A SUCCESSFUL WATER FINDER

Dominion, Volume 6, Issue 1605, 23 November 1912, Page 6

A SUCCESSFUL WATER FINDER

«l REV. H. MASON'S GOOD WORK. (By Telegraph —Special Correspondent.) Auckland, November 22. The Vicar of Otahuliu (the Rev. H. Mason), who is leaving New Zealand by the Zealandia to-day on a trip to Honolulu and the Old Country, lias given some interesting particulars of his water divining in different parts .of the .country, and of the groat future possibilities,' more especially in rsgard to the. Auckland province. Apparently in extensive waterless areas there are underground inexhaustible streams of pure water, and probably' no part of the country heed bo without an abundant supply. Mr. Mason, without the use of the divining rod, and depending entirely upon, peculiar 'sensations in his., body, 'has been, able tjo . discover water' wherever ho has gone, and in 6ome cases ho 6tated|the exact depth at which .the water would be found. "Otahuliu is indebted to Mr. Mason for a great supply of excellent water, which he discovered on one of the hills in the township at a depth of 23ft. At this spot three streams meet, each flowing from a crater. The yield of the well is 40,000 gallons per hour. At Frankton Junction Mr. Mason was equally successful, discovering a large supply in the centre of the district. At Pukekohe he located several small springs, which he traced to their source. A boro was put down, and the water is now being pumped to a reservoir on Pukekohe Hill. ■ At Patea Mr. Mason found water at «. considerable depth on a rise above the town. ' . At Remuera he located a strong underground stream .flowing frQin Mount Wellington to St. John's Lake. A shaft was sunk about '45ft., and a supply of 45,000 gallons per hour' obtained, but the main stream has not yet been reached. ■ For the Mount Albert Road Board, Mr. Mason traced an underground flow from the original district supply, to its source in the Mental Hospital grounds. For the Mount R-oskill 'Road Board, Mr. Mason found at the Three Kings, on the slope of the hill, a 'fine supply of good water, and at the exact depth he 'named. At Wairoa, in the Hawke's Bay district, he discovered an abundant supply of water, but it was found to be highly mineralised and consequently was unsuitable for a town supply. Mr. Mason has also located, water in several suburban districts, but.thes»supplies have not yet been tested. He is satisfied that the Auckland district is peculiarly well supplied with underground water, and that in the volcanic formations water may ba found in well-defined streams. Mr. Mason added: "I have prospected almost every corner about.Auckland, and am satisfied that there are enormous supplies of; .water below eacli. Here may be found grand supplementary supplies for Auckland city. I would be only too willing on my return to locate places for future boring if tho City Council would provide a surveyor to accompany me, and mark the places on a'plan. I would givo my services freely for this, as I am convinced tho/water supply of tho future great city ..will otherwise\bo a problem. Considering the vast, unpolluthble supplies available, and the low cost involved, it is unnecessary and wasteful to spend further huge sums on the Waitakere supply. I should look upon it as a privilege to do this for much-loved Auckland." Tho Government has also sought Mr. Mason's services, and "he was successful in finding water on the Arataki and Ruakura State- experiment farms, and also at Waerenga. Recently, at the request of the Government, Mr. Mason paid a flying visit to flic State experiment farm in Central Otago. The wnter supply there was a most important question, tho country having wonderful possibilities if watered. , In regard to this journey to Otago, Mr. Mason says: "The distance is 1030 miles from Auckland. I accomplished the whole journey and return, including 70 miles ty road, in nine days, and located nine places 'where water may, I am confident, be found." On the leturn journey. Mr. Mason, at the urgent request of t.lie Government, visited the Mental Hospital at Tokaanui. He has also located supplies at the Quarantine Stations at Quail Island and Motuihi. On his way to England, Mr. Mason 1 proposes to make a stay at the Hawaiian Islands, and endeavour to locate water there, also on tho island of Moloki. Big sums have been expended fruitlessly in some parts of these islands in trying to