INQUIRY URGED

Sun (Auckland), Volume III, Issue 928, 22 March 1930, Page 8

INQUIRY URGED

MORNINGSIDE TUNNEL SCHEME DISCREPANCIES IN ESTIMATES The opinion that Auckland had been let down by the Government in its decision to abandon the Morningsidb deviation was voiced last evening at a meeting of those interested in tha question. The meeting was convened by the Chamber of Commerce, the president, Mr. M. Stewart, being in the chair! Messrs. A. Harris. J. S. Fletcher and H. G. R. Mason. M.P.’s, were present, apologies for absence being received from the Rr. Hon. J. G Coates. Leader of the Opposition, and Mr. tv. E. Farrv M.F. After the report of a sub committee, previously published, criticising tie Hon. W. R. Taverner for the abandonment of the scheme, had been read, Mr. Stewart moved that the meeting should express its conviction that the Moruingside deviation was an urgent work, and that an independent inquiry into the costs and economic aspects of the scheme should be held. “It was on the understanding that there would be a subsidiary station in the vicinity of the Town Hall that the site of the new station was accepted by the people,” said Mr. Stewart. Th« Reform Government intended to proceed with this plan, but was delayed and the present Government has turned it down.” Mr. Casey, the divisional superintendent of railways, in addressing the Chamber of Commerce in 1925, had said that the scheme had been adopted after consideration by the Government, the total cost being estimated at £616,000. Mr. Taverner now placed the cost of £1,000,000 and talked about three stations, one or them underground. There was no need for this and it was the general opinion that only one underground station was needed, in the vicinity of the Town Hall, and another in the open at Newton.

The improvement in the main northern railway, which would materially assist the development of the North Auckland district, was the most important point about the Moruingside deviation and not the advantage to suburban traffic. Duplication on the present long route would be practically impossible and the only alternative was the tunnel schentp. SUBURBAN TRAFFIC “For suburban traffic, trams, buses or trains are needed. There is a project for a tramway extension to Avondale, and if this is carried out there will be demands for further extensions, which would be very unsatisfactory, as the traffic would then become an Auckland matter, whereas the whole question of the northern outlet should be a Dominion matter,” said the speaker. The decision of the City Council not to be represented at the conference was disappointing. The motion was -o-onded by Mr. M J. Bennett. Mr. H. R. Robertson, of the Northern Railways League, said the Government had decided to abandon the scheme without placing the matter before Parliament. Members of tha House should have been allowed to have some say. It was pointed out by Mr. H. W. Crawford, of Wharigarei, that it took six hours to travel from Whaugarel to Auckland. No other district in New Zealand would stand that.

Mr. J. S. Fletcher supported an Independent investigation. “The latest inv stigation of the cost of the project is £1,000,000,” he said. “After considering the activities of the Railwn— ’'.apartment over a number of years I am satisfied that the work will not be done for that sum.” He dro-’-’ed the assumption that the Morningside tunnel would gain increase-’ - - -ger traffic for the railways. If the harbour bridge were built the value of the deviation as a northern outlet would be considerably reduced. North Auckland had no cause for complaint. The district had only 4 per cent, of the population of the Dominion, but in the past few years nearly 15 per cent, of the total expenditure for railways and roads had been allocated to it. Mr. Crawford replied North Auckland had produced one-seventh of the Dominion’s export butter last year and there was no doubt it was being held back by the lack of roads and railways. Mr. Harris said it was simply a question as to whether the Railway Department wished to maintain its suburban traffic. Though there might be better schemes, something had to be done to hold the suburban traffic. Mr. Mason said the deviation was the best possible scheme as far as he knew and he regarded it favourably. After further discussion it was resolved that, in spite of the decision of the Government to abandon the Morningside deviation, the scheme provided the only adequate solution of the problem of transport to distant western suburbs and North Auckland that had yet been proposed and in view of the interests of the public and the discrepancies between the estimates, an immediate independent inquiry should be held into the costs and economic aspects of the scheme.