SEA WALL AT ST. CLAIR.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 7721, 16 November 1886, Page 4

SEA WALL AT ST. CLAIR.

to the editor. \ Sir,—l am very much afraid that the deputation that waited upon the Minister of Mines placed the matter before him wrongly. The true facts of the caso are these :—This wall was built by a welUknown gentleman, Mr James Smith, at the cost of thousands, and in course of time it fell into the hands of the Caversham Council. It stood for about 14 years, until a well-known resident of St. Clair and a ratepayer of Caversham came and took a large quantity of sand from the foot of the wall, and before the eyes of the people of St. Clair and under the nose of Mr Wells, the Ocean Beach ranger. Now I fail to see what right tho Government have to build tho wall again. Let the Caversham Council summon this person who took tho sand, and it will be a warning to others. If the Government attempts to place one stone on this wall or gives money towards the building, then I claim as a resident on the Flat that they havo a right to build a wall frem St. Clair to Lawyer's Head, for they have damaged and weakened the sandhills by the erecting of guns to such an extent that hundreds of tons of sand aro moving about and washing into the sea; and I have noticed since tho Ocean BiStch Domain Board has been formed more sand has been taken away than ever there was before.—I am, kc,

A Ratepayer of South Du>*edjn, Npywber }5,