INDUSTRIAL ASSOCIATION.

Press, Volume XL, Issue 5904, 15 August 1884, Page 3

INDUSTRIAL ASSOCIATION.

A special general meeting of the members of the above was held last night. The President, Mr A. G. Howland, occupied the chair, and there was a large attendance. Several cabinet maker's planes, manufactured by Mr C. A. Jacobsen, were exhibited. These were very well finished, and showed what could be done in this matter in the colony. The Pbesident having explained the business before the meeting, said that the Committee appointed upon the Customs tariff had prepared a report, and it had been suggested that a free discussion should take place upon it, and that it should take place in Committee. Tbis was agreed to, and the meeting went into committee to consider the report, which recommended the increase of the duties to 15 per cent, on a number of articles ia the tariff which could be manufactured in the colony. After a lengthened discussion, an amendment on the motion for the adoption of the report was carried, affirming the necessity of-the imposition of 20 per cent, duty on the articles mentioned in the report of the Committee. A vote of thanks was carried to the Committee.for their labours, and it was discharged. The rules as altered were brought up for confirmation and agreed to. The fee for life members was reduced to £5 ss. The report of the Committee appointed to consider the application of the President's cup, recommended that it should be given to the A. and P. Association, for tbe member of the Association making the most points is the class for New Zealand manufactures, including carriages. Mr Shanks pointed out that this was most unfair to the textile industries. The Kaiapoi Woollen Company employed some 500 or 600 hands, and yet they could only compete in three classes, thus practically they were put out of the chance of winning the cup. . Mr Danes pointed out that the cup was gives for the member who had costributed most to the local industries of the colony during the year. Mr Geay moved —" That a baUot should be takes at the assual meetisg, each ose presest putting the same of the person he thought had done most during the year for. the advancement of local industries ; the one receiving the most votes to have the cup." Mr Ashby seconded the motion, which was carried. Messrs F. Jones, B. Buchanan, A. Ford, T. Pavitt, and Johs L. Scott, the subcommittee appointed to consider and report on the. proposed extensions to the Malvern Hills coal mines brought up their report as foUows:— ** The Sub-Committee appointed by the General Committee of the Canterbury Industrial Association to examine isto asd report os the proposed extensions of the raUway Uses isto the Malvern Hills coalfields, reported that they had carefully gose through the various reports asd other papers which bad bees brought before the Association, which gave a large amount of information relative to the extensive deposits of coals and other minerals in the various sub-districts comprised in the general term of the Malvern Hills District. The Sub-Committee had not deemed it necessary is the report to go over the whole of the ground setting forth the facts and arguments showing the value asd necessity of the proposed extensions, as they were already fully and completely set out is ofSoial asd other reports, and in' the evidence which had bees brought before the Association. The subject to which the attention of the SubCommittee had been speciaUy directed had been to enquire into and indicate the several points to which the proposed extensions of the main Uses of railway should be taken to give the required facilities to the largest areas where mining operations are being carried on, in a comprehensive but clearly denned plan, without reference to any particular Workings. The requirements, of the group of collieries and fire-clay mines lying on the Hawkins side of the hills have to be considered separately from the groups of collieries lying over the Biver Selwyn, the former being reached from the Springfield branch and the latter from the Whitecliffs branch of the Malvern raUway. The coal mines is the Springfield district were sot brought under consideration in the report, they being already placed in convenient communication wits the main Use. Taking the mines on the Hawkins side of the bills first into consideration, the Committee found the Canterbury Colliery, which was originaUy opened out by Mr Johs Jebsos, sesr., asd sow belonged to Messrs Austin, Kirk asd Co., Limited, asd adjacent to which are the workings of Mr J. Baros asd the intended new openings on Mr J. Deans' estate. The old cart bridge lower down the river.had the approach os the sosth side washed away by a flood eighteen months ago, so that the bridge was useless. The district had no funds to reinstate it, and it was not situated in a position to accommodate the mines to advantage. Oa a map of the County of Selwys which accompanied the report the course was marked off, showing the proposed interior main Use of raUway from Oxford to Temuka, which line was finished from Oxford to Sheffield. The next section to foUow was frem Sheffield to Coalgate, and the first work on this section would be to construct a bridge acress the Hawkins at a point marked on the map at a point searly opposite the collieries. The bridge and a short length of line on the fiat to this point will enable this section of the district to send its coal and fireclay isto the market, asd the industries both here and at the potteries is the neighborhood of Christchurch would be again revived which had now become almost stagnant. It was estimated that the cost ef the bridge asd the short extension of the line would be about -31400. The several groups of colliery workings in the important mineral district lying over the river Selwyn mustfor the purposes sow under consideration, on account of the configuration of the oountry, be considered as forming separate subdistricts... The mining operations which were being conducted by Mr Wm. Wilson and others in the district lying over the Selvys beyond the presest terminus of the White Cliffs Use, proved it to contain large and valuable deposits of coal and other minerals, which Ue conveniently for working, but it was to a great extent practically cut off from the raUway system by the intervening river Selwys. The coal field which was sow beisg worked was Goversmest property, the lessee paying royalty on the products of the mines. This district also comprised the coal producing lands of Messrs Cerdy and others, asd also extensive tracts of Crows lands. To opes out the district and put its mineral productions fairly {in the market, it was necessary to construct a bridge over the Selwyn at the point marked on the plan, and to make a short extension of the line from its present terminus to a point en the south-west side of the river. The cost of the bridge and the extension of the Use for a distance altogether of about five chains was estimated at about -61400. The third district on which the Sub-Committee had to report waa that containing the Brockley and adjacent mines asd the coal-bearing country lying between the Selwys asd the Hororata. This was in itself an important district asd leads os to the coal deposits is the RaL'a*a and Acheron districts- In view of the special position of the Wairiri Valley is connection with he Canterbury interior

