MINING.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 12419, 31 July 1902, Page 6

MINING.

The secretary of the Olrig Cctapany has received. advipe that the dredge rssumcd work on Tuesday night, ...... .

The dredgemaster of ihft.Pirst Chance dredge wirod yesterday that the indications were improving.

As the Gentle Annie, dredge was undergoing repairs all last week, there was no wash-up on Saturday. Tho dredgemaster stated in his report that lie would resume dredcinc on Monday last.

A telegram was received from the dredgemaster of the Leviathan dredge ' yesterday stating that all tba machinery was running very well:

Mr Andrew Young, formerly 'dredgemaster dredge, has been appointed to take charge of the Grand Junction dredge, on which lit George Herriot has been appointed engineer.

■ The/dredgemaster of the Garibaldi dredge, wired;yosterday that'heresumed work at midday. on. Tuesday.- Ho also reports that the ground, which was 26ft deep ■when operations were suspended, is, now shallower. The/directors of the Cromwell G.D. Company/intend to mako certain' that their new dredge, is in thorough working order, and then shift'her:,up to'the claim as sbon as possible.' It tfle river remains as low as it is at-prese'iit it may- be found necessary to .do a little dredging ;in places to get over the very shallow parts, but in any case the dredge should get on to. the claim without much difficulty. - .' Our Wctherstones correspondent ''writes that toe Golden Crescent Sluicing Comninv. liad their first wnshing-up out of the present pad-dock-•on. Saturday last, when thev got 230z 13dwtoi;t of 30ft of boxes-or, in other words, two boxes and a-half in length, -represent™ eight days elevating. The Local Industry Company commenced elevniing another paddock last ]?riday. All thrs paddock-will -be taken out of Blue Point Gully. The dredgemaster of tho Alpiifo No. 2 dredge stated in his report for last week that the remainder of the material for lengthening the ladder arrived at- tho claim on Wednesday night, and he had everything ready for work on Friday night A run was:taken ouk o{ the machinery on Saturday for two hours, everything working satisfactorily, and dredgin« was resumed at mianight on Sunday. There will probably be a wash up'at the end of this week. Before the Lady Charlton, dredge stopped for repairs she reached one of the shafts' put down' by Mr Howard Jackson, but the prospects i" e , wer l no were obtained preuouslj. Tho shaft Irom which the best results were obtained is a good distance ahead, t r° St i oE T rki, ! g 10 il woul(l con--11 ij ho . dlr l ectora h»ve decided' to call shareholders together to consider the comnany's ™ • mor ® ex P?nditur6 "is in-' cun-cd. The repairs to the dredge are not iudinr K in th ° a*** i i 3 feeling .expressed by shareholders at tho annual -meeting it is probable that liquidation Ml be decided upon;'. lis™ sll ?, rcll in. the Bendigo. Company 1 ave, on tho wnole, responded very well to the fevv nfY M r q i UC3t f °£ tKe Eubs °"Ption' of a • t , P er . share,, and there is every reason to hope that the company will be in a position to resume work without the necessity for. reconstruct,on. There are still some who . . " ot contributed, however, and if tliev wish to ensure dredging operations being re(W i, aS n 00n ? 3 - the t6 P lirß are completed n«w li 01 l *i Sen T ln tlieir "P'i® at once, ; -iii order that the directs may ltnow tho exact frnm ?U°ll ???"*»• The "Reived hnlr y W / ll,le sufflciont t0 clwr Immw \ 6xcept lhe mortgage ' (which amounts to. some £700), and leave a, good balance /ft hand for working expenses, ,-ihe/aredgemaster of tho Rise and Shine m<dge reports that ho worked Gft ahead last deplli of, the ground being up' to 38ft and tho width of the cut about 100 yards, lho prospects across the cut were very good,the l>est gold being still near the centre. .The wash was, however, extending over towards the tast side, and the bottom was soft. The ground was, however, much rougher, and the wash was very tight; but all the machinery, moulding the winches, ran very well: If the dredge has a steady run a good return is expected tins week. The directors have agreed to pay tho vendors of the -13 acres recently acquired by the company the sum of JPBOO in settlement of tho purchase instead of giving them the proceeds of six weeks' dredging on the 'additional area, so that tiie dredge will now be free to work tho new property. Tho dredgemaster of the Point d'Or dredge reports that ho was engaged in opening out all last weekg Owing to tho very low. river, and the depth'of tho-ground, lie was unable to get' down to the main bottom on account of the dredge being pushed ahead by the- tailings, which the current was not sufficients strone • awty. At the end of the/Week lie expect to get bottom for a," few days, &s he would not have the dredge far 1 enough ahead to be able to slack the tailings in the paddock. The top layer of wash continued much' the same as previously, except when ground was struck that- had been worked by a former dredge. The dredgemaster stated' that owing to the low liver it would be almost

