THE SANDHILLS.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 9340, 3 February 1892, Page 3

THE SANDHILLS.

TO THE EDITOR.

Sm,—l notice in to-day's issue of your paper a letter signed " Robert Paulin," and am surprised to find that Mr Paulin has either misunderstood or not read my report with due care. For the benefit of Mr Paulin, I beg to quote the following extract from my report published in your paper of the 12th December 1891:—" My observations in all cases indicate the heaviest sand travel to be in a northeasterly direction, the direction which would naturally affect St. Clair end of the beach by taking the sand from the corner to replace the vacancy caused by drift further eastward. The lowering of the beach and stripping of the sandhills to any marked extent has occurred within very recent years, therefore it is fair to judge that the agents causing the change do not date back over any long perisd. The wind records from 1876 to 1890 show no increase in later years of winds from the southward, nor force in such as to cause stripping in recent years in excess of what occurred previously. I am inclined to charge local influences with the cause—viz., traffic on the beach, removal of sand from the back of the sandhills, increase of building and tree-planting area along the racecourse road and on the landward slopes of the sandhills. The part of the beach most frequented by holiday-makers and children is the St. Clair end, and the constant traffic and climbing of the seaward slopes of the sandhills has loosened the sand and rooted out the sand grasses and vegetation which formerly grew there. At the present date the inshore slopes generally, except at those points from which sand has been taken, remain practically undisturbed ly traffic and clad with the natural vegetation, which grows rapidly through the accumulations of sand. While, therefore, the seaward slopes are nude and bare, and offering a sandy face to every wind that blows from a southerly direction, the landward slopes are offering a handy trap for collecting the sand blown over, and retaining it there against any winds from the north which tend to replace it seaward." I may further state that during the last 10 years the southerly and westerly winds have in every year without exception prevailed very largely in excess of northerly and easterly winds. This statement is based upon records, and is not merely guesswork.

I am generally averse to defending my opinions through the press, but, as Mr Paulin is labouring under such very evident misapprehension of my views, I make exception to my rule, but do not wish to enter into further correspondence on the subject.—l am, &c, Leslie H. Reynolds. Montecillo, February 2.

TO THE EDITOK.

Sir, —AVho and what is Robert Paulin ?—for I notice nobody, be he engineer or other, has any right to an opinion re sandhills and beach except himself. He ventures no theory as to cause, but simply contradicts whatever theory may be advanced. AYe are all interested in the preservation of our beach, and what we want are opinions from those competent to put them forward. Mr Paulin's letter in your issue of to-day is just such another splutter as we have seen before. Everybody wrong, then why on earth does he not mend matters by saying what is right ?

The gist of Mr Paulin's letter is to the effect that Mr Reynolds, instead of going to England to learn his profession from Sir John Coode and other eminent men, should have sat day byday on our beach all this time, and then ventured his opinion as to how the sand is shifting.

and what is to stop this shifting. Porhaps this has been Mr Pullin's method of discovering, but we want something more practical than that. AVhen I learn who and by what right Mr Paulin criticises I may have more to say. I am, &c, St. Kilda, February 2. Resident.