Te Aroha AND Ohinemuri News AND UPPER THAMES ADVOCATE. 'This above all—to thine own self be true, And it must follow as the night the day Thou canst not then be false to any man.' Shakespeare. SATURDAY, APRIL 27, 1889.

Te Aroha News, Volume VI, Issue 363, 27 April 1889, Page 2

Te Aroha AND Ohinemuri News AND UPPER THAMES ADVOCATE. ' This above all — to thine own self be true, And it must follow as the night the day Thou canst not then be false to any man.' Shakespeare. SATURDAY, APRIL 27, 1889.

THAMES TE AROHA RAILWAY. Accov.dwg to the latest announced aiTin!rei»iiM*« the lion Mr Mitchelson, Mincer of Public Works, will visit Thniro* on Monday next for the purpose of persnmlty inspecting the Thames-Te Aroha line of railway, and of meeting representatives of the various local bodies, to hoar their views and confer with them with respect to the completion of the lino as far as Paeroa » and to receive their statements regarding the nroluble traffic that may he expected to resuU were this portion ol the line opened. It is now about nine years ago since this line was commenced, and its construction has been carried on by fits and s'aits ; but as a matter of fact the line has been formed almost as far as Paeroa. From Paoroa to Te Avoha the lino has all boon surveyed, and can be very easily and cheaply constructed, no engineering difficulties whatever presenting themselves. With respect to the construction of this line of railway, we are very strongly of opinion there was nothing whatever to justify the expenditure when the woik was commenced, and believe the money could have been unlived in other diroc! ions with far greater advantage to the Colony. It was started, to say the loast, prematurely. But we wish now to say a few words with respect to the position as it is to-day. As a matter of Fact then we find Ihnt by far the most expensive portion of the line to construct, that from Thames to Paoroa, has been formed, and close upon ! £50,000 expanded on this railway, It is now sus^f'sled to finally complete- and rqnip this section of the line, leaving the gap of some ion or eleven miles from Paeroa to T> i Aio'na in abev.mce until a. more e< nvenient season. We have no 1 esitati< n in 5.13 inerth.it to adopt puch a ciutse as this wmhl bo utter folly, a perfect wa?t< % of public money, and only 10-u't "n di^aj poinimei't and faihr'o to all cincnnod. What possible traffic can be calcnl led on as like!} t > nn«-e for an so'ated section of (he line such as that leferred to, that c.nM reasonably be expected to euvei the woi King expenses. But op ut Tiom thi* the working expanses \m>uM be don! led, if n«»t trel«Ie«l, l.y adopting su- h a -host "sighted polic-y, without one pintle compensating iVatn.ro. To work the Tl'imn's Paoroa section of the line by itself would nccessit 4e the gieat end nnnoce-s.ny expense of maintaining a sops i ate rolling stock, complete in itself, for use on this portion of the line only; the ni.ut t-mance of engines and engine diivors for one hours run each way, say thro times a we< k. Let the line however be com pi < tod and connected with TcAioha, and all working expenses will Ie at once reduced to a minimum. A time table could be so ai ranged that very little extia exp--n«o whatever, beyond the, maintenance o! tho line, would be necessary to provide ample travelling facilities over this portion of the railway. 'J he train that now leaves Te Aroha for Auckland could be so timed as to start from Thames instead ; and the tiain from Auckland to Te Aioha could go right on to Thames each trip. We trust Government will not expend another shilling on this line unless they are prepared to cany it ryrht through to Te Aroha, and to work it as a whole, in connection with the main tiunk railway. Apart from a considerable papsengcr traffic that might he reasonably calculated on, a considerable grols tr ffic might be reasonably looked for ; by the conveyance of coal, ca'tle and produce from Wnikato and To Aroha to the Thames ; and a strong impetus would be given by the completion of the line to settlement along the whole Thames Valley. It is an established fact th:.t the greater the facilities possessed by a district for being i cached from the outside world, the greater will the stream of immigration to that distiict be, and earn line of road or rail connecting Te Aroha with other paits of the Colony will tend to increase the number of those vi%itin ( j: our distiict, and undoubtedly increase its popularity as a sanatorium. The completion of Thompson's Track road (now in course of consti notion), giving improved and more direct means of communication between Tauranga and Te Aroha, will also assist in providing