impossible to work into the bank wjlliciit an elevator. The dtedgcmft9ler of the New Alpine Consols dredge reported -on Saturday that the ground was very.deep all last week. He struck .soft bottom on the wast sido of the river first, and it gradually widened until it extended over the ivhole width of the cut. The bottom ■was also very uneven, the dredge sometimes striking two or three hard bars or ridges about a foot higher than the vest of the bottom. The best gold was obtained on the road side, where very fair prospects were got before the soft bottom was struck, the prospects continued good until Wednesday, when gold was showing freely in the buckets. There v;as jiofc much material to shift, and the buekets.&uld be put Tight on to the bottom every shift, but. the only times the dredgemaster could defend on getting full buckets for long was immediately after pulling ahead, and then lie could bottom in less than 10 minutes. At the end of the week the ground vms not so good as ■what the dredge was on in the middle of the week. The dredge was working about . 400 yards from the top of the claim, ' 1 A good, deal of rain fell on Friday night, causing tUo river to rise Rbout three inches, but snow fell on the hills, and on Saturday the river was almost as low as ever again, the dredge being able to bottom. _ Awiro was received yesterday mornmg _ stating that the prospects were very fair until Tuesday night, but a hard reef bottom was struck early yesterday morning. Tho directors held a meeting yestorduy, at which a | dividend of 2s per sharo was declared, payable on August 7. Tlifc dividend means that about £600 will be distributed Rinong shareholders. A meeting of shareholders in the Kia-Ota

Gold Dredging Company' waslield last evening to discuss witn the directors the present position and future proceedings of the company. Alter considerable discussion the meeting recommended the directors to endeavour to dispose of the dredge, selling to thq.bcst advantage the machinery, engine and boiler..and hull, separately if accessary. The question of the liquidation ot the company m adjourned for a month. An Auckland telegram states that during the month ending July 12 thj> Manami Gold Mining Company treated 602 t*Sus ore for bullion valued at £657. / The directors of .fa QbUlon Gate Gold Dredging Company hav# declared a dividend of 10s per slnrc, on Saturday next, the 2nd ol August. DUNEDIN STOCK EXCHANGE.

There wa3 no material alteration in prices oil the l>unedw Stock- Exchange'.yesterday, and a fair number of sales were recorded during tho day. There was not very much, business done in any particular stock, the greatest number./of sal?s being effected in Unitja, four, parcels o! which changed hands. Tho river , wks steady at 2ft' Gin above the normal mark at Alexandra. . Two sales ,of Alexandra Leads took place at 13s Cd, and more shares were ivantod at that price, but sellers would not come belOw 13s 9d, Bendigoes were.firm, and two parcels changed hands at 3s 3d, at. which price more shares in. the market, buyers closing at 3s. Cromwills, which have been neglected for some time, are again coming iiito prominence, as trie prospects of {he company are improving. ■Buyers were in tho market yesterday at 45a, but the beat response was 7s above that figure. Electrics were firm; but First Chances were mciined to ease .a. little, shares being in tho market at 20s ■ 6d, while buyers closed at ISs. Gibb3ton& were steady, out G.olden Rivers weakened. A sale/of the latter was effected at 3s- 3d, and more shares were obtainable at 3s Gd, but the best response was 3s. Great Woodstocks hardened considerably, and one transaction was recorded at 4s Gd, after which inquiries were made at 4s 3d, .'but holders would not acoept less than ss. Junction Electrics .were again asked for at 10s Gd, but sellers were,firm at 14s 3d. Buyers of Monte Chtistoes moved up a little, and sellers on the otfler hand came down somewhat, with the ■ result that a sale was effected at 17s Gd, at •which figure more shares.were offered, buyers closing at 17s. North Bcachcs showed a further improvement, and old Dunstans were firm, two sales taking place at 4s, at .which price there were more sellers, buyers closing at 3s Gd. Riso and Shines were firm, and one parcel ol snares changed hands at "28s, and more were for at 27s Gd, but holders wanted Is more than that; Teviots were a little easier, and'a sale was made at 6s, whilo the closing quotations were 45,9 d and 6s 3d. Unitys were easier in the morning, but recovered slightly in the afternoon. .Two sales , took, place at 12s 3d and 12s Gd, more shares being sought at the latter price, while sellers held for 12s od. Sales were made yesterday at the following prices:—Alexandra Lead,. 13s Gdi; Bendigo, 9s Bd; Golden River, 3s 3d; .Great Woodstock, 4s Gd; Monte Chrißto, 17s Gd; Old Dunstan, 4s; Rise and Shine, 28s; Tcviot, ss; Unity. 12s 3d and 129 Gd. . • .

