The Gisborne Standard AND COOK COUNTY GAZETTE Published every Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday Morning. Tuesday, October 1, 1889. BREAKING IT GENTLY.

Gisborne Standard and Cook County Gazette, Volume III, Issue 358, 1 October 1889, Page 2

The Gisborne Standard AND COOK COUNTY GAZETTE Published every Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday Morning.

Tuesday, October 1, 1889. BREAKING IT GENTLY.

Be just and fear not; Let all the ends thou aiin’at at be thy oountry’s, Thy God's, and truth’s.

Mr Thomson, the Harbor Engineer, has such a nice way of putting things that it seems almost rude to disagree with him. He does everything so gently that there is no fear of a sudden shock to the feelings. For instance when he discovered that the theories of the evil prophets were being fulfilled he did not tell us all at once that he would want four thousand pounds for a training wall* nor did he admit before the thing was so plain that it could be observed by anyone that the sand was being swirled round off the Waikanae beach. We were led up to it by degrees which were hardly preceivable to the ordinary mind. Welb it is all out now, and though the majority of the Board could not relish the idea of asking that a Government engineer be sent to inspect the work for himself, they readily agreed that Mr Thomson should make a trip to Wellington and see the engineers there. As a matter of course, in these circumstances he had it all his own way, as he always had in regard to the site itself. But history is always an interesting subject, and it is especially so in the case of this work. At first this training wall business was put down at something like two thousand pounds ; then it got up to four thousand, and now by the Engineer’s last report we see an item for training wall and other small works.” What that means of course we do not attempt to explain, but we suppose it is a nice way of adding to the four thousand. But the best part of the report is that which refers to an old idea disguised in a new form. A short time ago there was an apparently serious attempt made to convince us that the training wall was a part of the original scheme. The assumption verged upon the ridiculous, but no matter, the plan has been approved by Government and things will continue as merrily as ever. Now the Engineer, in that beautiful style of which he is a complete master, says that when in Wellington he suggested to the Marine Engineer that z'Z would be advisable to construct a temporary groin. That gentleman, we are further informed, was much in favor of this being done. “ The cost would be little —about A3 OO or A4°o.” A question that may now be fairly asked is, why if a temporary groin can be constructed ior that amount, is it necessary to spend four thousand pounds at the mouth of the river? Is not this a clear admission that the Engineer himself does not believe his training wall scheme will be effective, just as by suggesting the wall he admitted that his original scheme was at fault ? “We live and learn,” and some of the ratepayers will probably acquire a vast amount of knowledge if they make a study of this work. They know a little more now than they did when the poll was taken regarding the expenditure of the .£40,000. The best part of that has been got through, but we are still learning, One little sentence that appeared in the Engineer’s report for the purpose of the poll is remarkable for the light that has been thrown upon it by recent experience. He wrote 1 “ The conclusion to be drawn . , . is that in fine, and even in moderately rough weather, the effect of the pier, even at its present embryonic state, is to stop the sea from throwing up sand and to enable the river to keep the entrance deep.” There is no mention there of a training wall or of the Waikanae beach sand. Again there is a sentence which would be hard to explain away now > “ There is a certainty of deep water along the pier line on account of the river current and impounded sea water, no matter whether the stories about drift sand coming down the river or along the Waikanae beach were true or not. The further the pier is carried out in a straight line, the greater will be the shelter on account of the alteration of the lines of waves.” At the same tiipe, twelve months ago all but a few days, the then Chairman of the Board (Mr Sievwright) made a report, which contained the following interesting statements: “The proposed extension of works will Be completed within say two years, and additional revenue will be derived in that way—say from £2OOO t 0 Z3 OOO P er annum. Lighterage on goods will be saved by vessels coming alongside, and merchants being thus saved 4s to Js per ton, would readily pay as to ps 6d of increased wharfage rates, which would yield say £2OOO. Then increased, but still very moderate port charges, on vessels might fairly be levied, thqs bringing up the revenue. The Tauwharaeparae Block (44,000 acres) ought within a year or two to yield a fair rent, under the Small Grazing Run Perpetual Lease system, which can be applied to it, —say £5OO to ,'Tooo per annum. The trade of the dis/rict is now at its lowest ebb, and it is reaso/’ahle to suppose that trade will improve, that the Board’s revenue will in that wi?Y increase in the immediate future.”