THROUGH TO LAMBTON

Dominion, Volume 9, Issue 2826, 18 July 1916, Page 6

THROUGH TO LAMBTON

A RAILWAY GRIEVANCE PROPOSAL TO ABANDON THORNDON " A DISGRACE TO THE CITY." Messrs. C. C. Crump (Mayor of Onslow), I\. Fletcher, R. A. "Wright* A." H. Hinthnarsh, and Dr. Newman, M.XVs, J. K. I J aliner (representing the Mayor of Wellington), (J. .\l. Luke (chaimian of the Central Chamber of Commerce), and Councillors Brenton-Rule and .1. R. Smith (Onslow , Borough Council), attended a conference at the Onslow Borough Council's office yesterday afternoon to discuss a matter concerning the ter-. minus of the express and suburban trains running 1 into Wellington over the Wamvwatu line. The conference was, called by the Mayor of Onslow, who occupied the chair. Mr. Crump stated that Onslow had taken up the position they had through the situation of their territory in its relation to the City. The council had worked hard on it, and had set up a committee, which had drafted a letter covering the subject, which he would read. A Change Needed. The letter' read as follows:— "The Government has stated that owing to 'the war the provision of a central station at Wellington must be indefinitely postponed; in view of that statement, my council, which has daily evidence of the disabilities under which not only its own suburban district, but the travelling public of tho whole Dominion, labour from the non-extension of the Manawatu passenger service past Thorndon Station to Lambton Station, has decided to invite the co-operation of tho Wellington City Council, Wellington Chambers of Commerce, Wellington Commercial Travellers' Club, and of the chief local authorities throughout the country in making a strong request for this much-needed and relatively inexpensive reform. "At present some military and goods trains are run past Thorndon Station to and from Lambton Station; but of course au established passenger service would involve some, alteration and elaboration of tho points aJid yarding generally and fresh luggage arrangements. As against the cost of this may be set the cconomy* that should result from having one terminus instead of two, with an inevitable duplication of the attendant departments; also from the known site of the future contral station it seems inherently probable that a great, if not the greater, part of the permanent way alteration could bo so devised as to fit in. with the plans for'the future central staFiori. My council has good reason to believe that the cost noed not exceed two or thTee thousand pounds; and it is common knowledge that vastly greater sums are being spent on railway improvements in other centres. No one will begrudge these favoured . localities their advanoement;but surely their examples enforce both the justice and expedience of the present proposal." 1 ' ' Seven and a Half Million Passengers. In commenting upon the matter,- the chairman'said that seven and a half million passengers were handled at tho ThorndOn Station during the year—that ,many people were entrained and disentrained at Thorndon instead of at Lamtjton, and that state of affairs continued though the Porry Wharf bad been built (and was now being used) for the special convenience of through passengers.- The Onslow Council had time after time put that point before the Minister of Railways and -Mr. Hiley, and considered it right to keep hammering away at it until they could find no' excuse "for putting down an extra platform. They were not going to build the new station for ma.ny years to come—that was evident. In Auckland they would agitate and agitate until they got what they wanted, but in Wellington the peoplo word not so locally patriotic, and put up with being planked down at Thorndon instead of being brought in to tho City. Other local' bodies, Chambers of Commerce, and the members of tho district all saw eye to eye with them, and he felt sure that thev could, by working together, strike such a blow as would,make the Minister see that it was tho right and proper thing to take all passengers to tho Lambton Station. A former director of the Wellington and Manawatu Railway Company had informed him that they were paying (on mileage) to tho Lambton Station aaSit was.

Dr. Newman, M.P.: "Quito right!". Tho chairman said .that the Government should sec .eye to cyo with them.' The railway revenue for the last financial year was over .£4,000,000, and tho working expanses wore .£3,000,000. It was a pity they could not spare JC2SOO or .£3OOO for a siding and platform on which to handle millions of passengers. It was not a local matter—it affected all peoplo who travelled from Dunedin to Auckland. He proposed that a large and influential deputation should wait upon the Minister and Mr. Hiley, introduced by Mr. K. A. Wright, on or about July 2G, and that the Mayor of every town, in New Zealand, and the members of the various districts should be asked to support it. ; ■ iMr. C. M. Luke said he was with them heart and soul in doing what they could to bring home to tlio Minister the very inadequate railway station possessed by the City of Wellington. They were a long-suffering peoplo in Wellington. He recalled a oonference of Chambers of Commerce at which lie presided, when the matter was brought up by Mr. Crump some two years ago, and received the unanimous support of every delegate. They subsequently waited on Mr. Massoy and impressed on him the importance of better railway station accommodation, but nothing of a tangible character was accomplished. The time had now arrived when this important work must go on. Failing a station, they might at least provide the platform in order that trains could run into the Lambton station. .Mr. Luke also referred to the lack of energy displayed by the Government over the Itimutaka deviation, which no other but a peace-loving community like Wellington would submit to. He hoped that the time was not far distant when that important work would be carried out.

