The Kumara Times. Published Every Evening. TUESDAY, APRIL 1, 1884.

Kumara Times, Issue 2369, 1 April 1884, Page 2

The Kumara Times. Published Every Evening. TUESDAY, APRIL 1, 1884.

In the Report of the Commissioners appointed to inquire into the working and management of the Kumara sludgechannel, there is one matter not touched upon, and that is, the question of increased sludge-channel accommodation. It is a well-known fact that the chief difficulty in connection with the channel is owing to there being more claims connected with it and requiring its use than the channel will conveuientlycarry, with the very limited supply of water available to turn in at the head. This is the most fruitful cause of the frequent chokings which take place, and which entail such considerable losses to the miners. It is appparent then that this question is one that merits greater cousideration at the hauds of the Government and the local management than it has hitherto met with. When ic was found that the demand for the use of the channel was so great, why not have at once provided more accommodation, either by widening the present chanuel or subsidising private parties to construct races of their own ? Had this been done when it first became necessary, there would be little to complain of at the present time, so far as the sludge-channel is concerned. There is no doubt the Manager's statement that the tailings site will not hold out more than another twelve months has influenced the Government in their decision not to reduce the price of water or make any improvements in paviog the sludge-channel. There are also a large number of miners purchasing Government water who do use the channel, but maintain long and expensive tail-races of their own. These parties have received no mention at the bands of the Commissioners. The large expenditure cannot be urged as a reason why they should not get a reduction of the price of water. We are given to understand that new regulations have been framed for the use of the sludge-channel and by what we learn fiom the Report, they will contain a clause compelling miners to sluice through a grating. Now, the miners have already given a unanimous expression of their opinions on the practicability of sluicing through a grating, and that is that it will render a still larger percentage of the claims uniemuneiative, and which should not be adopted until the condition of the tailiugs-site rendered it absolutely necessary, which is not ths case at the present time, and by what we can gather from general opinion is not likely to be for some years, notwithstanding the Manager's assertion to the contrary. It is an erroneous impression to suppose that the ground commanded by the channel will be worked out in four years, as implied iu the Report. It is true a number of the claims at present working will be finished by that time, but there is still a large area of poorer ground that will most certainly be worked when an abundant supply of cheap water can be had.