Tho following are yesterday's latest- quotations, .subject to the usual brokerage:— Alexandra Ls*d—Buyers 13s Gd, sellers 13a 3d. Bendigo—Buyers 9s, sellers 9s 3d. " Chicago—Buyers 7s Gd. Cromwell—Buyers £2 ss;' sellers f2 12s. • Dunslan Lend—Buyers 3s.' : ■ * Electric—Buyers £116s, sellers fl 18s 6d. Endeavour—Sellers Bs. Fourteen-mile Beach—Sellers 7s: Gibbston—Buyers 2s, sellers 2s 6d. Gold King—Buyers 2a, sellers 3s 6d. Golden Beach—Buyers 4s Gd. Golden River—Buyers 3s, sellers 3s 6d. Great Woodstock—Buyers is 3d, sellers ss. Hokitika River—Sellers Bs. Junction Electric—Buyers 13s 6d. Leviathan (pref,)—SellerS Gs., Leviathan (ordinary)— Buyers Is Gd, sellers 2s Gd. Manuherikia-Sellcrs fl 12s. ; Molyneux Hydraulic—Buyers 2s Gd, sellers 3s Gd. Molvneux Kohinoor— Sellers Is Gd dis. Monte Christo—Buyers 17s, sellers 17s Gd, Mosquito—Sellers £1. , Kelson Creek—Buyers £3, sellers £3 is Gd. New Alnine Consols—Buyers 16s 6d, sellers 17a 9a. North Beach—Buyers 16s, sellers 17s 6d. No Town Creek—Sellers £i IBs. Old Dunsta>;—Buyers 3s 6c|, sellers is. Otago'—Buyers 13s Gd, sellers 15s 6d. Rise and SMne4B«yets.'ll.7j» Gd, sellers £1 Ss Bd. . - * . Roxburgh Jubilee—Buyers Gd dis. Sailor's Bend—Buyers £1 G? Gd, sellers £1 Bs. Teviot—Buyers 4s 9d, sellers 5s 35 Trafalgar—Buyers 10s, sellers 355. Unity—Buyers 12s 6d, sellers 12s 9d.

ALPINE CONSOLS DREDGING COMPANY. An extraordinary general meeting' of shareholders of the Alpine Consols Dredging Company was held - yesterday, afternoon, Mr H. L. Tapley presided,- and about 12 shareholders were presant.

The Chairman said that before proposing the resolution on the nolico he would like to dircct the attention of shareholders lo the condition of the company, When they met together in May last they were in an awjiwaid corner, and it'.was left to'the directors to confer with.the trustees for the debenture-holders. As a result of -that conference a circular was issued to all the shareholders, calling upon them to provide a levy which would enable the company to pay oil its Kabilities.'-Unfortunately the levy was rot Sufficiently responded to. ■ ,The trustees said thai something must be done at once in cider to protect the properly, and that the best thing to do would be to reform the company, giving all shareholders an' opportunity of coining ill. Accordingly ; a," : prospectus was trained of a new company with 7500 shares at 10s, and plenty of time was given for all shareholders to come in. Unfortunately a few of the shareholders did not corns'in. Since then the new company had got to .work aild had bottomed on good gold. There had been certain references in-the papers as to'the legality of the action of the. directors of the old company, but the- people who incde those statements were not conversant with the facts. The directors were in the hands of the debenture-holders—the deed provided for that,—and'the directors had to fall in with their views. It was a most unfortunate thing, but the directors had 110 option.

