MINING. AND RAILWAYS,

Dominion, Volume 1, Issue 2631, 5 August 1908, Page 9

MINING. AND RAILWAYS,

——6 : ' GOVERNMENT METHODS CRITICISED. (BY TEMiGIUrII.—SPECIAL COIIItESI'ONDENT.) ' . August <1. Mr. David K.J Pritchard, who camo into public notice during tho Blackball strike, has some vigorous romarks in a letter in "Tho Times" on Mr. M'Gowan's recent eulogy of tho facilities afforded by tho Minos Department to prospectors.' "All this," says Mr. • Pritchard, "sounds very well on paper, but once the prospector has discovered the mineral deposit, what dora the Railway Department do to oncourago the development of the! properties? Tako the caso. of tho., Blackball mine, and ask tho secretary of tho . company what has been and is at present thp impediment to its extensive development and doubled output. Ho will toll you that it is tho limited carrying capacity of tho aerial tramline. And tho Government knows this, and the Railway De-'part-ment has had .tho. construction of tho Ngahcre-Blackball Railway in hand for oyer six,years. Six years,:.to complete three miles of railway, with 110 engineering difficulties to contend against, save the bridging of tho River Groy, and it is going to oxecuto' tho greatest engineering feat in the southern hemisphere in live years. What a contrast! What encouragement has tho Government given to tho peoplo of tho township to settle? From Blackball to Ngaherc • roturn on tho coach tho chargo is two shillings, and contractors charge £1. Is. per ton for goods from Ngaherc .to Blackball, which virtually moans an increase of £1 Is. per ton on the cost of living. About two miles further along the same range of mountains is tho Paparoa Goal Mining Company's property, and what do wo' find ebneorning it? That the mpthod of tho Government in connection with tho Ngahero-Blackball Railway is very seriously retarding the development of the mine. In the face of theso two instances, what will bo tho benefit to tho country if mineral lodes aro discovered and access to them is hindered in tho above manuor?. Indirectly tho Government is responsible for the late Blackball Strike, for in the absence of tho railway, which ouglrt to have been completed long ago, it was' the" system resorted to by tho manager to attempt to fulfil the company's orders that was at tho bottom of tho whole trouble.

