PATEA COUNTY MAIL PUBLISHED Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday. TUESDAY, DECEMBER 14, 1880. PATEA HARBOR.

Patea Mail, 14 December 1880, Page 2

PATEA COUNTY MAIL PUBLISHED Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday. TUESDAY, DECEMBER 14, 1880. PATEA HARBOR.

The bar is now on its trial. The channel lias boon practically closed to ordinary navigation for several days up to Saturday. A heavy fall of rain that night has brought a freshet down the river, and the current broke a passage through the bank of sand which the westerly breakers had been lorming during the many weeks of strong wind from one quarter. The pilot reported yesterday noon that a wide channel bad been scoured through the spit, but that the strong wash of the breakers from the westward was forcing the outward current a little southward of the breakwaterend, thus diverting it from the proper line which is desirable for navigation. If tiic breakwater wall were continued on to the bar itself, where the breakers strike the shore, the outward course would not be much impeded by the breakers rolling from the north-west, because the depth of the channel so far out would make silting-up impossible. There would still be a tendency for the spit to encroach on the channel-way during the prevalence of north-west winds in spring, and the mouth would be narrowed during that period, but another closing up like that of last week would bo impossible against a direct outward scour. The mis'chief is that the scour gets shunted southward by the strong westerly breakers, after shooting beyond the short breakwater. The gradual lengthening of the west

spit until it laps over the end of the breakwater could be checked by a timber breastwork carried outward on the west side beyond the present position of the spit. This breastwork is in Sir John Goode’s plan, and is a light work which he recommends to be taken next in band, until funds can be obtained for continuing the larger work on the east side. The strongest reason for this breastwork, in our opinion, is that by shielding off the westerly breakers from the channel’s mouth, the water would be stilled on the bar in an important degree, thereby nullifying the silting-up force of the breakers, and also raising the level Jot water on the bar by abolishing the dip or trough. The steamer Patea was waiting off the bar yesterday to get in, but the freshet was then flowing out with such force, that the pilot considered it doubtful whether the steamer’s power of screw would be sufficient to overcome such a current. She will probably be admitted to-morrow. COST OF THE PLAINS. The number of Armed Constabulary on the West Coast is 580, and there are 200 in oilier parts of the North Island. The cost for rations on the West Coast is about £167 a week, or £8,684 a year. The cost in pay to men and officers will bo about £56,500 a year. The cost of equipment cannot have been loss than £IO,OOO. A Government steamer is required for the West Coast occupation at a cost of at least £4,000 a year. Expenses of Ministers and Commissioners in connection with this Coast, say £3,000 a year. These items show a total cost of over £BO,OOO for one year’s armed occupation of the West Coast to deal with a native difficulty without settling it. Other items might be added, such as the sittings of the Commission, and the maintenance of Maori fencers in prison. The force of constabulary was also larger some months since. Probably a hundred thousand pounds will represent the whole cost of one year’s occupation of this Coast. The cost of equipping this army may be reckoned as a colonial expense, on the plea that if the 580 men were not on this Coast they would have to be kept as a colonial reserve elsewhere. Probably this expresses half a truth, but conceding the whole of it, the total cost for a year’s occupation may be taken as at least £90,000. This swallows up eighteen thousand acres of the Wairaato Plains, at a value of £5 an acre.

