The Kauri Timber Co's. Leaseholds.

Auckland Star, Volume XXVIII, Issue 206, 3 September 1897, Page 3

The Kauri Timber Cos. Leaseholds.

OVER 20,000 ACRES TO BE SURRENDERED AND THROWN OPEN FOR MINING.

THE MUCH-COVETED TAIRUA

ORIGINAL DISCOVERERS PRO-

TECTED,

For several months past negotiations have been proceeding- between the Minister of Mines and the Kauri Timber Company, with the view of throwing open the much-coveted Tairua and other blocks of auriferous land at present held under Jease by the Kauri Timber Company on the Coromandel Peninsula. The term for the Tairua Block, the largest of the areas to be surrendered, does not expire until 1012; the Puketui, adjoin' ing the Tairua, in 1918; and the iease for the Kapowai lias nearly 80 yonrs to run, expiring in 39G9, but yielding to the wishes of the Minister of Mines, the Kauri Company have agreed to-surrender the whole of the land in these blocks which has been denuded of timber. The Kauri Company possess no rights to mine over these properties, but they have the absolute right to the surface, and the Government, but for the arrangement now entered into with the Company, had no power to grant applica-

tions for mining areas on these lands. After many conferences and extended negotiations, involving an immense amount of labour and time on both sides, an agreement, has been arrived at and duly signed.

The agreement is to apply "in every case where lands in the North Island have been acquired by Her Majesty for an estate in fee simple subject to any outstanding estate or interest possessed by the Kauri Timber Company therein by virtue of any lease or license granted by the native or other owners of such land prior to the acquisition thereof as aforesaid by Her Majesty ,and also to all extensions thereof granted under the Karamea Land Act, 1890," bat shall not apply to any new lease or extended lease under the "Tairua Land Act, 1893." It is provided that the Kauri Timber Company shall surrender from time to time such of their leases as are timberless or denuded of timber under Section 22 of "The Mining Act Amendment Act, 1896." The Minister is to give three months' notice of land which is to be surr "endered. The first five blocks to be dealt with are Tairua, Kapowai ,Te Karo, Puketui, and Ounuora. The Company are to be compensated for the surrender of their interest ,but no compensation shall be payable in respect of the auriferous or argentiferous value of any such land. The amount of compensation is to be determined, if necessary, by arbitration under "The Arbitration Act, 1890, or otherwise, as agreed upon. The Company shall have reserved to them such rights as may be necessary to cut and float timber from any land not surrendered by means of conveying it Over the land surrendered, with the right to stop, .dam, diyerji, or use water or water

channels for that purpose. In order to prevent damage by fire, it is further provided that a timberless belt not exceeding- twenty chains in width shall be left between the land surrendered and timbered land which is not to be surrendered.

Since the agreement was signed, in order to avoid the delay and expense which would be involved in arbitration, a basis of valuation has been agreed upon. The lands will now become Crown lands and be at once thrown open, when miners who have been clamouring for years to prospect these blocks will have an opportunity of proving whether their statements that rich deposits of gold and other minerals exist on these leaseholds can be verified.

The second and third branches of the Tairua River are said to contain enormously rich reefs, and judging from the amount of pegging and over pegging, as shown on the plans produced in the Warden's oflice on Thursday, one would suppose that there must be some grounds for the glowing reports circulated.

The Hon. Mr (,'adman and Judge Bush, of the Warden's Court:, desirous to protect, us far as possible, the real discoverers of the gold on the Tairua and Puketni blocks, set up a special court for the purpose of taking" evidence. An advertisement was inserted in Ihe local papers inviting all interested to appear at the Thames and Commands!, and with the assistance of Mr Burgess, now cleric of the J.I.M. Court, Auckland, and for many years in Hie Warden's office, Thames, Ihc testimony given

before the Court proved conclusively that Messrs McDowall, Wall Davys, Tilsley, and Worth were the first of the applicants who discovered gold on the Tairua block, and Messrs Allow., O'Connor, and Hopkins, on the Puke.tni block. As far back as .1893, Messrs Wall Davys and Worth, after making their discovery, lodged an application lor licensed holdings on the Tairua Block, and Messrs A Horn and O'Connor made a similar application for the Puketui about the same date. These parties having- failed to secure a claim from the Warden, owing to the find being- on the Kauri Timber Company's lands, they opened negotiations with the Kauri Company, but failed to come to any arrangement. When the find was first made, on the Tairua a small parcel of stone about two hundredweight was packed over from the Tairua to one of the batteries at the, Thames, for which the discoverers received £260.

The reported discoveries on the Tairua Block naturally brought others on the scene, and subsequently further areas were pegged out, but no work of any consequence was done, and the ground remained idle for many years. The Warden yesterday, with the consent of the. Kauri Timber Company granted sixty claims on the blocks to be surrendered, and in a few weeks these properties should furnish employment for a large number of miners now out of work.

After the agreement was signed by the Kauri Timber Company and Minister of Mines, surveyors were put on the five blocks to be immediately surrendered, and the plans were completed and sent to the Government. They were unfortunately lost in the ill-fated Tasmania, but Mr Kensington,

of the Survey Department, lost no time in preparing and forwarding another set made from originals which he had fortunately retained. We must congratulate the Hon. A. J. Cad man, Minister of Mines, and the Government upon the satisfactory arrangements made with the Kauri Timber Company for the throwing open of these lauds to the miners, and credit is also due to the Kauri Timber Company for having met the Government in a fair spirit.

We. publish a plan of the land to be surrendered.