Gold Dredging at Taumutu

Hokitika Guardian, 15 March 1922, Page 3

Gold Dredging at Taumutu

j OBJECTION BY FARMERS, At the last meeting of the Ellesmere County Council Messrs F. Laugbein (Public Works Department’s engineer) and li. W. Harris (surveyor representing the Golden Sands Gold Dredging j Company) interviewed the council in reference to the proposal to start gold dredging operations on the beach at Taumutu. After a good deal of discus-, sion, it was decided that the council object to the granting of a license to carry on gold dredging on the beach at Taumutu, as it was likely to be prejudicial to the interests of the landowners in the neighbourhood. Speaking to a representative of the “Lyttelton Times” on Saturday, Mr Harris said that he and Mr Laugbein bad waited on the council merely as a matter of courtesy, which is generally observed in such cases, to hear the council’s view on the dredging scheme They certainly had heard them. The “hearing” had ended with a resolution passed by the council objecting to tho granting of a license at all. The main objection put forward was that the pro- j posed operations would break down the sand bank which runs along the edge of ' the sea and so allow the land to b~e in- i undated. Another objection was that the culverts near the beach, on which j a large amount of money had been expended might be damaged. j “When I pointed out,” said Mr Har- j ris, “that the dredging of the beach j would result In the formation of a bank j twenty feet higher than that now j standing. I was met with the rather | irrelevant reply that the amount of j gold procurable was infinitesimal. Of course,” continued Mr Harris, “that ! is the company’s affair, as it has no

hearing on the main objection.” That statement on the council’s own admission, was based upon the failure of individuals from time to time to secure gold by such .makeshift means as the copper plate process. Against it could be quoted the opinions of technical experts and of hard-lieaded business men. Besides, there has never been tried a systematic dredging of the whole beach such as the company intended to carry out. As to the danger to culverts, there would he no need for tlreni to be interfered with in any Way. The company was willing to take every precaution to safeguard the adjacent land. Asked whether the proposed operations would be likely to give much employment, Mr Harris said that there would be a large gang kept busy for some time.

PI! K CRYSTAL (JAZKR.

AND THE FUTURE’S VEIL. WELLINGTON, March 11. Still another of the dread sisterhood which reads, or pretends to read, the future, .submitted to appearing before Mr F. K. Hunt S.'M., yesterday. On this occasion, Williamana Barbara McDonald was the subject of a. charge of fortune-tolling. Sub-Inspector McNamara prosecuted. A police matron deposed that she had visited the defendant’s house at 66, Roxburgh street, on /February

loth., n,t about 2 p.m. Slie had bad the mystic secrets of the future unlocked for her. She was told that she was a. married woman with five children, living apart from her husband, (a,s a matter of fact she was a widow). She was leaving for England shortly, June, July and August were her lucky months, and there would he a death in her family at the end of the year. Then she had produced the teapot and teacups, which had pronounced her to he doing business with solicitors shortly. She had, however, nothing to fear. (Laughter). In the crystal, Madame had perceived witness sandwiched between a black cat and a, tree, which was a. very good; omen. Any business she understood would be very successful. All this had been cheap at two shillings. The assistant-matron had accompanied her. Her hand, examined, had revealed a severe illness in store. She would journey across water in April, and had her life for the next twelve months detailed to her. She was to leave on a land journey, money would l-eacih her in a letter, and December would be a very bad month. Asked if she' had anything to say. the defendant described herself as a “psychic reader.” “Well ,are you going to give it up, or nfrn I going to send you to gaol?” v asked 1 His Worship. 9 “I’ll give up fortune-telling, hut I am a psychic reader,” protested- the woman- “ You are a lot of cheats, and rob the public,” was the opinion of the bench. “How long after the last case was this, Mr McNamara?” The sub-inspector replied that it had been about the same time. “She has a- very big business, this woman,” he concluded. “Very well, then,” said the magistrate. “You had no warning. I’ll line you £5. I’d fine you £SO if 1 could; but owing to this absurd Act, I am not empowered to. It’s ridiculous —they make £5 a day, some of these women. Go and earn you bread and butter honestly. You keep them on the run, Mr McNamara.