"DOWSING" FOR WATER"

Taupo Times, Volume I, Issue 18, 14 May 1952, Page 5

"DOWSING" FOR WATER"

Sii, Ihe article in your issue of April 30th headed "Geologists Can Fmd Water Better Than Diviners," shows an abysmal ignorance of dowsing" and is called by the ignorant, 'divining. ' The writer of the article does not seem to know that in every nation in the world there exists a Society that has for many years been investigatihg "dowsing" from the scientific angle. These societies issue a quarterly journal in England, whare there are at least two schools that teach the fine science of dowsing. They are composed of the most learned persons, most of whom have a long string of letters after their signatures. Quite a few are titled men and women who earned their titles by using their b rains in the se^rch for truth and knowledge. In your article there is mentioned a trial of 75 "diviners," made in New Zealand a few years ago, who are accused of failing to successfully pass the test made by a local doctor of medicine. This gentleman rushed his article over to an English paper. It brought forth in one of England's best-known weeklies the following criticism: — "The tests were made by a person who had no knowledge of divining, who did not wish to learn or teach any thing* about it; one who had no scientific knowledge, and who deliberately set out to ridicule some thing he knew nothing about, and only succeeded in making himself appear foolish." To say that a geologist can find water better than a diviner is an absurdity. May I give you one example ? Some years ago the Waikato dairy factories were faced with closure because of the scarcity of water. Scientists had years of trial to |ind water, and spent much money, only to fail. Along came a "diviner," the Rev. Mr Mason, and in a few weeks, without digging or boring, solved the problem, and this practically made the Waikato dairying industry. May I conclude by saying that one of the supposed failures at the trial before-mentioned went to the office

of the "Evening Post" in Wellington and passed all tests, correctly naming* 17 out of 17 materials that were hidden from him by reliable observers of the paper. — I am etc, "WAKE UP." [NOTE. The article to which our correspondent takes exception was an extract from a contribution by Mr D. L. Johns, Assistant-Instructor in Agriculture, Department of Agriculture, Christchurch, published in the "N.Z. Journal of Agriculture" for I March, 1952. In the course of his article Mr Johns quoted the unfavourable comment by Mr P. A. Ongley, published in the "N.Z. Journal of Science and Technology," on the test of the 75 diviners referred to by our correspondent. — Editor.]