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Evening Star, Issue 15709, 25 January 1915, Page 4

St. Clair Beach is unrivalled for attractive charms when the Defacement or tickle weather and the Improvement? sea are favorable. On these all too rare occasions the only regret expressed by thousands of visitors to St. Clair is that the authorities havo been so tardy in attempting to " improve upon Nature.'' And everybody agrees that Dunedin is hopelessly "slow." But when conditions change to the opposite, and the authorities contrive, after laborious preparations and arguments, to effect modest improvements, many visitors and others complain bitterly that blundering busybodios have succeeded in defacing tho works of Nature. The municipality becomes as the man in the fable, who carried his donkey because many people were displeased to see him ride upon it. The mind of the public is perverse. The latest effort to effect an improvement at St. Clair Bench by forming a drive along the eastern sandhills between Forbury and the Esplanade is now in hand, and already several " experts" predict permanent ruin of the marine attractiveness of St. Clair. The beach, they claim, has been spoiled as a playground for children, and the clean firm sand has gone to sea, leaving a bed of boulders to mock the ingenuity of man. These critics may bo correct in their gloomy assertions and predictions, but against them should be set the more optimistic opinions, faith, and trained judgment of independent engineers. It is true that the beach at St. Clair is now unattractive, and that extensive denudation of sand has occurred during the past five months, but few men would risk their claim to reasonable wisdom in asserting with unassailable confidence that the " defacement" has been the direct result of interference with Nature. It is rather amusing to contemplate that the construction of an esplanade, which has proved appreciably advantageous to thousands of visitors to St. Clair, who do not believe that surf-bathing is the only pleasure by the sea, has moved the tide and the wind to bitter resentment. Perhaps it is unfortunate for the authorities that at a time when they are endeavoring with acceptable earnestness to effect improvements at the sea-front at St. Clair the wind and tide should have combined to denude the beach of sand immediately opposite to the Esplanade; but most people will prefer to accept the combination of forces and result as a mere coincidence. Denudation of the beach was experienced and regretted when the civicauthorities neglected the attractive. Ocean Domain. Westerly winds and full tides have frequently scooped sand from the beach at St. Clair, but a change of atmospheric and tidal conditions soon remedied natural "defacement." And many patient folk are confident that wind and tide will again provide a- generous covering of sand upon the stones now strewn about this portion of the beach.

It, has been stated that the work now in progress—tho preliminary extension of the Esplanade in the form of a (hive—has wrought devastation involving serious difficulty as to subsequent remedy. Engineers do not admit that there will be need of remedy, nor do they acknowledge any devastation through interference with the natural beauties of the heach at St. Clair, Certainly the work in itself is not attractive, but that is true of most works viewed in the midst of construction. When the "drive" is completed in accordance with plans, which do not represent the final scheme—a continuation of the. Esplanade when funds are available—its present unsightliness will have disappeared, and instead of a crude road edged with jagged rocks and topped with clay there will be a broad promenade, with an asphalted footpath, 15ft wide, overlooking the beach, and a macadamised carriage way 25ft wide skirting the sandhills, and finally curving townwards to Given street. As for the. precipitous, jagged embankment, it will be planted with marine shrubs, and made to appear liko a rockery. As regards the denudation of sand, those who have carefully studied tho sea changes and effects at Ocean Beach are confident that Nature will restore conditions to the normal standard of attractiveness. The work of constructing Ocean Drive was not entered upon lightly and without careful consideration.

The formation of an Esplanade has been in contemplation since 1880, and has been reported upon favorably at different periods by Messrs 0. M. fiarr, C.E. (in March, 1830, and again in -July, 18911, W. N. Blair, Engineer-in-Chief for the Middle Island (March, 1830), R. Hay (March, 1880), C. W. Adams. Chief Surveyor (July, 1891), S. 11. Mirams, City Engineer, and E. R. Ussher, District Engineer (conjointly in July, 1892), F. W. Petre, engineer and architect (July, 1893), Leslie Reynolds (July, 1893), J. "lluteheson (July, 1898). and others. The present work was reported upon by Mr W, Blair Mason arid Mr W. D. 11. M'Curdie, City Engineer, and received the endorsement of the Public Works departmental engineers. If all these engineers have deliberately agreed to ruin St. Clair Beach they could not have had much respect for professional reputation. The Domain Board were particularly careful to secure dependable assurances as to safeguards before they sanctioned the present work, and were not indifferent to the aesthetic aspects of the proposed scheme of improvements. As for the temporary inconvenience, to the public, the engineer in charge is making provision for adequate entrances to tho beach. He cannot, however, bo expected to control the tides and wind, which, since August last, have played havoc with the fine bed of sand at St. Clair, removing from near the base, of the Esplanade alone a, 9ft layer of sand. If any reliance at all can be placed upon the. judgment of the engineers consulted and engaged upon the scheme, the public may look for improvement rather than permanent defacement.