Amateur Engineering – A Warning.

South Canterbury Times, Issue 7064, 9 February 1893, Page 3

Amateur Engineering - A Warning.

In tQ article ion the Greymouth bar the Wellington Tress says :—3ir J. Ooode, an eminent marine engineer, provided the Government with plans for improving Greymoui h harbour, amongst others. It was for executing this scheme that the Board was created. The Board has, io its wisdom, seen it to intro dace improvements into Sir J. Coode’s scheme, witb'the result tbattheseimprovements having turned out badly after au enormous outlay, new works have to be executed to remedy their, evil effect. A grateful colony, bo it remembered, finds the funds to .pay the interest on the coat of • those _■ interesting experiments. The haibbur hM latelyibeen so bad as to seriously impede the. coal r export,; - Under the usual routine, the ’Harbour Board formerly submitted all plans of''works for, the. approval of the Ghvetndriin-Cduncd, which was only given att*rthe colonial marine engineer had approved and recommended ..them.. Bioce the Mr O’Connor, was drives out of the -colony, the Government has ao in its employment to adTiao, ft. «o that the wdrkt are now engineer©** by. that eminent jask-of-aU-trades, the Minister, by the Chairman of the Board, Mr Guinness, M H.R, and hence the interesting telegrams, which have recently been passiog between' those, gentlemen. We wish that thoigrateful.colony, whioh:paye the piplif.T'Would institute- a proper'inquiry into the constitution ‘.and proceedings of the Qrojmouthv-Board, .and' the amateur y engineering whidlrtho eminent persons alluded to have been, indulging in. Ihe colony has largo stskV nbt r oiily - m ; tbe r 'harhour;works, but in the railway which connects with it, and it is time that competent professional investigations were made before the place is ruined beyond remedy, the coal traffic killed, and the railway revenues dried up the expensive antics of the Minister and bis friends.