THE AROHA TRAMWAY.

Te Aroha News, Volume II, Issue 70, 4 October 1884, Page 7

THE AROHA TRAMWAY.

The PiaUo County Council at its last meeting, held ou 2-ith September, discu&sed at considerable length its position in respect to the Aroha tramway, and the best possible means of < 1 is | Mains' of t,.e same in the interests of all concerned. For the past few weeks tlie council ha-* been advertising for tende.s for ttie leasing of the tramway. No t°nders were received. Tne ehainnan of the tniMiway committee reported tiiat the receipts for haulage for tiic mouth .amounted to £196 17s i)d, the ordinary expenditure of the month £IG3" L(><, and the expen liture 'n wages for repairing the slip* £106 Is oi\, making a total expenditure for (he month of £32 l J 17s 6d. Mr H.H.Adams tramway manager, wrote expressing his obligations to the mine managers for so promptly placing a number of their men at his disposal to repair damage? caused by | slips on the line, no other labour being available. Cr Firth explained that the large amount of wages paid was on account of the many slips that had taken place in consequence of the recent severe weather. The wages this nvnth, owing to tiiis cause, were more than double what they would have been under ordinary circumstances. One of the difficulties which any person who leased the tramway would have to dispose of was that, owing to a flat place at tiie base of Butler's spur, it was necessa y to start the trucks at a high speed, in order to Sfet over the excessive incline caused by t.iis hollow. It would require, before Butler's spur was in safe working condition, to be rectified at this point. He would suggest that the lease of the tramway be put up to auction, in this way the council would make the l>e^t possible bargain under the eircnniftances. In reply to a question. O Firth stated that tho gold revenue fot the month was £i; 7 10s, viz. : 900 ounces at Is tkl : It has been said that the conditions upon which the tramway weie offered for lease weie too stringent. Ti'oy might aiter the conditions they themselves had made, but. of course they could not alter the conditions which the Warden had imposed. His idea of how the mutter would best be arranged in the interests of all parties concerned was that the principal mines should join together and lease the li.ie This, he believed, would be the most practical solution of the difficult}'. He fell convinced they woul 1 rot get any single person to lease the concern. Cr Chepmell opposed the proposal of G'" Firth. The tramway wa< public or couaty property, and must not be handed over to the control of any such combination as that suggested. Cr Firth was not desliinis that the combination should include m rely tue principal mining companies on the hill, but alt the mint's might be united to join in the scheme. Cr Gould also spoke against the proposal. Cr Firth said the m.itter of taking over tne tramway by the proposed combination had been discussed, but no definite understanding had been arrived at in the matter. Cr Chepmell was in favour of all furthercoiwderation of the matter being deferred till after the. election for the Te Aroha riding, whichwas most concerned, being unrepresented. Cr Firth saM that about three out of every four persons on the field were in favour of the line, being leased. Cr Chepmell complained of the way in which the Aroha riding hail been unrepresented in the council for such a time. Cr Whitaker ought to have resigned long before he did. Cr Brunskill approved of the idea of putting the lease up to auction. Cr Firth then moved, " That the lease of the tramway be put up to auction, such lease to be for a term of ten years from day of sale, the Council reserving to itself the right of making one bid ; also, that the sale take phce on the Bth October at the auction mart of Messrs B. Tonks and Co., Auckland." Cr Brunskill seconded. Cr Chepmell proposed as an amendment, " That no further steps he taken to lease ihe tramway until the n*w council is elected, taking into consideration the fact that the Aroha riding is at present unrepresented." Cr Gould >p«;onded. Voted for the amendment; Crs Gould, Ciiepmeli and Maclean. Against : Vrs, I

J. C. Firth, W. T. Piith, Bnmskil! ami the eiminn.iu. Tin*. .imuiWinent was th -iv fore nviared lost For the original motion : Crs. J. C. Firrl , W. T. Firth, Bnmskill and the chairman : and Crs Maclean, Gould and Chepmell voted against it. Tl-e motion was therefore declared carried. — WaikaLo Times.