CORRESPONDENCE.

Gisborne Times, Volume XXVII, Issue 2686, 16 December 1909, Page 2

CORRESPONDENCE.

[Correspondence on public matters h welcomed at all times, but it must bo distinctly understood that this journal is in no way associated with the opin ions of its correspondents. All letters must bo legibly written and inscribed on ono side of the paper only, otherwise they will not bo published. *An asterisk at the foot of a letter indicates that somo portion has been excised.J

MR HILL’S FACTS v. THE MAYOR’S FANCIES.

[To The Editor.]

Sir,—On April 2oth, 1907, there appeared in the “Gisborne Times” a letter headed, “Quacks and Oil”, in which the Chairman of the Gisborne Oil Company, is reported as having said: “If there was not that impervious strata there was no oil worth troubling about. The impervious stra’aran any shape. Nothing could get through the strata, consequently the oil gravitated upwards to a point, called tlie anticline. I may say what I am explaining to you is the expert’s explanation ©f this. The ©d worked up the strata to the anticline point. If a bore were put down in the hollow of the impervious strata line nothing would be struck.

The author of this lucid intellectual mixture—a veritable witche’g cauldron —is Air AY. D. Lysnar, now His AVorship, the leader progress in Gisborne, and for that matter in the Dominion. For talking thus I had ventured to term him “a geological quack of the first order,” and now, after so long an interval, your anti-synclinal Mayor has again “Jet flow his sawdust,” in a manner worthy of the man. Let me clearly explain the position. A short time ago I received a letter from Gisborne asking for an opinion with respect to the stability of the Kaiti Hill, as a proposal had been made to construct on it a reservoir in connection with the drainage scheme. Up to that time I had neither read of, nor heard of the proposed scheme for drainage, beyond what I had learnt from the newspapers during my stay in Gisborne last September and October. In reply I sent a hurried note and to my surprise I found my name used as having made certain statements. AVhatever was written by me should have been used as a whole. The public is welcome to the opinions then expressed, and since expressed, in another form. AVhat I then said and now’ say is in the very best interests of the town, and I yield to no resident of your borough, including His AVer ship, in my wish to see the town improve, in my belief that it will improve, and in my knowledge as to the causes that lie at the root of the improvement. , ' Personally, I am pleased. to know that interest is being taken in providing a sewerage scheme, although a drainage scheme would have been cheaper in the end, but, like any other ratepayer, I claim the right to express my views on a matter of the highest moment to the successful carrying out of any scheme in which ratepayers and residents are jointly interested. In my letter to the Editor of the “Herald”, I stated that the Kaiti Hill had been intimately known to me for more than 20 years—l might have said 30 years with equal truth —and yet His AYorship at a public meeting, referring to me by came, said: ‘‘What right has he to