Mr Freeman said (hat lie was given to understand that every director was a debentureholder, and could they act in the dual capacity? He had bought in at a- high figure, and had been left completely lii the dark.'' The Chairman said that, speaking lor him-' sei'f, he was a shareholder, in the old company, and for'his 75 sliarc3 lie had not.got a penny. Mr Freeman said that the shareholders of ihe old company had a Tight to demand something for their money He believed in doing what was right and square with the old shareholders. The Chairman said that he thought he had explained the position. The new corapany lied paid the old company £2700. and had taken over all the liabilities. Had the dredge been put up for auction it would not have realised anything like that amount. Mr Winchester: Providing the directors did not know all about the now company. The-Chairman: They did not know;. Mr Winchester: The reason the levy was not responded to was because of the. rider attached stating that the ladder was not long enough, that the claim had been silted up with a waterspout—in short, the'report that the claim was done.

Mr A. S. Adams said that it was evident that the shareholders who did not apn'.v consideretl that the claim was no good. Speaking professionally, lie could sny that the debentuTOholders, on his r.dvice, had takeii . action. The river, was high, and the dtedge ,\ias costing money and earning nothing. The; trustees for the debenture-holders were bound to take notion. Tlicy waited seven or ei»ht months, mid to have waited longer would have ten to jeopardise the property of the trustees. The directors took action in order to ensure the creditors ot '.lie company being paid. A Shareholder suit! that the directors had discouraged tlio shareholders from taking up shares in the new cOmpanVj The Chairman said that, it was an easy matter to sling a little,'mild. He held letters from the dredgemaster slating that the claim was silting lin owing to the waterspout. The directors could not hove done more than they had done, and they had' acted honourably in the interests of the shareholders.

Mr Winchester asked wliv n meeting of ihc shareholders had not boc-n called to discuss the matter.

ill- Khodes said that two years ago the company had borrowed from him £15110 at 5 per cent., and that wa3 not, sufficient; and then the shareholders lent to themselves at 00 per cent., and each shareholder had a right to a proportion of the.'debentures. The company got stmnded, aiid the directors made themselves personally responsible for £150. Wages went on [or three months, and with on.expense of £10 or £12 :t week goin;i on the trustees had to step in, or they would have been personally responsible for all the debts. A meeting was culled, and tlie matter laid befoio the company, and a levy proposed for £600, and the shareholders were told that if the levy was not responded to reconstruction must come. Kven then tho response was so poor that they had to got the engineers, tradesmen, and their solicitors to lake out their debts in shares, and with a great, struggle ihc company waa started. They said, "We'll get the dredge started," and then they bottomed. Every shareholder knew they were on payable gold before the list was closed, and everything was done fairly and above board.

After further discussion, tho Chairman proposed, and Mr li'Crocken seconded, the following resolution:—"That it has been proved to tho satisfaction of this' meeting that the company cannot, by reason of its liabilities, continue its business, aud that it is .advisable to wind up the same, and accordingly that the company bo wound up voluntarily, and that a liquidator for the purpose of such finding up be appointed." Mr Ititchio said that there was no use in further recrimination. No ono was to blame except tho shareholders who had failed to pay the 2s levy, and the reason they did not do so was because they could not altord it. The resolution was carried with oiiq or two dissentients. . - ■

M.r Shaw said that the directors had sold the dredge to themselves. The Chairman said that Mr Shaw had no right to say that. No one deplored more thau he that all the shareholders had uot been able to take advantage of the opportunity offered them. Mr L. CI. Reeves was appointed liquidator, and the meeting terminated. NEW ALPINE CONSOLS DREDGING COMPANi'. A meeting of the Now Alpine Consols Dredging Company was subsequently held, Mr J. Rhodes presiding. Messrs 3. Rhodes, H. L. Taplcy, H, Stokes, J. Solomon, and W. Foreman were elected directors of' tho new company, and Messrs G arrow and Stewart auditors^ KANGAROO CREEK GOLD DREDGING COMPANY. ' (Pee United P»jssb Association.) WELLINGTON, July 30. At an extraordinary general meeting of the Kangaroo Creek Gold Dredging Co. consideration of.a resolution to gd into voluntary liquidation wa3 postponed to enable the company to take advantage of an offer by Mr 11. A. Wick to run the dredge at his own expense for three months on condition of being allowed to retain the gold obtained up to a stipulated amount and a share of any excess.