.1 DEADLOCK. The Harbor Board at Wanganui cannot agree upon a proposed expenditure of about forty thousand pounds for deepening the channel on the bar. The Board have nearly twenty thousand pounds available at present for river improvement, and the question is, what part of the work shall be done next ? The dredge launched last week has not commenced to scoop away the mud flats between the bar and the town, and until the Board have tested whether the flats can be removed permanently by dredging, it seems premature to spend funds in deepening the bar, which is already much deeper than the broad flats inside the bar. The flats are the real impediment to present navigation ; and if they can be permanently removed, the river problem is solved. But so long as the removal is a problem, the Board would be acting prudently in solving it, before incurring a farther outlay on a different work which would be useless so long as the flats remain. The Board is about equally divided as to the expediency of commencing to run walls out at the heads for deepening the bar, before the dredge has experimented on the inner flats of accumulated silt. A finance committee of the Boards with Mr Ballancc as chairman, have recommended that as funds are available to the extent of nearly £20,000, tenders should bo called for constructing improvement works at the heads. A proposition for giving effect to this was was discussed on Friday, supported by Mr Bamber and Mr F. J. Jackson. An amendment supported by MrW. Lowes, Mr Laird, and Mr Lundon affirmed that this work should bo postponed until the effect of the dredge on the flats is ascertained. Mr Lundon said there is a deptli of 13 or 14 feet on the bar. Mr Ballancc said the depth was only 9 feet on the bar not six months since, the Kangatira having to come in sidewise. The bar, he said is sometimes worse than the worst part of the river. The diverse statements by these two authorities on the Board must be puzzling to outsiders. The depth on the bar during a given period ought to be a clearly attested fact admitting of no dispute. If Mr Ballancc is right in saying the bar is sometimes worse than the worst part of the river, he is right in pressing on the work at the heads as being of premier importance. If the other statement is right that the bar has a depth of 13 or 14 feet, the Wanganui public ought to agree with Mr Lundon in opposing large expenditure at the heads until the inner shallows have been experimented on with success. The Engineer’s theory is that by breaking up the hard surface of the flats, the outward scour will carry the loosened silt out to sea. The dredge may plough up the surface, but will the stuff bo carried outward in the way desired ? The great breadth of the river is rather against that theory. If that river were narrow and rapid, a greater depth might be scoured out. The Wanganui river is broad at the heads, and sluggish because of its breadth. If so large a volume of water could be confined within a narrow canal-like course, the outward scour would be increased, and no impediment of settled silt could lodge to check its course, while the bar would also be cut deeply by this narrow outward scour. If the inner mud fiats be largely embedded with timber snags, the dredging will be a risky work, involving frequent breakage of the machinery. It is probable that a portion of the flats are loose shifting sand, on which dredging would make little impression. It is not necessary to point to Patea as an energetic rival which may imperil the prosperity of Wanganui as a port. We at Patea feel no jealousy of Wanganui, and we have no ambition to rival it as a port. Our object is the simple one of providing a sufficient outlet for the produce of the Patea district. If Wanganui politicians or some of them have a notion that Patea ought not to have an outlet because Wanganui wants to monopolise our mercantile and export

trade, we can only pity the narrow simplicity of such politicians. Patea has an outlet, and intends to use it for local purposes. Patea intends to improve that outlet as far and as quickly as may be practicable; but in doing so it has no silly notion of being able to invade the district of a neighboring river. Any improvements which may be effected in the Wanganui river will

be watched with a kind and neighborly interest by the Patea people. The Harbor Board’s discussion of the proposed expenditure at the Wanganui heads is postponed till Tuesday, on the Chairman’s suggestion, to secure a full attendance of the Board. Mr Ballance has also suggested that, if the proposal be negatived, the town members should resign in a body because they are equally divided on this question, and should thus refer the matter back to the ratepayers. It appears to us more constitutional to postpone the whole question for three months, to watch the effect of dredging the flats. Wo do not see any tangible reason for “ rushing ” this large expenditure at the heads. If engineering theories were necessarily infallible, the Board’s course would be clear. Experience in harbor “ improvements” teaches caution. Wanganui and Patea are so closely identified in their general interests, that we hope to see them pull together in all matters affecting the West Coast. Your growth and prosperity will assist our own progress as a district, for the more money there is passing from hand to hand along this Coast, the better will be our chance of sharing in its use. As to commercial supplies, wo shall go to the nearest, cheapest, and most convenient market. If Wanganui can become that market well and good.