THE WAIRU OVERFLOW.

Marlborough Express, Volume III, Issue 132, 22 August 1868, Page 3

THE WAIRU OVERFLOW.

To the Editor of the Marlborough Express. Sir, —As you have been pleased to bring my name forward in rather a prominent manner, and still more so by implication, I claim a word in reply thereto in your columns. Before you proceeded to “fully state the question,” it were a pity you did not make yourself a little better acquainted therewith. As this “ fair” statement only serves to perpetuate the intense ignorance that too generally prevails thereon already, but as you confess you cannot understand the river’s overflow, let me refer you to my letter in the News of last Saturday,' where, if you can divest yourself of prej udice, you may learn something of the matter. The “advertisement,” I presume, would not have seemed so “ offensive,” had it appeared in the Express, instead of the News, and if the “ letters” gave Mr. Bomford some little occupation in these dull times, both he and your “passers by” are perfectly welcome to their “amusement.”

Of the “ levels taken,” and the “ )4 feet fall,” will you tell us what Engineer took these levels, and the kind of instrument used ? Because it is reported the Engineer was Mr. Wall—the leveling instrument a straight-edged Board. Of the “gentle rebuke,” your readers may have an opportunity of judging by reference to the pao;es of the News ; and for your “ oddest thing,” you sir, nay, I believe, must know perfectly well that “ Mr. George Dodson ” has never in any manner “ opposed the Government,” or any one else “ having anything to do with works at the Breach.” On the contrary, I have ever from the first consistently supported any and all attempts hitherto made to remedy the evils caused by the overflowing of these waters, and am still ready to do so to the utmost; and it is only when leaving the Opawa Breach, and coming more than a mile down the river, an attempt is made to divert the river into an hollow, dignified by the name of “ creek,” which hollow has about one-aud-a-half miles more to run through Mr. Jellyman’s land before it finds its way into the outside shingle of the Wairau river’s erratic course, that I feel called on to object, believing in common with my fellow-settlers of the district, that such works are calculated to do very great injury to many, and without doing any permanent good to Blenheim or any other portion of the country, whilst the same amount of money spent at the proper place (the Breach) would offer far more chances of success, and in which this whole district would have readily joined—hand, heart, and purse, as evidenced by the “ meeting,” held a few weeks ago at the Bush. In conclusion, Sir, I would advise'when next you attempt to misrepresent an honest man’s actions in so despicable a manner, *you will first certify yourself that you have at least some little shadow of a foundation to rest such an attempt upon. I am, &c.,

George Dodsok. Spring Creek, August 19th, 1868. [We might very properly have declined to insert the above, as being simply an attack upon ourselves, and treated it as a private letter, but it is quite evident that Mr. Dodson has written in haste, and with as little consideration as he has read the article he animadverted upon. The object sought by all parties is so serious and earnest a matter, that it is a pity to introduce personalties into the question; these never did any good to any cause, but rather have an opposite tendency, especially by diverting the public mind, and preventing due consideration. We must therefore decline to comment upon the above, beyond remarking that it is especially unworthy of Mr. Dodson, since we are personally unknown to him, and therefore the unworthy

■motives and insinuations must be without foundation, nor can he justify them by anything which has ever appeared in these columns. We had no intention of importing anything worse than bad judgment to Mr. Dodson, and the party for whom he acted, in the sole reference made to him last week, and such an opinion is borne out by what he said at the first meeting called to consider the Breach question, when he stood almost alone in his denunciation of and objection to the Government, in respect to the power given under the Drainage Act, which it was then proposed to bring into operation. It is quite possible that we have made ourselves more extensively acquainted with the subject of the Breach than Mr. Dodson gives us credit for, but we are quite willing to learn anything more from him or any on S else, providing they keep to the object professed, and avoid personal attacks upon those with whose opinions they choose to differ.— Ed. M.E.]