NEW POLICE STATION

Dominion, Volume 9, Issue 2731, 28 March 1916, Page 8

NEW POLICE STATION

TO BE OCCUPIED IN A WEEK WELLINGTON'S NEW BROADWAY ______ j "If the Public Works Department can let its havo the furniture," said PoliceCommissioner Culi'eu, "we ought to be in the new station m Lower Taranaki Street in a week's time." As a matter of fact, the stables, for the mounted police have been occupied for the past month, and are being: found of the' greatest convenience. :-From a police point of view tlie new station is ideally situated. Whilst it is in, close .proximity' to Te Aro flat, where in certain streets undesirables are known to congregate, the station is as hear as possible m the centre of .the town, within easy range of the theatres-and Town Hall, closo to the wharves and shipping, and in touch with the fire brigade. Curiously enough, tlie splendid section on which the new station staiids was a sort of "no man's land" until a few joars ago. It was originally on the line of the beach behind,the old Te Aro Pa, and as the beach and shore waters of the harbour were reclaimed, the land automatically became Crown land, so that whilst tlie'Governmont is giving back the old station site to the City, it has secured a capital and centrally-situated ,Bito "without money and without price." The fact that the police are to vacate the old promises in Manners Street for the new quarters in Lower Taranaki Street in a few days puts the City within measureablo roach of it very important mid-City improvement. An erroneous impression has gained ground that only the old Police Station is to come down, with a strip off the rest, of the Market Reserves block on the Manners Street side for streot-widoning purposes'. That was one of the schemes put forward, but the one last adopted is still more drastic and much more beneficial to the Citv. The council decided that the whole of the buildings between the apes of tho triangle (the Police Station) and the land held on lease by Mr. Samuel Gilmer • shall como away, the land_ so required to be, utilised for 6treet improvement and reserve This means, in effect, that the Corporation will, when ready, take in hand the demolition of all those premises occupied by Mr. John Flockton, the Turkish .Baths, and Mr. Alex. Ross (engineer), whose tenancy has been terminated by arrangement. Tho old foundry-cum-garage building (held on lease by Mr. Gilmer) is also to be pulled down, and sooner or later Mr. Gilmer may build an extension to the Royal Oak Hotel on the eastern side. In the meantime, 'a strip of land tapering from 3ft. to nothing is to be thrown into Maimers Street off the foundry block, and should at any time in future tho hotel itself suffer by fire or earthquake', Mr. Gilmer will, it'is understood,, make no objections to continuing the widening of the thoroughfare on the Manners Street sido of the block. The existence of the old buildings has made Dixon Street a back stivet.- but the contemplated change" will tlirow it into the "Broadway of Wellington,'-' a title that Courteiiay Place will deserve, when the alterations are brought about. The additional street area will give the tramways manager (Mr. W. H. Morton). space to manipulate his cars-at a place where they require to be manipulated, and will at the same time provido space for a touch of the aesthetic amidst thepro saio, •