DREDGING ON THE COAST. TO THE EDITOR.

Otago Witness, Issue 2474, 14 August 1901, Page 24

DREDGING ON THE COAST. TO THE EDITOR.

Sir,— Several months ago you published a letter from me which caused not a little stir amongst dredging experts. Mr J. Hargreaves, of Ahaura, in particular, took upon himself to castigate lr Juniu9," stigmatising that unfortunate scribe as an " old fogey," and an '" out-of-date miner," at the same time, by a priori reasoning, deducing from his own 30 years practical experience in mining a de jure position to pose as an autocrat. Now, if Mr Hargreaves in the meantime has had time to reflect, he will see what a pretty dance h« has led the shareholders in the Ahaura G.D.Co., and that my predictions of the past are being verified by the present, and, Cassandra-like, perha-ps, I venture to say, will bo substantiated by the future. — I am, etc., JUNIUS. Greymouth, August 2. [" Junius " is apparently somewhat hasty in his conclusions. Last week's return from the Ahaura River Gold Dredging Company's dredge is eminently satisfactory, as it is well known that tlie engine is not working the dredge- to anything -like half its capacity, and yet the return for the week was 19oz Bdwt with a depth of 29ft. It does not do to " predict ' in anything connected with dredging, aDd possibly before being so anxious to condemn a whole river our correspondent would have been wiser had he waited to see whether there was to be ■ even one absolute failure^on that river. — Ed.], j