CANTERBURY MARBLE COMPANY.

Globe, Volume IX, Issue 1272, 16 April 1878, Page 3

CANTERBURY MARBLE COMPANY.

An extraordinary general meeting of the shareholders of the above company was held at the G-arrick Hotel last evening, Mr George Turner occupying the chair. The business before the meeting was the confirmation of a resolution passed at a former general meeting, authorising the directors to extend the capital of the company to £IO,OOO in 2000 shares of £5 each. The secretary, Mr W. H. Ghandry, read the resolution, which was then put from the chair and declared carried unanimously. At the conclusion of the business of the meeting the directors submitted a draft prospectus drawn up for placing the increased number of shares before the public. It was stated that it was proposed to allot to the present shareholders one additional paid-up share for each share held by them to the date of the last annual meeting of the company. The directors propose to expend the additional capital in forming the road to the quarry, building kilns for burning the refuse marble into lime, and to ship the marble to the various markets, about which inquiries have been already made. In connection with the above meeting, it may be stated that there are now on view at Mr 0. Clark's auction rooms some beautiful specimens of marble from the company's quarry. Up to the present time, although the company have at times brought before the public tangible proof of the existence on their property of large reefs of marble, they have not been enabled to show any quantity. Now, however, the display at Mr Clark's gives , promise of a prosperous future before the company. On a stand 9ft. long by 4ft. wide are arranged slabs of rich grey marble, rough polished, and along either side are displayed specimens of the Imperial red, brought up to a water polish under the superintendence of Mr Hickmott, the practical manager of the company, who was for many years connected with the firm of Messrs Forsyth and Co., the great marble company in London. Here are ; also exhibited columns of each description of . marble, varying from"l4in. to 21ft. in height. ' From the information afforded by Mr Hickmott I it appears that, but for the difficulty of carriage over about two miles of hillside, slabs of larger dimensions would have been exhibited. The specimens described, however, afford proof that the marble on the property of the company is of a marketable character. The specimens now on view are produced by cutting in half blocks originally measuring 3ft. through, their height as slabs being about the same measurement. The company's property comprises forty acres of hill land, but it was only recently that the full extent of the marbjs existing thereqjj OTB ftgsey&fewdj

prospect of one large grey reef and two reefs of the imperial red ; but a thorough prospect of the hills has developed numerous reefs of each kind over the entire length and breadth of the section, each reef developing the same richness of character and variety of tint as the specimens shown in Mr Clark's room, Not a particle of the stone is waste, containing as it does 9853 per cent, of lime, according to the analysis of Professor Biekerton. It may seem strange that Ihe development of such valuable reefs as have been proved to exist should have been so long delayed, but this has arisen from the fact that there is about two and a|half miles of road to be made over the hills in order to allow of the carriage of the marble to the Whitecliffs station. Now, however, that the company is about to materially extend their capital, and, as a matter of course, their sphere of operations, no doubt further delay in bringing into the market the really splendid products of the quarry will not be allowed to take place.