AUCKLAND GAS COMPANY.

Daily Southern Cross, Volume XIX, Issue 1877, 23 July 1863, Page 4

AUCKLAND GAS COMPANY.

A meeting of this company was hold ou Tuesday afternoon, Mi. I\ Whitakev in the chair, and about twenty persons were piesent. After the inmates of the last meeting were read, Tho Secretary read tho report, which is as follows : — EEPOIIT OF THE DIRECTORS OF THE AUCKLAND GAS COMPANY, LIMITED/ At a. meeting which took place on the 4th Nov. last, a full htatemeut of the proceedings of the Directors up to that date was given. Immediately theieafter the Directors, iv accordance with the instruction of that meeting, took steps to procuie tho necessary plant for the Vorks fiom Britain. Tho stieets of Auckland, where pipes weie to be laid, were carefully surveyed and measured, and plans thereof prepared for transmission home ; when this was completed copies theieof were forwaided to Messis. W. S. Graham and John Momson, whom the directors appointed the company's agents iv London, and instructed them topiocuie tenders for the plant and 200 meters, and to make all the necessary arrangements for their speedy shipment to this colony. At the meeting of the 4th November it was stated that kerosine liad been lecomuiended for the manufacture of gas in preference to coal, and that experiments weie then being made at home with the view ot testing the advantages of it. Your Directors deemed it advisable to hi ing this matter under the notice of the gentlemen abovenamed, ami to request them to ascertain the result before oidenng plant. By a lotter dated 21st April, aud leceived by last mail, the agents repoitthat on careful inquiiythey had ascei tamed that keiosine had, after a fair tiial in Yoikshno, failed ; that, cousequeutly, they had selected plant foi coal gas, and that that plant, "with the nieteis, would leave London about the beginning of piesent month of July. To euable Messis. Giaham and Morrison to cany out the instructions of the Directois, it was necessary that funds should be piovided to defiay the cost of the plant when completed ; and as the Directors had ouly £2,500 available for that purpose, it was impeiative either that another call should be made on the shareholders, or tlat an advance should be got fiom the Bank. Your Directois decided, after inquiiy on the latter course, as they found that this could be effected on terms moie advantageous to the shaieholders than making another call ; they theiefore i emitted the £2,500 m hand, and established a credit with the Bank of New Zealand for the fin ther sum of £4,500, to be lepaid out of the pioceeds of the next call, and that call will have to be made on receipt of the diafts fiom London. Prom lnfoimatiou received fiom Messrs. Giaham and Moi nsou it is believed that the plant will not cost over £6,500, a sum less than was anticipated when the plant was oideied. Messrs. Graham and Morrison also l eport that an engmeei and his family will accompany the plant and superintend the erection of the woiks They say that he is fully qualified to be the peimanent manager of the woiks, and anticipate his employment as such. An eligible site for the proposed works having come under the notice of the Dnectois, they deemed it advisable to purchase it at the pi ice of £SOO. The propel ty is situate at the noith end of Nelson sticet, at its junction with Wyndham stieet. On pioceedmg moie carefully to examine that site, with the view of prepaung it for the lecuption of the woiks to be erected theieon, it was thought most advisable to extend its sea frontage as far out into the liver as would enable vessels to norae alongside and dischaige without the expense of whaifasje and caitage. The Dnectois accoidingly put themselves in communication with the Piovincial aulhouties on the suliject, but found that the ground in question being pait of the Harbour Endowments, the Supeuiiteiident could not mteifeie in the uiattei without the authonty of his Council; to secuie this a Bill was intioiluced into the Council authorising the Supmntendcut to giant iv lease of the {jiouud lequned foi 50 v«a>*> at £8 pei annum. That bill passed the Coumil, ami m confonmty therewith the dialt of a lease his bten piepaied and forw aided to las Honoi loi his appioval. A3 soon as the lease is completed, opuiationi will be commenced foi leduciug the giound to its peimanent level, the eaith lemoved fiom the Company s allotment being used to (ill up the space to be H'claimed fiom the sea 'lhe Dnettois have had undei their consideiation the futuie supply of coal, but pending the test of the qualities of tho Duuy coal sis compiled with othei gaspioducmij coal, they hive not enteied into anj arlan^ement foi a sii|>nly when the woiks shall lie ready By next mail it is hoped the result of the expeiunents that that coal has undeisjone at home will be leceived heie, and then it will be seen whether we can (ret a supply of New Zealand coal on moie favouiable terms than anywhere else This mattei, howevei, will have to be disposed of by our successois in the dnectoiy. A copy of the balance sheet, showing the financial position of the Company, hus been forwarded to every shuiehokler, and it is hoped that it will piove satisfactoiy, This being the first oidmaiy meeting of the Company aftei its iiicorpoiation, it is now the duty of the shareholders to elect seven dnectois, and also to elect auditoia for the ensuing yeai. On the Chairman's inotioivthe lepoit was adopted, and the shareholder piesent then proceeded to elect seven directors for the ensuing year. The result of the election was that the following gentlemen weie chosen :— Messrs. Whitaker, T. Macfailane Smait, Bevendge, D. Graham, B. Ridings, and Waterston. Mr. Bobert Home aud Mi. Samuel Cochiaue were elected auditois.