IRONSAND.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume XLVII, Issue 81907, 19 December 1906, Page 4

IRONSAND.

Tin-: i'.vi:.\]'.m:.v kkposit-;. Till- M-Ilt eaW.-lanl -latin..' Illili lII,' coi,i|,aliv I'.hi.-Ii i- In-ill- ;.r..111u1r., i.y .Mr -I. il. Wili.cfor.l. of .\II.-M;=n.l. will i- launched ill London ain'-i- the arrival ..f tin- uiT..-ary ilix-uini-iil.-fr- in \«-v. Z.-.iliiinl is not v-rv inti-l-liy.il.h- i-iiy, il»- Wellington" Post), mill a representative of Hits pa pelmatic- a, round i.f ini|uiiies, villi a view m a-certaining what documents were referred to. T'u- errand was rather a fruitless one, however. Under the Mining Act of I'm;, a lease of what is known as tin- I'arapara milling country was granted to tin- late sir A. .1. I adman, ami sub-.-cihm •> of ,ection IU-i stipulated that any lease granted .shall contain a ]iru\i.-iu!i ti.at tin: State may purchase at a fair value, 1 to lie- asi-criaiiinl m a mat lev -el \ fnrili—that i- to »av. !iv niluinuioii. =' It will In- seen, therefore, that in i-«.- » njM-it to I'll- l"aia)Mi~t ii-av tin- (internment, miner iiiis prowsinu. had a- clear right to step in and re-unie the Irani-, ami any working plant on the area included at any tun.' it saw lit to do no. In tin- inti-nal indu--tiious efforts had been made to induce London speculator- to work the dei««sits, and Mr ,1. 11. Witltctord forsook his. l'aiiliainentaiy duiii■-.' as incnibrr for one of the Auckland .seats to promote a comjian.v m London. ' The. provision quoted ahovc apparently acted as an in.-upiTable barrier to inn-slinent, and tin- .Mining Act Amendment Hill, passed last session, found its way on ine. Statute Book with the following provision: "I'arapara lease niodilietl; subsection 2 of section 104 of the principal Act is hereby amended liy adding the following words—"Provided Hull, in the case of the lease already granted under this section to the i'ubiic Xrusti-e, being the executor and trustee of the will of the late Sir Alfred (.'adman, bearing date August ij, 1!)U.">, the power of purchase shall not be cxer-

tent, but they are nut aware- of tinprecise length to which tiie iiegotiulions have progressed. They arc confident, however, mat in a* compara :ly short time work will be touiiced in real-earnest to open up the lb, and establish the iron industry ! in S\tw Zeaiani uO nieu have been permanently em ployed on the Jit-Ida carrying out pioununary work. Dy the conditions ui the lease the lessees were obliged to start work about that time, or lorieii their rights, and iu the interval it is reported, that good progress has betn '" "'' ""iter tor ill lies said ol any steps taken by the promoters of the eumn London, nor eould he give any information about their intentions. The Publie Trustee, who is administering il». .'<t:,u. ~f il„. i, ltc Sir A. J. L'adtter. llu stattd that position to give any