PAEROA QUARRY COY.

Hauraki Plains Gazette, Volume XXXIV, Issue 4590, 25 July 1923, Page 3

PAEROA QUARRY COY.

ABUNDANCE of metal. That Paeroa has a very valuable asset as regards road metal there is no doubt whatever, A visit to the quarry situated on Mrs Silcock'? property, just off Station Road, will confirm this statement. On Saturday an inspection was made of the quarry by a “Gazette” representative, and the following interesting facts were collected during the visit. in the first place, the quarry has not just been discovered and opened up; it has been in operation intermittently for the past twenty-nine years. Recently, however, a company was formed to develop it further and put the business oh a sound commercial basis. Mr Sam Sileock has been appointed manager of the new company* and, as he holds a quarry : managers certificate and has had a large experience of quarry matters, it is safe to predict that the " company is bound to progress successfully under his expert knowledge and guidance. A valuable plant has been erected on the site, cordprising a Dorman Lpng Go’s portable crusher of the latest type, fitted witn - a 14ft elevator and 12 x 7 jaws. This . crusher is capable of turning out thirty yards of first-class metal per day. The crusher is driven by u 57ft. driving belt from power supplied by a . portable steam engine. Ample water is to he had right alongside the engine. The crushing plant - is situated, some little distance from the actual quarry, and is protected from blasting operations by a natural mound or. bank; It,' is the company s intention to instal an electric plant as soon as satisfactory arrangements can be made with the Pbwer BoardIt is also intended to erect an up-to-date hopper’, some 4ft. by 6in. from the ground. By this meais vehicles will be able to back’ in under the ' hopper for its load. It is anticipated that a dray will be loaded with metal and despatched in the surprisingly short time of five minutes, instead, of thirty-five minutes which it takes by shovelling. This saving of time is a considerable factor, especially where the Paeroa Borough Council is concerned. The cost of hiring a dray and horse works out at. something like 4s per hour (l so a direct, saving of 2s per load is effected. On entering the quarry itself, one is amazed at the solid wall of blue rock that presents itself. It is a conservative estimate to state that from 1500 to 2000' yards of solid metal appear in the great wall of rock without further stripping, and then again, investigations have proved that there is practically no bottom to the quarry, the solid rock penetrating the ground to an untold depth. MrJSilcock briefly described the diffeient classes of metal to be obtained from the quarry, which for commercial purposes are grouped into three clrsses, namely, first-class blue metal, second-class me(tal„i and thiid, class strippings. The first-class metal is already toff well known and tested to require much comment : suffice •- to say that this class of metal from the quarry was used some twenty-odd

years ago for the formation of Junction, Puke* and Station roads, whica roads to-day are among seme of the best within the borough boundary, despite the fact that they have been down so many years and have stood an enormous amount, of heavy traffic, occasioned by the fact that each of the roads mentioned was a direct route to the shipping. The second-class metal- is invaluable for the formation and maintenance of subsidiary roads and streets, and is also used by the Public Works Department as foundation metal for roads. The strippings of. the Quarry are -composed of fine gravel and soil from the top face of the rock. The strippings • meet with an. eager demand, especially from farmers, who find' It invaluable for cowyards, and a hundred and-one uses on a farm. It has also been .used with great effect in raising swamp land. The strippings ar? placed on the damp portions of the land in strips, alongside of which a drain is dug and the spoil from the drain thrown up on to the strippings, and so on. until a whole paddock is completed. As soon as this formation consolidates a high and dry paddoc.< with abundant pasture is assured. Owing to the natural formation of the quarry the strippings from the face and top of the quarry can be relieved in such a manner as not to in’ any way ■ interfere with the production of the first and second-class metals", Thus 1 these metals can oe procured with a minimum of labour' and expense. Very shortly the company intends employing six or seven men in the quarry. A big feature, and a mos: gratifying one, that must appeal to al! is that apart from the fact that an avenue for employment is opened up for so many men by the quarries, the bulk of the money obtained for metal in the futufe will ce circulated within our own, town—-a most desirable consideration. For some time onwards it is- anticipated that thef. Borough Council will purchase most the metal that i? crushed,' but the cpinpany. is also tpen to deal with, farmers and others .requiring second-class metal or strip- - pings. The value of a quarry in our midst-cannot be too highly estimated. and ; from a local body’s viewpoint ’ he asset is indeed a real one, as it is not only assured of an adequate supply .of first-class metal, which has been certified to by competent engineers and has proved its stability and suit- ■ ability -for road construction . and maintenance, but the cost of the metal Will be less than the council 'has been paying in the past, and ver/ often getting supplies that were quite unsuited for the work in hand. .Mr Silcock pointed out that the cost of 1 production would be comparativer, ly’femall, as strata of the t rock made it possible to obtain quantities of rock expeditiously and at a nominal cost. Therefore the public will benefit by the small cost of production and the fact that the transportation charges will be almost nil. The newly constructed Paeroa

Quarry Company is to be congratulated on its enterprise, and it is hoped that the local bodies in the immediate vicinity will give the company their fullest support, thus helping Jt and helping themselves by reducing expenditure on metal from outside their boundaries and making firm friends of their ratepayers by providing improved streets and footpaths.