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

Sir,—Wore I asked how .1 would deal with tho Wellington Collego if all tho young men struck, and conspircd to slay the principal with inkpots, I should feel inclined to retort that 1 such a strike would not talco place at all under firm administration; that, anyhow, I would bet 1000 to 1 it 'would not occur twice—under Mr. -Firth. Your courteous correspondent "Liberal" asks mc: —"How would I deal if all the Unionists, from Auckland to tho Bluff, chmo out in. defiance of an award" of tho Arbitration Court? If "Liberal " had done me the honour to read my first letter he would, I think, havo perceived that, in the case of such a mass of corporate and individual wealth as " all the Unionists from Auckland to the Bluff" possess, imprisonment (though necessarily always visible in tho background as the final, inevitable weapon of law) would, being the last resource after all civil means had been exhausted, be reached only in tho case of very fow strikers. Furtlier, I may say, if the large majority of the Unionists able, through their unions, or individually, •to pay the fines imposed by tho Court as penalties, know beforehand that the law would be inoxorably carried out, they would,..in most cases, count the cost and control the lesser number - who had nothing to lose. ' . I am reluctant to carry on a newspaper correspondence with an anonymous writer, but would not shirk such were any public good in question. Happily, this is no longer nccossary. A new champion, an avowed admirer of the main principlo of our Conciliation and Arbitration Act, one who is a firm administrator, a practical exponent of the majesty and efficacy of law, has come to the front. I wish " Liberal" could, instead'of to me, put his question to this strong man, this statesman, Mr. Wadfe, the Premier of New Soutli Wales, who has just quelled the great tramway strike in Sydney. Tho answer would he deeply interesting to many in New Zoalaud.—l am, etc., EDWARD REEVES. Augtist 1. .-. , . ' NEW ZEALAND TIMBER PRODUCTION —PAST AND PRESENT. Sir,—Cheap timber >vas supplied to the builders and merchants a few years ' back. Tho conditions under which it was produced were a very important factor. Sawmillers had opportunities to pick out and select! the best .bushes, close to railway lines and markets; with cheap-carting and short railages. Royalties ranged from 1d..t0 3d. per 100 ft. Draught horses could bo bought from £18 to £25, bullobks from £3 to £4 each,' wages from 6s. to Bs. per day, liorso feed chaff £3 to £3 10s. per ton. Millers generally paid no firb insurances or workmen insurances, no wheel tax or bush tax, and. tho majority could not pay their just debts. The millers formed associations with-a view to fix prices to cnablo millers to pay their way, insure mills, and stocks, and make a profit. Since then timber has been gradually on the rise, and tho sawmill associations •blamed for the increase and. cited as combined monopolists. The altered conditions of production do not seem to be taken into'account. But it must bo apparent to a'riy sane individual who has a spark of .fairness that the sarfmiHers have to produce timber now at a -.considerable groatpr' cost. . . Timbor royalties aro now beiiig paid at totara, 3s. to ss.'per 100 ft.; matai, Is. 6d. to 2s. Gd. per 100 ft.; rimu, 6d. to Is. Od. per 100 ft.; white pine, 3d. to 9d. per 100 ft. Bushes are further back- from Mountains, hills, and' ravines are being worked by steam-hauling engines and steel cables. Costly trams arc necessary, bridges, and heavy grades, needing many more draught horses. Draught horses cost £40 to £60;ea'ch, chaff £6,105. to £7 10s. ton; paddocking, 10s. to 12s. per acre; longer railages are wages,. 10s. per day to £20 per month; mill and stock insurances, £7 por £100; workmen insurances, £2 10s. to £3 10s.; wheel tax, bush tax, county council (3d. to 6d.. por 100 ft.), wagon carting from six to twenty miles. /I'ho abovo aro a'few of tho altered'conditions, without taking into account the risk of fire to trams, bridges, and bush. Tho sawmillers industry' can' stand an unbiased inquiry into its working and its profits. Tho complications in working of sawmills cannot' be convo.yed through tho Press to the average individual.

The working of sawmills and cutting out bush in New Zealand is often a disastrous undertaking even by millers who havo had years of experience. . Tho true position of New Zealand sawmillers, and tho high cost of production can only be arrived at by a commission of men who have some knowledge of timber working. The business being 1 so full of risks and expenditure applied to tho varying circumstances under which different mills are working. , Hundreds of sawmillers are to-day paying incomo' tax on an incomo that they havo not got, but are compelled to pay the incomo because the.lncome Department make a balance-sheet to suit'th? Act, allowing 2lper ceiit. depreciation on tho engine boiler only. This is one of its deceptions. If a commission is set up to inquire fully into sawmilling, the sawmillpr will have rnoro to gain than lose, and the peoplo will havo tho satisfaction of seeing both sides of the case. As tho position now stands, tho sawmillers are condemned unheard in a'British Dominion, and'always by peoplo that havo little idea of timber getting.—l am, etc., SAWMILLER.

