THE SUPERINTENDECY.

Southland Times, Volume I, Issue 77, 25 November 1864, Page 3

THE SUPERINTENDECY.

; 7. TO i THBiEDITOB; Q? THB SOUTHLAXD TIMBS. "- Stb,-^ As there -appears to be considerable mis- ' apprehension existing in regard to • the character and actions of 'our late chief surveyor, Mr. Heale,! durmg ; his term of office amongst us, an J as a' correct version of that career -mldit possibly have \ l)!U e effecfrbh t eel ction of a Superintendent, I; will, with your L permission, give it, being, I believe, more intimately acquainted with it than - anyone < : If the paucity of able men amongst us, for the conduct Of public "affairs, is but too apparent now,; -it. was iiia.c-.lr more-glaring at th.:-- thxie of the sepa- \ •ration of the Province, - and -Mr. Heale's advent; was a subject of congratulation. Nor was this; opinion confined to ourselves I have heard some! of the most distinguished men in New -Zealand; -'congratulate the' Province which in its infancy! had°obtained the services of a man; who had for, years occupied no mean position in New Zealand; politics, and during that career secured the re~ipVcr.:andadmirafcibh of the letdersM both par-; - tie». !;;■ -.; ■■'%'&, • Soon after separation, Mr. Heahs ■-' being person-; ally- acquainted- with Dr. Menzies. was induced toj visit -Sbutluahd, and', once" here, to remain. He, brought with him not merely unquestioned learn-! ing, great abflity ,'md.6"mitable energy, bufcthose rarer quahlies, more | particularly in a ; Colony— single-; ness d purpose, and strict " integrity. The first ?\ thing to, which Mr. Heale turned; his attention * waV thehecessity in a new country where the maf terial for construction was scarce, and the expense ■'■ greatr^f surveying lines of road to suit the na: '" tural features He therefore sacrificed that grealj - ;■ hobby of surveyors— a pretty -map-Mo utility ; a-course which will save . the country ; ; thousands , pf pounds hereafter. Nor was his attention con-; ' fined to the survey ; the Roals ' Department was .'- also; at first, placed under his -control, ; and he is blamed for much of the useless expenditure under this head— with what ju-tice we will see. On.tbe^ breaking but i df r theVV'akatip Lake diggings, such* an/amount of pressure was, brought to bear iipoii the Government as" to almost necessitate'' a large and immediate expenditure o > the North Koad, t s keep open the communication , between Invercarigill?and; the border goldiields. /Looking back from the vantage ground of t-xperienfe, we can all •cc that 1 it; would have been better for the G-overn;---ment to have resisted this pressure, and said " We \ cannot ''make' permanent roads fit for heavy traffic, I -for we have.no. metal.- We wdl expend the money ' ;.,ih a ''railway, land commence it at once." But it is 1 'always ;. easy 'to be very wieo "after a thing has | tak^plaee. During the short time the roads 1 l '"' wero under Mr. Heale 1 ! charge the expahdiditure I^wm^ hot heavy. The large sums were disbursed; \l ■übsequent to tho Koads Department being \ created * separate one, It will beursed that his; j advicVwas " generally asked prior to any large / work... This is true, but that: advice, was not always taken ; - or, if taken - in part, not wholly ; and, advice which, if followed imphcitly, Might.' have proved beneficial, .when only half , taken, turns out unsound. Mr. Healewas in this I uhforfcunato position ; the public knew he wasf insulted, for a man of ; his ability and erudition *f ni always Consulted by : erery one ; >but 'thoy L <Wiid not know that his advice".", was -not fol -: - lowed, and so the blunders. of others were fathered :? ©h bihi^not unfreuUently^by "the blunderer him-' '^-'•elf,'' who sought- to: excuse' himself by insinuating : that ifc^wbuld have been very different had Mr. infiuence not disarranged his plans. 4;', Next -in". order,, comes ..the. Bluff Harbor and f I»Tercargili Railway, tho initiation of which work '■'"V-Jj )i&wiseMhi>r3\ oh M*v Mettle. 'Whbthtf ihi» T l *^ WpW^*t««J ««• ««tt whether WyW \jryra a

now stop to discuss^ = Mr.->Heale-;had>npdiand^in, its initiation. It was ; the .. child rof another brain, and, I Jlrmly beheve; was" Matured long h^ofe'the'sepafatioh of the r Prtvirae— indeed, .was the hobby/which p'rdved'the gfea^Shcentiye to the attainment, of it. ; ;,Mr.: Healo's share of tlie transaction was, as usuai.'the hard'work, prior to Mr. Marchant's appointment as engineer. He executM'the initial, surveys^; wrote i o reports,? and; simply carried out, with lus accustomed energy, w-hat he was instructed to 'doSby^thelfoad pfthe; Government. '..' : .V ■'"'"'■' '■■" .■■.^■M'-i-yi'. '-'. The next and most serious charge against. Mr. Heale is the celebrated Mokomoko 'Jetty, 'con-: structed at a cost out of all .proportion to the; means and requirements of . the.: ±lro vince. . a.'-Miy.. Heale tr&s requested tpirenort, onthecopabyifcies;; of; the harbor of New River ;;?and.; after -a; careful; and painstaking , survey he wTote a report, which evidences the. varied knowledge -brought, to .bear 'oh the subject. 'He states that at one time there must-have ; beeh a '-straight'^ideep'chTaiihel^upvWihich vessels pf^large tonnage, could proceed without difficulty Or danger, and predicts' that the time *-wdll come when this; channel, ..closed from the action of natural phenomena,"which Re desoribes, will re-open, and, if kept By, by the assistance^ of avtificial means, will ensure the New .River being consid red' one of the; best and/ safestiharbors in iNew Zealand. Exactly what he. predicted '-.has..-: taken >place-r-Ssooner, dt 'ds; true,;than; he anticir pated; but the result has proved the soundness of his. . calfiulatipnsy; the, 7 ue^tlvof-his k kjuTwl^dgejand had we the means to secure what nature' has effected; tli'e--:(New-. ! ..Biver.'-wQulU' undoubtedly surpass the Bluff or Port Chalmers aa a harbor. | lie waai also requested to furnish an. estimate of the cost of such a jetty as in his opinion would answer the/requirements of the trade, present and for a few, years prospective. Hedidfumish it,and he estimated thata jetty'at £6,000 (six thousaudpounds) would "', ans^yer our purposes. .The Government thought otherwise, audi called for fresh estimates for a jetty of larger : proporfcidns.'ahd accepted a y tender for over £22,000. ; I .ask you, can Mi-, Heale be held accountable, or be blamed for an action so totally opposed to his wishes and views? I have occupied enough of your, space in tJiis. fssiitf'j in tout next "T will ehdearbr to rebut the charges which have niost unjustly been made against Mr Jieale,;but{will show the ivarioua uh-[ acknowledged, because unknown/ services he has" rendered to the province, not merely here but in Auckland ; and will prove t hat so far from our position being the result of what his detractors are pleased to call his sanguine disposition, and. speculative theories, -had his* advice been takem when aiskeui Southland- would have-been in a very difierent position at the present momenty and; her railways finished. — I am, id JUSTICE. Nov. 24th, 1864 ____ — :-» -■'-