The Press. MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 26, 1864.

Press, Volume V, Issue 595, 26 September 1864, Page 2

The Press. MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 26, 1864.

The Press has been supposed to be of philo-Maori tendencies, but we have never gone to the extremes to which some gentlemen venture in their reliance upon the Native race. For example, we can hardly agree with an intelligent member of the Provincial Council, who stated on Friday, in speaking of the Waimakairiri river, that Mr. Doyne's levels were contradicted " by Maori traditions." Mr. Beswick attempted on Friday last to force the Government to pledge itself to throw away more money in that river. He asked them to set aside all the conclusions of science, and to ignore the most patent physical facts, and to do that which it is absolutely impossible to do. Mr. Beswick went so far as to say that he believed Mr. Doyne's levels were wrong. Now this is a remark which no one has a right to make ; and unless it is supported by the strongest evidence, it is an abuse of the liberty of speech which members of the Council are generally allowed. In a case of this kind there ought to be no" possibility of any mistake in levels. If levels have been properly checked and counterchecked there is not the slightest chance of. error, and it is quite incredible that any engineer of any reputation would have done his work in a slovenly manner. Unless then, Mr. Beswick has seen the levels and checked them himself, and found them to be wrong, we repeat he takes an unfair and improper advantage of his position in the Council when he accuses any public servant of what amounts to gross neglect of a very simple duty. But the real truth is that Mr. Beswick simply says he thinks the levels are wrong because they do not coincide with his own pre-conceived opinions— opinions formed, not on facts and knowledge, but on fancies. He is puzzled by the fact of the river formerly having run down the north channel, at a time when the south channel was very small, which he asserts to have been the state of affairs on the authority of the Maoris. But what has all that to do with the question ? It is exceedingly likely that the rirer did run down the north channel. That is precisely what the levels show is the natural course of the river. As tho north channel was silted up, or rather that part which is now tho upper entrance "to it, the water was at that point directed to the southward, and made a new channel for itself. That is very easy to understand. At a later period the river, still continuing its process of raising its own bed by silting up, filled the south channel at the same point as it formerly filled up the north channel. At the union of the two channels the shingle is slightly moved about, so as to let the water sometimes more down one channel, sometimes more down the other, but the result on the whole will be that the river will go down the north channel, and straight across the island, because that is the quickest fall. The fact, which none of the gentlemen who are so anxious that the public money should be thrown into the river, will recognise is, that the river is constantly altering its level by the process of depositing shingle in its bed, —a fact, however, which any one must be very ignorant of what is going on in all such rivers in the world, to deny. A man does not understand more about a river than his neighbors because

he has lived on its banks and looked at it even i day. He may be au observant man, aud maA l } have possessed himself of some facts as to the past But on the other hand he may not. But so long the world is governed by physical laws, so long at >' water runs down hill and not up hill, the only way '■ in which any one can predicate of the future is by . ascertaining all the conditions of the problem, dis- *, covering the forces at work, and applying the laws » upon which they must act. n Now when an Engineer is consulted about a statt j of things such as that at the Waimakariri, ho ha- t, every conceivable interest to report in favor of en- « gaging in some sort of works. Apart from the fact that the pecuniary interests of the Engineer arc directly in favor of any work being undertaken, it i:- [ always far pleasanter to an ingenious and self-reliant »' mind to grapple with a difficulty and overcome it. J than to do nothing. This indeed constitutes the great _ charm of the Engineer's life, and to recommend that ,■ nothing be done, is equally opposed to his pleasure i as to his profit. In the present case there was the additional temptation arising from the ( popularity which any one must acquire who could 1 have shown the way to save the private estates on the t Island from destruction. We do say then that Mr. Doyne's advice in this matter should bo regarded . with unusual deference. He set about an examina- t tion of those facts connected with tho river which must in the end settle the conditions of the problem. He made up his mind that the works necessary to s retain the river in its present course would be of ' enormous magnitude and of great cost. To put up • temporary obstructions would be easy enough, and for , a year or two they might succeed in turning the river ] one way or the other. The very success of such ' works would but enhance the ultimate ruin, by in , ducing persons to continue to invest capital in a man- i ncr in which it must ultimately be lost. For if such i were opposed to the natural change which is going on in the river bed, they must sooner or later be swept , away, and nothing could be relied on but works of such magnitude as would involve the province in ruinous expense. Mr. Doyne has proved indisputably that the Waimakariri will not much longer remain in its present bed. As Mr. Boys pithily expresses it, it has filled its bed up with gravel, and there is no longer room for water. It has got temporary relief by using the north channel. But, a very slight additional rise in the bed of the river must throw it out of the bed altogether. It is then a very grave question, which way it will flow. We are informed that the levels for finally settlingthispointarcstill inthecourseof bcingtaken. If the north channel be shut up, and the river be forced to leave the south channel —where will it go to? Until that question be finally and positively settled, we protest against the Government meddling with the river at all. If a man settles on the bank of a river, and is washed away, his remedy is against nature and his own want of foresight in not selecting a better position; but if the Government step iv and alter the conditions of nature by artificial works, they are directly responsible for all the mischief which may flow out of such interference. When the survey is complete we shall know in what direction the river will flow should it leave its bed at any point of its course. Pending the entire solution of that question we protest against any works at all being undertaken, or any money wasted. And it is greatly to be regretted* that the Government should have given way upon such a question in the slightest degree to secure the Eaiapoi support. , We sympathise as much as any one with those who have invested their property on the banks of this treacherous river, but we cannot admit that those who are so deeply interested in the result are the fittest persons to give an independent opinion as to the means to be employed. They are unavoidably biassed in favor of any scheme which seems to promise even temporary relief from passing danger. It is most natural that they should be extremely reluctant to admit that nothing can be done to relieve them ; every one would feel the same in their position. But the Government is bound to protect the public revenue from being squandered, and having satisfied itself that the only works which could really save the Island would be far larger than the province could undertake, they are bound to resist any attempt to throw away money upon really useless undertakings.