STRATFORD RAILWAY STATION

Taranaki Daily News, 20 December 1919, Page 3

STRATFORD RAILWAY STATION

VISIT BY ME. McVILLY. ALTERNATIVE SCHEMES. Mr. R. W. McVilly, General Manager for Railways, accompanied by Messrs. H. Buxton, Chief Traffic Manager, and F. VV. McLean, Chief Engineer (Wellington), ajid Messrs. A. C. ICoch, district engineer, and H. R. Harris, district traffic manager (Wanganui) visited Stratford yesterday, and at 3 p.m. met a large gathering representing the Borough Council, the Chamber of Commerce, the Railway League, and the. lessees of the Broadway railway reserves at the Municipal Chambers. The Mayor, Mr. J. W. McMillan, presided. The purpose of Mr. McVilly's visit was to arrive at some conclusion with regard to improved accommodation at the railway station, and with this the questions of railway leases and a post office site was involved.

The Mayor, in welcoming Mr. McVilly said they had been waiting very anxiously for the important decisions they hoped would be arrived at that day. .They had been worrying Mr. McVilly since he had taken the office he filled bo ably a good deal, but the importance of the matter to the town was their excuse.

Major J. B. Hine joined in welcoming the manager. He said that' this would probably be his last public act, but it was quite proper that Stratford should have his attention to tlie very last, and he was there to impress upon Mr. McVilly, as he had frequently done before, the needs of Stratford as a town.

Mr. Masters, M.P., said he was pleased that Mr. McVilly had come personally' to look into the positi»n. The lessees desired to be placed in a better position, and would like if possible to obtain the freehold. He hoped before long to see matters definitely settled. He quite understood that mature consideration would have to be given before coming to any decision owing to the importance of Stratford as the junction of the line to Auckland, and probably with tlie Opunake line. Messrs. J. R. Richards (president of the Chamber of Commerce), Mr. Kirkwood (president of the Railway League), and Mr. N. J. King (representing the railway lessees), also welcomed Mr. McVilly. THE DEPARTMENT'S AIMS.

Mr. McViliy, who was received with applause, thanked them sincerely for their hearty welcome. It was a source of pleasure to him to get out among the people with whom the Department did business. In this way difficulties which seemed insuperable by correspondence could be removed. The idea that the Department was unsympathetic with requisites for better facilities was quite erroneous. The first thing the Department always did was to try and meet requests. It was always much easier to give a favorable reply than an unfavorable one- In the former case their troubles would he very largely over, and if an unfavorable reply was given to a sound proposition they would be only laying up a store of trouble for themselves. The spirit of meeting requests wherever possible without injury to the the Department was inculcated in all officers. They all honestly tried to meet the public as far as possible. He wished, however, to stress the fact that the business of the Department was very i extensive and requests might not only I effect one locality hut many others. The | Department had recognised that the j facilities of Stratford as at some other places were not all what tliev would like ' them to be. Up-to-date facilities meant a lot to the Department, as well as the public, but demands had to be dealt with according to the amount of money at their disposal and their ability to obtain materials and labor. They all knew the difficulties that existed "during the, past few years. He hoped that these difficulties would soon disappear, but wlieu that would be lie could not say. Mr. McLean, the engineer, would place before them plans of alternative proposals for a railway station. These involved shifting the station. They all knew the danger .of level crossings,- and while the station remained where it was they could not hope to do very much to improve the accommodation. The site was not large enough. With the site of the railway station the question of the leases was bound up. At present the . tenants bail not sufficient security of tenure. The Department hoped to srlve a- longer lease, but he did not think there m any hope of obtaining the freehold. If they got protection for their improvements in a right of renewal ' they would be in a much better position.

THE TWO PROPOSALS. Mr. McLean'said tliat the present railway station was between the limits of Fetiton and Regan Street. In that | space thcv had to provide not only for ; the present local traffic but the junction train. They had come to the conclusion that it was impossible to give the accommodation required in the space for a growing place like Stratford. They had to look ahead and think of the possibilities when the present branch line • was taken right through. The first idea was to place the station as near as possible to its present position. This would mean the closing of Regan Street. Those present would know the importance of this street to Stratford, but it was a sine quo non of putting a station anywhere near the present site. Even then the shunting over Fenton and Seaton Streets would be retained. If this

