THE HARBOR BOARD.

Evening Star, Issue 3792, 20 April 1875, Page 2

THE HARBOR BOARD.

To the Editor.

Sir,— My attention was casually called the other day to a leader in one of your contemporaries justifying the conduct of the Harbor Board, as against what it, in its own manner, calls the useless abuse, of the Board. And believing my letter which lately appeared in your columns is referred to, I wish to say a few words in reply. I believe it is the main duty of a journalist to be well informed on every subject he pretends to deal with. And then he should be in manner respectful, never over-reaching himself when drawing inferences; and what he states as facts he should know they are facts, and always, remember that gush and splitter can never pass for reason and discussion with a thinking people.

Mow, sir, what has your contemporary got to say on behalf of the Harborßoard ? Simply that it had shopkeeper-smartness enough to,drive a hard bargain withthebuildersof thedre'dge. Now this kind of congratulation might be iu place if we were considering the purchase of a chest of tea or a hogshead of sugar. But when a public body contracts for such a.complicated machine as a dredge it should employ the best means to insure that no part of the job should be “slopped” either in material or workmanship. And what stronger causes can there be to superinduce slopping than when a man discovers that by a haphazard guess he has tendered too little for his work, particularly when conditions are imposed on him involving an additional cost of four or five thousand pounds. For, bear in mind, the dredges as now exi eoted, is very different from that tendered for, if my memory of your reports of the Board’s business is correct. The conditions now are inside ladders, necessitating a great increase of the ship’s size, and prices ovsr outside ladders as tendered for, according to your report.

Then, sir, granting for the movement that the Brard wi'l be duly served with the article exported in the specified time. What preparation is being made for its use ? If the stuff is to be taken outside the Hoads, steam hopperbarges are required ; and if it has all to go to reclaiming land, what barges have they commensurate with 500 tons per hour ? and what preparations are being made to raise that quantity from the barges?. It may be that the spade and shovel will do it; but that is not in keeping with a pushing and ingenious people, whose commercial wants are pressing for better harbor accommodation at the port of Dunedin. I have made these remarks with the motive only of preventing mistakes and thereby helping to push on the work, for I see n<j reason why large paper mills should not be kept going, with such vast quantities of flax and grasses, and also timber, so well suited for paper-making; neither do I see why glassware should not be made from such mountains of the best sand; and why we should - not refine our-own sugar, when there are tons of bones going to waste, which, in making charcoal, forms the chief expense of sugar-refining at Home. Now, it is not too much to say that these and other trades for which this country is well suited, would be greatly encouraged by easier shipping intercourse and more extensive railway communication, and though much- has been done it is for us to help and hasten what. is doipg. In conclusion!, let me say that when yofir cbUtem- - porary gjts.so far “at sea,” that he is in danger of the -• V’ ' i