CORRESPONDENCE.

Hawke's Bay Times, Volume I, Issue 17, 24 October 1861, Page 5 (Supplement)

CORRESPONDENCE.

To the Editor of the Ilaioke's Eat/ Times,

Sir, —Nothing can be more fortunate than that the Herald should have defended himself in his last Tuesday’s issue against the criticism, as he calls it, upon his original remai'ks about road surveys contained in my former letter, as that defence gives me an opportunity of enlarging upon the subject at issue in a manner which I should not otherwise have enjoyed. The view which the Herald has taken of my letter is altogether wrong ; —wrong from the beginning to the end, and most especially wrong in supposing that I am anxious to obtain toleration and excuse for the short-com-ings of public servants, and more so, if possible, in the present case, for he has not yet made out that the particular “ party” in question has rendered himself liable to need an advocate, much less that that individual is anxious to obtain toleration for misdoings do not very clearly appear. Moreover, your contemporary has shewn great weakness in lamenting over the impossibility of the press attacking public evils without treading upon the pet corn of some of the bye-standers ; for when the press undertakes the task of exposing and rectifying evils from which the people suffer, it should strike out boldly—not at the small branches of that evil—not at the little twigs and off-shoots, and little buds and blossoms, but at the great ugly main root, from which spring all the little evils. Then, and not till then, will the press fulfil its destiny in discharging its duty to the people in a manner worthy of its freedom and of its importance. The main feature of the argument used by me in my letter remains still unanswered. I said then, and repeat now, that so long as the public labor under the idea that the prime cost price of public works is the most efficacious ordeal through which they can pass to test their efficiency, so long will that public *be perpetually haunted, with and without reason, with the notion that there is something wrong somewhere, and with its usual discrimination fix upon that object as the cause of all the difficulty which upon examination will be found to be by no means in fault. What has been the burden of the song of every Joe Hume-minded and pgpu-larity-seeking member of the Provincial Council, from the very first day when that

august assembly of wise shepherds burst in % all their brilliancy upon the astonished but admiring people ? The expense of the public works ! That has been engraved on their banners, —that has been the watchword of opposing hosts, —and that has been the rallying point of contending factions. In short, that one single fact has been the stumblingblock over which the talented members have continually broken their respectable shins. That man has invariably earned off the palm who has undertaken to do the greatest possible quantity of work for the smallest impossible sum. Witness the several contracts issued ; witness the periodical reports of the intelligent heads of the different departments of public works ; and witness yet again the acute remarks made by one of the members for the town on the tremendous advantage which would most assuredly accrue to the public treasury, from the deduction of =£2s per annum from the pay of each of the surveyors. My friend ! =£2s worth of patriotism wont save the nation. It is, therefore manifestly unfair to fix upon the shoulders of the mere mechanical executors of the public wish all the bad consequences which must naturally result from the economical desires of the people being earned out to their fullest and most literal extent. But it would seem as if the line of road which lies so heavy upon your amiable cotemporaiy s understanding, and which owes its " local habitation and its name” to the

-Okawa block, was the ne plus ultra of all Ahat is mirey and bad in roads. I, however, Contend, in flat contradiction of that hypothesis, that the road as orginally marked on the map is the only practicable one by which access to the sections as laid out can by any possibility be obtained ; and yet more, that the manner in which the sections were laid out was equally the only possible one, and that, though I admit that for immediate use the road now used by the settlers is the best so long as the other line remained unopened, yet that it labors under a most crushing disadvantage as a permanent line, inasmuch as it is confined to about one mile of dry land, at the end of which distance it takes into the river’s bed —of ail the roads, made or unmade, about the most trying to man and beast that can be chosen, along the course of which it sticks, as the settlers know to their cost, until it can go no further, when it may very naturally be supposed to come to a termination. It is little short of actual absurdity to