THE WHITE ROSE MYSTERY. Sir,—The craving for literature of a highly sensational nature is ono of tho salient features of our time, and would pre-supposo tho widespread existence amongst us of a mild form of mental' derangement. Tho success of a. novelist in tho banal twentieth century appears to depend not upon his clear literary style and good'subject matter, but upon an ingenious gift of presenting |to his' readers a series of startling incidents; 1 - which are often ridiculously unreal, and savour of those penny horribles, which were looked, upon with wellmerited contempt a few years ago. I 1 recently came across a novel entitled "The"White Iloso Mysto'ry," by, Mr. Gerald Biss, which is a typical production of tho modern school of literature. The gist of this startling romance is a series of murders perpetrated upon well-known politicians in tho Old Country, which fdls the whole nation with horror. _ Tho only conneoting link between ono crime and another is that upon tho body of each victim is found, a white'rose. Scotland Yard and tho whole detective service aro nonplussed, and it is only by accident that the authors of tho murders are discovered. Theso turn out to be a number of high-born personages, tho members of a Jacobito Society called tho Whito Rose League, who aro bent on restoring tho Stuart family to the throno.of Great Britain, in the person of Princo Rupert of Bavaria. A plot to kidnap King Edward is frustrated, and then wo reach the dramatic finale. The members of tho White Rose League, findirig their schemes havo failed, and their lives forfeited, meet for tho last time in solemn conclave, and simultaneously commit suicido by taking poison. Mr. Biss's book, to put it very mildly, is in very bad taste, 'arid tho fact that thero is a Jacobite Society'of tho nanio he mentions renders his conduct inexcusable. To single out a political party and insinuate that its members aro capable of committing tho crimes he refers to is surely an adopt illustration of the length somo writers are prepared to go in order to satiate the public tasto for sensational literature.—l am, ' C. C. BAGNALL. Feilding, July 25.

THE PRIME MINISTER AND ANTI CAMBLINC.

Sir/—The attitude of the Prime Minister in connoction with tho anti-gambling deputation, which waited upon him on Monday, serves onco moro to omphasise tho insincerity and inconsistency of.tb6 Cabinet in dealing with this matter. Sir Joseph Ward's reply to this deputation was undoubtedly sympathetic, and ho apparently rccognised the necessity for restricting tho number of racing days. It must not, however, be forgotten that Sir Joseph had it splendid opportunity last session to show in a very practical manner whether his sympathy was really genuine or not. In looking up tho Hansard debate 011 tho Gaming and Lotteries Act Amendment Bill, 1907, I find that Mr. Davey moved tho foli lowing clause: —

" On and after tlio first day of August, 1908, the number of days on which the totalisator shall be used at all raco meetings shall bo reduced by one-sixth of the number existing at tlio time of the passing of this Act." The antagonism of the Cabinet to the ciauso is apparent, as the Eight Hon. the Prime Minister, and, in fact, all the Ministers, voted against the clause, which' was, however, carried. Tlio Ministry, however, wero not to bo beaten, and when tlio Bill went to the Upper House, the Hon. Dr. Findlay moved that tlio clause be " struck out," and ho was successful in getting his amendment carried. A further indication showing how our Government "run with the hare and hunt with the hound " can bo seen oil another division' on tlio saino Bill. Clause 35 makes it compulsory for racing clubs to issuo licenses to approved bookmakers. Mr. "Witty moved to strike, out the word " shall " and_ insert "may," with the object of removing the compulsion, and leaving it " optional," but ho was defeated by two votes, and every member of the Ministry voted in favour of compelling ■tlio clubs to license the bookmakers, many of whom were present in tho Speaker's Gallery during the debate, and doubtless rejoiced in the strong position they had gained. . The Ministers also voted solidly against an amendment, which, if carried, would have abolished tho totalisator altogether. Let the promoters of tho anti-gambling crusado look' closely into this legislation referred to, and they will find the assistance of the Government has placed tho professional bookmaker in a securo position that would not bo tolerated in any other part of tho Empire.—l am, etC '' FAIR PLAY. July 29.

AN INJUSTICE TO PICTON. Sir,—l trust tlio members of Parliament will not let this session pass without seeing that the great injustice which has been imposed upon tho jieoplo of Picton by the present and previous Governments, for so many years bo removed. Years back, through tho action of a local official, the Government obtained the control and revenue of, the Picton wharf and foreshore, from which they have obtained many thousands of pounds, and have not spent upon the town-, ship of Picton five thousand pounds during the last twenty years.' The samo.old wharf ■remains, it being occasionally patched up. I: tfould like the members to see justice done to tho residents of this place. It is impossiblo to obtain from the Government any information respecting the amount of revenue they derive from the, wharf. To keep this injustice dark they, mix tho same with tho Picton and Blenheim railway returns. The member for that district has been for years a pliant member ,in their hand's, and not demanded justice for his constituents at this place. Ho certainly has asked repeatedly for tho amount of revenue derived from wharf returns, hut has not porsevered sufficiently to obtain the information.

