The Press. WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 5, 1876.

Press, Volume XXV, Issue 3228, 5 January 1876, Page 2

The Press. WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 5, 1876.

The people of Timaru are taking active steps to promote the construction of their breakwater. They are now circulating a memorial to, the Superintendent, praying that his Honor will recommend his Excellency the Governor in Council to carry out Sir J. Coode's plans. The memorial quotes facts and figures in support of the petition; and certainly, whether we look to the lose shown to be sustained by the district from the want of a shipping port, the advantages to be gained by the possession of a secure harbour, or the probability of the work paying its expenses, it makes out a very good case. Best of all, Timaru has gained the energetic support of Mr. Stafford. In his address to his constituents the other day Mr Stafford spoke of the breakwater in terms of positive enthusiasm. He called it the Timaru Bill of Eights. He urged his hearers not to relax in their efforts to press it on the Government, and pledged himself to do his very utmost, in conjunction with the other, representatives of South Canterbury, to induce the Government to undertake it.

Without going quite so far as the influence of the genius loci seems to have carried Mr Stafford, we agree that the successful completion of this work will be a great benefit to the central part of the island. And we agree very heartily with his view that railways &nd harbour works should go together. This is an opinion that we have maintained with respect to harbour works at Lyttelton, and it applies, of course, equally to harbours in every other part of New Zealand. "We have all along contended that the improvement of harbours in connection with railways, should have formed an essential part of the colonial scheme of public worars. It is a monetrous mistake to devote all our resources to providing for internal traffic, and to neglect those facilities for import and export trades in our larger ports which the very development of the means of internal communication renders the more imperatively necessary. As Mr Stafford says, expending money on railways is comparatively throwing it away unless thoroughly efficient means are adopted for communicating with the outside world by the construction of wharves, jetties, and all other necessary harbour accommodation. But we do not understand Mr Stafford to countenance the prevalent opinion in South Canterbury that the breakwater can be contracted for immediately. On the contrary, he appears to take for granted that application to Parliament will be necessary. Meanwhile he makes a shrewd suggestion that the £100,000 voted by the Provincial Council ehould be formally set aside and " ear-marked" for this particular work; lest otherwise, in case of a deficiency in the revenue, it may not be forthcoming when wanted. The people of Timaru will, we dare say, take the hint. The money is undoubtedly theirs, and it is their business to see that it does not, by one of those accidents to which suspended appropriations are liable, clip through their fingers.

"Wβ have another recommendation to offer. We observe tbat the Timaru Herald ia highly delighted by Mr Stafford's saying that the greatest mistake ever made in the settlement of Canterbury was in selecting Lyttelton as the port. "Well, we do not see how South Canterbury can derive any particular satisfaction from that. Suppose it was a mistake, how is Timaru affected ? Akaroa might have been a better selection —though we are by no means sure tbat it would have been found so in the early days of the settlement, but the choice lay between Akaroa and Lyttelton. No one would have ever dreamt of establishing the port at Timaru. Why even now it takea an expenditure of at least £250,000 to make any practicable harbour there at all. However, this is uothing to the purpose. What we wished to impress on our friends in the South is this, tbat they must beware of muddling away their money. They have a plan which suits the case, and, whatever the cost may be, they must stick to it and carry it out in its integrity. They must let nothing beguile them into piecemeal operations or spending money on temporary expedients. In this respect they may profit by the example of Lyttelton. The great fault in the attempts at harbou • improvementein Lyttelton has been that they have not till lately, been

conducted on any systematic plan. Aα elaborate scheme had been prepared, but the cost was £150,000 or £200,000; and the Provincial Government, alarmed at the prospect of so, Harge an outlay, persisted in trying; makeshift experiments .to meet irradiate wants, frittering; away thousands on thousands in the endeavour, till in "ike end as much was scent as would have sufficed for the original scheme, sad, y e * no permanent advantage had be'eiiLi gained. If some years ago £150i000 had been invested hr the execution of a well considered comprehensive system of harbour-works in Lyttelton, it would now be one of the .best .harbours in -the colony. As it is, in spite of .'all *tne money that ha 9 there;"it" isr "but~TniFJ-rate," .and" the greater part of the work of nnproTement has still-to be done. There could,not be a more useful lesson for any place that is going in for harbour works.than the expenditure in Lyttelton harbour. Our Southern friends, we know, are not apt to think they have anything to learn from the North, and we should not expect them to listen to us if we offered Lyttelton as a pattern. But they may perhaps be willing to accept it as a frightful example. It is in that light alone that we commend it to their attention. At the same time, we beg them to draw and apply the moral. They are now about to have their opportunity; we trust they will not fail to make a better use of it. _____^__