HUNTLY MINE "CREEP."

Northern Advocate, 25 August 1919, Page 3

HUNTLY MINE "CREEP."

COMPANY'S ALLEGED NEGLECT.

UNION SECRETARY'S STATE-

MENT.

WELLINGTON, Aug. 23,

A report on the Huntly Extended mine was handed to a reporter, It is by Mr J. O'Brien, secretary of the union, and states inter alia:—"ln connection with a statement appearing in the newspapers regarding the Huntly Extended mine I have to state that the statements absolutely incorrect ,and misleading. The position is that most of the workings in these mines are situated directly under the Waikato River and the only covering between where the men are working and the river is a few feet of coal, the remainder being all sand. Th<* company states there is no 'creep.' The truth is that both the men's and company's inspectors have been reporting a 'creep' for months past. In fact there are two distinct 'creeps,' one being directly under the Waikato River, where eight different falls have taken place quite recently, the strata breaking away to a height of 50 feet. The other 'creep' is about a chain from the bank of the Waikato River, where cracks several inches wide are appearing on the surface.

"The check inspector's report of an inspection telegraphed to Wellington states: The position at present is that the 'creep' in No. 2 section, close to the railway, has come to the surface at the cross road at the bottom of Hakanoa street. The 'creep' is still on in No. 6 rise in the section on the north side. This is the most dangerous in our opinion, seeing this is directly under the river. We fear this may come to the surface the same as the 'creep' in the tail-rope section.—W. Thompson, E. Kerry, check inspectors.

"I would like at this point to draw attention to the fact that the chief inspector of mines (Mr Reed) has made several attempts to compel this company to make this mine safe, but failed after taking the case to the Supreme Court, owing to our inadequate mining law. In the mines statem e nt, 1914, Mr Reed, reporting on this mine, states that a considerable area of the wprkings of these two mines is situated under the Waikato River, lakes and swamps, and there is an ever-present danger of subsidence and inundation," ,