TIMARU HARBOUR.

Timaru Herald, Volume LVIII, Issue 1665, 19 January 1895, Page 3

TIMARU HARBOUR.

T<? TUB BDI'TOB OF THE TIMAHU HERALD. Sin, — Being present at the meeting held m the Volunteer Hall,Geraldine,on Tuesday night last.l was greatly disappointed, nothing new being advanced. Personal feeling was manifest and mud-throwing was indulged m. At the same time it was amusing to listen to apologies for absence from two gentlemen. One said — " They, the amateurs, should give way to professional advice," but he ventured an opinion which was not m keeping with professional advice. Another wished that certain paragraphs m the different engineers' reports, which he had underlined, should be brought before the meeting. One speaker is reported to say—" If the engineers have been such wretched guides m the past, could they place any dependence on them m the future," and before he sat down he said the members who were returned must not endeavour to cany out their own little fads, but be still guided by the engineers (these wretched guides). Mr Marchant was very wise m what he had to say, and it was interesting to listen to him, but he would not venture anything for the solution vof the difficulty m the future. One ofrthe speakers quoted a prediction by a prophet residing m our midst, that the harbour would be closed m seven years or less, to stop large vessels, some further time being allowed for small vessels, and then went on to explode a theory that there is a strong current running about two miles from the end of the breakwater, but the originator did not venture to contradict him, though present. It must be presumed, therefore, that no such current exists, or if it does exist the harbour may be shoaled up before the cuiTent is reached. Many besides myself would be glad to hear a little more about Sir John Coode's plan of harbour works, which m all probability would have solved the shingle question* or would have po far dealt with, it that there would have been no shingle question to solve, and it is a question now (though l&te) whether his plan should not be adopted m shore to allow the shingle to pass, nature doing her own work instead of this artificial way of removing it for all time ; and yet someone is heard to say that if it could be done m that way now and an opening made near the shore, the occupation of the engineers would be gone, and that is not a wise thing to do. But I say it is wise if it can be done, and have-no doubt m my own mind but that this is practicable, though expense would be entailed m doing it. I with many others was veiy sorry that Sir John Coode's plan did not receive its due share of consideration when made at first, and received by the harbour board. If some abler pen will take the matter up and give us the great authority's plan dealing with the shingle auestion, I -with many others will oe liankful. I am, etc., A Ratepayku. A CORRECTION. TO THE EDITOR OF 'THE TIM^IRD HERALD. Sir,— Would you be good enough to state, either by local or inserting this note, that on Thursday ' last I did not hazard an opinion as to which class of schools— Boai-d or Roman Catholic— gave the most efficient teaching. lam not iv possession of any such comparative statistics as would enable me to make the dogmatic statement- attributed to me. What I did say was that "Aio doubt each side considered its own schools the best." I am," etc., Gbo. Barclay. Waimate, Jan. 18th, 1895.

b Stamp collectors have quite a folk lore ; of their own, but it is doubtful whether 3 the following true story of the cuteness , of one of the kings of philately is known ; to most of them. It goes back to the , time when there was not such a boom m 5 stamps as there is nowadays, and shows , the advantage of being first; m any field. , Just before the 2tjlu war there was : m '■'■' Mauritius a gentleman' wheT had , preserved from" his schooldays the , taste for collecting stamps. He was ; a ' friend of the chief of the local I Post office, as was perhaps only ■ natural. Learning from him one dny that there was to be a clearance of the i old stock, he got permission to collar the unused" blocks' of stamps and other valuables of the kind which were about to be thrown away as' waste. This suggested to him that there might be similar spoils at other of out small Colonial offices. He ' moved round,' acquiring them without difficulty. When one learns that a single one of his Mauritian trophies fetched £850 not so long ago, one is not surprised to hear that by judiciously feeding the market he has realised a competence of something between £20,000 and £30,000 by his judicious foresight.