Waiorongomai Tramway.

Te Aroha News, Volume XVI, Issue 222041, 25 January 1900, Page 2

Waiorongomai Tramway.

The following paragraph, evidently communicated by Mr Hardy, appeared in Monday’s Herald “ A deadlock has occurred at Waiorongomai between Mr E. H. Hardy, the proprietor of Hardy’s mines and battery, and the Piako County Council, resulting in the stoppage of all work at the mines, tramway, and battery. This means serious loss to the nineteen men engaged,, and effects almost every family at Waiorongomai, besides storekeepers and others at Te Aroha. Since the property changed hands a year agi> some £4OOO have been spent, and crushing has gone on almost continuously during the last six months. The large reefs have proved 1 quite payable, aud, subject to a satisfactory. arrangement being come to with the Council as to quartz Raul age, it had-been decided to double the present crushing plant. It appears that Mr Hardy has repeatedly offered to lease the tramline and keep it in working order, but the Council objects, and seeks to impose terms which Mr Hardy considers unfair and detrimental to successful working on an exteuded scale. "The questions at issue have been set aside by the Council for one month, pending consultation with the secretary. Meantime all mine work is at a standstill, which is to be regretted. Ever since the tramway was handed over to the Council by the Government the agricultural and mining sections of the district have been at loggerheads, to the detriment of all legitimate mining enterprise, and those interested in the, mining work of the district feel that it is high time the Mines Department tool?'-measures to place matters on a satisfactory footing/’ In order that the public may have ah opportunity of understanding this difficulty we print the correspondence which has passed- be' Ween Mr Hardy and the Council on the subject.

. To the Clerk, Piako County Council. Sir, —Referring to my letter of 18th December, I wish to state that my mine manager informs me that he cannot guarantee to send to the battery more 20 trucks (30 tons) of ore per week, and would not he certain of being able to send even that quantity, as every part of ore has to be blasted and is very hard. If stoping work alone were done in the mine things might be different, but we are driving and opening up the ground at the same time, and no more men can be profitably engaged. There are at present working, viz., manager and 12 miners ; three men are employed in the battery, thus., making 1(5 -to be paid monthly. Eighty truck loads Would need to he very rich to enable me to make any profit over working expenses. Unless some better arrangement than formerly, is arranged, I must ..stop work, —Yours, etc.,

E. H. Hardy. To tho. Clerk, Tiako County Council. Sir,—ln reply - to your letter of 24th ult. It is true that I am the only party using the tramway, but it should be noted that this is no crime, and I api merely doing Tny duty towards those who originally provided the line, by working my property to its utmost limit, consistent with economical mining. I am paying more for haulage, viz., 35s per day, than covers the actual cost, viz., 245. As the mine improves no doubt more than the present. 96 truck loads (144 tons) monthly will he transmitted. The question of maintaining the line in good order is of course not considered in this connection. Whether trucks he run or not the line wilL'.suffer, and much more through worn out Sleepers-than from actual traffic. Your Ceuncil must therefore face its responsibilities or cause the ruin of a fine tramway, made at great expense by the Government (£18,000) to develop the mining industry and provide revenenue in the shapo of gold royalty, and rent for the Piako Council and the Thames High School Board. It is unfortunately aa anomaly that the latter . body draws the bulk of the mine rentals, yet contribute nothing towards the tramway. But there are other delinquencies deserving the severest reprobation. If your adviser in regard to the working of the tram, Mr T. Gavin, looks up, or assists in looking up, 220 acres of the best available mining land round about the tram, against those who might come forward to develop it, thereby cutting off possible sources of tramway revenue, and persistently recommends the imposition of hamissing conditions 1 on one who is doing his utmost with 16 workers and £2OO per month, it is high time to ceaso operations and seek justice elsewhere. On enquiry at the Warden’s office I find that the Sceptre Extended Claim, 99 acreß. was held by T. Gavin under application before the Courts until June 13th last. The Loyalty Extended Claim. 95 acres, is at present, held by him. The Lovalty-Palace Claim, 28 acres, is held in his name,. and he is, or was, a lirsre shareholder therein, whilst the Cadman Claim is hold un worked by Te Arol a residents, iiofcbwithstandrag that I have offered to treat 50 tors of their ore at the low prico of 4s per ton, I am justified in .assuming that these parties play the part more of speculative * oppor - tunists ’ than of real friends either of the Council or myself. ‘ Referring to your proposal as .to future working of : the tramway. I cannot agreo to pay. the wages of a foreman who is not my servant, as being subversive ’ of discipline. The mine being a low grade proposition, requiring delicate handling, pj events any advance on the following proposals I hereby affer:—l. To" lease -the tramway for a period of twelve months at a peppercorn rental. 2. To employ an experienced hand, approved by the Council, to work the. tramway, and two extra hands as required. 3. To feed and, tend the horses. 4. To keep the whole line in good ruuning order against ordinary wear and tear. 5. To keep the wire ropes and gear , lubricated ana the rollers in order. 6. To repair trucks, against ordinary wear and tear. 7. To fix new sleepers where required, if provided by the Councii. 8. To carry quartz for the public at the usual rates, when tho same does not interfere with my own arrangements. 9. Generally, to do mj utmost