At the present time, when the < investing public have lost so much money in dredging ventures it would he a difficult matter to successfully tlo.it another company in Dunedin. Tile , residents of the North Island, however, who have not lxcn struck so heavily, are evidently still prepared to risk something in taking up shares, as is shown by the fact that the Hcesey's Gold Dredging Company, which was promoted by Mr John Hessey, oi Masterton, was oversubscribed in a few days. The capital of the company is £5000, in shares of £1 each, of which 1300 arc to'be issued as fully paid-up, the remaining 3700 being contributing. The claim is situated at Waikaia, and adjoins the property of the Argyle Hydraulic Sluicing Company, while it is about half a mile above the Mystery Flat Company's claim. The depth of the d varies from lift to 17l"t, and the vesu i the bores go to show that the claim is a variable dredging arta. The company was ouTsubscribed by 1000 shaves, the majority of the applications being received from the North Island. The provisional directors met on Tuesday evening, when the shares were allotted.

KAIVARAU NOTES.

[FfiSU Oufi OVYK COP.P.ESi'UUDEKT.I Jul;' 28. Atter a month's absence my late visit dis-closed-110 material alteration in the prospects of the three dredges working at WRitiri. The Meg and Annie, by her consistent returns, confirms my former statement that elio would get good returns right through the 10 chains she is now dredging adjoining the Annie CJiteen, I was glad to notice the high eulogium passed on the dredgemaster (Mr E. Ji'Donald) and the crew by the chairman, of directors at the late annual meeting, for, from personal knowledge, I am,confident it was well deserved. At the same time the Upper Magneti: and Gentle Annie dredges are both manned by competent and painstaking masters and crcws, who do. their utmost to further the interests of shareholders.

The, Gentle Annie was undergoing -repays last'week, which took longer than was cxpccted. Dredging was to ha resumed on Sunday iiight, and from the satisfactory returns got lately she may bo expected to get some rich patches boforo reaching her top bolindary, adjoining the Meg and Annie claim. It must, be borne in mind that the dredge started at the top of her claim, near where the machinery was erected on her, and that the lower two-thirds of the claim is ' still virgin ground, and the opinion of all old miners here is that the richest part of the Claim is at the lower end. It is, however, impossible to take the dredge there in tho present low state of the river; but all in good time.

Tho Upper Magnetic dredge was also repairing all last week. I notice she has gone over a lot. of ground since my last visit. The bottom urfortunalcly has lately been very hard, but the soft reef on which she got such rich gold may ccme in at any moment, when another era of prosperity' will bp the result.

I was greatly surprised on visiting the Grand Junction to &ee the rapid progress that had been made with the erection of the machinery by the contractor (Mr Charles Rillston) since ho relaunched the pontoons. He lias been considerably delayed through the non-arrival of rivets and, other neccssaiy material,, which almost brought him to a standstill. These have lately come to hand, ar.d enabled him to finish the ladder and place it in position. The elevator, which ia finished, will be similarly treated this week, and if the steam pipes are only sent up in time I have no doubt- that she will yet be finished by contract time.despite the disadvantages Mr Rillston has laboured under. The housing is'partly completed, and portions are all ready constructed on the beach, to, place in position as soon as all, the machinery is erected. Hie 'carpentering portion of the' contract has been done by Mr Thomas Luokie, ship's carpenter, so'long,and favourably known in the Wakatipu district. As soon as the steam; pipes arrive and lire placed in! position a trial-run : will take-place. . ' • . ,

At Gibbston the Galvanic dredge.has once, more' been placed''in 'commission, with that well-knowii dredgemaster Mr Archie -Steel ill charge. Unfortunately .he has to wait for the arrival of a couple of boats and another headline .before lie can nuke a- start antl lake ad-, vantage of the'low stale of the Kawaran River. Ho will start operations on the Galvanic claim proper.as soon as posisib'.e, as it is impossible to get: down to the Gibbston claim now. As the Galvanic claim ha? 'iev,er hithfr'.o been piopcly tested, and it is spoken high'}' of by old residents, if is to be hoped that the present low state of the river will continue so a3 to eni'ble Mr Steel to bottom.

The Merrima-e dredge is being gradually dismantled by Mr Spain and . his men prior to removal.

THE VEST COAST. (From Oun Own OouhksiwiknT.) . GREYJIOUTH, July 30. The dredging market is depressed. The Maori Gully dredge is working well so far, and should get a fair relurn this week. Tho Nelson Creek should give a good return. Tho Stafford Waimea dredge ib-undergoing repairs. ; The Great Woodstock dredge is working close up to where miners "parked in the creek bed. Given a week's run the return should improve. The Cornwall dredge, which obtained 20os last week, is working, a nice, free sample of wash about- left deep, and returns are likely to improve. . Tho Waimea Hydraulic Sluicing. Company washed wp on Saturday 330 p. for the month Tho relurn is payable. A fortnight was spent in following up the creel; bed for a little return in order to, locate the positions of the leads fnr future operations.