complain that because the Government surveyors lay out lines of road which cannot be immediately used, that those lines are impracticable, and lead from no place to the next town, and to compare those lines with the tracts chosen by bullock drivers. If, when the Herald laments over the absence of roads in regions of which he individually is profoundly ignorant, he were to expend a little of his “ round periods” in insisting that the Government should cause good lines to be laid out, and that being done, it should proceed forthwith to render those lines passable from end to end, then, 0 ye Gods ! the Herald would be a " Herald” indeed, and would herald in a new and bright era in the annals of Hawke’s Bay—an era of sound practical wisdom, —an era the date of which would be blazoned forth by the “ loudtongued trump of fame” to the ends of this side the earth. That the Herald may recognise in me an old acquaintance is just possible, but that he does so less from the “ flowing language and rounded periods” of my letter than from the unmistakeably sharp points and rough edges which those letters present to the contemplation of his shrewd and intelligent mind is much more jwobable. Yours &c., An Old Settler. Country Districts, I7th October, 1861.

To the Editor of the Hawke's Bay Times. Sir, — With others of your subscribers I could not but be somewhat disappointed with your last week’s impression, as it did not contain very much more than the exceeding hiyh lamed, speech of our most talented Judge, Justice Johnston, which somehow or other seemed to sound much better as it fell in eloquent periods from his lips, than it reads in print; and yet the report seems to be remarkably correct too. I guess some of our new made Justices of the Peace felt just a little flattered by the compliments he bestowed on them. Poor things, it seems they don’t know what to do, nor how to do it—what to read, nor how to read it, so as to get the necessary knowledge of what they ought to do. Of course, as they now know this, there will be a great rush for Blackstone’s Commentaries and Jervis’s Acts. Do, pray, Mr. Editor, get a supply as quickly as possible, so as to meet the demand. But to be serious, there really does appear to be a great deal of magniloquence in the address of his Honor about the majesty of the law and the tomfoolery of the pomp and show of Judges going on circuit in the Mother Country, a parcel of the relics of barbarous ages long gone by, and worthy of Judge Jeffreys and such of his class who lose the idea of the majesty of the law in the far greater idea of the majesty of themselves. And after all, what does the said majesty (of one or the other) amount to here ? where the law is so much paralysed as to be unable to stretch out her arm to take hold of a Maori thief; or even, as happened the other day, to take a disorderly drunkard into safe keeping ; and her poor servants (learned brethren) as weak as she is, for they can't lend her a hand. However, I admit there is something imposing in the sight of a bench with learned brethren on either hand, and the legal gentry all around, with his Honor in the seat of honor, crowned with his wig !!! “Indeed it is a charming tiling. To have a wig to chatter in” “ Chatter /” Oh dear ! I find on looking at your report that the Grand Jury found as their verdict that it was “ a very instructive and interesting address,” so I suppose it was after all, so of course they were right, and I must beg their pardon, and his, Phxlo-Maori. October 14, 18G1.

To the Editor of the Ilatvke's Hay Times. Deab Sib, —As the time for meeting in the Provincial Council Chambers is drawing near, is it not desirable to set at rest doubts that have arisen in the minds of many respecting the members being able to take their seats in the next Council, in consequence of certain changes that have taken place in the boundaries of the electoral districts since the last elections, by the proclamation of the Superintendent. As the members were returned for the original districts, surely they cannot sit for the new ones by virtue of having seats for the old, which at present exist only in part. But without attempting to discuss the matter, you will oblige by allowing me to put the following questions through the medium of your paper. 1. As the electoral districts have been altered since the elections took place, does it not follow that the relations between the members and their constituencies have been

altered, and more particularly so where the members were returned by small majorities, and even the small majorities procured by influences purely local, which probably cannot be produced by the new combination. 2. The relationship between the representatives and their constituency having been destroyed, will it not follow, as a consequence that there are new districts without any one to present them. 3. If there are no members for the newlycreated districts, should not His Honor give timely notice, in order that the various constituencies may discuss the eligibility of the gentlemen who in all probability will contest the elections ?

