The Hon E. Mitchelson, Mr Commissioner McKerrow, and Party at Te Aroha.

Te Aroha News, Volume VI, Issue 365, 4 May 1889, Page 2

The Hon E. Mitchelson, Mr Commissioner McKerrow, and Party at Te Aroha.

VISIT TO TE AROIIA S. & G. MINING CO.'S REDUCTION WORKS AT WAIORONGOMAI. This Son E. Mitchfilson, Minister of Public Works ; Mr J, McKerrow, Chief Commissioner of Railways ; accompanied by Mr Hudson, District I'iaffic Manager of Railways ; Mr Ha'es, District Engineer ; Mr Blair, Assistant Engineer ; Mr McKenzie, M.H.R. for Clutha ; Colonel Eraser, M.H.R. for Thainps ; Mr L. Bagnall, Thames Comity Chairman and Mr Bate,l?rivate Secretary to Hem Mr Mitchelson, Mr Jas. Stewart (of Stewart and Hunter, E.C.) Mr G.Fraser, etc., left the Club Hotel at half pasteight on Wednesday morning, in carnages supplied by Messis Bradley and Co., for Waiorongoniiii, inspect the very complete and extensive general reduction and smelting woiks erected by the Te Arolia Silver and Gold Mining Company. The party drove direct to the Company's office; where they were met by Mr J. McCosh Clarke, I local director, ami Mr J. Hpwell the, Co.'s Superintendent, under whose pcrj sonal supervision the new works have : been erected, and who is known as an authority and expert of very great and varied practical experience, both in America and Australia. The forty stamper battery was first inspected (twenty additional stampers, on a greatly improved prirciple being now in couise of erection in the same building), where the visitors saw the first stages of treating the quartz in operation, viz., the ) quarts: in its raw state crushed by the ! stamper process, being automatically fed into the stamper boxes, and when crushed from thence sluiced direct to the Frue Concentrators, where by means of a most ingenious application of the laws of gravitation the heavier particles, containing any substance of value, are separated from the lighter substances, which latter are carried on into tailing pits. This is accomplished by the crushed ore beingdistributed, direct from the sluice boxes as it comes from the stampers, on to an endless india rubber revolving b.md, about four feet wide, and set at an angle of about eight degrees, and to which a rapid vibrating motion is given as it revolves ; a spray of water continually playing on tho ore as it is delivered on to this revolving band. The result is that the heavier particles, known as ' concentrations', and containing 1 any metal of value, are carried upwards and discharged at one end of the machine, whilst the lighter particles are washed down over the other end, and as already stated, sluiced away to tailing pits. By this means theore being treated is reduced (or concentrated) to about ons twentieth o? its original bulk. The simple, rapid, and efficient way in which these machines accomplished the end in view, was watched with very great interest by the visitors. There are already 14 of these concentrators erected, and 11 mora will shortly be added to the number, in connection with the twenty head of new stampers above referred to. The Howell revolving furnace, and the large reverl.eratory furnace were next inspected, i

ing- of the railway to> Thames would tlo away with the liver steamer traffic. The present rate for goods from* Thames tn Te Aioha by iiv?r stpamei' statpd lo b<* B's per ton. Tn reply to ]V!r McKerrnw, Mr Unison s.iid the rate that "oul I be charged" by the railway for conveying goo Is beIwpen Thames/ and Te Aroha would bfrabont 3s (>d to 4.d per ton. The deputation pointed ontthnf owinq 1 to the yrjay in- which the Waihon river was silting up the upper portion, Paeroa lo Te Arolia, was becoming more and more difficult for navigation every year, ; even now the larger steamers, conld not get up. A desultory conversation then' ensued' between the deputation and Messrs Mitchelson and McKerrow rp the probable amount and kind of traffic that might .he calculated on if the railway to Thames, were eompreted, cost of cart in ur from IV •Aroha, and also fiom Murphy's Landing,. *t>> Waiorongomai, oto.. anil a lars>e map the distiict Was produced and leferredto. Mr Gallagher t^ Mr Mitdu'lsim : I' suppose t!ie pre-ent cost of- conveying the mails between Thames and Te Aroha, has been laid before you. Mr Mitchplson : Yes it lias, and alSo^ the cost I'iom Waihi. Mr McKerrow : The chief reason I can at present see for the railway* between Te Aroha and Paeroa would be for the conveyance of quartz to the reduction work's at Waiorongomai. Tn reply to Mr McKorrow Mr Hudson said tie average daily number of p.issengers conveyed to Rotorua by rail was foil*.. Referring to the thermal springs and hot baths at Te Aiohn, Mi- Mitchelson said : He had no doabt if the line were open a large number of persons would come from Thaims-to TeA roll a by rail. Replying to fchp deputation the Hon* Mr Mitchelson said : The balance of 1 money available for this line would not be sufficient to complete it. On his> return to Wellington the matter of pro-, ceeding with the work would be considerc 1 by the Government. So far be might say he iiid not thin'c of com--pleting tae line ftom Thajuea to Paeroa-. only, as to do so he could plainly see'would be utter folly, as there was no. 'prospect that the traffic on that portion, of the line by itself would- pay, tie had been very much pleased with what he.had seen, and in. all probability the for--mation of fcha line- towards Te Arohat would be gone on with. Aflep his return to Wellington, and the matter- had been* "more fully considered, he would com. ,municate the decision arrived at by ther Government to the deputation.. Tne deputation then, withdrew, and , after lunch lion Mr Mifchelson and MrComnn's^ioner. M>«K.eirow ami parly,, left by special train, for Oxford, desiring^ to inspect the xin formed portion of the line of, railway, between Oxford and1 Rotorua and on Thursday the railwayline beyond Oxford towards Rotorm ;_ -Mr Mitchf lson-and party purposing to, ■return to Auckland Tiiurslay nii?bt, v Messrs McKimtow and Hudson the dayFollowing, desiring to visit O'ambridge on , Friday.