'When the cement industry startfcd in Pic.ton somo two or three years back, its business was . crushed by tho exorbitant railway charges imposed upon that company. There aro pood coal mines within a short distance of Pict-on, but- the Government will not uso their diamond, drills to test same. Trusting that , some of the'members of Parliament will try and secure some just returns to the peoplo- of Picton for the cruel wrong done to that place.—l am., qtc... " CI-lAS. SIMMONDS. . July 31. THE EDUCATION ACT AMENDMENT BILL. Sir, —I liavo road the Education Bill now before tho llouso of Representatives with profound disappointment, not oil account of what tho Bill contains, but for what it does not contain. Tho original Education < Act, as it left the' Legislature in 1877, gave tho election of Education Boards to School Committees, a most unstatesmanliko and undemocratic proceeding. For it left tho election of tho body having all tho authority, in the hands of a very small constituency, a constituency, moreover,' who could never bring the mdmbers elected by them to task for any of their actions. - It left tho. pursoholding bodies, bodies responsible for the administration of largo sums of public money to be elected in such a way that they bccaino practically irresponsible and- independent of popular control. Tho late Mr. Soddon made an attempt to correct matters in his Bill of 190o'by having the Boards of Education elected at tho same time as school committees, and by the samo constituencies. The boards wore apparently too strong in Parliament even for Mr. Scddon, for that part of the Bill was blocked out, and .instead of orie-coininittce-pne-voto, it became onci-committce-man-onc-votc, on account of each school under the committee's control.

Bit, sir, I submit that that is not enough. When a public body administers the people's'money that body ought to. bo made directly responsible to tho people. Hence my disappointment that' 110 attempt is to bo made at this time to remedy this undesirable stato of affairs. Does it seem impossible that these important public bodies should bo elected by popular suffrage?, And is it absolutely necessary that thcro should be two bodies in chargo of our public schools P I cannot think so. ' I certainly think it would bo a pity to deprive the people of that measure of local control which they ..at'present enjoy—they aro supposed to enjoy it, but if the attendance at householders' meetings is any criterion, tho "enjoyment" is moro imaginary than real.' I' am inclined to think that if both' school committees and education boards as at present constituted wore laid in the shelf, and a new educational authority (call it wlmt you like) were called-into being, with, jurisdiction very much smaller than the'presont board districts, and a good deal larger than present school committeo districts, wo should have a' more, real local control both of tho schools and of the authorities by the people: The election of these bodies could, bo carried out very much as tho school committee elections are carried out now—a littlo moro strictness and formality would do no harm. Suppose for argument's sake that' every one of tho counties was a school board district (we will call them school boards, seeing they are neither school committees nor education boards). . On or before an appointed day nominations for members might bo receivable by tho head tcacher of every school in the county, which nominations it would bo his (or her)' duty to place in a conspicuous position. 'Then, 011 another appointed day, probably a week.later, there might bo a householders' meeting in each school, precisely as is done at present, when voting would take place' for thoso who are nominated, the successful candidates to constitute tho schood board for tho county for tho yoar. Bach city or borough of inhabitants might bo a school board district in'this connection. It may be said that this would greatly 'curtail-' tho powers of education boards. It no doubt would, as compared with their present powors and tho rough-shod way in which they use them. But I for one should consider that 110 drawback. The Education Department now hold tho pursestrings for a good many things which formerly tho boards woro entirely responsible for, and it would bo a positivo benefit if tho Government took complete chargo both of tho expenditure and of tho inspectors.— I am, etc., MELIORA.