Mileage and Revenue. Councillor J. E. Smith said that it should bo mado clear that the deputation was not one from the Onslow Borough Council. They were prepared to sink their identity. A mistake had been made in the past by making the question a suburban one. Though there had been numerous deputations, as far back as eight years ago, thoy had never been able to get a straigtforward answer as to why the trains could not bo run into the Lambton staitou. What was of the utmost importance to people was that wlien they were taken to Lambton there was an adequate tram service to all parts of the City, but at Thorndon the tram service was most inadequate. Tho railway authorities might make the excuse that they could not handle the traffic at Lambton, but they did not say that on race clays, when there were plenty of extra trains handling thousands of people very easily. Mr. Smith also said that if they were paying the mileaje now tliey were entitled to be carried on to Lambton; if not, there was quite a lot of-extra revenue to bo collected by tho Department by extending the journey to Lambton. A Disgrace to the City, Jlr. ft. Fletcher, M.P., thought that our railway station and the present arrangement of landing people at Thorndon was a disgrace to the City. When lie was chairman of the Harbour Board, the Ferry Wharf was planned, and when he had seen Sir. Hiley about the plans, tliat gentleman had been highly delighted with them, as they coincided with plans for a proper railway station. Then came tho war, and nothing had been done. He thought that tho local bodies and influential men Bhould continue to agitate for a proper railway station in Wellington. The Lambton Station was an absolute disgrace to Now Zealand. If they could not get the station, ho was prepared to give any support ho could to tho movement to get the trains up lo Lambton. Mr. A. H. Hindmarsh, M.P., that all the other towns in J>e\v Zealand Bhould be communicated with, and

asked io send delegates to the deputation. Station Out of Sight. Mr. E. A. 'Wright, M.P., said that it seemed clear to him that the new station was a very long way off, so long that it was difficult for him to seo howfar off it was. He had been given to understand that before the new station could be" crected a large amount of reclamation would have to lie done. As that reclamation was not even started he could not see any prospect of a new station for another ten years. The station should not be lost sight of, but m the meantime he could not see why a » outlay of something less than .£3009 ?i i if made to enable the Manawatu trains to run into if h Station continuously, it Urn new station were not erected for ten years, a service would be done the public; if it were erected, then he would still consider it a good investment. Furthermore, it must effect a saving. It might not save two staffs being cmployed, but it was a. simple sum in arithmetic, to see that a considerable saving must be made in handling all trains from a single station, and he could ■ not see why the Government should ■ hesitate. He urged that the question should be made a Dominionone as far as possible, and believed that with the backing of other towns', and the help of the members the "Government would be brought to see that there was a strong body of public opinion behind the movement. . If thev had to wait ten years for. the_ new station, it ought to be made clear to the rublic. Now tho Minister was saying—"Where are we going to get the money from?" Even when the Government got ever ■ that point, they would not know when they were going to get the station. < 'A Case of Bluff. Dr. Newman, M.P., said that' he and some of tho other Wellington members had had some hot words with the Minister over the new' railway station. The Government had been bluffing Lhem foiyears with this station that was to cost -£400,000, but most of . them would "be , dead before that £100,000 was spent. There was somebody sticking it up—it wps no' use blinking the facts. Then, as_ to this .£SOOO or <£4000 for, lines—why, th'ere were dead lines between tl'e two stations that one could whistle a train over every two minntes. Tho Minister said thait his experts reported that tho change would mean an expenditure of from" <£12,000 to ,£14,000. When lie got_into a hole, the Minister always quoted "his experts." (Laughter.) In his (Dr. Newman's) opinion, the change was a necessity, and tho movement had his cordial co-operation. Mr. J. R. Palmor (who represented the Mayor of Wellington) assured the conference of Mr. Luke's support and . co-operation. Tho matter of arranging the cato of the deputation and tho speakers was left in the hands of R-. A. Wright, M.P., and C. C. 'Crump. x