Citizens Say—

Sun (Auckland), Volume IV, Issue 937, 2 April 1930, Page 8

Citizens Say —

MAORI DIALECT Sir, — I have followed with great interest the discussion on Maori dialect. It all arose from The Sun's report of the discussion which took place at a meeting of the Akarana Maori Association stat ing that the Waikato dialect was chosen by the early missionaries as the standard speech of the Maori. Through the columns of your paper Mrs. M. B Soljak asks if it was not a fact that those early missionaries, Colenso Archdeacon Williams and other emin ent workers first made the beautiful Maori speech of the Ngapuhi into a written language. To this she received the onslaught of her opponents, Messrs. J. Rukutai, Keiha Newton, “Thikombia.” and Hori Taiawhio, all crying in the wilderness. Surely the statement in a letter to The Sun by Mr. Patrick Smyth, secretary to the Akarana Maori Association, which was not denied, goes to say that it was stated definitely that the Ngapuhi dialect was the dialect agreed upon at that meeting of the Akarana Maori Association. INTERESTED.

GOLD IN WAIHI l Sir,— To my mind the article “The Golden Age Passing” gave quite a wrong impression of the state of the goldmining industry, especially in regard to Waihi. The article stated:—“The handing over of the Grand Junction mine Waihi, to the wreckers marks the approach of extinction, following as it does the wrecking of the Crown and Talisman mines (Karangahake),” and, further on: “In more recent times the Junction came under the control of the Waihi Company, and has virtually died on its hands.” The last report of the Waihi Company states that for the four-weekly period ended March 8, 17,857 tons of ore were crushed for a return of 7,080 fine ounces of gold and 40,956 fine ounces of silver, including 1,406 tons mined from the Junction area, which yielded 796 ounces of gold and 18,973 ounces of silver. This represents well over £3 a ton for the ore treated from the Junction, which hardly suggests that the mine has “died on the hands” of the greater company. Again, your article states: “The .Waihi mine in twelve years yielded

•(To the Editor.)

£1,746,500 worth of bullion." This is probably correct so far as the first twelve years of its existence were concerned, but the way in which the article was worded suggests that this was about the limit of the output. The position is that up to the end of 1928 the total yield of gold and silver from this mine alone was £15,912,959, the greatest output having been in 1909 (£959,594), while from 1912 to the present time the annual yield has been between £332,786 and £419,846 (in 1927). Figures for 1929 are not yet to hand, but it is confidently expected that thev will be not less than those of 1928 (£376,685), while it is also expected that the ore developed for last year will at least equal that crushed. Of interest, also, may be the fact that up to the end of 1928 no less than £5,643,920 has been distributed in dividends (free of income and corporation taxes, which absorbed a further £860,500). For 1928, the dividend paid amounted to £99,181, representing 2s a five-shilling sharq, and being many thousands in excess of the previous year. It appears, therefore, that mining in Waihi is not yet at a standstill, and if some publicity could be given to these facts I should be glad. For authority for most of the statements I have made you need only to refer to the report of the directors of the Waihi Gold Mining Company for the year ended December 31, 1928, and any other reliable source. AUBREY TOY. Waihi.

DOMINION BREWERIES Sir,— I read with amazement your criticism of the Dominion Breweries I have invested £SOO in the company and have gone into all the points mentioned m your article and I am still °" opinion that I have made a thoroughly sound investment. In the first S“ v your „ critic makes a violent attack on the question of the addition m the memorandum of expenditure It that if yOU add Up the , d t ? there is a mistake in the addition of £lB. but it is, of course dozen y at C ls re K C d ln takln « LBOO TfU 1 M , ls 6d , the figures should be £l3o, instead of £153, simply a mistake n . the of a figure. With your state ment of not getting audited reports, I cannot understand

your critic, because all the documents have been placed in front of me with the auditors’ signed statements and* as I say, I am well satisfied. With regard to Levers, Limited. The auditor has signed a statement that for the five months ending on December 31, 1929, the profit of Levers, Limited, without the Waitemata agency, is just on the rate of £3.000 a year. It was essential for the company to buy a good agency to dispose of its beer, and it seems 1 to me that the price paid for the agency is quite reasonable. This Waitemata Brewery was started for the purpose of selling two gallon lots to customers, and in quite a small way of business, but so popular has the ale proved that, one after another, all the licensed houses have been compelled to take up a selling agency and there is ns doubt that the public has endorsed the quality of this ale. If this is so, and the fancy lasts, the price paid for the brewery and licence is a very small one. A SHAREHOLDER Our correspondent does not dispute any of the statements of fact contained in our criticism of this flotation. That he should draw different inferences from the facts does not cause us to modify the view we have taken. He has backed hi* opinion with his money, and we hope the company will be able to produce * balance-sheet 12 months hence that w.U vindicate his optimism.—Ed. The Sun.

NOTICES TO CORRESPONDENTS M.E.H.— The letter to which you. refer appeared in another paper. —Ed., The Sun. “Racing Enthusiast.”—The Sun has on several occasions pointed out incidents at meetings which have escaped the notice of officials, and has always endeavoured to protect public interest. In the first case to which you refer, the subject was fully dealt with by “Abaydus” In Monday’s issue and the table submitted showed a vast difference in the handicaps in favour of the disqualified horse. Regarding the second incident, that wad also referred to on Monday t>3f “Abaydos.”—Ed., The Sun.