679
722
consultation with Sir M. Nathan the Consulting Engineers proposed to set back the Southern end of the wall in a depth of 2 to 20 feet of water basing their proposal on the grounds that the Railway by the purchase of "Black-head's Wharf" would obtain a deep sea front sufficient for the present. They added that the final decision must rest with the local Government who were better aware of local conditions and necessities. Mr. Eves instead of submitting the plan (for which as I have said I had repeatedly called) submitted his letter of September 16th, in which as he now admits the Consulting Engineers' proposals were entirely misrepresented. Scheme (b) in that letter (which is stated to be the Consulting Engineers' proposal) includes very costly dredging so as to secure a depth of 22 feet to 30 feet and a "permanent" sea-wall of costly design, of all of which the Consulting Engineers not only make no mention whatever but clearly state on the contrary that the depth of water is 2 to 20 feet. The scheme thus distorted cost little less than the original. He submitted a scheme (d) of his own which would cost one-fifth of the other and stated in a minute that "the difference between schemes (b) and (d) lies only in the design of the wall". Hence scheme (d) was to include the dredging.