The Oamaru Mail. WITH WHICH IS INCORPORATED THE NEW ZEALAND AGRICULTURIST. THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 5, 1880.

Oamaru Mail, Volume IV, Issue 1187, 5 February 1880, Page 2

The Oamaru Mail. WITH WHICH IS INCORPORATED THE NEW ZEALAND AGRICULTURIST. THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 5, 1880.

The Harbor Board will meet to-morrow, and wc hope the members will take Mr. McGregor's report upon the formation of a harbor into consideration. The report has been published in full, and we have already referred at h-ngtii to many of the principal details of the scheme so elaborately laid bare before the Board and the public. Our present object is not to review the proposals of Mr. M'Gregor, but simply to show the very : great necessity that exists for no longer delaying consideration of a question than 'which no more important a matter to both the townand the district can be conceived. Timaru is vigorously pushing on her harbor, and bids fair to become a strong rival with Oamaru for much of the trade north of the Waitaki, and it therefore behoves us to use every effort to make our harbor works as complete, and our facilities for carrying on a large shipping trade as great, as possible. It is true that so far Oamaru has obtained a strong lead, but it cannot alford to pause and look back, or its rival may gain upon it. It is also true that the Oamaru Harbor Board's hands are metaphorically tied for the want of funds, ponding the Hunting of the loan, and that, even if the Board at once adopted Mr. M'Gregor's proposals, the work could not ! e tendered for f- r seme time ; but even this very powerful argument cannot be urged as a suilicient excuse for any longer delaying consideration of a harbor scheme tthieh in every respect seems eminentiy suited to the exigencies of Oamaru. There can be no good reason for delay. The question is one of the first importance to the Board's constituents ; it is one that will not permit of careless procrastination, or equally careless hurried approval. Every particular should be calmly considered and deliberately weighed, and the more carefully the Harbor Board deals with trie question the better -.atiofied will the public : c that their representatives have well and truly performed their important duties. The matters that the Board should consider are : How nutcn mere of the work now let by contract to Messrs. Miller and Smillie at the breakwater shall be performed, whether the present plan shall be carried out in its entirety, whether the Macandrew \\ hr.rf shall be continued alongside the breakwater proper, or whether notice shall, as provided for under the contract be given to the contractors not to carry out the work. The last-mentioned point is one of some importance, for it would be manifestly unfair to the contractors to allow them to imagine that the whole of the work now let would be carried out, and so induce them to provide for work, a great

I './•dti'm "of ' v.iti.'h might be withi drav.'n from them directly afterwards. [ t Mes it -important that the Biard should, b-f-.re c .ming to «nv final duterI ruination upon die matter, carefully con--1 ardor that part of the Ihtgineer's report which suggests the discontinuance of the Macatuhew Wharf. We are strongly in favor of the view put forth by the T2nginmeer that th<; Breakwater is sufficiently strong to withstand the force of the he.-tvie.«r seas that roll into the hay without thi! st»|.p.-ri of the concrete wharf ; hut there are people who differ from ihe Kngineer, and it would be ihe very height of folly to quietly ignote the opinions of th'-sf: persons, for the purest croakers are capable- of dfing some amount of mischief. We irumoc. by any means permit au iin-pre->.»iMi to get abroad that the Board, .»i:h o (<I miiitr.-rence, had risked the ufefy of the Breakwater l»y discontinuing th-: - .-on wrue'ion.i of the f.oiid wharf ; for,

v. ever •/r->;niie-; ( .vieh n.i- i.r, hi-, ii wt.u.d ce-nuinly lend to damage -.he Hoarti'n credit and materially affect the v.. It'arb of the v.hole district. Therefore ,ve r ay tlla; the matter should be carefully considered. Not, 'however, because we have any Rertuus misgivings as to the Kucurily of tile main wall without the additional Support affordpd by tho wharf ; but nrc are nvt'fluro whether it wnuld not

be well for the Board to take further advice upon the point, and so make assurance lifiib'y sure. Here again is a question p.' k'souM be at once considered,, and. :::-. : f-ed. the "hole scheme, excellent in

and possessing every attraction, is n-vertlieicss fraught v. it h so many minor Doints that require profound consideration •hat ihe more carefully the Board weighs .Mr. M'Grcgor's report and ; plans the •'renter ihe chance of ihe ultimate success •if t!ie works. The report prepared: by .Mr. M'Gregor is clear, and presents plain varnished details <"f the scheme, but !l-. it be borne in mind that outside the matins treated upon by Mr. M'Gregor there are many-details that.an .engineer 'ould not bo expected to deal Avith in n report of such a nature. To the careful «>f the Board must he left n-any snin'.i matters, sc.me of which do t»; at fust suggest themselves to tlie ■srt-,=;i-vor. T<> ascertain the value i the picture, we must look closer into »; and discover its details. A hasty and iio:i-cri::cal glance cannot give us any ?dt-p. "i vx nrmy beauties <>r its partially hidden defeats. And so ir is with large • iudoriaicing.-'. Vi'e hold that it is the iuiy of the Board to carefully examine rite plans placed before them. What Utter time could be taken than tho pfi-sent, while tho Board is, as it were, nausingfrom its !;• b'-rs,pending the receipt • { fund.-;. Sir.John Coode, when inspecting the (btmaru Harbor warned the Uo::rd that, although the works were so far a great success, their next step would require careful consideration, and that warning, although a mere generality un.'iuppovted by any reasons, cannot be set at naught. Hasty decisions lead to lifelong regrets, and it is because we fear that an over-anxious desire on the part of the Board to push on the works without delay, on the receipt of intelligence that the loan has been floated, may lead it to hastily come to a decision, that we urge them to take time by the forelock, and at once set about preparing their plans for future operations.