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Clutha Leader, Volume I, Issue 12, 24 September 1874, Page 5

" Someone" in connection with the * Bruce Herald' has evidently taken the alarm, and even waxed wroth over the discovery of a new and extensive seam of the famous Kaitangata coal, which was reported in our last, and copied by the Dunedin papers. A leading* article, in the journal referred to is devoted to an attempt to correct "a grievous mis- " statement which has been made in " connection with this matter, and that " is as regards tbe use of Kaitangata " coal by Mr. White, . of the. Toko- " mairiro Pottery, and his- expression. " of a most favorable, opinion thereon." The writer asserts that Mr. White has. never burned a shovelful of tbe coal at his works, and proceeds to give that gentleman's opinioD of tbe Kaitangata coal, as compared with that from some place called Elliot Vale. Now, in this the ' Herald' has simply, for a purpose no doubt, raised up : a ghost to demolish a phantom of bis own imagination. In the report referred to, neither Mr. White nor the Tokomairiro Pottery were even for once mentioned, noi was there the most remote reference to Mr White's "expression of a most favorable opinion" upon the coal. Indeed, it was probably unknown in this or any other quarter that Mr. White held, or was competent to form, any reliable opinion upon toe subject. Seeing, however, that such seems the nature of the opinions relied upon as to the quality of coal from certain pits in tbe Tokomairiro district, this may account for tbe extraordinary prominence it is found necessary to accord it in the columns of our contemporary. Those interested in the Kaitangata coal court no such? testimony or ".tail writing" — the material itself, wherever, it has heen used, has afforded sufficient evidence of its superiority. Our Kaitangata Mends will, however, no doubt take a note of how far our contemporary has put himself out of the path of trutjh to attempt, however feebly, to j ruin their interests. As Mr. Wkite's \ name has been dragged into this matter, and as be alone seems to supply the inspiration to our contemporary upon various subjects, coal included, we have, from mere curiosity, procured a statement of tbe quantity that gentleman ha& lately h^ri from the. present Kaitangata Company. What he may have got from the other Companies we do not know. We find the total for the last four months to be 26 tons. Why is this ? The. Kaitangata pits are upwards o£ 20 miles from Milton, while 1 Mr. White's own Elliott Vale coal is only some six miles distant. We leave the public to judge between these facts and Mr. White's " opinions'* as given, we trust in error, by our contemporary. If Mr. White burnt these 26 tons of coal, then he must consider them superior to that from bis own pit ; if he did not, and merely carted them for others, then

that shows conclusively that his opinion as given by the ' Herald' is contrary to the opinion and experience of consumers of coal in the Tokomairiro, district. ;