WAIMEA – KUMARA WATERRACE AND KUMARA SLUDGE-CHANNEL.

Kumara Times, Issue 2783, 22 August 1885, Page 2

WAIMEA - KUMARA WATERRACE AND KUMARA SLUDGE-CHANNEL.

— We extract the following for the interest of our readers from Mr H. A. Gordon’s (Inspecting Engineer’s) annual report concerning the WaimeaKumara Water-Race, and the Kamara Sludge-Channel, for the year ending 31st March, 1885 : Portions of the fluming of what is known as the Waimea Water-race are getting considerably decayed, and are being renewed from time to time as the necessity of the case requires it. These renewals will increase from j'ear to year, until the whole of the nuderstiuclnres have been replaced; but, so long as the legs of the fluming, stringers and caps are kept in good repair the superstructures will last for a considerable time yet. All these repairs can be executed in such a manner (if care is taken to prevent a large breakage from taking place) so as not to interfere with the water supply. The portion known as the Kumara Water-race is in good repair, and is capable of carrying about 100 sluice-heads of water, with the exception of some places near the lower end, where the ground on which the race is constructed has subsided to a certain extent, owing to it having been undermined by parties working their claims. The Kumara •Sludge-channel has been kept constantly at work, and the returns furnished by the manager shew no diminution in parties sluicing or working their claims by the means of this work. This channel has proved very costly to maintain, far exceeding all estimates that were originally made concerning it. This channel was originally paved with wooden blocks; but tho expenditure on this system of paving was so great that the department deemed it advisable to substitute stone paving, to ascertain if the cost of maintenance could not be considerably lessened. This new system of paving could not be brought into operation all at once,

inasmuch that it took a considerable time to get sufficient stone blocks suitable for paving; and they could only be put into the channel in certain places where partially-worn wooden blocks adjoined them, if the wooden blocks were half-worn, the stone paving would stand too high, and impede the velocity of the water and debris going down, therefore a regular supply of new wooden blocks of different thicknesses had to be got to replenish the worn out ones, until circumstances were favourable for stone paving to be put in. An estimate of the cost of maintenance with stone paving can only be formed from the expenditure during the last six or seven months of the financial year, which the following table shews to be fully £2OO per month less than it originally cost for maintenance. In adopting this new system of paving, considerable opposition was made by those sluicing into the channel, on the grounds that the stone paving would greatly diminish the quantity of tailings that the channel would carry, and it is only reasonable to assume that the friction of the tailings going over an uneven surface would be greater than going over a smooth clean surface of wood. I called attention to this, while recommending stone paving to be tried; but when the actual results came to be known, there is far less difference than what I anticipated. The channel-fees for the year 1883-84 amounted to £2,127 18s 3d, and last year to £2,163 16s 4d, so that, in point of fact, the channel fees for last year amount to £35 18s Id more than the previous year, notwithstanding the strike that occurred during the last year amongst some of those that were using the channel, owing to new regulations for its use coming into force. The following tables will shew the results of the working of the Waterrace and Sludge-channel. Table showing the Sales of Water, Actual Cash, received for Sales of Water, and Maintenance of the Waimea-Kumara Water-Race during the Year ending the 31st March, 1885.

