THE OCEAN BEACH SANDHILLS. TO THE EDITOR.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 11113, 14 May 1898, Page 3

THE OCEAN BEACH SANDHILLS. TO THE EDITOR.

Sib, —I was pleased to see your leader in Monday morning's paper concerning fche Anderson's Bay road and the Sandhills, and now that the sea has made a brsak into St. Kilda I think it ig time ths personnel of the Domain Board should be changed and some new members put on. Had Mr Fisher (the Mayor of South Dunj c.din) and Mr Hancock taken the advice which | I offered them gratis when they were elected to the board they would have had the pleasure of seeing sandbanks half a mile out instead of having to,cart it away. What I advised them to bring before the board was this: to erect a fence from the point of the Sandhills above the Racecourse Hotel and bring in a line on the bank of sand outside of the lagoon which forms outside the battery right down to the lower end of the Sundhills at Tahuna Park. The fence only wants to be poles 10ft to 12ft long, 3in in circumference, and two plain wires to put scrub on, and when that scrub is covered put two more wires on, and they would soon have the lagoon filled up and a bank of sand-right along. After tbe first drift plant marram grass, and in the courss of a few years *he south-west winds would form the_ Sandhills outside altogether, which -would relieve Tahuna Park of its drift sand too. It was only last Monday I wag urging the Hon. Thomas Fergus to come out to see the Sandhills, as I could explain it better on the ground and show him how I treat the sane! at my own place and the propsr way to plan* the marram grass. I think some other gentle- ; men that I hava suggested things to for the > bettering of the Sandhills will act on it, for it h i all nonsense'for the Domain Board to say they I have no funds to work with. I balieve they I have spent more money the last four years on j j the Sandhills than what I offered to.plant mar- j j ram grass for, and guarantee it to grow and j form *ho bank which I have suggested. I j offered the late Mr Fish (who was chairman) \ and Mr Wales to plant hMf a dozen rows on the i lines I have suggested for £120, and if it did j not form the Sandhills then I would not charge j them a halfpenny for it. Now they will find ife i ; -will cost them a great deaJ more. Had the St. ! | Kilda Council planted grass when they put np their fences a couple of years ago ii; would have done a <iaal of good, and the present rush of water would not have happened. If my suggestions are. carried out the fori; will bs hidden from the sea, as the sandbanks will form outside one fort altogether.—l am, &0., S. L. Brookes.