Bluff Harbour Reclamation

Southland Times, Issue 19140, 2 September 1903, Page 4

Bluff Harbour Reclamation

tion. — — o- __ To the Editor. Sir,— As I was prevented by indisposition from being present at the last meeting of the Uluii Harbour Board, and thereby lost the opportunity of expressing 1 my views on the extraordinary • phase on which the reclamation scheme has now entered, perhaps you will kindlvi afford mo the means of placing my views before the burgesses of Invercargill. Whose servaint on tho Bourd I am. Tho Board has for some years past been earnestly considering the best means , of making the harbour in every way advSUtttfc for the increased trade of the port, both in the direction of providing a greater area of deep water, and al=o providing additional berthage accommodation for the large class of steamets " now frequenting the colony. They have had before them plans and reports by two eminent marine engineers— 6 ir John Coode and Mr Napier Bell. After long and anxious consideration the Board unanimonsly approved of a scheme of reclamation by means of a retaining wall, inside of which tho spoil from the proposed dredging or the middle bank, and tho dredging about and inside the present Whan, was to be deposited. To make sure ol carrying the Marine Department With them, the Board sent Their then chairman (Air Allan Cormichnel) and their engineen (Mr W. Sharp) to Wellington with the plan, which had been approved by the Board, to confer With the Marine Department. These gentlemen had a conference with Mn Hftilos (the Marine Department's engineer), who thought the lino of retaining wall proposed by tbe Board came too far out, aaid after full discussion he ugreed to a line drawn lurther in. In fact, I think I am correct in saying ho himself drew this amended lino ou tbe plan. The Board received tho report of the chairman and engineer, and formally adopted the amended plan, and instructed their solicitors to prepare a bill for submission to Parliament. This bill was passed Tjy tho Legislature with a tag that the Governor-in-Council might alter the line Ol reclamation. No reason was given lo ' the Board at tho time or since for this tag being attached to tho bill. Having , got authority from Parliament, the Board then applied lor the sanction ot the Marino Department for the immediate prosecution of the work, an application which was looked upon as purely formal, seeing that the .Marine Department bad already been consulted and their own engineer's suggestions accepted. Imagine then the surprise of the Board when, after a long delay, it was informed that the Marine Department's engineer had changed his mind, and that, '.'' having recently visited tho Bluff for tho ■-. purpose of observing the run 01 the ]■' tidal currents in the harbour, ho had now como to the conclusion that the reclamation .line Oas previously laid down by himself) was inadvisable. , Now, Sir, it is a remarkable thing that when it occursied to the Marine Department's engineer to reconsider this matter, and to visit the Dluu" for the purpose of observing tidal currents, he should not have notified the Board of ': this . circumstance and should not have called at the Board's .office on seen the chairman or the Board's engineer or its harbourmaster. Surely, under the cir- " cumstances, the Board had. a right to enquire when Mr Jdailes paid this visit to the Bluff, how long he was there and what > steps he took for observing tho currents. What possible reason could there be for this profound secrecy in connection with a matter of public interest and of vital importance to tho Board and to -the whole district of , Southland? Before Mr Napier Bell re-: ported to tho Boara he spent about ; three weeks at tho Bluff, and availed himself of the assistance of the harbour staff, spending v considerable time travelling over the harbour in the tug and in an open boat, and taking every possible precaution to arrive at a correct conclusion. I understand that Mr Hailes was not seen at tho Bluff by any of the Harbour Board's people, nor did ho aal; for any. assistance from them to enable ".'-. him to take correct observations of the tidal currents. Why did Mr Hailes not . take the precaution of observing these currents himself before he laid down on ihe plan his own lino for tho retain- ■ ■■'■-, ing wall, aud sent the Board's chairman ■ and ■. engineer homo with tho assurance ; that his Department, would be satisOeU with tho same? If >Mr Hailes' present vi,ew is correct, then it seems clear that he was guilty of- great" carelessness on that occasion- * Cm the other hand,, if his present view is not correct, the Board is simply being aindo a fool of. As a matter of fact. Sir John Coode'a reclamation scheme goes much further out than the Board's scheme, and so does Mr Napier Bell's scheme, aral I tinder- _ stand that 31r Napier Bell approves of the Board's .'proposals, as also, of course, docs the Boa r d's engineer. Personally, 1 • have no doubt that Mr liailea' original opinion, that the schemo was porfectly satisfactory, Is the correct one, and wu are therefore left to look for some explanation of this most extraordinary change of front. I was certainly vory much astoni.ihed : ' '■ ' . at the attitude taken up by my colleague Mr J. W. Mitchell, who appears to have suddenly come to the conclusion that tho Bchome proposed by the Board would have a disastrous effect on the harbour. Surely, if there is any possible ground for this view Mr Mitchell ought to have tveheßJentJy opposed tbe scheme wliea it,

was before the Board, instoad of which, I, -with other members oi the Board, certainly believed that he quite concurred in the propoßala : indeed, he voted for them on moro than one occasion. Mr -Mitchell has always expressed the highest possible opinion of Sir John Cobde's plan, and it would tee interesting to know what has induced him to change his mind on this point, because, as I havo already Baid, Sir John Coode's line of reclamation goes further out than that proposed by the Board. 1 cannot follow Aln Mitchell's reasoning when he suggests that the proposed reclamation would diminish the indow and outflow of the water. The small amount of reclamation proposed by tho Board cannot possibly stop the tide from coming in and going out, or oven diminish the volume ol water that will como iv and go out, and if it has any effect on the scour at all it should be to increase rather than diminish it. It is certainly most disappointing after the great labour and pains which the Board has taken in preparing this schenio to have the wholo matter suddenly blocked in this unaccountable manner at the last moment. — I am &c.„ J. E. WATSUN.