COMPENSATION CASE.

Dominion, Volume 2, Issue 597, 27 August 1909, Page 6

COMPENSATION CASE.

. .v, -; CLAIM OF-£2500,-An . important 'comjtensation.owewas, heard yesterday/before 'Mr., Justioe Sim and' Messw. A'. ; H. Miles and ,:J; P, ''ifaiweU,- • Assessors. RobcrtWilberfow-, receiver, * and C,: Smith and J. Smith, trustees' of . the (lcbcntiirc-holdcrs of the/3iarllsrough,.Cement, Lime, and ,Coal Company, Ltd., claimed X 2500 from.tho Minister for Public Works for. loss suffered ' through'/the taking, by the Government of Tata Island, in Golden Bay"! ■/of . which' > tho' . Company • had acquired "the, freehold,';,and wWre/they bad'intended: to'eroct' oem'eni w,6rks. ■>"•'' ' "IfesSre. C! P. Skerrott, K.C., and H, Johnston appeared''for the claimants, and Mr. P. •G. Dalriel fot-the ■respondent. ' Mr.. Skftrett said that Tata IslAnd cflaeisted of a-limestone rockj about, ten acros in area. TKe :r6ck wis of almost .pure limestone, and was of-great- valne t-for,.ftlV-.tho..,|>nlrpcH96s to whioh lime' obuld be, pjit, and especially fot tho maiiiifacture, of cement., ■ The' Wellington and Marllitrbugh 'GeWient, Lirte, and Coal • Coin' paiir^ivas-formed-:in lSftV with" ft' Capitol 'of Ini"September; ,1908,- the,'.total-, subscription,.of thecomparts'*was,X2t,o.'iO,;pf(\vhich i; 11,075 was ordinary-; ijhar6s,.<.:£6l2s prMerence shares," and /ri C3S6o>.fuUy|,paid -lip ,'shares.: i: Skerrott' fcconrited .the experience of the com- - party -in working .'linicstotio areas- • near 'Pictota,; Which were foiiftd 'W be iinfatisfactory-, for li'ominefcial' purposes", • atid. staled that -in 1905 ' tlic• cqinpariy ■ purChsscd' the '-freehold of;lata Island' for iflM.vTho .advantages ;0f thcislsud. Were ; great;,mowing " to, its. excellent ..limestone, suitability;for:'wliarf(conitructiph, sijfo, anchoragei\and sheltered position. -The 6b]eot : pf.the Goyfrhnieh.t-jp, talsiue the island wai to. prfevent the removal of .tho. limestone a.pd the- destruction i?f a shelter, for Golden' Bay. and the vicinity. ' The" company had. Upetit a'largo sum onvwhar'vos, : -buildihgs,;:tools,';and.'other accessories ifor' quarrying •' the-"lime. Jior; abdut twelve months Shipments of limestone were tconr. stantly- made',from: this island t'ojbe ;compafly-ft works, at - .the • Klevatmn,;,; near ■ .Picton,.where;. •it was manufactured intp cement. It was founa, in'practice/ that jh,stead..of', three parts of- marl • in'd'one, of.liulestone, ,as;'had^^-.heen;adyised by tlio oempany'S experts, thire-Wto. "quired ftree arid tiiries<ns Much .• limestone - as.- wart, This greatly ilWreAsed th'e' ambiiiit of limcstono rMttired'-V. to • - be-i transported ;te .'. the .c6mpans's.,.'.works,','.;and :lt deoided, to remove '■ .'the plant;:to / j.tbe., : , lslandv ftnd 1 to .ask : Goyetmnent-to-,reclaim a .firnalj'a>*ea ph ."vvhiclvto : fer6<Jt Jtpel? cement'.'factory.. '■ i'lje;cost of rehjovnl works and plant.'was estlmated' at dbout The idea Wa's to'establish works on . the island, whera- the" limes't'orie>'4s''hVailable,'; and to get tke'- marl' frem."''Gpiden.* Bay -and-... tha-. »<*« jacent : :'6hore/;> ; lf cou.d'icbavo kitW. their?,plant to vife'-Mland-itey ,^ld ; li'Avo Effected, a saving ot at-leastv^i7o,oo..a ; ->ear,, ■ At the,^ ■dcVjenturorholdws;. wpre .the creditors - .of,. 1 to,- the ; extent .of i'sOlJO, . having'/ practically vet.