FLOODED MINE-SHAFT

Evening Post, Volume CXVIII, Issue 74, 25 September 1934, Page 11

FLOODED MINE-SHAFT

HIKURANGI TROUBLE"

FUTURE WORK DISCUSSED

Au attempt to. salvage pumps and motors from the Hikurangi Coal Company's flooded shaft mine at Hikurangi was commenced by a diver on Saturday. There are seven pumps and nine motors submerged in the mine, and the total value of the equipment is estimated at £7000.

Only divers arc now able to, work in the company's shaft mino, which, it is announced, is "dead" and wili not be worked^again, states the "Auckland Star." •

The possibilities of future working of the mine were discussed by the directors with the inspector of mines and the general manager of the Glen Afton Collieries on Saturday. The . directors then met the co-operative party which has been working the mine, and gaveit out that they were not prepared to carry on. The prospect which faced them was the dewatering of the mine, into which water was flowing at the rate of some 160,000 gallons an hour, and it was considered that the task would be too lengthy and too costly to warrant the expenditure. An offer was then : made that 80 men of the 160 men engaged at the mine would be taken on at the "Waro mine at the rate of 4s a ton for miners and 15s per day for truckers. The men were Jhen discussing the proposal, but turned down tho offer, unanimously deciding that1 they would be prepared to work in the Ward mine. only on the trade union conditions existing before the troubles commenced. , When the executive' of the- co-opera-tive party conveyed this decision to the directors, a further offer was made tha^t the men take over the Waro colliery and run it co-operatively, paying a royalty of 3s 6d per ton. . ' Before deciding, the men inspected the mine, and came to the conclusion that it could not be run efficiently and economically, and they thus refused to consider that scheme also. Mr. Stevens, one of the directors, said that the co-operativf executive had approached the directors wtih their decision, and were,told that no further offer would be made. The offer to pay I the men on a tonnage basis, Mr. Stevens said, was a very fair one, and it was estimated that it would enable, the men to earn" £6 a week. There would be no difficulty about disposing of the coal, for he was prepared, to take all they could produce. He mentioned that a fortnight ago the same men as those to -whom he offered work at the Waro mine had taken out 1500 tons of coal, which had given them £6 a week. ■ In the meantime, says the " Auckland Star," the question is: Will something crop up. as in the past, to bring life back into the field? Mr. Stevens hinted that the directors were considering a scheme.tfor the development of the vast coalfield at Hikurangi above -,flood level. He said such a scheme could be put into operation, and that it would be the real solution to the water menace, which would always be- present at Hikurangi. ■ ■_