BUILDING STONE.

Matamata Record, Volume XIII, Issue 1109, 27 March 1930, Page 4

BUILDING STONE.

QUARRY AT LICHFIELD. Access to Tokoroa. Request to County Council. [ An interesting interview, whichj^ : bears on the work being done by the parties to what has become known as the Putaruru Conference, took place at Friday’s meeting the Matamata County Council, when Mr. P. L. Guillard, quarry contractor, waited on the council with reference to building stone at Lichfield; For many years it has been known that the stone in the vicinity of Lichfield was very valuable from a building point of view, and the building known ! as the “ bank ” at this centre has stood for about 50 years, without ?: - showing decay, as a testimony to the quality of the stone. To the council Mr. Guillard stated that samples of stone had been taken from all over the district, and the strongest white stone was found at Lichfield and the best pink stone on the Te Whetu road. The Lands Board * had gone into the question from stem / to stern, and it had been found that the rock was not on a fishing reserve, as supposed, but on a road reserve. He thus had been sent to the council. The road reserve was about five chains wide and prevented him getting at The rock on private property. All the, scrap he would sell cheaply to the council for metalling. Samples of the stone had been sent to Sydney with the idea of it being used in the glassworks, and it had stood the test better than local'sandstone or a similar stone imported from Italy. About 1000‘ yards could be taken in Sydney immediately. He. had obtained permission to wnrk the stone on Lawton’s block, but the face was on the road reserve. . ’ Cr. Cox : What would you regard as a payable output? Mr. Guillard replied that it was hard to say, but the output should :..

be in the vicinity of from 20,000 to 30,000 yards per year. It was the intention for a start to put the stone on the trucks at Putaruru till the business was worked up. Saws Would be put in later and stone would b§ got out for the Government, whicli stone would necessarily be taken by * rail. That would be the first move towards getting Government trucks up to the 19-mile peg. Cr. Cox : We have to. see that the road is not cut up. Mr. Guillard stated that the size of the stone blocks would be 2ft by 3ft by 18in. That Was abouf half a yard, while the weight was 100 pounds to a cubic foot. The Engineer:, One, prospector stated that he would take out the largest blocks possible and break them down in Auckland. Mr. Guillard said the smallest blocks possible were the easiest and most economical to handle. There was less waste, and a half-ton block 41 was four times easier to handle than a ton block. i . „ The Engineer: What the county wants to know is how much' will be taken out before the stone; is switched over to the railway. Mr. Guillard stated that some of the stone had to go to Dr. Marshall, of Wellington, but what he would want was not known. He had measured the blocks at the Auckland post office, and these measured 4ft by 18in by 21in.

Cr. Cox : What plant would you have ? , Mr. Guillard said he would start with about £IOOO worth. When the demand increased ■•and saws were put in about £13,000 worth would be necessary. Commercial men had advised him to wait until Dr. Marshall placed his order. The speaker had been told that the Government would allow L waggons up to Lichfield. The Engineer: If the council gave you sole rights members would require to be certain that you would start and not block others. Mr. Guillard replied that he asked for a 21-years’ lease, and if he stopped work for two to two and a half years the lease could be automatically cancelled. The engineer remarked that the county charged a royalty on timber, and for rock the Putaruru-Lichfield road would need to be widened five or ten feet. Cr. Cox : It would cost £3OOO per mile for five miles to bituminise the road. Mr. Guillard said he was prepared to pay Gd per yard royalty, and he thought rock shoulders on the road would suffice. He would supply the waste stone at two shillings per yard to the council for metalling. The pink stone on the Te Whetu road was demanded by architects for certain courses. He would - supply the (Continued in Next Column)