scheme was adopted it would not pro-1 vide for the future as far as he would like, and it. would he a temporary expedient. This proposal had been abandoned. It was unsatisfactory from the town's point of view and the interests of the t)epartment and the town were so bound tip that they must not do nn injury to the town. In the second place it would be a very had thing to perpetuate a very large amount of shunting for all time. He had two proposals to plaee before them. One was to shift the station to a point n little on the Stratford side of the WnTwiek Road about. three-<iuai[ters of a mile south of the present site. 'The second was to shift the station to a site about seven-eighths of a mile north of the present, site, between Pembroke and Flint Roads. The question of which would be the less objectionable would depend very largely on the growth of the town. The Pembroke Road site would involve the extension of the Toko branch northward over Fenton, Regan and Santon Streets. Pembroke Road could be dealt, with by a bridge. If the station was taken south, the Toko branch would come direetlv to the station. With the second scheme _it would he possible to lower the station sufficiently to provide for bridges over Fenton and Regan Streets. The first pronosal did not give sufficientaccommodation for the future and did not ao away with shunting over crossings. tt» a question Mr. MaoL«»n

said the bridges over Regah and Fenton streets would be practically level. Mr. Kirkwood said that if the southern scheme meant the closing of cross streets it would be better to have the station to the north Mr. McLean replied that it was proposed to close Warwick Road and bridge, Romeo Street and possibly Leai Street. Asked what the width of the bridges would be, Mr. McLean said lie had not gone into that yet, but probably 30 feet with a 10 foot footway. Pembroke Road would probably be lowered and the railway run under it. Mr. Richards asked Mr McVilly if he would consider opening up another street somewhere about the railway station between Broadway and .Tuliet Street. This would open up the department's own property. Mr. McVilly said he would go into the matter and give an answer in the evening. Mr. Campbell Jackson suggested that tlie town would be verv much divided on the question of shifting the station, either north or south. GENERAL MANAGER'S VIEWS.

Mr. McVilly said he had to consider tlie benefits to the country as a whole and proper facilities at Stratford as a junction as well as Stratford. As far as his officers were concerned they could struggle through, but they had to do the riglit thing for the country, and the right thing could not be done if they kept the station where it is. Stratford was going to be an important junction. When the branch line was connected up with the Auckland line it would mean a difference of 100 miles in travelling to Auckland from Wanganui. What was suggested was not a business proposition and was one that he would not stand for. He was putting it to them -seriously that the station could not remain where it is. He was not going to recommend an expenditure of £15,000 or £20,000 merely for Stratford, and if this expenditure was authorised it would be because it was in the interests of the country. Whatever alternative they adopted the station had to come out of its present position. He would not be responsible in four or five years time for efficient service if it remained where it is. He pointed out that it cost 8s fid pur mile to run a train and the matter had to be looked at from that point of view also. He was giving them the choice of two sites. If they were prepared to put up with the present station for the next four or five years the Department could carry on, but when the branch line was completed they would never be able to deal with the traffic. Tlie bulk of the through traffic would, unless the station was shifted, have to be dealt wjth somewhere else.

Mr. Kirkwood asked if they were to understand that the branch iine would be completed in five years. Mr. McVilly said he was not a prophet any more than Mr. Kirkwood, but he knew that the Government and the Public Works Department were desirous of pushing the line on as fast as possible, and if labor and material were available it was. possible that the line would be finished in less than five years.

Replying to Mr. P. Thompson, Mr McVilly said he was satir-fied that the proper place for the station was at the foutli. If it went north they could not provide bridges. Replying to the Mayor, Mr McVilly said that in the new railway leases provision wouid be made for bringing them under the borough by-laws. The conference then adjourned till the evening, when Mr. M'Villy was to be given an answer as to which site was preferable. PUBLIC TO DECIDE. When the conference met again in the evening, the Mayor announced that they had unanimously agreed to the southern site, but the decision was subject to confirmation by a public meeting which he would call. As nothing but personal interest could be advanced in favor of the northern site and as these would not weigh with the burgesses, he did not think that the question of north v. south would enter into the matter. _ Mr. McVilly expressed his satisfaction and said that the southern site was the only one from a railway point, of view that could be entertained with regard to the present railvvnx leases. The present lessees would be given twelve months' notice. With regard to renewals, they would be put up by auction for a period of twenty-one years. They would be subject to the borongh by-laws, and at the end of twenty-one years tliey would be let fur a further period of twenty-one years, the lessees' improvements being protected. As to the post otiice site, he was prepared to deal with the postal department in a businesslike way, and if. they came to him incthe right way, lie was prepared to give them an option. With regard to forming a street be- ! tween Broadway and Juliet streets. ; through the railway reserve, he promised to send up his land valuer, and see whether the proposition was a sound one. He thought he could agree to the proposal that the Fenton and Regan street bridges should be. the full width of the road.