PIAKO COUNTY COUNCIL.

Te Aroha News, Volume IV, Issue 176, 30 October 1886, Page 2

PIAKO COUNTY COUNCIL.

At tho Piako County Council meeting on Wednesday last (as announced by News Extra that afternoon), the rereport of Mr Gavin, Tramway Manager, with respect to the proposed Waioron-gouai-Tui prospecting track, was read and approved ; and it was decided to take steps to have the construction of the track proceeded with at once. An application was read from Mr J.Mc Leud Murray, on behalf of the shareholders of the Success claim, Waiorongomai, requesting a subsidy of £10 towards cost of construction, and the use of some spare rails and sleepers, the property of the County, which were available, to extend a branch line of county tramway to the claim. The application was gtanted. The Secretary Thames Hospital and Charitable A|d Board wrote, stating the amount of contributions from county to Aug. 17th had been received from Government, anil stating that legal proceedings would be taken for recovery of contributions from Piako up to March 31st. Mr Hay, solicitor, whose opinion had been asked, wrote advising the council to resist the claim on several grounds ; and the Chairman was authorised to take any steps necessary for the protection of the council. The consideration of an application from Shaftesbury residants for the ex penditure of £100 out of the /separate rato, was held over. A full report of the proceedings is unavoidably ciowded out of this issue, but tvill appear in our naxt. Tho following report was sent in by the Tiamway Manager respecting the

PROPOSED WALOilONGOMAITUI TRACK. Waiorongomai, Oct., 21st, 1886. To the Chairman and Members of the Piako County Council. Gentleman, —I have the honour to submit to yon the following leport ou the Waiorongomai-Tui track. 1 took advantage of the first spare day, to go over the ground and examine the hue of proposed track, viz., on Saturday 19th October I took a man with me, and ftailing from the end of upper hoise track from Waiorongom.u, went through to the Tui. I took a different direction to that taken by Cookson, but before reaching the Tui claims 1 crossed tho line blazed by him, and I am of the opinion that it would not be ndwsjble to adopt the line which he blazed. The present horse track in the Waiorongomai cieek ends at the Premier hopper, and just alongside of the main reef, that is tho north cud south reef, which is at present being worked by the Colonist and New Find companies. Now Cookson in laying off his track crossed the reef at tins point and kept to the westward of it all the way, until he reached the Tui. There are two reasons why this track should be condemned : first, the country is so steep, that it would be almost impossible to make a track that a horse could travel over, and the second reason is that it strikes too high up in the range to be of any service to prospectors, as it winds lound close up to the trig station, and then falls away to the Tui. I will now point out the route which I think the track should take, and one which 1 would strongly rejonimenl your coincil to adopt, and will give you my reasons for doing so. I would start from the upper end of the present track and strike off in an easterly direction and gradually wind round to the north and cross the main reef about 40 chains to the north of the present track, theu winding round to the south west and finally to the west I would reach the

Tui with a fair graded track, and one that would prove a great service to the district, as it would enable prospectors to bring quartz to the terminus of the present tramway, from whence they could have it conveyed to the battery foi treatment. I would recommend the adoption of this route because all tyie present workings at the Tui are on the western side of the dividing range between AVai /rongomai and Te Aroha, and it is not likely tli.it quartz will ever be brought that way, as it would have to be conveyed up hill a part of the dis tance, therefore in laying off a ttack we must not look to the shortest way of getting to the Tui, but to lay off a track that will be of most advantage to prospectors, which would open up new country that could be got at from either side of the range, and could eventually be nindo into a sledge track, if it was found neci?ssaiy to convey quartz to the battery for trial, and I claim all these advantages for <he track I now recommend to your council. The track 1 propose would cross a number of reel'.> on the easier side of the main reef itself about half a mile north of the Premier claim, in a place where very little prospecting has ever been done, owing to the fact that it could not be got at for the want of ft track; and again will cross a number of reefs, between the ra lin reef and the Champion ivef afc the Tui, and furthermore, it will go a long way to wards opening up a large extent of quartz bcaiing country which the miners both of Te Aroha and Ohinemuri are very anxious should be opened up, by n track for prospecting purposes, namely, the countiy between Waiorongomai and Karangahako goldfields ; and there is a large extent of unprotected country between the two fields, in which I have every reason to behove valuable discoveries will bo made, ivlren the miners are enabled to get in to prospect it. The track I would recommend your council to make afc present would bo a pack track four feet wide, with the, bush cleared for half a chain, but it should be laid off with such a grade as will do to sledge over by widening, when it would be required for that purpose. It would be advisable to have it laid off by a surveyor, but I would suggest that two good practical men be sent to thoroughly explore the route before a surveyor is engaged to grade it, as by doing so, you would then be sure to have the track laid off to the best advantage. There would be no engineering difficulty in making the track, which will be about two miles in length, and I estimate the cost at about 30s der chain. I do not know the exact locality of the boundary between the Piako and Ohinemuri counties, but believe the track would be about equally divided between, the two counties as I think the track would cross the boundary about the same place as it would cross the main reef, and would be in the Ohinemuri County for the remainder of the distance. — I 1 have the honour to be Gentleman, your obedient servant, Thomas Gavin. Tramway Manager.