[main line, and ateo in reference to the I route of the West Coast railway, if it i should be carried by way of Lake Lyndon and Arthur's Pass, the conclusion was arrived at that the several interests of the Brockley district and of the railway system would be best served by the eonstraction of a short section of the line from Glentunnel marked on the plan to a point in the Wairiri Valley. This section of what would probably form an important part of the arterial system of the railway lines was about five and a half miles in length, and, including the bridge over the Selwyn, was estimated to cost about .£IB,OOO. The proposed terminus of this extension would be within one and a half miles of the present workings of Lee'e and the Brockley Company's mines. A large extent of this coal field belonged to the Crown, and was let on the mining leases which could be expected to yield little or nothing to the revenues of the country until the district was brought within payable distance of the railway. Under existing conditions this coalfield lies idle. To connect the various colliery workings with the proposed new termini it would be necessary to construct tramways to bring down the product of the mines. In reference to this branch of the subject, the sub-committee considered that the colliery proprietors ehould make their own arrangements for their construction, but would add that they may reasonably ask the Government to render assistance by distributing amongst them any surplus rails and sleepers that might be available at a minimum cost, and by allowing their staff to assist in laying out and superintending the construction, whero technical skill is required. The total estimated cost of the three extensions referred to in the report amounted to £20,800, and the interest on this sum reckoned at 5 per cent, would be 451040 per annum. The addition to the present working expenses of the Malvern lines would be very light, whilet the advantages would be in the receipts from the carriage, an additional output estimated at 25,000 tons of coal per fttiTinTn, exclusive of fire-clays and other minerals, to which had to be added additional passenger traffic and the return freight on the miscellaneous goods which would be required by an increasing mining population. This progress would inevitably lead to further development which would continue to advance the material interests of the country; and occupying a foremost place was the consideration that on an abundant supply of fuel delivered iv the centres of population at a cheap rate depended the fabric of our manufacturing industries, many forms "of which now unknown amongst us would spring into existence when that supply was assured. Although not directly forming part of the question referred for consideration, the importance of the anthracite coal deposits in the Bakaia and Acheron districts warranted a reference to them in the report. The brown coal of .the Malvern districts would supply our domestic and a thousand other requirements, but for smelting ores, for ocean steamers, and other uses these anthracite coals were extremely valuable, and it was greatly to be desired that further extension of the Wairiri line beyond the point already indicated should be carried out at an early date. The distance beyond that point to the coalfield on the Eakaia wa3 about twelve and a half miles, and there to the Acheron, which had the honor of producing what high authorities had pronounced to be " the best sample of coal ever found in New Zealand," was about seven miles. In conclusion, the Sub-Committee begged to recommend that the three extensions of the lines herein described be brought under the notice of our members in Parliament, and that they be respectfully desired to urge the Government to make provision for carrying them out as early as possible; the Sub-Committee expressing the conviction that the comparatively small outlay required would largely increase the revenue derived from the Canterbury railways, and will be productive of very much direct and collateral advantage to the mining, manufacturing, and all other interests throughout the district, and thereby to the colony at large. Mr Pavitt explained that the Sub-Com-mittee had considered it necessary not to recommend the construction of lines to any individual mines, but had recommended bridges over 'the Hawkins and Selwyn, which would give access to several mines. They had been careful not to ask the Government to make the lines to any special mine, because if they had those who had already made lines of their own would be going to the Government for compensation for work done by them. The owners of mines, he might say, would be ready to construct the lines necessary to connect their pits with the main lines if the recommendations of the Committee as to rails, &c, were carried out. He thought there should be no serious difficulty in getting the Government to assent to the recommendations of the sub-Committee. He might also say that the bridges recommended were railway bridges. Mr Pavitt concluded by moving the adoption of the report. Mr J. L. Scott seconded the motion, and said the aim of the Sub-Committee had been to select such means of communication as would best serve the largest number of coal pita in the district. The report was then adopted, with a vote of thanks to the Committee, and the meeting concluded.