The Taranaki Herald PUBLISHED DAILY. TUESDAY, DECEMBER 3, 1889.

Taranaki Herald, Volume XXXVIII, Issue 8644, 3 December 1889, Page 2

The Taranaki Herald PUBLISHED DAILY. TUESDAY, DECEMBER 3, 1889.

Oun harbour seems to be a groat eyesore to tho Wellington peoplo, and the Press there can never refer to it but in strums far from truthful ; their remarks generally concluding with a recommendation to " shut it up." Tho New Zealand Times of Saturday has an article on the breakwater, and in it tho writer speaks of the sand drift " as having had such an effect on tho New Plymouth breakwater us lo menace it with absolute ruin at a date by no moanß far off ; " and further on it Bays, " Unless

something is done to divert the sand drift the breakwater will in a year or two be absolutely useless, even as a tidal harbour, and the mass of sand that will mark the site will be a monumental illustration of the room there is for the continuous progress of science in Sir John Coodc's profession." Now these statements cannot be said to be based on facts. It iB evident from Sir John Coode's report that he is under the impression the sand was always within the area that has been enclosed, but that the currents have changed tho position of several of the sandbanks, and what most persons have taken for drift sand has always been eastward of the breakwater. Sir John Coode, by his report evidently thinks that whilst tho breakwater was being built these accumulations of sand have been enclosed, and that that should be first dredged out before it was asserted that drift sand had to be contended with. His words are : "We entertain considerable doubt as to the alleged extensive growth of sand for some distance seaward of the breakwater, and to the north-east thereof as described in the Chief Surveyor's memorandum of March 30, 1889 . . . and arrived at the conclusion that some of the differences which have been attributed to deposits of sand, are due to discrepancies in soundings, which are to some extent inevitable when fixing tho position of isolated depths over such a large area as that of the original survey." With the experience of Sir John Coode in such matters, wo would sooner rely on his opinion than on any " engineering " advice to bo obtained in New Zealand; and as for some £15,000 to £20,000 the matter could bo •thoroughly settled, we hope that next session the House will come to our assistance and vote the money. Wo have a good claim on the colony, seeing that the Board's revenue from their endowments has been reduced owing to the legislation with regard to the disposal of the land; so in granting the money it would be only returning to the district a portion of what really belongs to it.

Clergymen may preach against it, newspaper writers condemn it, and the stage depict in a realistic manner the evil eifect of gambling ; but, nevertheless, it still goes on, and will go on as long as this old world of ours revolves in space. In Melbourne during the racing carnival the mania for betting and risking money on the chance of a horse winning is very prevalent, but the sums invested are not really so largo as some persons would make out. According to the Melbourne Leader, some bilious critics have been engaged in compiling and in exaggerating to the wildest limits the estimate of the cost of the Victorian Racing Carnival. That paper says : " We are in no way concerned in defending the mania of betting, which in its abuse has an evil influence on the national character, but we maintain that in the consideration of this subject even religious journals ought to be guided by some respect for veracity and probability. Any person with moderate knowledge of the facts can only laugh when gravely assured that the racing budget of the year for Victoria alone is something like £8,000,000, and that £700,000 was staked by tbe public over the events of the V.R.C. Spring Meeting just brought to a close. Another authority allocates the modest sum of £1,825,000 a year for the support of the noble army of bookmakers, basing its estimate on an allowance of £2 per day to 2500 metallicians. While figures are so easily handled, the author may, like Clive, stand amazed at his own moderation. Unrestrained by any compunctions for accuracy, there is no reason as far as we can see why he could not have raised his estimates tenfold, and given to the innocent members of the V.M.C.A. a still more startling sensation. For our part we should be inclined to recommend a subdivision if not by ten, by at least five, in order to bring the statements within the region of probability. The members of the ring who make their living by betting and by nothing else certainly do not exceed 500, and an average of £700 a year to each is an award which many of them would very gladly realise. Even the sum of £300,000 a year for supporting these I' lilies of the field " in luxurious idleness is a cost which the community may well begrudge. How the budget of £8,000,000 is made up we can only vaguely guess. The method adopted seems to be to count every item over and over again. The betting on the races rises to fabulous figures by adding to the total every individual transaction, although the same money may do service a dozen times. A bookmaker, for example, makes a £1000 book, and lays his £1000 against 12 different horses. He can only lose once, and he loses or wins simply the difference between his stakes against the winning horse and his receipts on those defeated. Yet each bot is gravely taken to swell the enormous total of betting. When this is done, not in one case, but in hundreds, we can begin to understand how the immensities of religious journalism are attained."