DRAINING THAMES FLAT

Auckland Star, Volume XXX, Issue 144, 20 June 1899, Page 5

DRAINING THAMES FLAT

MINISTER OF MINES APPEALED TO.

At the noon call of the Auckland Stock Exchange to-day the chairman {Mr J. M. Lennox) referred to the uncertainty felt regarding the permanency of pumping operations at the Thames. He said this was creating' a feeling of unrest in the minds oi the public generally, and might prove disastrous to deep level mining on the Thames. He really thought it was a very serious matter. For instance May Queen shares simply rose and fell according to the certainty or uncertainty of pumping being continued. It the deep levels were to be developed the feeling of uncertainty as to pumping must be allayed. Mr Lennox then moved: "The Auckland Stock Exchange would point out to the Minister of Mines the serious alarm that is being caused by ths. uncertainty of pumping operations at the Thames. The stoppage of the Hauraki pump on a recent occasion, and the threatened stoppag-e of pumping operations I'eierred to in last night's issue of the 'Auckland Star' is causing a feeling of alarm and unrest that may prove fatal to the developments of our deep level mining, and be the means of throwing a large number of miners out of work; TheftExchange respectfully requests the* Minister of Mines to take steps to secure the continuance of p\imping operations, so that in future this uncertainty and alarm may cease." The resolution was agreed to and referred to the Stock Exchange Committee to draft a communication for forwarding to the Minister for Mines. Concerning the threatened stoppage of operations, our Thames correspondent wires:—Mr C. A. Harris, attorney for the companies mentioned in last, night's issue, has arrived here. He informs me the closing down of the whole of. the mines is solely due to the action of the Thames Drainage Board in refusing' to arrive at an amicable settlement. Mr Harris says he is perfectly willing to accept the conditions imposed by the Board at its last meeting, but since then new and impossible clauses have been added by the three trustees for the Big Pump. The mines will be closed down for six months, and he will immediately leave for London to consult with' his directors.

Mr G. S. Kissling, chairman of the Thames Drainage Board, when questioned : upon the matter, stated that the agreement submitted by the Board's solicitors to the solicitors of* the Thames-Hauraki Company contained only the provisions agreed to by the Board at its last meeting, and subsequently confirmed at a meeting of the parties concerned, and that the terms in which such agreement was drawn up were considered only neccessary by the Board's solicitors to give legal effect to the arrangement ■and protect the interests involved. He also explained that the draft agreement submitted by the Thames Drainage Board was drawn up by the Board's solicitors from notes made by the solicitors at the meeting between the representatives of the ThamesHauraki Company and the trustees for the Big Pump, without any further instructions from the latter, so th^t there can be no new precisions intrw i duced that were not contained in the : verbal agreement arrived- at at the ' conference above mentioned.

One of the points of difference' is. that it is insisted by the Drainage Board that the water must be kept down to the 500 foot level, whereas the Thames-Hauraki representative wished to insert the words "if necessary." As a matter of fact during the time the Big Pump was stopped last week for two or three days, the -water

rose 26 feet in the shaft, notwithstanding that th,e Thames-Hauraki Company's pump was working the whole time.