POUT MOLYNEUX.

Clutha Leader, Volume IV, Issue 204, 7 June 1878, Page 6

POUT MOLYNEUX.

[FROM OUR OWN'OOttBESPONDEffT.] A special meeting of the Coal Committee Avas held on Wednesday evening. For some time back the said Committee has not been much heard of in the district. A very respectable sum of money (for the district) has been raised and expended, ' but the stratum of fire-clay, which on being struck' within a few feet of the surface excited strong hopes that coal would soon follow, has been, found to extend to such an inordinate depth — about 60 feet — and still without any signs of its coming to an end, that the former hope has recently been getting very shaky. There were no more doubts than all along about tho strong probability of finding coal underneath, but very strong doubts of finding the means (by private subscription) of conducting the search to a satisfactory issue. In fact the funds had entirely given way, and as the object was wholly a public one it seemed to some of the Committee that some jmblic means of obtaining the needful was only fair. On this account the present meeting was called. The previous meeting had only agreed to differ, and finding it impossible to come to any decision whatever, either as to the means or manner of carrying on the work further, had separated, leaving all operations at a stand. On Wednesday evening proceedings were commenced by Mr Melville moving " That this meeting request tho South Molyneux Road Board, as managers of the Port Molyneux Reserve, to advance the sum of L6O towards carrying out the efforts hitherto made by the Coal Committee to obtain coal in the said Reserve." He thought the reasons he was prepared to adduce would convince the Committee and Conservators of the Reserve that the request embodied in the resolution was a reasonable one. They were not in the situation of parties asking for help. who had done notliing for themselves. The sum of L65 had been raised by voluntary contributions, and expended , in sinking a shaft to the, depth of 60 feet without perforating the. bed of fire-clay. The South Molyneux district and the adjoining country would derive a great advantage if coal were found. The reserved land would be enhanced in value, and the managers would receive a pecuniary benefit from the sale of .coal. The managers at present receive a revenue from depasturing licenses, and as the community generally would be participators in the benefits resulting from, the finding of coal, a portion of the revenue received, could not be better expended than in carrying out the present object. Should the.Board be willing to grant' the money, . but consider the present Comihittee incapable of carrying out the work satisfactorily, the Committee will willingly hand over the tools and other property in its possession to the Board for their use, and then dissolve. ' Mr : Shiels. seconded the motion pro forma. ■'" . "■ J /'- ,;< ■•'■ ".,.■' . ■>' '--' -. r '' Mr Paterson could -assure the meeting . that.-_o . one. ; cotddl be^more- anxious that ; coal should be found '^i^n;he;vfasi .'Still he ..mußt.:'.'a^uxe- <^e^:^that>'' ' !the present

r— - ; - ; • . •_! motion was only so much waste paper. The managers of the Reserve 1 had no funds. , Even, though they had funds. they could not dispose of them in that fashion without the consent of the ratepayers, and having none, they had no legal power to borrow any upon- the security of the Reserve. It was only wasting time to carry matters any further. Mr Jenkinson remarked that the Reserve consisted of about 640 acres, and depasturing licenses were being issued which ought to bring in Ll2O annually. This sum might even be doubled if proper j energy were shewn. Surely there could be no difficulty in obtaining a loan on the prospective revenue sufficient to clear off any claims already existing against it. for fencing and the like, and also to assist any project such a3 the one before the meeting for utilising the Reserve. It might require the sanction of the ratepayers. Very well. Let them ask that sanction, and they had. every reason to believe it would be readily granted. The ratepayers themselves had already shown good earnestness in prosecuting the object in question, and it was not too much to ask the managers to take all possible step3 to continue what was already done. The motion was put to the meeting and carried. It was then agreed to ask Mr Melville to take charge of the motion, and bring it before the Board.