Thames High School and Mining at Waiorongomai

Te Aroha News, Volume VI, Issue 272, 13 June 1888, Page 2

T hames High School and Mining at Waiorongomai-

A mdimivo of the Governors of (ho ThntnoQ High School was hold in the P.ntoutfh Chambers Thames on Satur(!:iy. at. 11 a in , when thorp wore present — Me^i* Brodio (Cha>nmn), Wood, Dean, Danhy. and McGowan. Mr Xorthoroft, Warden, was present liy roquet. Mp^is «F. MeCo-li Clark, Auckland : and A "ims, fioin Waioionjzoimi wore all pio^ent . Tho Chairman explained that the Secretary had received a telegram from thi' Wai den re the application of Mr Adams for a >pc( nil claim to he '-ailed the Alnmeda, at Waiorongomai, the whole of which wa* on the Board's endowment, a portion being outride the £?old field boundary, and tho meeting had been convened fo allow of a conference taking 1 place between tho=e interested in the application, the Board, and the Warden. Tn the ooui^e of conversation the Wai den explained that the special claim for which application had been made, consisted of .">0 acres, but he only had jurisdiction rw far as a ceitain road, and lie had therefore suggested to tiie applicant^ that they mu-t. ni range with the Governors of the High School before he could yrant the whole of the .10 ticre^. Mr Coffer, of Auckland, who wag also present on behalf of Me^rs Claik and Aflame, detailed the lec;al position of the matter at =ome length, and further explained that when pegging 1 out the ground the applicants had been of opinion the whole of the ground comprised within the special claim was in the goldlield. but it had afterwards been found that 1)7 out of the 50 acres on the Board's endowment were not under the Warden's control. They were now piesent to ?ee whether some airangement could not he come to with the Board, as while tho applicants desired that the ground be granted them at less lhnn £X per acre — the amount the Board had power to demand under Goldfields Act of 1870, — they al«o wished the Board to consider that wee they successful in their mining operation", the property of the Board would be considerably enhanced in value. A similar application had been made by Mr Firth for an adjoining special claim, which had been granted by the Board, and it was now a«ked thai like concessions should he triven to the present applicants. The Chairman read from the Anonv and Oiiinemt'lii News a report of a public meeting held at Waiorongomai on the 24th May, which lie said had been attended chiefly by persons either employed by the Battery Co. or under Mr Adams, i and at which both the Board and himself had been denounced as retarding the progress of the district. Tie desired to s^a'.e, however, that special concessions had boon given by the Board to Mr Kirtli for his special claim, and also in tho matter of water rights, while both Mr Frnscr and himself !uid sold valuable allotments which they owned to the same parties at cost price, in order to assist in the developement of the gold field as far as possible. Tt was most unjust that these statements should be made, and he therefoie thought it advisable to at once remove the impression they conveyed. Mr Claik remaiked that on behalf of Mr Fiith and himself he could state tint they had no cause, whatever to complain of the tic.ilmonl t'lov hid leceive!

1 fiotn Ilio Board, as they had always been met by the ( : o\ernors of t ho School in a fair and liberal spirit. The Chairman said ho wm ylad Mr CMnrk had informed the "Warden that these resolutions were nn(rne. After considerable further conversation in Ihn course 1 of which if- was stated (hat when the concessions were, granted Mr Firth it was distinctly staled that the net ion of the Uonn.l then was not to he taken as a precedent for the future, having been given to encourage mining under "iho special circumstances of the cn^e, it was resolved, on the motion of Mr McGowan, seconded by the llov S. J j'Vill — " That this ground be let to Mr Adams at £,?> per acre for the first year, and X 2 per acre for the remainder of the, term, the whole to be under the supervision of the Warden." At flio request of Mr (.'otter the applicants were allowed time to crncidc-v the decision of the Board.— Thames Star.