traffic for this line of railway ; for, as as we have already remarked, every new outlet hi ings its attendant advantages, and each fresh means of access to other districts is closely followed by increased traffic and business relations with neighboui ing cent res. Close on £50,000 having already been expended on this line of laihvay, suiel} G<-V'inmc»fc do not intend to allow so large an outlay of borrowed money to go tor nought, now that the woik has been carried through so far and .seeing the cost of completing the line would not l<e very great. Unless the line is completed light through to Te i Aroha, it cannot even be reasonably expected that it would pay to run a train on (lie portion already made. Utitil the line is complete! nn return whatever can be looked for on the work already done ; and Hie sleepers will rot, the rails rust, and 1 lie line f.ill inio decay, a staudimr disgrace to the Government of. the Colony, But we now wielrtoreforin thela^t place, to a new and weighty reason why this line of railway should h$ completed with ag little delay as possible ; viz., on

account of the great assistance it wonM be to the mining industiy. wore parlicularly throughout the length and breadth of the Coromandol Poninsu'a. And, after all, what can compare with the mining industry 1o induce* settlement and promote prosperity? " 4 Whore would New Zealand be to-«day bad it not been fo* the discovery of gold ? There is nothing that will so attract men and money, and so quickly build up large and prosperous com muni lies as the discovery of gold. This it was that gave New Zealand a start it has never I6st. What made Auckland, the Thames, and Te Aroha, what they are to-day? — undoubtedly the diseoveiv of gold. Since 1857 over £45,000,000 of gold have been, exported from £few Zealand. And yet we are amongot those who believe the mining' indust # y in this Colony is only in its infancy ; but in the future the induct* y will have to be proseculed onqnileadiffeientbasistothat which has prevailed in years gone by. To-day we find the mines which pay the shareholders the best are those in which capitalist are interested, and in connection vuth which expcn?i\o machinery is extensively employed, wh?rehy ore is made lo pay handsome dividends, that heretofore could not he troalcd except at a loss. We could adduce man" sti iking instances to piactically demonstrale th" truth of this argument. Sandhurst alone is a remarkable examine. Theie we find since science and large capital have uni'edly come to the rescue, many large mines are at work on ore often only yielding 1 4dw(s to 5-lwt? to the ton; working too, at a depth of 1000 to 2000 feet, and yet paying steady dnideivl? : and providing pinfilahle employment for thousands of minors, ami os a vo«ult, for thousands of others in various walks in l'fe. The returns in the future may not perhaps be so sensational as some in the past, but they aie likely to be of a more permanent character ; as science and capital are brought, to bear. Successive Governments have long recognised the immense importance of the mining in dusty to New Zealand, and the necessity of fostering it by all reasonable means ; and with this object large bonuses are ] offered for the discovery of now gold fields, etc., and the proposal (o offt>r a bonus of '.•ay £10,000 or £20,000, for the introduction of a process cipable of sntisfactori'y treal'ng i:i quantity refractory ores has alsoieeuved aitenlion. The opportunity !ns now arrived for Government to riMidei mo-t valu.ible assistance in the developoment of the mining industry by situ fly com plot ing and opening for traffic the Thames- Ie Aroha railway.'as we shall now pioceul to sliow. Within the past twelvemonths an Ausnaliau syndicalehave invented at Waioronsromai over fifty tl>ov*<in'l pevnds in mining piopcrty and m ichinery, or in one y.^ar more than the whole sum expended by Government on the ernstruction of the Thames -To Aroha railway, an.l this immense amount of money has been aitually expended before any return whatever has been even looked for, so satisfied aio the proprietors of the capabilities of the field. The purchase money in the first instance fo Messrs Firth and Clarke wa« £25,000 for four fifths of their mining jroppity, £4,000 was paid foi the Silver King mine, and over L3U,000 has since then been invested in alteiaticns and the erection of new plant. In fact this plant will he by far the laigest and most complete general ore reduction woiks in the wholo of the Australian Colonies, Of course we readily admit that larger reduction works exist in Australia, viz., the Diy Creek Smelting Works, Adelaide ; at Mount ft 1 organ, and also at Broken