4. Would it not be advisable to pledge the town members in particular to move for all papers and correspondence connected with Harbor Improvements and Public Works, together with all papers connected with Mr. Wright’s pay since his sacrifice of part of his salary so as to practice privately, in order to know what has really been spent, and how much the Government has saved by substituting payment for professional visits from Mr. Wright instead of his yearly salary? Hoping you will condescend to answer, Yours truly, Samevill Weller. Waipureku, Oct 19th, 18G1.

To the Editor of the Hawke's Hay Times. Sin, —There is an old adage, and Terj often used, that is—“ When things are at the worst they will mend, if they change at all.” The people in Napier believe in this maxim, and are now wishing to know if the Harbor Improvements have passed the worst phase, or will the ruin of the Province be the end of the chapter, by dredging dry the coffers in needless expenditure in salaries and worse than useless harbor improvements, which must necessarily be suspended the same as road-making, as soon as the funds are all wasted, and the works in all probability in a worse condition than at the present time. The people who have watched the harbor destruction wonder where the improvements will commence, and when. But people cannot be astonished to see great mistakes when they hear of men firing at random, although few will be found who are possessed of the hardihood to say these remarks could in any shape apply to harbor improvements, or anything the three tor of Public AVorks has done, for every one can see for himself sticks, stones, plans, reports, andwondcrfulcalculatiousconnected with harbor improvements, with many other strange things, which must have cost the designer a deal of thought (and no doubt he claims originality for a good deal of the same). But notwithstanding all this, Mr. Editor, some busy-body is still asking questions, and anxious to know where the appointment of director was made, and when and by whom was the appointment made. In Wellington ? If so, do you think it was made by the late Superintendent, T. H. Fitzgerald, Esq.'? But these seem only leading questions. And thev wish to ask if the draft ot the report respecting the harbor improvement s was really prepared in Wellington, before the director had seen the harbor or understood anything respecting its capabilities, which he could only learn on seeing its natural formation, and ascertaining the depth of water in every part of the same. The depth of water wo cannot find in the report —the necessity for the canal we can ! But this surely cannot be at all brought as a charge against the director, although the mill docs happen by accident to be situated at the top of the canal. One writer says, “ It thou wort as pure as virgin snow Thou coukfst not escape suspicion.” But one thing does seem rather suprising, if report belies not the gentleman, who, on his arrival, when asked if he had sounded the harbor, replied “ I have come here to do a certain work,” from which one naturally concludes no soundings wore necessary, for very shortly afterwards we see him employed, with Mr. Murray, the pilot, and his men, putting down a number of sticks, winch every one supposed were to enable him to draw the plan of the harbor, in order to frame his report, which was published in the Herald of the 20th August, 1859, and of which we shall take more notice presently ; but cannot, in passing, refrain from saying a work of such magnitude deserved considerable attention, particularly when the whole funds of the entire Province are likely to be spent in their completion, if ever finished at all, either with or without funds. The report is an authority in' this matter, for on its very face it bears evidence of a serious nature. Any one taking the trouble to read the same can judge of the nature of the evidence. One thing is very certain —that the calculations shown in the report and the quarterly returns from the Government are widely different, and when they are compared together would lead one to believe that there is a deal of truth in Mr. Gilpin’s remarks, as published in the Herald, “ That he is not the man to improve your harbor admits of little doubt. A short inspection of the sticks and stones near Gough Island is quite sufficient.” And his own report may be the best evidence, perhaps, to coi’roborate this statement of Mr. Gilpin’s. We must take it as a true or false report; if as a true one, I think the Director clearly shows that he has for a long time past been trying experiments. Whether the funds of the G overnment will allow such trials is quite another thing. Mr. Wright’s own phraseology, in the latter part of the second paragraph of the report published in the Herald, 20th August, 1859, will best explain this matter, — “ On the cessation of the gale is again removed by the scouring action of the tide in the course of a day or two. Such being the powerful action of the water, it must be apparent that if the direction of the ebb can bo altered so as to concentrate its scouring action over the bar, you will at once increase the depth of water considerably ; and if this can l> e done at a moderate expense, it will be proing, with a doubtful result.” * b

