf. .. a'troubled past.and-dubious - FUTURE. ■ Pctone's alleged wharf is a.wonderful thing. It was constructed for the public welfare, but it docs not appear to do what it was built to do, although it has proved itself very "amenable to pressure." The behaviour of'IMS/remarkable structure, even under the most-ordin-ary circumstances; has been a matter of j>ublic.concern for some time, and-with a-view.-to penetrating a little into (ho history of tho lio/w.. famous undertaking, a- reporter recently inado a few inquiries. 1905: The Foreshore Bill. Tho Peiono- Borough Council, 'it ' made an attempt early in-1005 to secure tho passage of a.Foreshore Bill through,the House I the object being to obtain tho solo control of-.i tho foreshore, and, subsequently, to erect ■ a '■■■'{■ wharf. Having.failed in, this, Councillor H. ■'• !l ■ l'lm lay; moved, on May 8, ,11)05: "ThaUtho- '■ Wellington Harbour Board bo approached.with "-'" a view- of persuading that body to grant faci-, ". litres for,tho landing.ol" cargo at Petone. As' ' a result, negotiations "were opened, and the ' point reached was that' tho board agreed to : • construct, a railway wharf at a cost of ■ X 18.000,--' .providing that' Pelorio could make arrangemenus- for a connection between the wharf and- - tho Government railway service. The council'"-' lot tho tmio interviewed tho Ilutt Park Rail-'. : way Company,. and . offered to purchase tho' line, but tho lack of tho: necessary .statutory'!'■■ powers stood 111 tho Way... It was. sought 'to.,' remedy this by tho insertion'of a clause in a •Bill, during tho session of 1908, bat. tho Gov: eminent objected to tho clause, mainly on the- ; '■ ground that it was, inadvisable that local ' bodies-should have tho control of railway services. ;. . . Vr r; :- .1908: Railway Troubles. .". ~',' A,letter was sent on - October 25, 190G,' f roin > tho council to the.board to tho following ,cflect:-"A deputation to the Minister,for Rail- ' . •ways has'the Minister's assurance that either ' the-Government will control tho line or tho ' council will bo alloVed to' do so. This ia " satisfactory, iii, so, far-as tho board' may rest ■■■ assured that the v;harf will havo tho railway ' connection/'.. After' this,- further correspond''-' uenco took place between the'council and tho , board, and a' second -doputal ion waited uiion ' the Minister,, who '.took a eomewhat different" stand. This, time ho., absolutely • declined 'to ' purchase the lino'- 011. .behalf of tho Govern-" ' ment. Tim council was thus placed, in tho position that it was -unable to comply with ' the requirements of tho" Harbour, Board, and ' as' the board ■ still insisted' upon ' iho. railway : connection the- negotiations'-terminated-for-'a ; time. ' ". '.:. t -; , ■...-,: ;•■■-. . . Tha. question was reopened later in tho year '; audj after .inuumcrablo..delays, the persistent borough.council achieved sdjno success. Early' in tho following year, Councillor Findlay .'' moved:—"That tho council ask tho. Harbour.. Board to proceed with'. the-erection of a wharf"' on tho Petone Beach,- suitable for vehicular"- • traffic' :It will thus be seen that the matter' of. railway; connection had', to "await' a 'more" favourable opportunity, v .'As an'outcome of that resolution, plans were ..prepared-by tha,Harbour Board's engineer (Mr. W. Ferguson),'"' 1 aiid»submitted to the council. i-:The, agreementwas drawn up. and signed, and-thc. wharf- was ■ eventually .erected. Tho work was .Imdertaken at the'.lattercnd of. 1907, and completed about'.'/ Christmas,- 1903. , The cost to .the Harbour " Board was about .£IO,OOO, while tlio cost tOMbe borough council was about JUUOO for land "pur." * chased by tho council and handed over to the r . board,together with-the formation of an nppronch to the wharf, and the provision l o'f all '••' necessary conveniences. ' /'"-'■'.-

. 1909: A Very Tiro'd' Structure, ' -.."".'-. .Things seemed to bo going along.'smoothly enough,,, but, unfortunately,, troublo was •■' again looming, ahead. now? source ofpride proved very sorviceabjn to:.-. tho • ferry - boats, which, plied. occasionally to Day's Bay, and also to several-trading .vessels'"of'small : tonnage, 1 Then tho crash■caino, bringing in '-' its tram disillusionment'to tho energetic proi''' ' rooters,-and converting : the', imposing-looking.;, structure into .-what is known-in commbn'par-" ' lance'as a .'white, elephant."- A quantityi of;<' timber was discharged oir the: wharf; and* with.;'!great promptitude it began to sink..'This sink-'-' ing continued until a subsidence of one and a " : . u . . f «Sffi e |fflyi.-Jl?™UB»iJ was.reached.. Tho-.'! structure M only been r coiuplctcd for threo'' jir four months, .'.during.Vwhicn. pe,vj6d/it. was '■[ but rarely used, and practically tho first', ship-'!; ment or any sizecauscd tho collapse; '■ and "dei'monstratcd its utter unsuitability for its'pufi I '-* pose. . . ,

It. has latterly been found-, that a solid ■'■bdt> : V torn exists, at d depth of ,110 ft, 'Tho question of what •is.to.-.be done. how."is-, an engineering problem, and the board will,hiivo to await the" : ■conclusions of the engineer' (Mi 1 . "jrarehhanks).. ' Members; of the. board, liavo arranged .'to, par a', visit of-inspection toHUo whirr6ri:Septcmber : ' 14, after which, if is 'understood, the oifgineer'a'-' report, will be ■ considered.,, ; ... , : '.■;«" ■■■■■ •...: r Will It Evor Bo Useful?, ' "t '".■.''/'. 'In conversation ; with a reporter, ■ tlifl Mayor':■ of.Pelo.no (Mr. J. W. M'Ewan), who "is-also', a member of the-board,'-said:-"My own views'--nro .thattlio' r.harf, even if: strengthened,: will .. .Do unsatisfactory, from ketone's point of view.', unless a lino of rails, is laid down ■ which be connce.ted with the Government railway. 60r- ! ' ; vice, using .the. Hutt Ral-lc'line in'the'same ' way as. the Gear Company docs. Use.could bomade of the-wharf;if the.llntt River.Board's ■ .harbour proposal is I .given: effect to,- and goods;:' and material could be railed direot to the sito of any that may. be 4 .established' on,. Gear Island. The Petoiio Borough.-Council.' could put down a short branch from: the'foot * .•ot. Bu-.cs Street to . and : from .the' gasworks"; - and-would, thus be enabled to convey: all :the''■ coal required direct from 'the wharf: to the:' i i S' •{"' also Vais€S Hio' question: as towhether the ■ council' could not obtain - coal direct from tho mino to.the wharf, and thenco '■ to tho, works., After, supplying its own needs, tilo .council .could- supply .the..wants-.of..the".', district'generally.. .Still another ..possibility of usefulness is opened, up. In the'.cvent of the Hut..Aalley Tramway Board"• obtaining tho" Eanction of tho ratepayers lo put.'down "a tramway service, tho rails, may be laid 3ft. Sin.' 1 : apart, thus enabling, tho board - to convej goods to auy part:of tho tramway,'district." -