THE RIVERS AVON AND HEATHCOTE.

Globe, Volume XX, Issue 1591, 26 March 1879, Page 2

THE RIVERS AVON AND HEATHCOTE.

To the Editor of the Globe, Sir,—Your leader of Saturday night condemned, very properly, the unbusiness-like schemes and plans of those who, without experience to guide them, or a due and sufficient reflection upon the factors of the problem, had rushed hastily to the conclusion that the Avon or the Heathcote were suitable for commerce. Captain, Thomas, when he originally laid out this city, made it extend from Hagley Park to Lyttelton Wharf at Erskine Bay. The parsons interfered, and spoilt the whole affair, as they generally do when they put their noses into politics. They restricted the city to less than one square mile, and caused the miserable stato of affairs which I so forcibly brought before our two Borough Councils, in those letters for which you saw I was thanked the other day by vote of the said Councils. The letters were not published, but they simply contained a statement that, under the clause 25 of the Municipal Corporations Act, the Minister of Lands had power to extend the city to the estuary between the canal reserve on the north, and the railway line on the south, and then, on a petition from the new Borough Council, to add the estuary, as a reserve, under clasise 80. This would give us a proper city, and a freehold of 2500 acres, while, under clause 34 of the Amended Corporations Act of 1879, the newly taken in portions are exempt from all prior debts of the old city. After this is done, business men would see that, in order to reclaim the estuary, it would simply be sufficient to embank the deep channel and to put tidal sluices—and so indeed to secure the reserve for practical use. The engineers who laid off the land reserved the canal reserve from the deep sea channel to the place on the Avon known as Cowlishaw's corner, and the earth for the embankment being excavated from the canal, we could see light craft and intercolonial vessels and steamers lying alongside Avonside Church, or put into a dock just there. Now, that is business, and not a dream at all. Some day it will be done; the sooner the better. When so well as when you want a town hall, waterworks, new thoroughfares, and a reserve ? which, being all combined into one plan, under one loan, become business like and feasible. I am, &c, J. W. TREADWELL. \