BRIGHTWATER PROTECTION WALL

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume LII, Issue 160, 3 July 1918, Page 5

BRIGHTWATER PROTECTION WALL

| . i (To the Editor.) I Sir, —Allow me space for a tew remarks re the above. Going back to the adwnt of the railway across the .plain the Public Wdrks Department placed same as a dam with earthwork and very small outlets, endeavouring to confine the Wairoa river. Fourteen years ago the said river rose and a good flood carried away a large portion of tile earthwork, smashed up their outlets and did some thousands of pounds worth of damage. They rei paired the same, mating extension in ! th- outlets, 'keeping to their earth* ! work banks, and again had the whole ! lot more seriously damaged and again i had to expend some more thousands j in repairs, and I wish to point out f that the Department, not only suffered : but the settlers in thite part of the piain had to suffer as well. Houses and land were damaged, horses, cattle and she-p destroyed, fences levelled, • and the Department never thought to i compensate these people and had so ? safeguarded themselves by Acts ot i Parliament that the settlers had no redress. After the first flood the Department placed a wall at the entrance to the gorge to protect the residents and a portion of their own works, but for the sake of, say, a hundred pounds of New. Zealand cement tne wall, when put to a real test, carried away. The residents, now becoming- anxious, got the M P. for the district to interview tlie Public works Department and asked them to. reinstate their work on- a better principle and the matter was considered settled, but oh no, the [Department tried to push the question on to the County Council and asked them, if they would ind mnify them if anv action 'for damages arose. This said Department never asked the settlers how much indemnity they require

for all they have suffered and are likely to have' to put up with in the fixture through the work of the Government 'Department concerned. As to the future, for the lest 50 years and •more the back country has been and is being denuded of the forest and consequently larger volumes of water may be expected instead of less, and instead . of the railway outlets being made smaller, they should have been -extended in every case, so as to let the water get away as it com s down. The residents of the district affected are expecting the Public Worts Despartment to reinstate the wall and to do it in a substantial manner. As regards indemnity for damages it has been settled in the Supreme Court that I anyone can erect a bank or wall, etc., for -the protection of property so Ibng as the original course is not interfered. * with, and as this question was not raised by the .Department when the wall was constructed, why now? Perhaps our member of Parliament will i see why and assist us to the protection we are entitled to. I am etc., | ' UNCLE JOHN". INSURANCE POLICIES AND WAR LOADING. (To the Editor.) i . Sir, —Through your valuable columns I should hike an opportunity of warning ' Second 'TJivaJsaion.! Reservists and others against .taking out policies oil their lives without making .very full inquiry into the war loading and other •important matters. For instance, I know of one .business man in this town who was induced to further , insure his life to the extent of £SOO with a company who offered' him special inducements to do so in the form of half premiums for five years. This opportunity was too good to miss, .'butthe took it for granted that the war loading would be, say, 7£ to 10 per cen/t, and thi6 is where he ha? realised his mistake, for later, he received a note from the office,- informing him that the war loading would be 20 guineas per cent .The use of your valuable space to vehtilaite this matter will be appreciated by HALF PREMIUM v

fWHO DISCOVERED THE NEW STAR?

(To the" Editor.)

. Sir. —In an article appearing in last (Tuesday) evening's issue- of your paper, on the star"" Nova Aq'uilae. the claim of first discovery in this countryis made for Mr Hudson, as haying observed it on the evening of Monday, the 10th June. As a matter of fact Jt was pointed out to the writer by.Mr Selby of this city, on the evening of the previous Sunday, the 9th June at about half past eight o'clock as being a new star to him. Possibly others may have-seen it on that evening; Mr Selbv certainlv did. ' I am etc. " " ■ S. H. STRONG, 2nd .July, 1918..

THE NEW STAR, fTo the Editor. ) Sir, —On further observing the New Star, whioh wa.o visible until 12.15 this morning, I noticed it was still .rapidly diminishing in brilliancy I It is not at all comparable now -with either Altair or Antares, to say nothing of Arcturus and. G'anopus, with which others have compared it. It is now hardly brighter than a fifth magnitude ;sta/r; and probably will not remain visible to naked eye many diays longer. All this helps to prove" the truth of my theory fthat thr so-called "New. Star" is not a star at all, but_ only a stationary radiant, whose very appearance is bnily,an illusory, phantasmal effect of perspective when viewing a radiant point. I am, etc., JOSEPH TAYIiOiR. July 3rd, 1918. , > '.-■■"