THE PUMPING QUESTION.

Thames Star, Volume X, Issue 3238, 5 July 1879, Page 2

THE PUMPING QUESTION.

CONFEBENCE OF,LOCAL BODIES AND AUCKLAND DELEGATE.

':A conference of the members of the Thames Borough and County Councils ) and -the { delegate appointed' at the c meeting- bf 'AttpklaMl 'mining'mStf.'.wiSs held|a't/ !the Council Chambers last evening. Pfrj-. sent—His Worship, the (in the C¥atr)r,l We 'Gduiity Chairmrfn, • Messrs J. Brown, J. Wilsqn, p. N. Brassey, E.t Graham, W: L. Thbrburn, Coutts, A. v Pq^r,; A,, ,^rioe f and, Bfiqblq. t > jof the delegates, Mr C. J. Stone,

present. „ ■ j $Lf J- Stibn'e 'for "MV' Clark's ; absence, which he attributed to a mistake about the day of meeting, he having' doubtless been*" under the impression iif was to jtake place pa .Saturday.,, „ , ) s h • .„; '■'' The'Maycir 1 endeavored to arrange for* ■the postponement of the meeting until today, when Mr Clark might be present, Wit- Mr:-Stopo arra^eraott ß required him to gp; to Auckland with the morning's 1 steamer. It waS, therefore, decided to go 0n... 1,, i Stone:, said that the re'Bololipnj emanating from the meeting in' lAucMland 'iwai jthe-baßiß of the arrangements ;:tbe delegates were entitM to; ihike'with the t tlotfal^ddfesT" '■''■ He ' would'^ansVeilf ,a4T Pump, or thefispmpftni^s. contribution,? rr)^f th^«the"(Bqmpanißßi were prepared to pumpi ftt'the^Orfeet lefel;' taking the responsibility if the local, bodies hand over the cold. ,duty. from the i&eM drained; Iflg6Fd Iwas produced- in large,qußitttities the companies considered the" burden on thsm should bo lightened. This he,copsid^r€4 £ 'fair:,propq«js.j •■■?■ : remarks bore out the construction put .by 'some members, present upon the'ireaolu-i tion referred to,-that the Auckland meet*; ing intended,the gold duty' to be madeja I first charge .. for,. -the,; <:i maintenance of: Ipumping operations."... '..„ i , . Mr Porter, jisked, if it w.ajß Jtjieix^ <tl|e companies'.) ■ intenttop that if supposing £500/ were- rflisedJProm, ;gold,^duty from the area drained, and, the pumping copt £500, would the whole of the duty be' (take-n^'-'- .ri^^ ZX::i:i[} .NJV.LVJ I •' Mr Stone/: I pan only, prefer; you to th,e resolution, and. my interpretation of it. We consider 5; the companiiß's 1 should.be telieve'diri'proportion 1, to ih«i! amount of •■'* '^.r'm&sfdf as^d'^'ti^^w^nte^^n^ flengtK'bf r tiine^i^9^6i^> l ''{,! i\'i,^- i^ | '' , Mr Sto^ne said, that the,r,eflolu^ion;Btate|d 12 months^ but it had beeiabroughiun^er his notice that! the Councils . could not guarantee them the Pumps for 12, months.' would li^'ihemW ai!. 'lonj? \ « tiie Councils could let.them. „, !.!,.! ! >'™Ws feisty piarantee'i;2Oo per mbnth,.tHie^otmcik making up the deficiency, if any. | -Mr Stone-said nov ~~ They iooked upon 8 tttifbd wtfch^hould -WSfflSSPupjln that is4ujs|lpy»:-altii6ughyt6e^'iflx /was an iniquitous on^ r , , „,.,; J | t pref arM cto'cir)iy:.o^ pWs^eotwl al wejll as pumping operations. ' ( Mr Stpno, said it would be in i the inthreat of all^ gold .producing mines to prospect them, but he could a,ssure them |gf g|;qsp^cj; f a(; vr r ?JM4jßeA|add companies were.,wi]lling, if the Councjil s wqulji take the^t m PA nK» „pay .^j^e^siTO^pe.r-jaion^,; ones h> nw:w ».]: „-,. n l u,; r eply. f to, a ; question,,Mr Stone ■ *aid thai the drainage area was i bounded iby the Caledonian slide; He might tell thefii thattherdbmpanies wouldihiv«"conwderablo difficulty in raising the £20) per Mr Porter asked if Mp Stfiti€ #a'i in (a position lo^&aT witfi'£ny other terms bi|t '!i s"'.;;,':^'" j The-top^p'ihiti^e;;^soafraia'th|e-.vije,ws,qf; f^e $Q&sa ■'jrere.flo^anyl-, .tMn^a^t^bJß^of ApoJW«w weetinb 'MrDtoo^'.!i!e'psei(?njed¥F:.u.}TO I ffJ , M^^iqJiisMtlieji, read,.th^fproposals df thelocal bodies as follows:— z<-nttt j

