THE PUMPING ASSOCIATION'S WORK AT THE THAMES.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XIII, Issue 4693, 28 November 1876, Page 2

THE PUMPING ASSOCIATION'S WORK AT THE THAMES.

There is one matter lying before us which must be faced at once. The money voted for the Pumping Association, to enable them to sink their shaft and continue working, is nearly all expended, and it is unlikely, we believe, that they will be able to continue working for more than a few weeks longer. The four companies which comprise the Pumping Association cannot possibly continue the operations, so that it would seem that at the end of this year the works will come to a stand. We hardly like to speculate upon what the consequences- of this would be for the Thames. As our readers are aware, the mortgages held by the Government over the mines and plant are to be transferred to the County of Thames, and as the County has also got the water supply, it has been proposed that certain works should be carried out so as to adapt the water for the purpose of driving the pumping machinery. Two plans have been proposed for this purpose, but the difficulty is, that to carry either of them out would require some months, during which, unless some special arrangements could be made, the pumps would be standing, and, of course, the water rising. If the pumps were to stop for six months, the chauces are that they would never start again.