E.—2a.

No. 4. The Chairman", Timaru Harbour Board, to the Hon. the Minister, of Marine. Sir,— Timaru, 14th June, 1880. I have the honor to hand you the evidence of Mr. George Stumbles, who was absent from Timaru at the time of the sitting of the committee appointed by this Board to reply to Mr. Blackett's report. As the evidence given by Mr. Stumbles is considered by the Board to be of importance, I have the honor to request that you will cause the supplementary sheets enclosed to be attached to the evidence already sent. I have, &c, EULEERT AECHEIt, The Hon. the Minister of Marine, Wellington. Chairman, Timaru Harbour Board.

Enclosure in No. 4. Evidence of George Stumbles (of the firm of Allan and Stumbles, Contractors for the Timaru Eailway in October, 1871). At the time of my contract for the construction of the line of railway near Timaru in 1871 I pointed out to Mr. Selby Tancred, District Engineer, that I considered that a breastwork, either of sheet-piling or of stonework, would be necessary for the protection of the viaduct and approaches at Whale's Creek. My reason for doing so was that whilst I was building the viaducts I have seen, after a few days' heavy sea, I should think as much as a hundred yards at a time of the clay banks between the viaducts fall into the sea. I also noticed the shingle at the site of the viaducts removed; and the waves on several occasions washed over the works. Further northward, on the foreshore of the Maori reserve, I have seen many much heavier falls than at Whale's Creek, hundreds of tons of clay coming down at a time. This was whilst I was constructing the railway. The sea used to break heavily about eight chains to the north of the Government landing-service, taking away large parts of the clay bank from two to three chains in length. This part was in 1872 strongly recommended to be protected by a breastwork. It is, however, now, I believe, quite sheltered by the breakwater. Before the breakwater was constructed a heavy sea at times ran in between the reefs and encroached upon the land immediately to the south of the Government landing-service, which is now protected by sheet-piling. Seas fully as heavy come in at this channel as at the viaduct at Whale's Creek, and I consider that sheet-piling would have been sufficient for the protection of the viaducts. G. Stumbles.

No. 5. Mr. John Goodall, C.E., to the Chairman, Timaru Harbour Board. Sir,— Timaru, 10th June, 1880. I have the honor to inform you that I have carefully perused the report of Mr. Blackett, the Colonial Marine Engineer, as to the damage caused by building a breakwater at Timaru, and the future damage that may accrue therefrom, and find that it is based not so much upon personal observation as upon the observations of Mr. J. H. Lowe, the Resident Engineer of Railways, and upon the construction that he (Mr. Blackett) puts on the reports of Mr. Carruthers, the late Engineer-in-Ohief, and that of Sir John Coode. He says of Mr. Lowe's report that " a perusal of these reports shows the prejudicial action of the breakwater in so strong a light that there need now be no uncertainty in the mind of any one who is capable of justly estimating the importance of the facts therein recorded." This assertion might have carried weight were it not that the facts therein recorded are not exactly as Mr. Lowe has represented them to be ; and the statement that before any breakwater was erected the sea-beach was covered with " a coating of shingle of such a breadth, depth, and quantity as to act as a protection to the softer parts of which the beach on which it lay was composed," is not borne out by the observations of all the old residents of Timaru, who, in their evidence taken by the Harbour Board, state that this beach has been frequently detiuded of shingle, and also that, in spite of the supposed protection the clothing of shingle gives to the beach, yet the degradation of the beach has always been going on, and the cliff's have been wearing away, ever since any one has observed them, and certainly before the breakwater was begun. Mr. Blackett then goes on to describe what he supposes would be the future action by saying that " the spits or beaches across the mouths of the lagoons will disappear, and the railway embankments across these lagoons will be laid open to the attacks of the sea. This action will not be confined to the locality of Timaru :it will be felt in due course of time (shorter or longer according to circumstances) along the whole stretch of coast-line to Lake Ellesmere, making changes the nature but not the full extent of which caii readily be foreseen." And, quoting from Mr. Carruthers, he says: "The shingle being thus stopped, it would collect on the south side of the breakwater, until in course of time it had pushed out to the end of the latter, when the northerly motion would begin again. In the meantime the shingle to the north, beyond the protecting influence of the breakwater, would have been still moving northwards. As no new shingle could come to supply the place of that which had moved on, the coast would soon be bare, and the sea would begin to cut down the sub-beach." " The first effect of the above works would be the degradation of the coast to the north." " The detached shingle-beach across the Washdyke Lagoon would next begin to disappear." How far this gloomy picture is borne out by Mr. Carruthers will best be seen by quoting further from Mr. Carruthers than Mr. Blackett has done. Mr. Carruthers, in describing what would be the effect of a solid breakwater, after saying, " The first effect of the above works would be the degradation of the coast to the north," goes on to state that " Caroline Bay would be deepened unless the bottom is rock, and would extend somewhat further inland at Mr. Henry John Le Cren's ; but it is so well protected by the rocky capes on both sides that no great change would take place there. The detached shingle-beach across Washdyke Lagoon would next begin to disappear, #nd it would take many years before this supply was exhausted, so that there could be no effect on

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