Wanganui Herald. (PUBLISHED DAILY). FRIDAY, MARCH 14, 1884. THE HARBOR.

Wanganui Herald, Volume XIX, Issue 5308, 14 March 1884, Page 2

Wanganui Herald. (PUBLISHED DAILY). FRIDAY, MARCH 14, 1884.

THE HARBOR.

In this morning's contemporary Mr W. H. Watt, M.H.R, Government nominee on the Harbor Board, has a long letter on the harbor works in reply to our leader of the 7th instant. He commences by an exordium on the value of -truth, — a virtue he shows more regard for in the abstract than he does in practice, as we eshall prove before we have done with him. It is difficult to make out the object of his criticism, unless it be to manufacture a little capital out of the proposed rate, — in the absence of any positive merits which a powerful microscope would be able to discover. It fortunately for him does not require any special talents to obstruct, and this is a rble in which he has always been thoroughly at home, so far at least as the harbor is concerned.

Now let us glance at his facts and conclusions. He says — "That he (the Herald) is aware of his failure up to the present may be gathered from the fact that he has given notice " to impose a rate to enable £40,000 to be borrowed. If this means anything it means that the work should be carried on without money. The failv/re can only arise through Egyptian economy of asking that bricks should be made without straw. An M.H.R. ought to exhibit a little more common sense. Then he says our article " begins by reference to the Engineer's report, which it would have been well to have published in the same issue, so that people might have compared notes, and drawn their own conclusions." The fact is that we published the Engineer's report in extenso in our issue of the

sth, and our article commenting on it appeared on the 7th. Mr Watt therefore is either guilty of misrepresentation, or he displays an ignorance which is highly culpable in a member of Parliament. He proceeds to notice our remarks, the first being that the Engineer's report places heyond all question the material improvement in the depth of the river. In reply to this he is guilty of the most palpable shuffling. He says that "it is most unfortunate that while he was writing his leader, the steamer Go- Ahead was aground in the channel, and has been detained three days for want of water." Yet he knew or ought to have known that the tides were then the lowest that had been known for years. But even in the absence of this fact our statement was literally correct, as we simply accepted the Engineer's data, which we now reproduce for the information of M.H.R.'s and others of short or convenient memories. The Engineer's report says :— " The appended table shows that the actual depths in the ' ships' channel ' at the various sections :—: —

These depths were at high water average springs, for average neaps the depths would be 2*l less. The distance covered by the above shoal is 1900 yards. The least depth at average springs has risen from 10ft 11 in in 1877 to lift 10in in February, 1884." These figures are either true or false. After the Go-Ahead argument, intended to show them to be false, we have Mr Watt saying, with his usual consistency : " That the river has improved of late I am free (?) to admit, and I have it upon the authority of some of the captains of the steamers trading to the port that the river is deeper than it was." Then what is the object of his criticism 1 He disputes our statement that the depth of the river is equal to bhat on the Bar, and observes : "At high water spring tides the depth of water on the Bar varies from twelve to fourteen feet." If two feet allowed by engineers for the scend of the waves be deducted from this, then the Engineer's table given above fully substantiates our statement. Mr Watt's criticism comes to this : The Herald is trying to hoodwink the public by asserting that the Engineer's report shows a material improvement in the depth of the river — I quote the Go- Ahead case to show the contrary — and then "I am free to admit," on the authority of some captains, that the river has improved of late. His shuffling with the facts in this manner is a specimen of candour and capacity which must be highly gratifying to his friends.

After liis panegyric on. the Bar, he proceeds to contradict himself by the following presentation of facts : " Anyone who has been trading to tho port must know that the bar

is a shifting one, and that we have frequently two channels and sometimes three." This picture forms the justification of the Board, and condemns the obstructiveness of the Government nominee, who cannot see where he is cutting the ground from under his own feet. "To confine the channel (he says) to a fixed place you must have a wall on each side, and where are we to get the money to do it 1" The Engineers say one wall will probably be sufficient, and that a material increase of depth will be obtained by a given expenditure. The money will be available unless the ratepayers decide not to give the security. It is alleged the wharfage charges are too high. We admit they require revision, but will not bear material reduction. But why has Mr Watt been in the Board all these years without trying to reduce these charges? At the suggestion of members (not Mr Watt, though he had given notice of motion), a special committee was appointed at the last meeting of the Board to consider the question. We are inclined to think that the rambling and unveracious letter did not require a reply, as any ratepayer of ordinary intelligence must have seen its character; but when a man holding a distinguished representative position sets himself up as an authority, his pretensions may call for notice. His own self-contradictions, including our " noble river," of themselves establish every position we put forward.

No. of Section. Depth. May 1882 Depth. July 1883. Depth. Bel). 1884. Improvements since July 1883. 12 13 14 15 16 17 is 19 '20 21 FT. 11 10 11 il 11 13 11 11 10 12 IN. 9 11 3 4 4 0 11 10 10 1 FT; IN, 14 0 11 9 11 1 11 3 11 5 11 4 12 6 11 6 11 9 FT. IN. 14 2 13 5 12 6 11 10 12 3 12 3 13 1 12 9 12 10 12 6 0 1 1 0 0 0 0 1 1 IN. 2 8 5 7 10 11 7 3 1