MT. EGMONT QUARRIES.

Taranaki Daily News, 15 October 1920, Page 6

MT. EGMONT QUARRIES.

METAL UNGENTLY NEEDED. The urgent necessity for opening tip the Mount Egmont quarries was again before the Pa tea County-Council on Holiday. The Deputy-chairman (Mr. lfeltoii) said that the Government did not seem to ho very keen about the matter. It seemed that the "Public Works-Engineer was out in his estimate, and that it would cost a good deal more to open up the quarries than was at first thought. The matter was one of great importance to local bodies, and he would move that the Council urge upon the Government the necessity for pushing on with the work us early as possible, and that a copy of the resolution be sent to the member for the district (Mr. W. I). Powdrcll). The necessity for the metal was obvious to all. They had to draw their supplies from Wellington, and' it looked as if they would got no metal from there during the coming season. Railway freights were up, and the Government was losing sight of the fact that metal was being hauled by the Railway Department more than 200 miles over, an up grr.de at n loss when it could be obtained from Mount Egmont and delivered over a down grade a much shorter distance. The cost of putting down the line to the Mount Egmont quarries was not the only thing to consider, for the Government would gain in other ways. It seemed that a little "punch" was needed on the part of local bodies. The member for Stratford was very keen.'* 1 l the opening of the lino, and wii, ;er Tarnnaki member* was doing lu .est. lie had been told that the stone was very fine and equal to Belmont. The requirements of the district went very much beyond the supply. He believed that they could do with 40011 or 5000 cubic yards, and did not think that they would be able to get one-Tialf of it. A number of ratepayers n-ore quite willing to go in for special loans, but were not able to get metal. They bad, when approached some time ago. estimated their requirement-; at 1000 cubic yards, but the information given then was very indefinite. Ho thought they should also ask Hawera to move in the matter, and would make this pari of the motion.

Cr. Oihhs. in seconding, said he hoped it would be pointed out to the .Minister that they were very short of metal, and that Mount Egmont was their best hope. The motion was carried.—Star.