'The'CoiintjrCouncil fty^W^tobifif) gold duty ,up' to,VSesember Ist nex| ensuing,* such gold;'duty to, bp derived from mines within the County, .and „ obtained ir<ini 'tlie.;wprkipgs;belp^ the ';' Kuraiiui Hill tunnel level. :;,,,.;. „,,.J 0 \ ' BOBOTTGH OFFBE— j. The Borough Council agree, to .contribute •to the associated companies out of th£ gold duty re'peiv^d^y, fhenx,durin^ i • :eacti tnbnth frooirmincs ebtitribu'tisgjtd pumping -a sum not exceeding itfanjf one montli'£so;; but'should there occur (&■* de fioi t! tin v any - mdntb,; such; (flipficii shall not -be .made up frqm the gold duty, received from the next or succeed^ ing months during which pumping .., may be continued. , This arrangement .';• shall be for ») period of iwelTe months ', from the Starting :of the pumps * arid . t contingent upon the payment of the )<-, Gounty gold duty:being continuedfbFa' i 1 like period^ >■ : ■|;'-/- !"-'^"^^ ; '^'l r'^ , JOINT CONDITIONS—•- ! !l5 ' ; 1. That; the first :*;rtem:; of; 'revenue: ' with the^maintenance^ of the ; —-Pomp shall be the drainage contribttT, tiotas.leyied.upon the, benefited, mines, i :^.i CTh4jOpunty,andßbroug^old ; dut]r«s; ' .'abp^'efspecified.Vorr-'-1 '■-o-- < t ■ ■•, •• i.-' r "IJ i .$. ;T^iji't, i tKe,'^^ ipanageraent flhall'heyest^di in a cqnimittee p£< foul?,} two tobo appointed bj the directors of the Associa-; ;:tedn<jC!ompames7apd one;>fromf each of ; - Vthe JBorougii and bounty GouQeils.-^iU 4 That neither the Borough nor the County Councils shall in any case be

held responsible for any liabilities inf curred by the executive committee, beyond the amount agreed to be contributed by them.

Mr Brassey assured Mr Stone that the local bodies were not in the least divided in those proposals. Speaking for himself he would give every assistance to prospecting being carried on at the 640 feet lovel. Mr Stone said it' was the opinion in Auckland that the 640 feet level had been fully prospected, and any ? further prospecting there they considered a waste of money. He would be glad to see the Pump going and a cross-cut put in the Waio-Karaka, but he considered that more a colonial undertaking than a company's.. .They were quite willing jto contribute £200 per month and let some other body pump from the 640 feet level., It was riot a question of disposition but'of ability. Many of the companies wdre working on calls, while others were j^st 1 keeping alive from the gold raised. ' ('The /Mttyor, said that the> local]bodies were in the samp position as the companies. ' I ,In reply ;to' Mr Porter /MM Stone said that several companies had been paying.., ■ calls lately, "viz.; Caledonian^ Enranui Sill,'Waiotahi, Red Qdeen and^Curf ! ';; (> Mr Speight sriid that, if the' compaiiir'iir !prdpo,satt' were adopted,' other' j?e^)ple carryingl on'miriirig bpe'ratidns would 1 Mso hste;; an perfect -right to 7ask i for i gold duty. •■■' j Mr Brown spoke in, a similar strain, saying'that, for instance,' ; he would haye 1 a rightin asking for the gold,duty.; rafaqdiat the ,Wait^kauri; mine, for the/ purpose!of putting down a", shaft, as the r Auckland dapiCaiists Were now aslcing!'a'ssißt'ahcw for pumpin,g r The only feasible .plan for ''vfjoikipg the pumps he could seeVould be r ■ by J( t r the,.water from^'the ■'CpiiWty; M jr|tceV he learnt from cismpeten't a^JLh^jties wjourd be, sufEcient ;to work both, p.umps, being brought into,requigijiion/ f j 'J,he:p|ig Pump might he worked at 400 feet level, ind,iW*io-Karaka *tyso)^l ,fee^> and he thought th,e, water, in .the County rate could be obtained for £1000 per annup, provided the companies kept it in repair. Otoe gentleman had jdffered'to'pat up the machinery kt the Waio-Karaka for £500, j'and?iiot ask! f or any* moiiey tilHhe 'iPfimp Cms: at work/- -v, ' n mM-l >i 7/T t .yj A I Mr Brodie said that the Council hid .demded, $pb ,to^ilow o the|{»unip., to-^e }% other hands after^September Ist, because their legal 'adviser had informed them ; -that if -they had;ifc"at -that period-tbiy would be able to compel the companies whose ip*roperty) \vii mortgaged to the Council to pay up or else forfeit their WtyMiJ'^mWid f ct'fi opiriibbr!tbit) Mr jß^pw^a'sr.jpheme.fiWas. the oply,flne jthjit •eojildAget them out, 'of! 6he^ .difficulty of resuming j pumping , qp t eVajtioriß,: . au^t he hoped to see it carried into^effec^i'rJi6, was « pf [( opinion r-that f| ,the jGfC^prnment •Hould bring in legislatibn to- tax mining property, ■ and, failing- ipayment of the rate, the property to be handed over jo--the"' local -bo&ies/ 1 and by; them let on •tribute^i.-"K'io7<t« *.uUv>::v*n ■;',■■:«<>* ]? ■^JLfog of : .thjttiiis;ito (iM:r; Stdpe^adi'^e "Miiybr'tfoncludea'the b'usirie^a;^ J f _ "!^ j