THE GREEN ISLAND AERODROME

Otago Daily Times, Issue 21984, 20 June 1933, Page 8

THE GREEN ISLAND AERODROME

TO THE EDITOR. Sib, —A few days ago, being at Green Island, I took the opportunity of seeing the work that is being done at the aerodrome. I was amazed at the stupendous stupidity and futility of the work in progress. In the first, place, I was struck by the uselessness of the work. It may last one heavy rain, but at the second downpour would all be undone. A jod of this kind should be undertaken in the dry season. Even then the work would be of a very temporary character. In fact, although men have been working there for nearly a year, they have not so far improved the area one iota and never will with the system that is at present being followed. The second thing that struck me was the conditions under which the men are working. They are up to tjieir knees in mud, slush, and water working on a dyke with no secure foothold. If they should slip they nave the chance of going over the bank into deep water, sliding into a ditch or the celebrated Kaikorai filth, or sprawling in the mud and ruining what clothes they have—and they cannot buy a suit every six months on 31s Id a week! Again they stand a good chance of incurring pneumonia or rheumatics for life a nice choice, surely. I would like to know if any of our city fathers have on a showery day inspected the utter waste of the ratepayers money on this job. If not, I would advise them to do so and walk from end to end of the dyke as well as go over the fields and tell their experiences at the next council meeting. All Ratepayers who have the interest of the city at heart would, I think, be well advised to inspect the work, so that they may get some insight into the squandering of their money. If the filling in of the area had been undertaken there would have been at least half a dozen acres reclaimed for good by this time. Instead of this the area is as it was when the work was started, all this money having been squandered by men who profess to be careful of the city s finances. —I am, etc.. One Ratepayer.