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New Zealand Listener, Volume 15, Issue 383, 25 October 1946, Page 5

Sir-The mystifying and theatrical performance of water-divining has a hold on the popular imagination in New Zealand, but except for vague pseudo-scien-tific references to "electricity" or "radio" dowsers do not define the nature of the external force that is supposed to act on the rod. Physicists apparently regard it as highly improbable that such a force exists, or even if it did that it could act on the rod, or that the force due to any particular substance could be selected’ from those due to other substances. It therefore rests with the dowsers to demonstrate by their results that there is such a force or that they have extraordinary powers; but in many tests such as those carried out by Mr. Ongley in New Zealand they have been unable to do so. All over New Zealand there is a good rainfall and a percentage of it sinks underground wntil it seeps out to keep up the flow. of water in perennial

streams; so in many areas the gambling chance of finding water is not low, and consequently in the divining of water dowsers can be expected to have a certain measure of success. However, with a substance such as oil, the occurrence of which is difficult to perceive from surface features, the record of diviners is unsatisfactory-so much so, in fact, that oil companies (which to survive must discover producing wells) find it essential to employ large geological staffs but do not use the services of diviners. This is because geologists work by laboriously and scientifically unravelling the story of the earth’s crust and then are able to apply an established body of knowledge in the detection of economically valuable substances. There is, however, nothing theatrical about a geologist at work, nor does his study pander to the delight that men have in a display of occult control of nature, so it is hard to discredit a widespread, naive acceptance of diviners. Especially is this so when there is only a handful of geologists. But there are hundreds of people, who, upon experimenting, have discovered the knack of making a forked stick twist strongly in their hands when ‘they force out the inner sides of the prongs in a grip in which the palms of the hands face outwards and upwards. Following this discovery and a certain inevitable success in the finding of underground water, it is. easy for many of these people to acquire a sincere belief in dowsing. This belief’ may not be particularly harmful

when restricted to the matter of water supply, but if it is extended to the field of detection of disease it becomes

a menace,

H. J.

HARRINGTON

(Kaitaia),