THE CANAL PROJECT.

Press, Volume LXII, Issue 12480, 17 April 1906, Page 9

THE CANAL PROJECT.

to m« xditob or "the thess." Sir, —Mr John C. Cameron's letter deserves serious consideration from thoss-* interested in the Chrietchurch canal. He draws attention to the Melbourne canal with regard to Sir John Coode and his opinion thereon. The tamo thine applies to other harbours, upon which Sir John or other eminent engineers were asked to report. Take Dunedin as another example. Although great, difficulties were met with there, they uero not insurmountable, and any ordinary thoughtful engineer, not an eminent, who liked to take the trouble to study out tlie local peculiaritio* of a port," could give equally at> good an opinion as an eminent man. I do not think tliat such a scheme ats the canal and the expenditure of a couple of millions should be entered into lightly and on the ipso dixit of ono man, but surely wo can do without sending out of the colony fcr Uie necessary' brains. The work itself is as simple and plain ;i work as could bo conceived. There are no engineering difficulties, the greatest l>cing that of finding the neccusiry money. Whatever Mr Williams docs it is to lx> hoped In- will not perpetrate tlie huge blunder of making the <vin:il without piling its faces, „s mentioned by Mr Cam«ron. If so. the sandy banks will be continually foiling in by reason of the

wash of the propellers of steamers passing up or down. Froi observationelsewhere, and knowledge of Christchurch's foundations, I am quite sure ihat were the canal banks unpiled, c steamer the size of the Delphic paseing up am! down would, by suction, bring down hundreds of tons "of sand. Dunedin channel i«s walled to half tide, and this trouble Ls always a serious inenaco to the navigable value of the harbour. Shoals in unexpected places crop up. always bring found by the steamers getting stranded./usually for a whole tide. As tn the vaiue of Mr Cameron's idoa of taking the canal to Cowlishaw's corner. I have my doubt*, but it might certainly lie considered. There are several alteniativvt routes, and Mr Williams's scheme should not; bo settled upon without timber consideration. To save an "eminent" f.o aud possibly get better advice, it might bo well to appoint a committee of five, and the engineer, to enter into the whole scheme, including i « o,m? ' alu * rf, R ort to the Board and the Chamber of Commerce- no member of the Board, member of Parliament, nor owner of property east of Fitzgerald avenue to be on this committee. These five gentlemen would be appointed by lhe Chamber of Commerce, and a fee of a bund red pounds divided among them would pay for their time and trouble in advising and offering suggestions to the engineer. We. as ratepayers, are the owners of the works and pavers of the bills, and should therefore have n little to Fay on tlio matter. As constituted, the Board may be admirable, but. a few outside brains brought to bear could do not harm. Such a body of men, especially if remaining in office almost continuously, are apt to get imbued with certain narrow notions, and do certainly become very conservative. There are no groat difficulties in the canal scheme, and what is really wanted is calm, deliberate judgment, uninfluenced by personal or local interests Yours, etc., HARBOUR, Christchurch, 10th April.