Hill. But none of thee plants are combination plants, capable of ti eating any and all descriptions o£ ore, refiactoiy or otheiwise, but have each been erected for the treatment of particular descriptions of ore. No other works anything like fo extensive a.s those "just erected at Wuioiongomai exist souih of tlio Line, where provision ha«« boon made for ti eating ores of any description ; for at these woiks oi c can be treated by any of the following methods: — (1) Oulina»y piocess, for free milling ores, by means of stamper-*, tables, etc ; (2) by concentrating ; (3) bj desulphurising, chlorodysing, and amalgamating ; (4) by smelting by means of blast fmnaco. The Company are therefore in a position, by means of these various methods of treatment, to save the pold, silver, lead, and copper ; and will be pieparcd to pur-chase—-for cash — all desciiptionsof mineral beaiing ores — lefractory or otherwise — for treatment at the Waiorongomai reduction works. (As a matter of fact at the present moment ores, purchased in the South Island, are being shipped for treatment at those woiks). The rapacity of the present plant when in full swing, wil! be equal to the reduction of 100 tons of ore daily ; and the woiks are capable of being enlarged to almost any extent. In reply to enqniiies made by us, wo are informed the Company estimate tho freight to be carried for them alone when their Waiorongomai reduction works are in full swing as follows : Coke, lime, and fluxes, about 130 tons per week ; coal, general material, find outside oips, 3GO tons per week ; return freight in the foim of bullion, coppor mat, etc., foi shipment, 45 tons per week ; or over 500 tons of railway freight weekly for the one Company alone, a veiy large portion of which would most certainly be conveyed over tho Thames-Te Aroha portion oi' the line, wcroit completed. But with such a concern as this reduction plant at work night and day, it is truly impossible to estimate the mineral traffic that the opening of this line of railway through a mineral heaiing conntiy would create. Whilst the passenger traffic, and caniage of supplies i'oi tho workmen employed would be very f^ivat. We ask in what other" way could Government lender such practical as^i^tance in the ' developmenlof our mineral resources as b}' providiingaready means of transport to thismaiket for vast quantities of ore which hitherto Ii ive been unsaleable, owing to there being noiuvailiible process suitable for its reduction. The difficulties that at present exist, however, as legaids mctins of tiansit, must of necessity greatly retard the development of the mines in the Upper Thames, although a icady market may exist, only

a few mile* ili^lnnl. Th^Te Aroha S. and G. M. Co. having shown such f.uth in om mineral resoiuce^ and such eutorpiise by tho establishment of i\ e^e very complete and extensive ) eduction workß, we do not, hesitate to say it is tho bonnden duty of Government to encourage them by eve'y possible moans, andto assist them as fur as possible bv providing an eu£y means of comTnunication i'or the transport of quartz. A ready cash rnaikct for ore, and an easy means of conveying ore to that marker, will prove a greater incentive to pimped?" a:, and do moie to foster the niiuiiig iudustiy than any amount of bonus' 1 ? would e\or do. The success of this plant is not merely a matter of local or even provincial in oic-st, but of the ericiite^t iuipo-. i.ince to thewliole Colony. Otlier c^)]tallsts w'M follow suit, and other 1 eduction woiku be c^t.'bli&hed in suitable cenjrea in New Zealand. But it i<jnot every day men are to ba found who will come forward and invest £50,000 in establishing ore reduction woiks, etc. ; i and tliose who have dono so deserve special consideiation and encou -ngemont ; at the lnnds of Goveinment. Were the line between Thames nnd Te Aroha completed, we believe a large and steady traffic in the transpoit of quartz and material in connection with this one Company alone, would quickly be created. Not only would ore be brought to Waiorongomai fjoin the vaiiou 1 ? up country mining conties, but in large quantities from Thames nko, as tho Com* party will be able to profitably troftt ore, now <hei c consulcied almost value'e^s, and caßt aside. We say therefoic that stiong re ipons now exist for tho speedy completion of this line, that did not exist piior to the establishment of these vast reduction works ; and also that the establishment of these works alone will create a very considerable irsiWc over theTb.mies-Te Aioha mil way. We hope therefore that Govei nment will recognise the necessity of havinn "this line oC i.u'way completed at tlie cm Host possible dale.