give such an opinion when he admits not having visited the place for about 20 years?-’ I ask in reply, what right has His Worship the Mayor of Gisborne, at a publio meeting, to state a falsehood -in order to gain a little passing advantage? I have never, eitherdirectly or indirectly, stated such a thing as remarked by Mr Lysnar, and cither His Worship stated deliberately what he knew to be an untruth or he displays an ignorance of language that does him little credit-as'an ex-lawyer. Then to clinch his point, and to show that lie, like old Brutus, is “ap honorable man” and never made “off-hand opinions,” he actually suggested to his audience that my suggestion of a reservoir site on the top of the .hill beyond the Mangapapa School was “due to my desire to sell the borough a part of my.own property.” And this, mark you, after denouncing those who gave expression to “off hand opinions!” What, I ask, is to be thought of a man who at a public meeting makes two grossly libellous statements on matters of fact and yet deems himself capable of dealing ' with everything under the sun. Surely such a man shows as much incompetence on borough matters as he did about his anti-synclinal strata, and for which I called him a geological quack 1 Now, Sir, as His Worship has chosen to denounce, let me set him a task that will train him in observation and teach him to reflect a little more. First as to the Kaiti Hill. Begin at low water where you enter what was, I think, a shoot, near the Alpha, Saw Mill and observe the rock material. His Worship, no doubt, because Mr Marchant calls it sandstone, will also call it sandstone. Well, it contains no quartz grains, and a sandstone, as usually understood, is made up of grains of quartz. .. It is almost a pure pumice sana and I recollect the time when moa footprints were common on its surface. Now, follow the strike of the pumice. Go, Your Worship, behind the freezing works up along the saddle — accompany him, friend Whin ray, to see that he observes properly and states facts—and as you approach the top of the hill the pumice face shows itself in great scarps facing the Kaiti. Follow along these and you will see pumice and material like flour—which is also a variety of pumice—and this runs right along the hills and is seen beyond Wallace’s house and overlooking the hay, as rocks of pumice sand cemented together by an oxide. If you wish to see what a geologist understands as the junction of beds, go to the rocks —insist on his going friend Whinray—near Cook’s Monument. Follow them along towards the water’s edge and you will see pumice holding unconformably on to rocks which some people call papa rocks, but which to a geologist lias no moaning except that it represents a type of blue clay or sandy clay. Now, if you propose putting a reservoir on the Kaiti Hill in the jumice sandstone remember that it is highly porous, and if you should at any time have a crack or fa'ult in the basin, the water will percolate into the pumice and those living in the vicinity can look out, for “squalls.” I have not cared to mention matters that are in the mind of a geologist, hut let me remind the people of Gisborne that there have been great earthquakes in this country in times gone by, and I am not sure that they won’t again occur. The faces of the hills on the Kaiti and along the Kaiti beach tell a tale of past changes that may not strike men like liis Worship, but nevertheless the picture is there for anyone to read. Let those who wish to see Gisborne flourish go and judge for themselves whether His Worship or Mr Hill, wliom he says, “has not visited Kaiti hill for about 20 years,” knows the more about the rocks, in and about Gisborne, aye, even the syn-anticlinal ones about winch His AYorship once lectured so learnedly. Having seen these, there will be no difficulty in understanding why it was suggested that the flat-topped hill a quarter of a mile or so beyond the Mangapapa school was recommended by ine in preference to Kaiti as a reservoir site. And yet bis Worship, following his syn-anticlinal ways, inters that my reason for recommending the latter place was “in order that I might sell the borough a part of pay own property.” I have not an inch of property ir. the vicinity of the suggested site, but it is Useless to proceed further the obtuseness of the Mayor must be evident to every reader. However, if -His Worship will take the trouble to visit the places named and test my facts with his fancies s o as to rid mm-s-elf of his syn-anticlinal mood, I promise to forego my letter on “a bucket of Kaitaratahi shingle,” which I had purposed sending up as a breakfast titbit for his and your readers benefit, i am ’ efcG ” H. HILL, Napier, Dec. 15. the loan proposals. [To The Editor.! Sir, --Having read your ltader in.this morning’s issue re the loan proposals, I should like, as an onlooker, to sav a few words. .1 think it is preposterous the way " the ratepayers allow themselves to be led, or rather, driven like sheep, by our worthy Mayor. His attsnrpting to nfeli through such a conglomeration of schemes all in one, clearly shows that lie is afraid the ratepayers will consider the time not yet ripe for some of the proposals, and is thus trying to make the really necessary improvements get the others through. When one considers that should the ratepayers reject the proposals in the combined form, the councillors will be bound to submit them separately, it shows their shortsightedness, or pig-headedness, and although submitting them to the ratepayers a second time would not necessarily _ delay the commencement of operations it would incur th© unnecessary expense of an extra poll. The argument of liaste has been brought forward, and it is an admitted fact that Gisborne is behind the times in comparison to Napier and other New Zealand towns, but going about improvements in the present way looks as if Gisborne had ei-en indulging in a deligntful sleep, an.l had suddenly woke up with a start. I sincerely hope that the Co’ noil will se© the folly of their ways/ and go ab' ut these much-needed improvements

in a business-like manner, bv mbihittiag the several proposals lo the raiepaveT. separately.—l am ot<-: W. ANDERV'N. [To the Editor.] Sir.—l have read with much interest the loan proposals, but there appears to me to be a very ominous silence on the part of those who are pushing the scheme as to the cost to the ratepayers and owners of houses of the internal fittings that will be necessary for the success of the sewerage and drainage system. The whole truth and nothing hut the truth should be stated and demanded, and I maintain as a student of the Royal .Sanitary Institute of London for some considerable time, and as a praetical engineer, I say that only half the truth has been stated, and the much vaunted philanthrophy of the Council to lend each owner £7 or £8 to connect up to the main sewer is not all that will have to be paid, as I find, upon making inquiries from master plumbers here in Gisborne, that the most meagre sanitary appliances for each house will cost between £ls to £20 —in addition to the cost already mentioned, viz., £7 to £8 for the connexions. As there are estimated to he about 1400 houses in the borough to he connected up, and if each house will require fittings to the value of say. £ls, an additional sum of £21,000 will he required, and if a better class of fittings are to be put in £3O per house will be nearer the mark, for I have learned to my cost that these sort of things, coupled with your high protective duties, cost a little more here than in England. In reference to the above, I maintain that the citizens have not been told the whole cost, and consequently if the proposal.? are carried they will be in the position or those who marry in haste and repent at leisure. —I a.m. et.c, “PRO BONO'PUBLICO.”