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Taranaki Herald, Volume LXVII, Issue 16455, 6 June 1919, Page 2

The Hon, G. M. Thomson recently made some remarks throwing doubt on the value of the divining rod aSj a means of locating water. His scepticism has drawn numbers of letters in the southern newspapers from writers who are astounded at the ignorance of a man who ventures to doubt what they consider a well-established fact. Most people think that, if a so-called water-iinder walks about and from the motion of his rod declares that water is to be found at a certain spot, the question is settled if on boring water is discovered. That is not so, for it may bo a chance that water happens to he found. When water-finders have been put to strict tests, for example by taking them over a pipe whose position they do not, know and turning water alternately on and off, they have generally failed to produce satisfacr tpry results. But, of course, all the deviners who have not been thus tested are convinced that they would have succeeded in. like conditions. The power of producing movements in a diviners who have not been thus tested ring in one or two' people out of every score. This is supposed to be due to unconscious muscular movements and not to the presence of underground water. It is possible that the presence of water may exert some unexplained effect on the genuine diviner which gives rise to the muscular movements which cause the rod to turn. The scientific mind is, however, very slow to admit the existence of such mysterious influences and regards the process of waterfinding with a good deal of scepticism. The progress of investigation may load to more definite conclusions being reached, but in the present state of knowledge it is certainly wise to suspend judgment as to the possibility of finding water by the use of the divining rod.