• foregoing, wo learn from Mr. Wright simple it was to provide Napier with a harbor at a very small cost, and accommodate all the shipping for years to como on a cheap scale ; quite enough, too, for the wants of the peopled! this place, only on the cheap there coidd not have been the canal for a long time yet, but every advantage obtained at one-hundredth part of the - cost, and prevented all doubtful results from dredging. Every day’s experience only seems to create new doubts and fresh alarms, that ought to call forth the serious attention of the gentlemen who have the management of the public funds. Surely in the next Council we shall hear something respecting this matter, either from the town or country members. The latter having in all probability the lion’s share of the funds to raise in the end out of their freehold, without ever deriving any possible advantage, should take their stand at once ; and Mr. Wright’s report will furnish them, no doubt, with good grounds for many objectioim for in the third paragraph he says,— Ibe ellect should be seen before any heavy expense is incurred in the piu’chase of a powerful steam dredge, which could only be worked at certain hours of the tide, unless it be both steam dredge and tug combined, in which case, with its attendant barges, it would cost not less than £9,000 or £IO,OOO, to which must be added the daily working expenses.” If this portion of the report be admitted, docs it not clearly show the suicidal policy the late Government pursued, and prove the present, in using the dredge, equally as bad ? Why not have waited to see the effects proposed, before buying the Old Curiosity Shop ? The purchase of the Huntress surely proves the truth of the saying “ Fools and their money are soon parted.” If it was deemed necessary to purchase a dredge, surely the Province was entitled to an equivalent for its money. If a powerful dredge and tug combined, with barges, had been bought for £9,000, the Government would have saved something before this time. Take the original cost of the dredge, the amount of Director’s expenses, the amount paid Ins substitute during his absence, together with the other largo sums of money spent upon her up to the present time in the shape of wages paid the crew during the time she has been doing nothing (for the best of all reasons, because she could not be employed until repaired by the engineer, and the men’s wages could not be stopped in consequence of the gear being rotten and breaking down daily,—and these items are not at all likely to get less, for daily work will by no means improve the machinery) ; and if we add to the foregoing the price of the wonderful punts, we shall find a considerable sum made up. If you take a good dredge at £9,000 and the Huntress at £-1,000 you will not be a long way out. But there never was a sufficient reason shown for the purchase of one, and there is a great deal less now where she employed, and I think Mr. Wright’s report proves she was not at all wanted. In the seventh paragraph we read—- “ As the only deep water inside of the harbor is that adjacent the Meanee Spit, and as vessels moored there must discharge and take in their cargo by means of punts or barges, which can only be warped across the entrance at slack tide, involving an additional charge of 6s. or Bs. per ton, and an increased detention of the vessel, to say nothing of the risk of damage to the goods, it is by no means advisable to incur the expense of running out a deep water wharf from the Meanee Spit, which would be attended with all the disadvantages as above alluded to.” This paragraph is the strongest of the whole of the evidence that can be adduced from the report to prove the ignorance of the writer at the time he prepared his report. Ignorance or wilful misrepresentations are very apparent ; but without any comment at present, fearing I have already far exceeded the space allotted to scribblers, I would like to ask, in conclusion, if it would not have been better to pay an extra freight on a few tons of goods than ruin the Province with the fearful expenditure of Harbor Improvements, and then, to repair the damage done by the blunders of a few individuals for private purposes, resort to direct taxation, and thus stultify their own professed policy. Yours truly, A LABOURER. Tongoio, Oct. 21st, 1861. P-S.—With your permission, I will go through the report, and shew what has been done as yet for moneys spent, as published by the Government returns.