CONSERVING THE HARBOR.

Evening Star, Issue 4105, 24 April 1876, Page 4

CONSERVING THE HARBOR.

To the Editor.

Sir,—As th - sis the question most affecting the interests of Dunedin at present, will you kindly grant me space to say a few words anent the same ? In the first place the members of the Board ■eem to have forgot that they have committed themselves to an expenditure of at least L 60,000 under their engineer’s plans, a great deal of 'which will be utterly lost should they not carry out those plans. First there is the new. dredge, now budding according to special plans in connection with reclamation* at a cost of L 20,000; and second, there is the new hull for present dredge, to cost LIO,OOO, with transference of machinery. These with the steam barges, waggons, locomotive engines, with landing stage, Ac., Ac., will, ! think, bring the amount pretty near to the above sum. ■ Now, sir, I protest against the squandering of public money m this fashion. For .what did the Board engage an engineer at a thousand a year, when they could have got a clerk of works to carry out their plans at a third of the salary ? Again, with reference to the reports of Messrs Simpson and Gordon as to the conservation of the Harbor, I would point out what the Timaru Board of Works did. They sought the opinion of the most, eminent efagineer in England, and

what steps did-he take before hazarding an opinion? Why he sent out a subordinate officer of his own to collect data on which to found an opinion. He did not trust to a simple view of the roadstead, but had his assistant living on.the shore of the proposed harbor for months, studying all the phases of the question. Then in the name of common sense, I would ask, : how could it be possible for Mr Gordon to give an opinion on such a question by simply sailing over the harbor, taking no steps to verify or otherwise the data and statistics of Mr Simpson? SiTr I could understand the Board saying to their engineer—we want ships of a certain tonnage .to come to Dunedin, and we have only so much money to do it with. Can it be done, and accommodation for their loading and discharging be provided ? There is no doubt that,carry out the plana of Mr Simpson in their entirety will involve the sinking of a large amount of money, as we have no reason to believe that within the

iiext ten years so much accommodation Rill will be required as his plans provide. I think, for instance, we could do without docks for a long time yet, seeing that wharf accommodation of double the present extent is also provided for in said plans. There is one thing I would point out to the Harbor Board.. I do not know who suggested the appointment of Mr Gordon as advising engineer, bnt it is a fact that it was for his knowledge of hydraulics and not of marine engineering that gained him his appointment in Victoria. As I have already trespassed too far on your space l will conclude, with a hope that someone more able than'myself will take up the subject.—l am, Ac., . • Aquarius. , Dunedin, April 22.