THE RECREATION GROUND.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 281, 13 November 1862, Page 6

THE RECREATION GROUND.

{To the Editor of the Daily Times.) Sib, —In connexion with many of my fellow citizens I have bad my interestcon.'iderably excited during the last week or two, by beholding certain operations which have been earned on by means of a large bo<iy of men, on the piece of open land, at th? South end of the town, between the road and the sea. I am given to understand that these operations are being carried on under the directions of the Provincial Civil Engineer. I suppose therefore that I ought to be satisfied that the work is beiog done in the best possible manner, and that in the expenditure of the large sum already paid for wages, the double purpose has been served of i giving work to some hundreds of the unemployed about the town, and of securing the utino t possible benefit to the public in the value of the work done. But notwithstanding a strong sense of my duty in that respect, I am quite unable to bring- my mind to any feeling ot satisfaction, or to a proper relief in the value of the work so far as it has yet gone. On the contrary, the impression has grown stronger and stronger from day to day, that the money is being miserably wasted, and that a great deal of ths j labor has beon productive of positive mi-chief, while I | have a melancholy foreboding that the considerable sum of money voted by the Council for the improvement of the piece of lan 1 referred to (amply suffi -ienfc I to have converted it intoa himdsorasrecreation ground for the citizens), will be found to have melted away without bringing us. any nearer to the promised and hoped-for result. It may be that I am somewhat stupid about the matter, or perhaps I may be incapable of understanding hi^h engineering. If so, I can comforl mysdf with the reflection that I am in good company, for I have spoken to many intelligent fellowcitizens, and one and al! Imve confessed to the sama state of b ;wilderment as myself. The piece of land in question has very fine soil on the surface, with, a subsoil of blue clay nearly, if not quite, impervious to water. The lirst necessity was thorough drainage. That being accomplished, and a very moderate extent of labor given to chip out and burn the tussocks and flax, and clear away any irregularities on the surface, a beautiful springy turf ! would have been speedily produced, all that could bs desired for the purposes intended. Well, what has been done ? T!.e commencement seemed rig'it I enough. The tussocks and flax were < hopped out and left for some weeks on the ground to dry ; next they were thrown up in heaps, apparently for burning, and the labor of a couple of boys for a day or two to fire the heaps would have completed that part of the work. But then came the wonderful operation, an immense force of men appeared, digging holes or pits, all over the ground, deep down into the blue clay—into these pifs were thrown the grass and flax and then they were filled up. A large force of men has been employed about a fortnight at this work and it is not yet finished. Some of the heaps are sliil there, and may yet be inspected by any of your readers who fed curious. So the grass and flax are got, rid of, and the money. Meanfrae the drainage, the first and principal thing to ho done ha^notbeen t niched, tlw ditches along the roa i are full of green stagnant, water and slime, and the pits dug into the blue clay constitute so many pot 3, imo which the water must collect and from wHch it cannot escape. They will, I imagine, be so many soft spot* upon which nothing will grow, if not, rotten holts in which cows will be trapped and bogged until the water shall be let off by a series of drains leading through at the level of the bottom of them. This may be ail very fine work and high engineering, but I cannot understand it, no.c rm I find any one else who can. I should add that it appears to me that in many places the fine surface soil has been buried and the blue clay brought to the top.

I do not understand either, why so much expense should be incurred in cutting a blind canal through the beach, which, unless piled or boxed in, will certainly require to be cleared out once or twice in the year, instead of taking advantage of tbe natural drainage, and leading the ditches into the creek, which is kept open by a constant stream of water, and is thoroughly scoured by every heavy flood. Before concluding, I may take the opportunity of remarking upon another piece of work in the same neighborhood, for which the late Civil Engineer is responsible, and which reflects ..anything but credit upon him. I allude to the raising of the Anderson's Bay road. To allow that to be done by excavating the ground at the roadside so as to form a canal 12 feet wide and deep enough to drown people, was a piece of disgraceful neg'ecr. The road is now most dangerous, and unless'the said canal be party rilled up again, we may certainly look for loss of life some dark ni^lit. Sir, I hope these remarks will not be considered offensive. Engineers must consider that people will look at and criticise the performance of works in which they feel some interest, and it may perhaps not be without some advantage to them, that they should be made aware of the remarks that are made. I am, &c, Citizen. Bunedin, 10th November. —■ -«&- .