SOUTH PERRY TRAFFIC

Dominion, Volume 7, Issue 2177, 17 June 1914, Page 3

SOUTH PERRY TRAFFIC

WHARF FACILITIES

TRANSPORT TO THE STATION

Tho need for Improved facilities for tho carriage of iiflssengers aijrl cargo from tho South Island fatty steamer to tho railway station after the arrival of tlio steamer 111 the inemiug, or prior to the departure of the. steamer at night, was disoefssed by. several gentlemen interested in tho trade of the city and tho port, who a-cw interviewed fry' a Dominion repwrte yesterday. i f ll !opinion everything \ou. have published to date," said one, "is an excellent argument for the building of a passenger station at To Aro. I think ; tho ferry wharf should bo at tho To Aro end, and that a lino should be run from the wharf to the '£o Arc Statical. 1 ' Another, who was Hot in fawtoif of tho To Aro 'scheme, suggested that the present wool jetty should be adapted and nindo tho fefry wharf, To this wharf a. railway connection c.ouicl very easily bo made, especially if tho newcentral station was to be built in Bunny Street. This locality would be near tho station, and within Ave minutes reach of Lanibion Quay. Ho did not agree, however, that tlic problem of providing for tho ferry traffic wouid bo wholly solved by the •rimßtttg of a, train or part of a train on to tie lorry wharf; and the baiidiaiß of lugS^S 0 sheds and Out "the jot'tiv"The comparison usually made is between Wellington and Lyttell-on," ho : said,, "but tho cases are so Cory djssiimlar. Practically every passenger by tho boat train to Lytteiton iroirt Christ*. church is a through p.asseijgsr for tho steamer, and every passenger to Lyttelton from .Wellington is a through passenger, at least as far as Christrhurch, Coni sequently there is no possibility of confusion. Hero it jg diii'oreuf.. A' few passengers arriving from the smith in tho morning wish to cat-feh tho early train for A'ew Plymouth, & few : to catch the Wairaraga. or Napief trains leaving a littlp later, many more want the 11.50 a.m. express for Auckland, and at least 50 por cent, of the people who arrive by the steamer are for Wellington; So that s train ruia on to tho wharf will not serve all of thorn. "I certainly agreii- that should be a special ferry tthiirf where only the cargo for tho ferry ■stoa-iitefr'g would bo handled, and where proper shelters and luggago sheds would: bo provided. The present'system is inconvenient, But I think the difficulty of the*, transport of luggago from the ship's side to tlio ailway station could hwt bo got ovesTsy the Harbour Board t'al'dijg charge of all' luggage, issuing cheeks for it which the Railway Department would honour, and delivering it at the railway .stations as ordered. Tho jwssengers themselves can get to the station Svell enough now, aud this would be still easier if tho ferry wharf were tho present wool jeHy, and tho central railway station wens inBunny Street. At present most of the inconvenience and expense to which BaS* sengers aro put is' oft account of Itjg--gage. Every passenger or every party of passengers has ici engage a carrier, and if a man. is going to leave hv, *av, the Auckland train, ho practically has to go to the station to see that his lug--gage is safe. If the Harbour Board would take charge of it and run his and all tho other passengers' luggago for that train to the railway station by motor-lorry, the passenger need hot go tfc' the station until shortly before tho departure of his train, w hen oil receipt of his check ticket, the station MafT would put his luggago on his train. Thero would bo no risk, and no inconvenience, whereas under tho. present system people who travel frequently hnow that there aro both. The Harbour Board would, of course, makfr a charge for this service, but the cxper.se to travellers would be much tes'e-p than it is now "