July 30. THE LATE FATAL RAILWAY ACCIDENT. Sir,—Tho shocking accident that recently occurred at tho Whitmoro Street railway crossing, by which a wife and three children have been deprived of their breadwinner, will naturally cause wonder why that particular spot has been left so long unprotected. During tho daylight a man is on duty, but as lie leavos off work at about 5.30, it appears to mo that anyone wandering about that, locality at a later hour runs n considerable amount of risk. At the present time, too, thero. aro barricades about tho road ami paths on account tho wood blocking going on thero, consequently the confusion is apt to bo much greater than on ordinary occasions. In any case,'however, tho approach to the line at the side of tho watchman's box should be fenced ill, as at present,' anyone, whether, under the inllueiico of drink or otherwise, would almost be certain to take that routo if in a hurry to reach the railway station. I don't know whether the widow has any legal claim against the railway authori-

ties, but, taking into consideration tlio awfulness of the accident, tlio unprotected state of the crossing, and tlio-fact that the widow is left to face the battle of life with three small children, then I think the Government could not do less than place something on the supplementary estimates by way of compassionate allowance. I was pleased to see in The Dominion of yesterday that the AVellington Dramatic Society wi r '-■ giving a performanco at Potone early .. month in order to liolp the widow, and i think if a good committee was got up at Pctone, with the Mayor at tlio head of affairs, or the member for tlio district, and lists sent out, something practical could bo done. As this is a case in which oven the poorest would ho disposed to contribute their mite, I hope, therefore, that an effort will be made to make things easier for Sirs. Webster and her family of small* children. —I am, etc., WELLINGTON CITIZEN. July 30. GOLF ACCESSORIES. Sir, —As one greatly interested in golf, and desirious of imparting information, I feel called upon to tell "Lenoro" that soft wood was used to try to get resiliency from the club-head. Some few clubs were turned out by makers ready faced with leather, but the majority were sold without that facing and for a good commercial reason, viz., that the club repairers could make something out of refacing when it was necessary. As a matter of fact during the last five or six years more thought lias been bestowed upon golf and its accessories than over before, and in the days of tlio "gutta" ball thero were not half the contrivances at present in existence such as the driver face with rubber.balls behind and the spring-faced clubs made by "Spaldings," nor clubs with rollers on the solo to prevent stoppage of the club if it touched the ground too' soon nor dozens of other contrivances.

Tho reason for all these inventions is not far to seek, it is that golf has' become not only more fashionable but more popular and held in higher estimation by young and old as being a game that can be played well at nearly any age, and one that affords instruction, recreation and exercise to all.—t-I am, etc. W. "WHITEHEAD. THOSE OPEN CARS. Sir,—l read a letter by "Bonfire" about the discomforts of the "Hong-Kong" cars in this' morning's Dominion. In your footnote to the letter I saw that the excuse given by the management is the unsuitableness of the blinds. Undoubtedlyj open cars should never have been obtained for Wellington, but seeing that wp have them, I would suggest that, in order to minimise as much as possible tho discomfort of riding in " Hong-Kongs " or tho open parts of "combination" cars, the management might see its way clear to follow tho Christchurch' custom in inclement weather. Whilst in tho latter city recently, I took notice of the way that passengers were catered for under all circumstances. When' considered necessary tho side blinds, which appeared to mo. to be made of a substantial waterproof material, were' Unrolled to the . bottom of the cftrs, and buttoned •to keep them down. Further,' tho blinds .on tho weather side of. the cars aro always kept ddwh irrespective of which way the. cars aro going. In consequenco, tho seats are kept dry, wind, and wet are kept off passengers,. and thus they travel in as much comfort as is possible. Here in Wellington if; a car is running into a good old southerly, for instance, the blinds are kept up on tlio weather side, and can only bb pulled down a certain distance on. tho lee side, with tho result that passengers ride in a maximum, of discomfort. Ayhen once or. twice I tried to keep a little of' tho storm out of a " Hong-Kong," the conductor has sharply ordered tho blind to be rolled up again. Whilst on certain routes of the service it might be considered unsafe to allow passfiigers to get on and off cars .on tho "danger" side in inclement weather, I most certainly think there can be absolutely no -objection to' following tho Christchurch custom on tho Brooklyn line. Whether or not, I am equally confident that ono good cause for complaint would bp removed if tho present blinds in cars were removed and longer blinds of stouter material were put in in their place. Trusting that tho above suggestion may be of some avail.—l am, etc.',' -NUMBER 78. July 30, 1908.

