OUR RIVERS.

Colonist, Volume IV, Issue 427, 26 November 1861, Page 3

OUR RIVERS.

In those celebrated letters of Sydney Smith's in which he compelled the railways to abandon the practice of locking the can iage doors, ha siys, if a, bishop were once burnt to death, were U only

the Bishop of Sodor and Man, the thing would be done. So it ?a with us. If there is a broken bridge or a bad ford, our best hope is that the Superintendent may lose a horse or get a ducking. And, next to his Honor, if we were to select the official whose coming to grief on the public thoroughfares would be of most value, we think we should name Mr. Dobson.

The Provincial Secretary ia too polite even to complain of a broken culvert or an impassable bog; the Provincial Solicitor would probably view the mishap in the light of 'grounds for an action' against some one; Mr. Wilkin or Major Scott would no doubt content themselves with writing to the Press; but Mr. Dobson, who holds the destinies of the highways at his disposal—he is the man. It was then with—it may be very wrong and unfeeling, but we can't help it—it was with undisguised pleasure we learned that the Provincial Engineer had been rolled over when fording the Rakaia last week, and had narrowly escaped with his life. There is no single man in this country whose life is more valuable, whose loss would be more felt, or whom it would be more difficult to replace than Mr. Dobson. It is the value of his life which enhances the worth of the accident. Had he been a useless official, or one we could readily replace—like unmanageable Treasurers, for example,—we should have been indifferent, or perhaps there might even have been a slight shade of disappointment at the loss of so favorable an opportunity of disposing of an undesirable official. Friends might have grieved for his loss, but the public would have been consoled.

But the case is different with Mr. Dobson, an accident to him ia a prolonged and sub-divided enjojMnent; it is a double satisfaction—a pleasure like an Act of Parliament with two clauses; first, that he was nearly drowned, and secondly, that he was not actually drowned We can now thoroughly realise the full delight at his accident, without a tinge of melancholy at any untimely result.

But was this wholly an accident ? We can hardly think it. Let any one read our article of the week before lasf, and say what was the one point in which it was deficient. It is admitted to have been a tolerably forcible article in most respects, but what is wanted was—illustration. Mr. Dobson no doubt felt for us; the strong interest of the Government servants in The Press, and their unselfish attachment to that journal, are matters of publicity. So Mr. Dobson, at the rhk of his life, thought he would complete our article by offering; himself as a forcible illustration of its truth. The public will unite with us in gratitude tor the act. For our own parts we are now thoroughly satisfied. We entertain no doubt but that something will be done. Mr. Dobson's vigorous brain, still reeling and tingling with the rushing water in his ears, and the booming of the rolling stones, under his feet, is we doubt not, actively at work to devise some means of placing a proper ferry over the Rakaia, which will come under discussion before the conclusion of the present session. If the Rakaia did not want to be Bridged, it made a great mistake in upsetting Mr. Dobson. We do hope that either the Public Works Committee will pay particular attention to this river question, or that there will be a special committee to enquire into the whole subject. It seems to us that what is required in this matter is a fixed plan steadily pursued for several years, with a definite object. The first thing is to settle the plan. Hitherto nothing has been done or evea attempted.

(From the Canterbury Standard.)