The Evening Mail. TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 3, 1878.

Oamaru Mail, Volume III, Issue 748, 3 September 1878, Page 2

The Evening Mail. TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 3, 1878.

There will be a marshalling of forces tonight to discuss the question, " What is the best site for the new railway station ?" There are, of course, differences of opinion upon the subject, which are not the outcome of self-interest, but have arisen in order that the matter may be fairly discussed. The greatest amount of good feeling has up to the present time prevailed amongst those who agree to differ upon the question, and we have every reason to believe that to-night's meeting, although it will doubtless be a crowded one, will be characterised by the moderation invariably observed at public meetings in Oamaru. Whatever suspicions people m-iy have that the advocates for the various sites are actuated by'any other motive than that of promoting the public interest, they should not say so. Every speaker to-night will take his place at the platform burning with a strong desire to push ahead the town of Oamaru, at least, so they would wish us to believe ;

and it will be pleasant, to be able to fee] that there is none of that selfishness . amongst the people of Oaniaru that is usually connected with differenci s upon public questions. Now let us briefly glance at the several suggestions. It is proposed by some that a strip should be reclaimed in front of the present station ; that tin: buildings now connected with the railway works near the station, and those that would in any way interfere with the effective treatment, of that site, should be l disposed of by being either pulled down or altered ; that the goods station should remain where it is, and that the passenger station should be placed on the vacant space opposite the Northern Hotel. The advocates for the carrying out of this idea maintain that it would accomplish all that is necessary without entailing unnecessary expense in revolutionising the whole of our local railway system, and that it would prove advauiageous when the hill at the top of Tyne-street is tunnelled, which must be done sooner or later. But it is said that the apace for necessary railway operations would be too circum-

scribed ; and, more particularly, that the sidings would be too short. There is a proposal to fill up the lagoon, a scheme which has met with the unanimous approval of the Municipal Council, which has signified its willingness to subscribe the munificent sum of L3OOO towards carrying out the work. Those who favor the lagoon site look upon this as a favorable opportunity of dealing with tiiat bugbear, the lagoon, and of connecting Ty:iestreet with Hnmber-strt-et ; and t;,ese, so far as we know, are ihe only arguments that can be urged in favor of the lagoon scheme. Now, let us glance at its disadvantages. The cost of filling in and building the station on this site would be quite double what it would bo to deal with any other ; the curves that would bo necessary to bring the north and south lines to that convergent point would be far too sharp, and there would not be sufficient room. There is the proposal of Mr. Conyers to place the passenger station on the Esplanade, leaving the goods station where it is. The station would be placed somewhere between Eden and Ribble-atreets, the line being diverted in order to make room for the station and not the street. The advocates for this site claim for it many advantages. In a technical sense they say that it is everything that could be desired, —that it is advantageously situated, and would afford ample space for the necessary lines, sidings, etc. Others contend that this site is nearer the middle of the town than any other site proposed, and that it is only fuir to the public of

the North end that their convenience { should be considered. This, however, appears to be a mistake. The Esplanade site is about six chains north of the middle of the town, whilst the Lagoon site is six chains south. If the station were built in the Esplanade, the north and south sections of the main line would be connected by means of a curved bridge, which would have to be placed across the Lagoon, and through trains would therefore not. touch at the present station, which -would then be solely the goods station. It has been suggested that the passenger station should be on the old Pound site ; but it is considered by some that the | grade would be too heavy. We have reserved Mr. Mainland's proposal till the last, not because we are incapable of thoroughly appreciating it, but because we fear that it is so far in advance of the ordinary conceptions of others that it will not meet with the appreciation it deserves. The suggestion is that property to the value of about L 35,000 should bo sacrificed to make room for the station on the Harbor Board block. It is singular that, whilst some people advocate that the station should be somewhere contiguous to the Harbor Board block, because of the L 35.000 invested upon it, others should advocate that 'the L 30,000 worth of property should bo carted away to make room for the station. We object to pulling down one of the most important portions of the town to make room for a railway station that might just as well be placed elsewhere, although \ve suppose that our notion of the matter is the result of imperfect civilization. Our opinion is that the station should be as near the commercial centre of the town as practicable. The question is, " Where is the commercial centre ]" Is it where the banks and merchants' offices are. situated, and the Custom House and Post and Telegraph Offices are to be erected, or is it in the centre of the populaaon? This is the question te be discussed to-night.