The Sun 42 WYNDHAM STREET. AUCKLAND SATURDAY, OCTOBER 27, 1928 THE HARBOUR BRIDGE

Sun (Auckland), Volume II, Issue 496, 27 October 1928, Page 8

The Sun 42 WYNDHAM STREET. AUCKLAND SATURDAY, OCTOBER 27, 1928 THE HARBOUR BRIDGE

ANY fresh elements in the rather sterile political contests of the day are to be welcomed rather than spurned. All parties, in the light of later happenings, would -have been rather short of pabulum had Sir Joseph Ward not advanced his revolutionary £70,000,000 loan proposal. But even conceding that these fresh elements are to be welcomed, it is still rather unfortunate that the harbour bridge proposition should have been brought in as a burning issue in the Waitemata electorate. There can be no question at all of the enthusiasm of Mr. R. H. Greville, who was an energetic and vigorous force in the campaign of the Harbour Bridge Association. At the same time, the weight of the support given by Mr. A. Harris, when the great pile of harbour bridge petitions was before Parliament, must not be overlooked. In the heat of a hard contest much is excusable; but the two gentlemen named might well be reminded that their introduction of the harbour bridge issue tends to give the altogether misleading impression that their keenest concern has been for popular favour, not Jhe bridge. With this said, and credit given in each case 'where credit is undoubtedly due, it is possible to turn to certain important fresh developments. The definite acknowledgment of the Auckland Harbour Board that it is not opposed to the principle of a bridge will be warmly welcomed. The board could really have taken up no other attitude without exposing itself to the risk of misunderstanding and criticism. Its function is to work harmoniously with the general interests of the community, and not necessarily with those of any particular maritime section. At the same time, it has its definite duties to perform, and must keep a watchful eye on new developments covering the waterways in its control. Here lies what may be a serious check to supporters of the bridge proposal. The board has stated that the bridge site, tentatively selected, is acceptable neither to its harbourmaster nor to its engineer. The plan outlined was for a bridge from the western end of Freeman’s Bay to the centre of Shoal Bay, with causeways linking the Shoal Bay terminal to the important highways of the North Shore. Presumably, the Harbour Board’s objection to this scheme lies in the odd chance that the city end of such a bridge might restrict further wharf construction. No other objection could well hold, unless the board fears the loss of some of its potential reclamation endowmehts, or has qualms lest the bridge should obstruct the very small ships trading to the upper reaches of the harbour. It has to be remembered that the future will hold canals, as well as bridges. A canal from the Whau to the Manukau is very nearly a certainty, and a canal from the Waitemata to the Kaipara a probable, though much later, development. When the height of the bridge is determined, these factors will have to be considered; but it should be a simple matter to make the necessary provision. More difficult, perhaps, will be the contingency that the bridge, with its approaches and abutments reaching far into the harbour, and its long file of cylinders stretching full and fair across the tideway, may create a bottleneck, and accelerate the sweep "of the tides. Problems in berthing light ships in strong tides are had enough as it is. With these factors in mind it is patent that the bridge project is something more than a mere matter of saying “Presto 1” and expecting a stately structure to rise like a fairy web across the waters. However excellent its fabric, design, paintwork, and the purposes it may serve, the bridge can hardly be an adornment to the Waitemata. It will not have the grey stones or fretted towers of older bridges, nor the colossal pylons and majestic arch of the bridge now building at Sydney. By comparison it will be low—a roadway on a regiment of slender piles, and it may break some of the fair Waitemata vistas; mar the contours of some familiar slopes. Yet these are hut minor considerations beside the substantial benefits the bridge will confer; and they are nebulous, as well, until the Government’s promised £SOO is spent on a preliminary investigation, which will permit a definite plan to take shape. Meanwhile we counsel patience, and less bridge in politics.