The Temuka Leader. THURSDAY, APRIL 1, 1880.

Temuka Leader, Issue 249, 1 April 1880, Page 2

The Temuka Leader. THURSDAY, APRIL 1, 1880.

That tlie Timaru Breakwater wn3 nu'cli pliakcn by the late storm, few will attempt to deny, and that earned out t to tlio dimensions which ;■ ent plan shows, it will be an utter failure, many believe. Th ! 3 is much to be regretted, seeing that this is tbo only chance for many years of having an outlet by st-a for the produce of the rapidly growing district of South Canterbury. The Milford Lagoon was believed by seven out of nine engineers to bo more fcaßible for making a har_ bor for the district than Timani. Noverthe. less, by some means, fair or foul, whether by influence put in motion in Timaru, and made to re-act upon certain parties in Loudon, or whether misstatements and misrepresentations made to Sir John Coodo by certain engineers, once conversant with tbo Timaru coast, and in! luiate'.y acquainted with others who have rested interests in Timaru, we know not 3 but by. some means or other Sir J. Coodo's mind was evidently acted uoon in euch a way as to give him an unfavorable idea of the Milford .Lagoon, and bo caused him to send such a report to the Government as to surprise and astonish almost every engineer who read it: tbo result 13 that the Milford Harbor Scheme is shelved for a time. But anyone with his eves open, and a fair share of reasoning power who saw the way the sea was making a plaything of the Timaru breakwater during the last storm, coidd not help .coming to the conclusion that it id a failure. Tho parties intere»ted, living in Timaru, may try to conceal it as much as they like, and put the blame on this or that, but one thing cannot be hid — that the sea, makes a complete run over the fabric with such force as to shake fe forcibly. If thia is the case now, what will it bo when the mole is another quarter of a mile out ? It is well known that the sea must have some way of expending itself. Where, then, is ifc to expend ita.-lf at the back of ha'f a mile of straight wall? If it cannot get over it, it will try to get through it j if it cannot get through, it will msh up along &ide, and may cot stop before it has reached the Bank of Now Zealand. Time will show what reason or a common sense view of the case will not convince them of. It is with regret, we repeat, that we fear our chance of a harbor for South Canterbury is indefinitely postponed.