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Table showing the Sales of Water, and Actual Cash received for Sales of Water, and Maintenance of the Kumara Water-Race during the Year ending the 31st March, 1885. O rjjCOIMCOHHHIOOCqcOOOO iH .-5 .ohnohohoooocoh o ® H HrHrHH rH H H S ..lomononiioiofflooN o 2. Cfl 00 00 !>• 00 rH O 05 CO CO <N rH 05 no pr rH HM H rH <M <M cq^ fa r-T 13 ® H > Q 5 S 3 3 0 00NHC0 10NHOOOM rH _ tw .©HNNIOOCOOOOOOO CO fa O “HHH rH HHHH tH m ~00 O <N IH !>• CO UO Ol i>" tH CO lO tH O “J HOCJQOOHCOIOOOHHOIM rH OOCOOOOCiCiCIHIH <M CO 5 r-T r-T cT oT "S c S (M HHH tH rH • hH 05 CO CO CO rH <N H !>• hH 05 O 00 03 rH rH HHH t+-4 O O 9f\ o 5 l0C5O©00C5Q(N00(Ml>00 O 13 rH Ci m 6 U :::::::::::: : Ph , u 02 -H lO J 3 oo - -- -- -- -oo - - s s a h fa fa E*» 53 r2 M ” o S ® 3 P S "o HH ?h O r; q. H o d .O H Cj Table showing the Outstanding Moneys due for Sales of Water and Channel Fees from the Waimea-Kumara WaterRace and Kumara Sludge-Channel at the end of each Month during the Year ending the 31st March, 1885. bD bo .£3 'p •£ r p TZ rg H Ci r w CO hH c 5 h Cv H fc-H «J hm tfl . i=H CO S H CQ CO CQ _ U P & CO S 3 OQ rH c 3 O rH O rH CO S Csf CO S oo 3 co M 3 CO m 3 OO J2 OH 2 OH H H r* ‘H'o* >j OHiOOOIMiMJNTiUOOIffI I o 05 05 35 <35 C 5 OO CO It- 00HH CO lO CO CO CO CO CO CO CO CO CO OJ CO CO d S a * 10 ® . JN' § Mg rH rH tH tH S a _=i 0> rH rH rH rH -2*o 9 1 ?l > 15 2cocscot>i>QOio 3 Mlolol>CoOHl>eoNHl>H q n 3 <u § c4'(^c4'<^''c<r<?rc4ed'r-rrH'c<red' ° 05 -H 85 o • S’® it o ■S9 :::::::::::: & bo c 3 32 no P g - - = S = s = =| = 2 3 g tT - >3l •3 -a jyj-gtf §-«jS S-8J <1 fa 1-3 l“5 <1 02 O ft 1-5 fa g Thus showing the outstanding moneys to have been increased L 877 17s 6d during the year, while the number of men employed has decreased thirty-one. Of the increase of outstanding moneys, L 446 16s 3d are on sales of water, and L 413 Is 3d on sludge-channel fees. The total receipts of the WaimeaKumara Water-races for the year have been L 10,975 17s sd, and the expenditure for the same period L 3,008 3s 6d, thus leaving a balance of receipts over expenditure of L 7,967 13s lid. The receipts from the Kumara Sludge-chan-nel for the same period have been L 1,732 15s Id, while the expenditure has been L 6,161 14s 7d, thus showing an expenditure of L 4,428 19s 6d over the receipts, or, in other words, for every LI that is received in channel fees, this sludge-channel has cost L 3 11s to maintain. The total cost ot these water-races and sludge-channel has been L 173,176 10s 7d, and the total receipts for the year L12,70S 12s 6d, while the total expenditure has been L 9,169 18s Id, thus leaving a balance of profit of L 3,538 14s sd, being about 1|- per cent, on the cost of construction. To take the Kumara Water-race and Sludge-channel conjointly, ‘ the total cost of construction has been L54,5G7 16s 6d, and the receipts for water and channel fees during the year have been LI 1,044 11s sd, while the expenditure during the same period amonnsa !n L 7,817 14s Sd, thus leaving a prnfil of L 3.226 16s 9d, which is a! out 5 9 10; hs per cent, on cost of co-i's-nei ion. Tinvalue of tree water g.\cn from the Kumara Water-race to assist the miners

in opening out their claims since the completion of this work has b'*en L 4,001 13s 4d, and the free use of the Kuraara Sludge-channel has been given to the extent of L 463 15s 3d, making a total of L 4,465 8s 7d. The average number of miners employed in working mining claims with water from the Wairaea-K.umara water-races dining the year has been 371, and the approximate amount of gold that these miners have obtained is 16,9/1 ounces, representing a value of L 64,914 Is 6d. This amount is only an approximation, bub it is as near as the manager could ascertain. It is to be regretted that the definite amount of gold could not be obtained, so as to show exactly the benefits derived by the construction ot these works. Deducting the value of water and channel fees from the total value of the gold obtained, it leaves the average earnings of the miners to be Ll3B 7s, out of which would still have to be deducted the expenditure on sluice-boxes, piping, &c., that are necessary to work their claims. The total value of water sold and channel fees since the completion of these works (which extends of a period of seven years for the water-race and three years for the channel) has been L 45,839 3s, aud the expenditure on maintenance during the same period L 33,741 5s 3d, thus showing the total profits on the working of the water-race and channel during this period to be L 12,079 17-s 9d. The approximate amount of gold obtained by miners using water from this race since its completion has been 123,485 ounces, representing a value of L 472,330 2a 6d, whilst the average number of miners employed by mfeans of these works has been at the rate of 466 per annum.