THE STUMBLING BLOCK

Evening Post, Volume CXII, Issue 55, 2 September 1926, Page 10

THE STUMBLING BLOCK

HEAVY FLOW FROM TRIBUTARIES (Ey Tolegraph.) (Special to the "Evening Post.") DUNEDIN, This Day. To drain the Kawarau Eiver and lay tare (or sufficiently so for the purpose) its bed to provide an opportunity of mining the rich gold-bearing deposits • accruing from ccntui'ies has been the immediate objective of the Kawarau Company, but when the operations on the river bank closed this afternoon the objective was not within striking distance. The sluice gates at the dam have acted as designed, completely slrutting off the lake waters, and the Kawarau quickly dropped in level, but all the tributaries are adding greater volumes of water. The snow on the high mountains is thawing rapidly, and the Shotover and the main tributaries are bringing down more than the average quantity. . It cannot bo said that the company overlooked the interference to its plans by-the Shotover Eiver, which rises and falls rapidly within a day. The Shotover has been prominent in the scheme and plans already include the damming of the Shotover to give an increased command over the river-bed. Before the criticism can bo levelled and the Kawarau scheme condemned, several points Jiust.be weighed. Only as a trial "were the gates elosod. In the following years tho gates will be closed earlier than August, the mouth when the lako is on the summer rise. The Shotover has brought down too much water. That is the whole thing in a nutshell; FURTHER WORK NECESSARY. A few remarks on tho- Kawarau gold mining scheme were made by Mr. E. T. Stewart at the annual meeting of the Otago Expansion Loague on Tuesday night, reports tho "Otago Daily Times." ' Mr. Stewart said he aid not think that anyone with a knowledge of mining, especially hydraulic mining, could have any doubt as to the treasure waiting to be lifted if means could bo found to lift it. Tho gold lying in the bed of the Kawarau would not be obtained until further steps were taken, but he was quite satisfied that the gold in the river would ultimately be won. If the work done'at present was not sufficient further steps would be taken, and :tLj Waters of the Shotover would be controlled. The work 'would not be wholly successful until the Shotover was dealt with, and the work of dealing with that river would not be so difficult as what had been done. Great credit was due for what had been done. He believed there was sufficient' wealth in the Kawarau to pay New Zealand's national debt, and he also believed that great wealth would be won from the Shotover.' There was nothing revivified'a country'so much as the winning of gold, and if the Kawarau scheme turned out a success it would have an important effect on the country. The speaker contended that where agricultural land had been destroyed by minning it had paid to have it destroyed. People said that land kept on producing wealth all the time, but by extracting gold from it sufficient might be won to produce £25 per annum, and he doubted very much if any land could produce that much. He sincerely trusted that the Kawarau scheme would turn out a success. Mr. Macdonald said he thought that most of them would disagree with Mr. Stewart in regard to the question of dredging agricultural land, for the reason that land kept on producing all the time. A promise had been made that if any agricultural land were dredged in future there would be a stipulation that it would be left in its original state —that is, with the soil on top.