A GOVERNMENT HEAD OF WATER.

Kumara Times, Issue 2074, 23 April 1883, Page 3

A GOVERNMENT HEAD OF WATER.

[to the editor.] Sir—l see in last Saturday's issue of the Kumara Times that i £ A Cove up the Lead ” has taken up the cudgles to dispute the Manager’s light to reduce the size of gauge-boxes. Now I do not think that it is difficult at all to gauge a head of water, as under the old rules and regulations, the plan of gauge-boxes are shown from one to six heads, and X believe are the same as the new rules apply to, as the dimensions are the same as far as given in the new rules. Now, if I am correct in what I have stated, X would like to know by what authority the Manager has taken upon himself to alter them, as the old and new rules distinctly lay down that forty square inches is a Government head of water and not thirtythree, as supplied to nearly all the miners on the field at present. I find that the old rules say that a gauge-box for one head will discharge about sixtysix cubic feet of water per minute, and the new ones sixty. Neither old nor new rules say that water shall be gauged by the foot, but by square measurement, which is so simple a method that a child may understand it. The Manager says that that we get more water than we are entitled to receive by the old way, and he tried to show this to some of the miners; but he failed to convince them of the fact, and I shall not be at all surprised if he has to appear in Court to explain how thirty-three inches of water is forty ; and it will not surprise me at all to see him do it either; but there is no rule in arithmetic that I am aware of that can twist thirty-three into forty to the satisfaction of a lot of miners who have to pay for the difference. We, the miners, are supposed to be a lot of dissatisfied mortals that an angel could not please, but I can assure you that such is not the fact, as all we expect from those in control over the public works on this field is fair and liberal treatment, according to the rules and laws laid down for their guidance and ours, and we will resist any new innovations introduced by anyone that interferes with our rights as miners. And I think that we have shown a good deal of that virtue which Job is renowned for, or we should have demanded some alteration before this in the management of our public estate here; but it is the last straw that breaks the camel’s back, and this will come to an end before long, I have no doubt.

One of the Victims Larrikins, April 22.