- '.their disposal all the-'ass'ets'of"■ tbe^company;, and, thqy .were ; therefore .irt" a. pOfiitjpn;,,tb ptii'chase' the'assets of the company: a§ aioing conceru, acquire he anti Carry on.;the._busineSs'of':the /company the cbmpa'iiy were'Ainable' ta'dp'Sa.•,- The>island -was ■ taken: by the Government..by Pl'Pcbmation ,m ■ Scbteinllef, '1905,' with the■ rfefult;;thit .the..com r pH'nV's-work's, and 1 plant.near; Picton TOW .renr. deretl' escept.-for,remp.yalj tho .plant.and ; impvoveihpntjs! at, .Tata Island-'-wefe .rendered 1 unless,' the, shareholders, icompany- w brevented from .selling the t business. gS,a going corioern,. and >11- hopes • prepluded of. lecbpstfuption on' the .-part .of-. As wmpaWoTh® Government -hod.- no Sause to,-forbid; clamSioii, the which jould-have been, to : improve; the; island • as i a .Shelter. .'Kob'ert .Wilbetfoss,. receiver,- Wellington :and.'/Marlbor,pi)gh, Cetot, - Co J. delientUre-hblders •: was; : >fi9W|Q. Witness- gaye,. : det?iiied e«dep6o;. as. to the /iihohditil' IWsitwn:'pf; the' comJany,'-;aflil «nj pfeniait'ut-e iiipur r ; ed irfii; his- bpfiiipr!' as' a ~busines,y liMi* that, the ; 9o' ll " works- rehibvod tp far ithff rGpvornmeut's action. ! ■■;/; "■■John Smith,.trusteo;,of the company, ,ieooanted' the preliminary, .'unsuccessful, experiments' of the.;coinpany ..with hmeSiOiie/.-irom-Meadowbank and limestone fromTata Island -contained from; 901 to ,97, per- cent. of lime, and: excellent ceriieut was produced, for .which 'a:'.market : was ; ■easily".found. The railway; cartage: .from; Picton -to the, Utyatio'n'woii; however, ,a 'heavy cost, and the company: found- that ;it was , working at-a;loss; -lie removal of - the: works.to-Jata lsland-aas,then considered; j Before; an', estimater of-;the, cost ot removal was obtained theira had been.rumours, supported by ; a statement of -the' late Colonel Pitt, that'the .Goyernmentvintended to resume ' Crt>ss-examined':., Iteth'pnght/the> ■ due tothe ''-Government's"/ action /might be .not less than'%Cso,CHtt.' ; ':The' value of the limestone on the: island :would amount- to 'that. .■, James M'Laren,-of Auckland, who, was. for five yeafs manager of Zealand Portland Cement Company, wiji. control of, the factory ..and said . that'.their/ factorjjj/.nM on; Limestone. Island, inV-Whangarei. Harbour, and' their.'beadquarters:.at /Dunedin. :Ihe.pro.T spects. of.'"/a cement manufaclifrmg company in New zisfilandj were; good;.'the Portland'Com--panv had paid good dividends. . The working conditions of the -Marlb'orMrgh; concern would be . verv. 'similar -to those' .or tne -Portlaiid Cement"Company. ''The limestone which.he.had seen '■ from ..' Island •; -.was., of y-first-dasa quality;" The abseflce'vof fliem-and. -'hofc'be' a/«rtonsMiffi'cnity, J'There : had been- a Shortage-of i'water at l LiineStpne , '.l6la'nd, •\Vliangaroi :-Hiir)wur,v.,till.".anV,-.evaportttar \taa installed/ '/He,,thouj:ht:.iha!;>.wtttc.r. cpu'.d- be brought ; 'to, • Ta'-a' Island .the mainland Without-'difficulty.-;-He;"thought, there :was,'no doiibt".that/,the' shareholders, nmbt: havercar-rfed-.'o'n- the busihew' :at,\:Tata Island. ! They would! be. .heafer'-tkeir'./material thdn'most cpn]panies,;.an4 v their central position.' would ;:be ..cemmerci ally '.advantageous'. ' Evidence' t the Court adjdnraid