THE FOURTEEN-MILE BEACH G.D. COMPANY.

TO THE EDITOB. Sin,—As a shareholder in the Fourteen-mile Bench Company I am naturally anxious regarding its present operations. To say the least of it, results so far have been unsatisfactory, anil as vague rumours arc floating around pointing to liquidation—and presumably reconstruction for the benefit o! the fewit is high time that shareholders awoke from their npathv and look some action to save their properly. The claim is probably one of the richest on the Molynenx, and there is plenty of area, but the gold is said to be patchy a'.:d easily missed it unsystematic dredging is indulged in. It is considered by many whose opinions may be considered valuable that too much prospecting is boing indulged in, and that the dredge ?uould be placed at once on the spot alongside which Drcdgemastcr Taylor obtained his 30Coz for the Golden River Company. If gold exists there—and prof.uimihly it does—a very few weeks' work with similar results would place, the dredge account in ercdit and pay a handsome dividend also. The urgent need at present is to save tho company.

—I am, etc., i Watchdog.

DREDGING- ENGINEERS. TO THE EDITOR.

Sir.,—Over tho signature " Mechanic " you published a letter last week 10 dredge engineers. I do not know who lie is, 0! course, or what his experience may lirve l>2en, but I am satisfied that lie puts forward a view as to matters on board dredges which is altogether erroneous. That tho condition of many of the dredges is as lie describes :s perfectly true, and lie might, have said a great deal more 011 the point without exaggeration. Too many of them have been and are. in thoroughly incompetent hands, who have allowed them to rilll to wreck in a lew mouths, with tho tcsuH--01 constant breakages and inordinate expenses for repairs and maintenance. In the hands of a-crew 01 careful ami experienced men many of the breakages might havo been avoided, and tho wear and tear minimised. The cost of these have swallowed up :u some eases many dividends. This applies, however, to all bands as much as to the engineer, and, whether rightly or wronply, many dredging investors have been forced to the conviction that the risks of bad management ami bad handling bv incompetent men are far greater than the risk

of the claim itself. In some eases it would have boon mora profitable to liavo given the crew £1000 to keep away and never set foot on board than to have entrusted the company's properly to tliem, only to find it n wreck.

But as regards the engineer, why should ho not work liia shift? And does ''Mechanic" really think it will improve matters to keep on board a practically idle till a breakdown takes plfico'/ If so, liia opinion is not bofne out in the experience of men who have been years at the work, and who have been successful not only as gold-savers, but as dredge-savers. Hero r.re some extracts from the letters of n. uian_who knows as much about, practical and successful dredging as " Mechanic," judging from his letter, is ever likely to know: —

"A dredge should be in thorough order, so that it can have several months' work, and then with a periodic overhaul get everything right, and go on again, In no other way will dredging pay, in my. opinion. There are too. many wrecks, niul plenty o! drcdgcma?ters quite contented whether the dredge works well or not, as long as they get their salary." "He number of men, scvc-n all told' is quite sufficient, for to have an engineer not working his shift is only a waste of money, as no doubtyou aro aware that when the dredge is work-, ing there is no profitable work lor the engineer to bo going on with; thereforo ho i 3 practically idlo the most of his time, and it is only when the dredge has an accident or is stopped for repair that his labour becomes remunerative. I therefore see no reason why au engineer cannot or should not work his shift the same as another man, and still ho is there when .repairs are required. The dredgemaster may bo im engineer as well, or the engineer may be a. separate man, .which takes a'considerable amount of apxiely off tho dredgemaster's mind in regard to his machinery should you get a capable man. But lam sorry to say there are a lot of blanks in that lino as well. As you know, when I was at work I occupicd these positions both separately and together, and never found I wiis put to inconvenience." In order to secure for the engineer plenty of idlo titr.o " Meohaiiic" suggests unionism, unci if that were the only thing-to be attained his. TCmedy v.-oiikl 'probably be successful. There is, however) too much reason, for believing that there is no room for an ornamental engineer oil board a dredge, and the remedy suggested might kill the goose that lays the golden egg, Few of the goslings are laying more eggs than are eaten by tho crew. All others will be killed off by their owners as un-

profitable slock.-

jjuuecun, juiy 28. ' ' Senex.