WAIPORI AND THE GOLD QUEST

Evening Star, Issue 17958, 3 May 1922, Page 7

WAIPORI AND THE GOLD QUEST

TO Tire EDITOK. Sir, —I wish to point out that tho City Council is systematically trying to kit! tho mining industry in this district by pursuing a policy of water monopoly in buying up all existing water rights—water rights, mark yon, that were granted for mining purposes wider tho Mining Act. Is a city corporation entitled to engage in mining when ils solo policy is to do away with mining? Tho Dunedin City Corporation bought Post Office Creek for the solo purpose, of putting it under water, no matter how much gold may bo there. In it trying as a private company would to make Post Office Creek the splendid miring success it ought to he, or is it only playing with it to keep bona tido minors out till the council is ready to submerge it? I know Hie mining operations of the corporation are a farce. Why does the corporation wish to buy up water that flows into tho Waipovi River? It gets tho wafer without wasting tho ratepayers’ money in purchasing what cannot be taken away from them, it is all too obvious that it want© to get rid of the miner; but it will find Hint it is a. tougher job than it imagines. The ratepayer,-; of Dunedin mar lose their splendid water power scheme altogether one of these days if they do not call a. halt, to the disgusting under, hand methods of their councillors.

What a ghastly chapter has been tho whole sordid business of the corporation in connection with the Wa.ipori scheme and the amount of ratepayers’ money wasted on tho Leo Stream bogey betoro the council managed to filch it from those pioneers who had tiro brains and enterprise to put the Waipori scheme through! Lake Luclla is practically a lake of silt, tho weir another silt trap, I noticed that Mr Coustou, in his report some little time ago, assured tho Taiori County that the outfall of tho proposed darn in tho Waipori River would bo some 25ft above the normal flow of the .river, thereby making provision to hold the silt from going down to the Taiori Plain. Twenty-five feet for the Taieri people, and 15ft for power. Not bad for tho Taieri people, ami not bad for the ratepayers of Dunedin, considering tjho miners’ clause in Hie. Ifni powering Bill, which reads: “Nothing in this Act shall bo construed as in any way affecting, the continuance of tho use of the Waipovi River as a sludge channel.” When .Dunedin’s wisei men throw away a. few more thousands of tho ratepayers’ money they mav wako up to the fact that it us. a. physical impossibility’ for the Waipori River to bo a dam and a sludge channel at one and the same time.

It mav interest your readers to know that the' Waipori Valley has been worked to an average depth of about 14ft, and Yielded upwards of about thirty tons of gold. ‘As everyone who knows anything about mining is aware, the richest gold is on the bottom. The average depth of tho 'Waipori Fiat is about 100 ft, so it is patent to anyone who thinks tor a moment what a. splendid asset is here. All that are wanted arc capital and enterprise. As lessee of the Deep Lead property at Waipori for Hie past eighteen or nineteen years, I may say that the sale. to the corporation forms a surprising action on 'Messrs Farrell-Guderinirs part, as I had undertaken to prove the. Deep Lead sonic two vears ago on an understanding with the late Airs Farrell, the object in. view being the flotation of a large company in London or else where to work the. Waipori Flat if it proved payable. Now, I have moved this ground right up to the hilt to a. depth of 75ft. as the inspector of Mines in Dunedin and many others can testify, and although I have not bottomed yet. f oa.n allow one of the best alluvial gold ruinin” properties in the- dominion, and it is open for anvoiio who likes to coino and try it for himself. Directly 1 heard that tho corporation mags about to purclia-c iho Deep toad rights 1 notified the town clerk that I would hold it responsible for substantial damages if by any act of the corporation I was forced to adopt other methods to work my claim. Clauzo o pi the Empowering Bill reads: nothing m ibis Act shall be deemed to Hike awn..., -ibrito’e or interfere, with any raining pr.ivillcgo held at tho commencement <.t this Act," or, etc.” In I suggest that- the. corporal-ion try difareiit .sort of dealing for a, change. It Iho Waijmn Valiev is to to «■ greater as.rot to Hm dominion producing electrical energy than Hm cold is worth, why not approach the miners in a business way and buy up toe whole show and bo. done, witn it- This stah-in-lhc-hack business w.-u, called m years a r, o.— t am, etc. • ' -> R. J. Cotton-

April 28. , r . t ir |The above being shown to Or L - Shaekloek, chairman ot the to-. and L Commit ten, lie. dictated the fol.owing e.r ,i, “ A? to Rost Office (.reek, it was Miry before the City Council conh secure tho right to erect a, aam oßfi high to settle with tho owners ot the two claims that would) be dcrlmmntally affected'; so tho council bought them out. O’Brien’s claim was not worked at all. Muuro and George's claim was being worked, ami is still being worked., unaer tribute to the City Corporation, and it will bo worked until the water interferes with tho mining. Bitov to acquiring the right " build a dam to tho height stated, the corporation had to prospect all that portion of tho Waipori Flat that would, be submerged, and that prospecting had: to ho done, to°the satisfaction of the Government mining engineer. This prospecting proved that gold was not thoro in sufficiently payable 'quantities to warrant the ground! being retained) for gold mining, llio only right tho corporation has is to flood all tho area, involved, by erecting a 38ft dam. In the event of its being decided, to utilise tho whole of the Waipori water for powerprod action purposes, it may bo necessary to raise the dam to 100 ft high.,., thereby Hooding a much larger area. No doubt when tho time comes ifor tho council to promote legislation giving that power, tho Government will again insist that the land, to bo submerged shall ho thoroughly prospected, in order that the Government may lie guided' to a conclusion as to which, is Hie better project in the. interests oi tho country—cither to get out. what gold, maybe there or flood it for power production. Meantime the holders of mining rights can proceed with their work until detrimentally affected. As far as Messrs ParrelGuderian’s water rights are concerned, these were offered to the corporation, in tho ordinary way of business, and purchased! at what the electric power department thinks to be- a, satisfactory price. Until it is impossible to use them for mining purposes, the corporation will in all probability rent them to the highest bidder tramming use. There is nothing secret or of an under'-roimd' character in the corporation's doings. Tho miners can go on, andl as soon as wo injuriously affect them wo have to pay."-—-Ed. E.S.]