o conserve'the*propfeftjr of the Coiikcil, to take every care. |but no responsibility against’ accidents to horses, trucks, wire ropes, or perrriarfent“ way, since'responsibilities of this uature are only assumed by individuals in cases where they stand to make large revenues from the thing conceded, which revenues at present do not appear. As to my ability to look after the tramway, and my good faith, I refer you to the Chief Surveyor, Auckland, and the Surveyor-General, Wellington. —Yours, etc., E. H. Hardy. 16th December, Mr E. H. Hardy,— Sir, —As instructed I put in writing ' the arrangements made at yesterday’s meeting of the Council, viz, that the Council will employ Edwards as J hitherto to carry quartz, and repair. Authorising him to employ necessary assistance when carrying quartz, and you will as hitherto pay 3a 6d per truck for quarts from- the mine, guaranteeing a minimum average of 30 trucks per week, separate settlements to be made for each period between dates of each monthly meeting of the Council, of the minimum average of 30 trucks per week is not maintained during any such periods you can either pay rate of such average for the period or you can pay the actual wages ’expended, during the period for Edwards' full time carrying quartz and repairing, and for the actual assistance got by him to earry quartz. This arrangement meantime to hold good. • until next meeting of the Council, and thereafter if renewed front month to month. Mr Hardy was present at the Council meeting when this arrange men- was; arrived at, an 1 verb By agreed to it. In fact, he sta ed tha the Council hadactually given hiai better terms than, he had asked for;

To the Clerk Piako County Council, Sir,—ln reply to yours of the 16th inst,I have duly considered the above matter along with ray mine manager determined to reject the the Councii and re-present those of my letter doited December 14 th, The present charge , of 3» 6d per truck for haulage is already too high. Through unavoidable delays at the mine and battery from time to time*, a payment of £2l per month for 39 trucks, per week, with a probability, of £42 per month when the battery is running full time, is an item large enough to cripple any low-grade mining proposition, Any J| charges beyond actual wages and cost of-con-current line repairs cannot be tolerated where strict economy is aine quo noinOn principle I.object to pay for line repairs continuously when running quartz; only twice or thriee per week. Other.' parties use the tramway for quartz, fire—wood, etc. A tramway once in should not require new sleepers for ySSHHB T&e present rails will last a lifetime. Why - should I who am doing so much to redressthe reputation of a district universally condemned, bear the legitimate burden of' a professedly just and liberal Government Any tramway expanses spread over a large' and wealthy County are a mere nothing in? view of possible mining developments. If the instincts of the Council are so purely agricultural as to prevent the conception of a bold and expansive mining policy,. - surely it were better to cease to administer: this portion of their estates altogether- 1 Referring once more to details, I cannot accept liability forthe wages of two of your;, Council’s line assistants though I would be? willing to pay the whole stall if my ser- j ▼ants. Often two days are taken in deliver-. J ing ten trucks wheu with a little extra; jJ work after hour* one would do. quartz on the line often from ■ Monday are at the mercy of depredators- - one of whom has confessed to the abstrac- M tion of golden Btone ; therefrotn. Again trucks are so b.idly worn that fully third of their original load escapes road when the quartz is fine and wet, this year I formulated proposals for taking" oyer the line, but your representative, Mr-' Gavin, insisted on a gnarantee of £lO0 r forfeitable in case of breaking of wire ropes or improper ma.nteuanee. This I could.not agree to because one rope was notoriously defective and there was no custom traflicto compensate me tor the risk ; but l took: the tramway for a month at the Council’s risk on Mr Gavin’s assurance that it had oeen put iu perfect ord r. After ten truckshad run the line gave way at a spot whichEdwards stated was 1-nown to be defective ■ and under orders for repar. This cost me£l9 and 17 days delay in crushing 20 loads- J of ore. Your Council never replied 'to my £ complaint nor gave re ’ress. Later on Gavin thinking to make a profit for ths* Council entirely at the expense of a stock of very poor ore left in the mine by his lute- v.English Company, undertook by weekljtfb contract to .run 10 trucks of ore per day t&A the battery. For tais I made provision by engaging two battery mea from Kuaotunu and retaining a cyanide manager. Hisconti act failed through the breakage of the wire rope previeu-ry referred to meanwhile I had tws men id e at t:7 per week. Dur.ng the winter months the battery had frequency to stop through the contumacy of two tramway assistants who would uot turn out in wet weather though that favoured the running of the truc-s One of these? men wax hostile io my interests becausebeing a drunkard he had been refused workin the mine. If the tramway men weie iny servants such things could not happen. Upto the 14th inst. since June my haulageaccount for 577 trucks of ore was LlUl, k repairs protested Ll 9 wire rope grant Ll 5, - total L 135. Every particle of that stone: hod to be blasted out. In conclusion I hav** been harrassed beyond bearing by your Council through your supervisor, the largest helder of uuworked mining laud ' about the tram and the late mine manager cf the recently defunct English Mining Co the N Z Exploration Co. Lid and Aroha " G M Ltd, and by the tramway nominees of that supervisor. The Council should uot expect at this junoture a profit out of tram way haulage. Mine development following, the unsuccessful operations of the late companies will not permit it. Rather let your Council look to its mine rentals and gold royalties and make representations in the proper quarter to effect an exchange of the large revenue-produeing mining lands held adjoining the tramway by the Thames High School Board (the contribute nothing towards line maintenance uad.aleo charge 10 times to 13 times the Gevermneut regulation price for water rights covering a costly water race) an exchange for an agrisul- . tural block elsewhere- Our disabilities aremany and the whole position of affairs intolerable, so much so that-unless mediate relief be forthcoming the mine battery after twelve months hard must close down under six months protHBHH tion pending better legislation, on 31st next, and sixteen men be thrown out work to the great .detriment of many comfortably settled families in this t 0 ship.—Yours, etc. E. H. Hannr-