The Press. MONDAY, DECEMBER 27, 1875.

Press, Volume XXIV, Issue 3220, 27 December 1875, Page 2

The Press. MONDAY, DECEMBER 27, 1875.

The Timaru Herald, in its issue of Friday last, replies to an article of ours, about a week before,respecting the Timaru breakwater. We are much gratified by the tone of the Teply. We are aware that, y~in running counter! to the agitation in South Canterbury upon this subject, we were exposing ourselves to the risk of misconstruction. But, our contemporary does us the justice of acquitting us of any suspicion .of being, influenced by ungenerous motives.; and* erroneous as our observations naturally appear to him, he answers them'lin the-same entirely friendly spirit in which they were uttered. We think, however, that the-llezajit has not quite caught our meaning; We did not write in opposition to thi breakwater scheme, nor did we expreef the slightest doubt to the capability of the district to provide.the requisite funds. All we said was that the funds were not forthcoming at present The case Btands thus. The Provincia Council during its last session appropriated a sum of £100,000 for the Timaru breakwater. The matter had been referred to an eminent Englisl engineer, and since the session of the Council a plan has been received fron him—admirably adapted tp the pur pose, so far as an unprofessional persoi can judge—the cost of which is esti mated at, in round numbers, fron I £250,000 to £300,000. The people o Timaru ; thereupon require that th< work shall be contracted for imme diately. To this we pointed but thai the Government are not in a posi tion to. comply with their de mand. In the first place,... the estimate; ;is very largely in excess? 6 the available means ; in the second, nc arrangement for. the providing o: further funds can be entered inte except with the sanction of Parliament The Government therefore cannol contract for the work until they havt ■obtained the requisite authority b} means of. an Act of the Genera and till then,.we said, the ~people of Timaru must be. wait. - : [ This is all the difference be 11ween us. The question is one of time. We .never disputed the i' feasibility of jfctye project?, , we. pnlj I suggested the necessity „< ; for i a fesv months' delay, r; The A difficulty we raised was not as to 1 -the I 'ultimate Ij execution of the work, but;a,s to ; the \ possibility of begiuning it at once. The Timaru Herald considers both the l above propositions unfounded! I But the first purely ia\ beyond adoubtj, ;Byr" available funds?' 'We of ( couraie did not mean money that* might be ; raised in.. future by. land' sates or by borrowing, but: money' in ; . hand | actually appropriated. And-j that, the ; appropriations are is... a fact. The work wuUepstV. while the sum voted by the Provincial Council amounts; with''interest, to £106,000. The it would be easy to. raise the ;i balance by one of two courses.' Blocks; of waste land might be reserved to. extent of 100,000 acres,-and the the> sales deposited at > "interest'■ to' the credit of a,Timaru'Hafbor :Bo4rd; or the, .needful sum might be borrowed by- debentures on. the the works? themselves. € course is i adopted;; 'the*-help iof ithe General Assemblywill be required, 'The Government alone, cannot adopt; either. They have" no, power to' reserve tbe land nor to issue., -debentures; Herald can find nothing in the Abolitibn .Act ip> prevent,the expenditure M &y?i'j7 ■penny, voted .by a Council for any public should the' Governor in Council think fit. 1 There is nothing at all to prevent it— if the work can be-Jdoiiefot'the money. If the breakwater could bejepnstruefced, for; £100,000. the witli the approval of the A Governor in might sign."a contract for it to-morrow/But the breakwater cannot; l fce i£ <?oqßtriucted ibr £100,000. It will take from one and; a, Waif to twice -Arid it be supposed 3trengtri k: 'of r ' of £100,000, t the ..Gorexnaipnt are at liberty to enter into ,a contract, or to form engagements,* irivolvinganioutlay oPo least ?;" f ; J ..: 1 " ■■;:';•" : Al/we remedy but f thp-Asserably meets.: This of eoursie isaa view that does not com mc ml"'itself to the people of;Tim'ai^.,;7Th.ej ] r,"impatience is per-' fecfiy natural^ , J&o.uld'' be g|ajl ou their aeeounfcJiCthe necessitylor any further, delay. «Quld?ibe obviated. If the Superintendent and the General ff whef, as ffs|jpi|'s oi Works, are in communicatron. s oni ,0;} -A v AiAlilJXii QS. AA 'C-'.X •

> the subject—can see their way to making a beginning at once, it will give uejpleaaiofe to congratulate our fri«p4s'*in South Canterbury .on-the result. But as* the case strikes us at ( present, we do not understand how it ,isto be managed. The want of avail- , able means appears to us a fatal obstacle. There ie no getting over tne ; fact that the existing appropriations ' are totally insufficient, and that the \ Government have no power whatever > to commit themselves and the country to an additional., expenditure of £150,000 unless wjth the express sanction of the Legislature. Any contract they might enter into, without an Act of the Assembly, would be unauthorised and illegal.