Nothing of special inteie^t in connec" tion with mining mnltcis in this disliict has tianspired since our last issue. Waitoa Road Board monthly meeting to-day. Nomination of candidates for election to the Wai ton. Road Board close at Mottins\illo this day at noon, Tho re is n rnniour abroad to iho effect that one of the Premiers "suipiises" for tho ensuing session, vill be a reduction of iwc piMpoity tax — and that by various roti enchmonts ho will be able to rso giaduate \\ n^ to ensure its being done away with altogether. — Jleiald. The gold i etui ns for tho qu.irter ended M.ueh 31st last are asfollow*: — Auckland, i £2.^.398; Mai !boiou»h, £(5833 ; Nelson, £0(330; West Coa«S £120,005; Otngn, £83 899 ; total, £239,877. This itt an increase of £30,000 on the sjur,' l qumt-r List year. The total value of yoM ont'i-pd for exportation from New Zealand since Apiil Ist, 1857, is £45,083,519. Tho Financial News stitrs that a strons: syndicate ha 1 ? bopn foimed by Mr Fdward J. l J ape, of Biiuhton and GI i^ow, in conjunction with Mr Filz^fiald Mooi'* (the Austiali.m " Silvei King"), for the application of an ontiiely n« j w method of i-hloiin-ation, by moans of which this Ititliei to expensive method of exit acting preciom metals is reduced to a fi action of it* fonnpv cost. Accniding to the Rime authority tiials have been made in London with veiy lvfractory ores, lesnltinsr In the extinction of over 93 per cent, cf the gold and 98 poi cent, of the silver. The invenloi of the process is Mr J. B. Ilannay, of Glasgow. The Rangitikei Advocate s iyt :—": — " Di Newman, M . 11 . ft . , has h -en in the Rangitikei district for som' 5 days on fi ix millii.g business. He has now decided to start one on a good site on the Otakapo estate. The accession of Dr Newman to the ranks of the millers should bo a slight guarantee of the peitnanency of the demand for fibre, as bis connection with commercial men in Wellington »you'd enable him to obtain information on the subject of a reli ible nature." The Now Zealand Railway revenuo, that is to say, the gross receipts, for the past eleven months ot the financial 3- ear amounted to £908,009, and the expondi(me was £591,247 as against £911,074 and £033,449 respectively for the coiresponding period of the previous year. Thn-e was therefore a decrease of about £2000 in the leceipts and of about £42,000 in tho expenditure, thus leaving the net rcvpnue better by £40,000 than Inft year. The working expenses absorbed only G5 percent, of the revenue, as against 09 J per cent, last year. It is roughty computed that the net railway revenue received duiina; tho financial year juSu ex pi red, amounts approximately to £360,000. Thife is £10,000 above the Treasurer's estimate, a fchoitcoming of some £40,000 in the gross 1 eceipts being* more lhan balanced by a saving of about £50,000 in the ex» penditure. The traffic returns for the eleven months show a decrease in passengers, live stock, wool, and firewood, but an increase in timber, grain, merchandise, and minerals. A trial of a flax stripping machine, invented by Mr David Robertson, lately took place at Messis Robertson and Co's Phoenix Founds, Wellington, in the presence of a large number of gentlemen. The machine is similar to those as ordinarily used. The principal change is the feeding portion of the machine. The usual machines in use have a pair of rollers, but with this muchine there are. three, with four springs, bv which it works with ease and efficiency A most important feature is in the springs connected with each rolh-r. Besides being much stronger than the usual ones in use, they are at the top of the machine. In tho event of them getting out of order, they can be promptly replaced. Tho nnchino has a rotary beating bar, thus avoiding the extra wear and tear. The advantage which is claimed for this machine is that it will deal with double as much flox as those now in use. The gentlemon present expressed themselves thoroughly satisfied with its working' capacities. ' A witty judge in Dublin, who had known Mr Morley pretty well when, he was Chief Secretary in Ireland, met him somewhere, it is said, on the occasion of the RiponMorloy demonstration, and was accosted by the philosopher thus : ' We don't meet so often now, judsje ; and, indeed, I fear you don't often corre across'men of my views and ideas.' 'Troth and I do, Mr Morley, very often indeed,' was the immediate reply, ' not in society, though, buL in the do(k.'