“ADVANCE OTAGO”

Evening Star, Issue 19785, 8 February 1928, Page 5

“ADVANCE OTAGO”

TO THE EDITOU. Sir,—Your correspondent “Insomnia ” has been losing some sleep because he has an open eye on the futn of this fair province of Otago. No cause, was ever worth wiiile where no sleep was lost. _ No great goal was ever reached without first a vision. “ Insomnia ” has visions, and rightly so. Ho lias prospered to a degree in our midst, and no doubt tho views expressed by him have been actuated by a desire to sec a general forward move for the common weal. Thinking at times of some things done and some attempted to be done, tho word advance sounds ironical in our ears. At tho present moment there is a scurrying about of departmental heads and political big-wigs anent a certain irrigation scheme that intimately affects this province. Our fel-low-workers in tho Central are prepared to work hard to achieve success, but it seems likely that the charges on tho capital outlay will bo a serious question for them, and be a distinct brake on much-needed progress. in works undertaken by Governments there is always that danger or over-centralisation. Tho heads are too far from the job. Works carried out under the independent contracts are under constant and scrupulous supervision, and aro handed over to those who are to benefit therefrom at a minimum of cost. In national, as well as private economy, it is essential that we secure good service at a reasonable cost.

I venture to say that great and lasting good would accrue to tho community if more men of leisure and capacity, and wholly disinterested, would come forward and offer their services to act on boards or commissions that would benefit their follows, and bring pleasure and credit to themselves. Such bodies, as tho Ocean Beach Domain Board and the Otago Acclimatisation Society have done wonders, and their efforts should stimulate action in others

“Insomnia” pleads that we should produce still better goods to increase our trade. Surely that is not beyond us-' Have wo not the materia! and the craftsmenr* We see all about ns what our competitors can do. Can we not do as well, or bettor? We can only achieve by aiming high. In regard to the unemployed the thought lias also occurred to me. can these men not bo profitably employed on tho land? Could something not be done under some directive and wise authority? When you think of it, the present position seems so strange, and, I might say, so absurd. Plenty of good men, and plenty of good land, but all idle. No one in this beautiful counTy shor’d be short of food or clothes. Some of our farmers of lifelong experience have declared that the finest land in the dominion is to be found in South-western Otago. If this land could bo settled the whole province would benefit tremendously. “Insomnia” makes reference to some of our natural resources, such as gold and oil Some time ago the Government announced that systematic prospecting would bo carried out by parties composed of geologists and practical mining prospectors. Have any of these started out yet? Delay’ is dangerous, The stranger without the gate may conic in and take our birthright. We know lull well they came to Bimu and made a substantial “do” of it. Good luck to them. In spite of adverse criticism they’ went straight ahead, and proved conclusively that tackling things in the right way gels results, with a profit.

Now, wo look askance at things American, and idly refer to them as Yankee notions; but wo know that the Yankee gets somewhere with some things. At the present time he claims to ho using a. gold dredge that pays to work gravel wash worth only 8 cents (4d) a ton. Each bucket lifts a ton of material, tho buckets can work down to 80ft, and the amount of wash treated each twenty-four hours is 15,000 tons. Mo.ncy and methods vindicated again. The bigger the turnover in a given time the smaller tho margin of profit that can bo worked on. Is there no part of tho alluvial district of Otago where such methods could he applied? Remember the millions the invincible old gold seekers secured. Some were fairly easily gotten, but, remember, other times, other methods.

As regards the Kawarau scheme, I believe it is all right as far as it goes, but it does not go far ciionc'. claim-holders are to get to tho bottom of the river a maximum of the fiow.oi water will have to be held back. The old miners chased the yellow gold right to the water’s edge. The old-time dredges did their best on a zigzag course. What now? Rig scheme, big methods. And that is a slogan that we can apply to all our future activities What about oil from our shale deposits? Is power warned? We have plenty of coal, and surely we have resources enough for electric energy? It seems a crying shame that valuable plant, costing many thousands, is rusting to uselessness at Orepuki. There is shale elsewhere in the province. There are resources here that, if properly and systematically exploited, woul, bring Otago right to the forefront.—l am, etc., Nimeod. February 7.