BLOCKING PROGRESS

Dominion, Volume 12, Issue 156, 27 March 1919, Page 6

BLOCKING PROGRESS

MR. DANIELL ON TEE THORXDON RECLAMATION SCHEME. In regard to the tharge that the chairman of the Harbour Board was blocking the progress of tho Thorndpn reclamation works, Mr. C. E. Daniel], at Inst evening's meeting of the board, stated that he may have blocked it for a week without knowing it. His reference to the indeiiniteness of the Government was' to the yenre and years this matter had been under consideration, and not to recent events. As a matter of fact, Mr. Marchbanks (the engineer) had not had n minute to spare since he had returned, and ho hnd not thought it urgent enough to mention it to him. Evidently the Railway Department thought he should give the next lead, and he thought it was their business to do so. He did not want to block progress, evon for one week. Tho position now was that the principle of going ahead with the big scheme was .iffirniod, and it was accepted by tho Department, the City Council, and the board. He regretted that the remark L.e had made at the Inst meeting should have been interpreted that he was blocking progress. Nothing was farther from his thoughts. Mr. W. Hildreth asked if it had been decided wha.t land the Department was to take and what the board was to have, I Mr. Daniell said the only thing done I was to affirm the principle of the big I scheme. It was now for the engineers concerned ,to develop the scheme on those lines.