THE TEST OF TIME.

Hokitika Guardian, 16 January 1926, Page 2

THE TEST OF TIME.

AN OUTSTANDING SUCCESS

For the electrically driven dredge at South Hokitika it may well be claimed it has stood the lest of time now, and that its record shows it is an outstanding success. The dredge began to operate in September, 1921, and lias been working efficiently and well over the four years and three months which have intervened.

The dredge is operating on Rimu Flat where the Company hold a claim of some 1200 acres. The Company has worked on an average some 20 acres of ground' per year—actually 80 acres in all. The Company keeps very complete records of the work done hour by hour. Since operations commenced nearly six million cubic yards of alluvial dirt have been handled. During the past year some 22 acres were dug to ail average depth of 48 feet, and about a million and a-lmlF cubicyards of material were handled in the time.

One of the difficulties of dredging in the earlier days was the time lost by delays and break-downs. The modern dredge with its increased power is more defiant to nature, and triumphs more noticeably over the inherent difficulties. The great bug-bear rc-gardm-f the success of the smaller dredges was the time lost for urgent repairs material break-downs. Returns for the actual time worker were rich and profitable, but the prolonged delays and expensive repairs

caused serious monetary loss and brought down the profit frequently to a .debit. In the electric dredge at South Hokitika delays have boon avoided, and the result shows that the improved machinery and great power, have turned the scale of the balance, between profit and loss. Last year, for instance, over eighty per ■■out. of the working time of the dredge, or sonic 6033 hours out of 7-116 hours during the year, was occupied in actual dredging operations. The remaining 1888 hours wore lost during shut-down periods for cleaning up (which of course was as unavoidable as tiro work was necessary) and for rejrair work. Analysing this loss still further, 183 hours were required for cleaning up, and 47 hours for r«' moving heavy Ixmlders and roots, 28 hours in moving the dredge, and Unbalance, only some 725 hours, in general repair work. That is a record which, will su.rprirts dredge-masters with quite tiro opposite experience in the earlier period of West Const dredging.

Over a period of four years and a quarter. 2687 hours of possible dredging time have Boon lost, due to necessary repair work, and a further 1609 hours owing to the removal of heavy boulders and roots. The general efficiency of the plant is shown in the fact that over the period covered since opera lions commenced, over seventy-ftVe per cent, of the time possible for dredging operations lias been occupied in actual digging. And with all this work, what of the returns? Rimu Flat is highly gold-hearing—ol which there is praeti‘ :il prool. Last year the dredge won 8,14 ounces ol gold, and a total of •8.760 ounces to date. The total value of the gold won is in round figures £190,009. This is roughly £45.000 a vear. or nearly £9OO a week of direct earnings. Some eighteen men are employed on uid around the dredge to operate the 'ontinuou.s shifts, six men arc required for regular repair work, eleven men are engaged clearing the land ahead of the depleted timber growth, •uid live me,, arc on the prospecting drill, steadily working ahead of the machine to prove the depth of the ■'round and some idea of its value. It will thus he seen that some forty men are steadily employed in and about the dredge, which has come to Ik? one of the immediate industries or the district of particular value to the town of Hokitika, also a very special show niuce for visitors, As there are some 1200 acres of alluvial ground, all more or less satisfactorily proved to lie goldhearing, to lie worked, it will he seen there is a long life ahead of the field as a gold producer. The enterprise of the Company, combined with the thoroughness of the operations fully justify optimistic opinions ns to the future of the dredging operations.