RECLAMATION

Dominion, Volume 12, Issue 25, 24 October 1918, Page 9

RECLAMATION

SREATER THQRNDON SCHEME

INTERESTING REPORT

At the .meeting of the Wellington Harbour Board last evening the chairman (Mr. C. E. Daniel!) submitted a report ot the conference-held on October 9 with .respect to the Greater .Thorndon '.Reclamation Scheme. There wore present at the., conference. Messrs. -,11. 11, Hiley, K. W, M'Villy, F. w: Mac Lean.: J, P. Luke (Mayor), R. A. Wright, M.P., W. H. Morto/i (City Engineer), C. E. Daniell (Harbour Botird), and H. E , . .Nicholas (secroUrjv Harbour Board). Tho Railway Department has Parliamentary authority, to reclaim an urea, come six'acres sn extent, nu'd. (he object of tho conference was to. dismiss hov the Harbour Hoard scheme of works would be affected, ami, , further, us to whether it •was practicable to so co-operate with the Railway Department, as to inako tho retaining: wall on tho seaward side of the proposed reclamation the basis of a long wharf. This wall or breastwork will bo Fomo half a milo. i n length. The position for /ships w sheltered, with ample searoom approaches, and tho line of wall win.? parallel to that of present wharves agrees With what experience has shown is tho best.for ships to'lie at in WclliDgteh Harbour. From the landward side, the wall proposed will run parallel to the general line of traflic in the new railway yards. Tho question the. Railway Department had to determine was how much of the proposed reclamation would it, having regard- to tho ultimate requirement? of . its terminus, bo .able to allot to the special work of (lie Harbour Board. In . its request the Harbour Board suggested two-thirds to railway and one-third to Hard.. Then as th° plans and inquiries developed, and the possible requirements of .railway were tfuLly •••l'ealised', the board's engineer was asked to state the minimum area necessary, and a strip some 250 feet wido was asked for; this ■reduced tho area, to some IG. acres. In the plans submitted to conference this was not provided, and a suggestion was ■Jnado that tho board might extend 90 feet seaward to pruvjde the area needed. This work would bo in deep water, hence .more expensive, but possibly practicable to "execute. The conference- made it clear that a workable basis for procedure ns between the Railway Department and Harbour Board h'ad been reached, and that careful thought and a wide outlook iind been -brought to bear on- the question by the engineers who had been conferring . and planning. . '■ ■ The plans show that the railway engineers, whilo careful of their own requirements, have valued the proposals and plans of Mr. Marchbanks, and tho result of their combined labours evolves a workablo scheme- on the lines laid ■down and approved by Parliament in ■ 1903. Mr. Marehbanks's mission to America is concerned in his study of tho details of tho scheme, and it was agreed by tho conference of engineers representing the several interests that further ■work on the plans, as-these affect harbour works, should be delayed till his return. '. '

Arising out of the reclamation works « question arises as to the utilisation of the area of land known ns the Thorndon Esplanade and a site for the Thorndon Baths-a City Council matter. An csplanado or recreation area in the midst of railway.yards with its noisy traffic and dusty surroundings could hardly bo attractive, but the land lias a value for railway puiposes, reserving, perhaps, a small area near Tinnkori Road junction f oh the city beautiful.. The city, it was understood, in its improvement schemea would benefit by an area of land near the destructor, and on what was known as the dock site. A further question affecting the Harbour T3oard is Te Aro railway. It was advocated that the idea of a railway to Te Aro should he abandoned and the station area there put to other use, and the streets out of Courtenay Place continued across the railway fl'nd through the board's land to the waterfront. At the conference it was Jnade clear that the Railway Department, ■hearing in mind the possible need of a railway for goods traffic to Jliramar at some future (Uie,,will.not part with its right of way 'through"thecity'or' of the lands on which Te Aro station stands, lint, it being assumed that .any railway, through the city must be elevated above the street traffic, it is possible, while reserving this right, to give street access for the , extension of, say, Tory Street and Ulair Street seawards. "It can readily be seen," the report stated, "that it "is a. scheme of great anagnihulo and of far-reaching importance to the city ami port, and that difficulties may arise, which could be magnified and so defeat the best laid plans; or it is possible to so co-operate that economical work and the best interest of the community shall be served. We aro planning for posterity arid the efficiency and welfare of our successors. Here let me appeal—it is hardly, necessary to ap--peal to this board—but I do ask for a loyal confidence in the ability, gooil judgment,' and business acumen of the several engineers already appointed to advise the several bodies they represent. Their conclusions and recommendations .will, of course, be open for review and discussion. Our present duty is a consistent and persistent interest in the great improvement involved in these proposals, and thus encourage the men who are giving of their beet in the scheme and plan. - ' ■ ■ : ' In answer to a question, Mr. Danioll laid that th» suggestion of the Railway

Department would not involve the board in any material increaso in the cost. The chairman's action at the confereiioo was approved. j[r. Wright, who was present at the conference, congratulated tho chairman on tlie manner m which he presented the case for tho Harbour Board at the conference. Mr. Wright went on to euy that he was satisfied that tho Railway Department was sincerely anxious to cooperate with the city authorities in the matter qf this great reclamation. "It there in any hitch at nil it will not bo tho fault of tho Railway Department or the. onginoors interested, but will cpnio from another eouroijT-Parlinmcnt."