AMERICAN V. NEW ZEALAND TIMBER METHODS. Sir,—There lias been a great outcry and much controversy in tho local Press and tho House of Representatives, anent the advisability of increasing the duty on Oregon pine, to prevent its coining into unfair competition with tho local product. Various pleas are being brought forward in favour of this, tho principal being, that it is the product of cheap labour, and that our manufacturers, owing to .tho high price they have to pay for labour, are unable to compete •with it. ' This, sir, is ridiculous. The wages in tho States, and especially in the States of Oregon and Washington, whero this muchmaligned pine is produced, are-,at least from 50 to 100 per cent, higher, than the wages paid lioro. Judging from advertisements appearing in different papers throughout tho Dominion, tho royalty on timber-is'in about tho samo ratio. _ I have worked in • sawmills in New Zealand, tho United States, and. Canada, and know a little about' timber and the cost of manufacture. The sawmillers of this country are unablo to compete with an article that has to be freighted 7000 miles to tho market that is at their door, simply on account of their antediluvian methods. Tho past ten years have been fat ones, the best in tho history of tho Dominion,: and the demand for timber has been great. The-mill-men and-timber dealers, by means of associations, have raised the prico of timber out of all reason,- and made hugo profits. But apparently, they have not looked ahead for the depression that as -assuredly follows a boom as day follows night, and a falling market has caught them using tho same prehistoric machinery as they used ten years ago ; and now, without a large outlay for new machinery tlioy aro unable to lessen the cost of production. ' Hence tho cry for an increased duty;

The millman in America has taken advantage of every labour saving device, even at tho sacrifico of. a goodly portion of tho yearly profits. In the face of an ever-increas-ing wages scijle, he has been able to cheapen the cost of production, and tho present financial depression finds him prepared to accept lower prices, and make ends meet. A trip through an American sawmilling plant would be an eye-opener to most of our Now Zealand sawmillers, and would also convince the fair-minded of them, that by introducing modern machinery they need have 110 fear of any oversea competitor, oven if the duty were taken off altogether. ' They would see the timber from tho time it leaves tho treefellers' hands till it is stacked in tho yard, handled by steam and' electrically-driven machinery.

Another great thing, and one that I think must influence architects in- its favour, is the fact -.that it is always> stacked under sheds. Consequently, it arrives on the markets clean, evenly seasoned, free from wains and cracks and iveather stains. The method in which it is stacked, besides saving fully 50 per cent, in space and labour, prevents it from warping. The ends also are always cut square, tiiereby saving a no inconsiderable amount of labour in the carpenters' hands. The Americans also prefer the handsaw, which though it cuts a slightly less amount of timber per diem (about 5 per cent.), cuts better timber, and makes but half the sawdust,' thus saving an equal amount of timber from the waste heap. Tho slabs, which aro wasted in our mills, arc ■ handled by ingeniously contrived machines, and manufactured into shingles, laths, palings, clothes-pegs, and boxes. Let our millers put some of their "association begotten" profits into up-to-dato machinery, and then, if they find that they aro still unable! to compete with the American article, their plea lor an increased duty might seem a little more in reason—l am, el °' • YANKEE METHOD. July 27. _________ Though tho acute symptoms'of mountain sickness disappear, • permanent residence at high altitudes diminishes vitality. A brief visit to them is stimulating, but on tho whole and in the long run the plains are healthier. —"Field." For Eroncfilnl Coaghs tako Wood's Great Peppermint Cure. In. 6d. and ?b. 64 Cat