THE GREY CONSOLIDATED.

Greymouth Evening Star, Volume XXXI, 14 October 1901, Page 3

THE GREY CONSOLIDATED.

[To the Editor).

Sir, —In your issue of the 11th inst. there appears a letter signed by Donald Marshall. Therein the writer accuses one of the two shareholders of the Grey Consolidated Company, who visited the claim, of making false statements. As I was the shareholder who paid ths three visits, I suppose I must be' the person who made these so-called false statements. I am, however, prepared to defend those statements, and in doing so I am voicing the opinion of all West Coast shareholders and most of the Dunedin shareholders that have visited the Grey Consolidated since its commencement. Mr Marshall is trying to make the shareholders believe that he has treated an immense quantity of ground since Mr Kyle’s visit. Now I would like to know why he did not mention the amount of ground he treated for tho 13 weeks proceeding Mr Kyle’s visit. Now take the work done by the dredge since Mr Kyle’s visit, (which is five weeks) and the ground dredged will measure not more than 4 chains in length, with an average width of 38 yards, with a depth of 12 feet, and and this will total about 18,376 cubic yards or about 2,700 cubic yards per week, and I am taking Mr Marshall weekly reports for the width and depth of cut. Now I ask Mr Marshall, does ho consider that a fair amount of work for a dredge (that ho admits in his report to the directors) has a lifting capacity of 15.000 cubic yards per week. Mr Marshall asks tho shareholders (of whom lam one) to name two dredges working tho same kind of ground that this dredge is working. Well I can name one\which has rougher ground to work and a much lighter dredge to do it with, namely tho Waipnna dredge, and in her

first 12 weeks she shifted more than twice the amount of ground that the Grey Consolidated has done in the same time. With regard to Mr Marshall’s experience, according to his own statement, he was only engineer on the Edina and Hartley and Eiley dredges, so therefore lie must have gained his experience as a dredgemaster while working on the Earnscleugh No 2, and as he was only 18 months on this dredge, it seems it cannot take long to make a dredgemaster. In conclusion, Sir, I may say that the shareholders have put their money’ into this dredge with the belief that it would bo worked to the best advantages, and if they say anything against the management they are accused of having au axe to grind. Yours faithfully,— Arthur Dunn.