THE HYDROGEN-AMALGAM PROCESS.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XXV, Issue 9030, 17 April 1888, Page 5

THE HYDROGEN-AMALGAM PROCESS.

THE TRIAL START STOPPED.

STRANGE CONDUCT OF THE

COUNTY COUNCIL.

[FROM OUB OWN CORRESPONDENT.] Thames, Monday. A most unfortunate and annoying hitch has occurred in preventing the successful issue of the first trial of the hydrogen-amalgam process of saving gold by the Molloy pons. After having worked nighb and day for some time past for the purpose of enabling Mr. Molloy himself to superintend the trial start of the process, so as to soe that the operation was commenced right from the first, the whole experiment is stopped by the County Council cutting off the- water supply for motive purposes. From the best authority 1 glean the following particulars leading up to the present action : — The Molloy proprietors bought out Mr. George Fraser's interest in the lease of the Herald battery some time ago, giving him so much cash down, from which he was to settle the outstanding water account of the old proprietary. Up to last Thursday no more was heard of the matter, and the Molloy proprietors were under the impression that the account was settled. On that date the County's turncock (Mr. Law) came to the works, and announced that he had instructions not to allow the Molloy proprietors to use the water supply, as Mr. Fraser had not settled for the arrears owing. On the following Saturday, Mr. Law again called at the works, and this time he said he had received instructions to allow the proprietors the use of the supply, and turned the water on there and then. On this understanding an effort was made to push the works to a completion for a trial this morning, before Mr. Molloy departed for Auckland. This morning everything was in readiness for a start; the water was just turned on to the wheel, and the plant set in motion, when, lo ! Mr. Law again appeared on the scene, and without a word of explanation turned the water off and departed. This unfortunate hitch consequently prevented the trial start under Mr. Molloy s supervision, which is indeed to be regretted, for he himself has worked assiduously at the works for several days past, being anxious to afford the proprietors the beneiit. of his practical knowledge and experience of the working of the pans. This dog-in-the-manger policy of the county authorities is anything but creditable to them, for the least they could have done under the circumstances would have been to allow a trial to be made at the present juncture during Mr. Moiloy's presence. It haa long been a want of the district to get some new process introduced for treating our refractory ores, and now that this want is about being supplied, our local authorities raise some slight quibble and throw a damper over it. Any new process should receive every encouragement from our local bodies, and it will be a great pity if the authorities are allowed to continue their present action.

Latek. The principal topic of conversation today has been in reference to the action of two members of the County Water-race Committee—Messrs. Walton and Townsend —in instructing the turncock to cub off the water supply to prevent the trial of the Molloy pans this morning. On all sides their action is generally condemned as a piece of unwarrantable officialism. The least they could have done was to allow water for a trial while Mr. Molloy was present, in order that he rnight have seen whether the plant was properly erected. As far as Mr. (Jeorge Fraser, of Auckland, is concerned, he does not seem to be to blame in any way. In a conversation with him this evening I gleaned the following information :—As part proprietor of the Herald battery he is liable, with others interested, for the sum of £102 for water supplied, although he was not aware until recently that the sum exceeded £50. But in addition a further £50 is owing by a prior party. When the property passed into the hands of the present proprietary all the original owners received shares in the new concern aa payment, with the exception of himself. He, however, received a sum of money, conditional upon his defraying all existing debts. On April 6 he addressed a letter to the County Council asking that some concession be made him, as he had sustained a heavy loss through the non-success of the battery, owing to dull times. To this no reply was received, but thinking the matter all right he allowed it to stand in abe>ance. On "Thursday last he was surprised to learn that the Council had determined to cub off the supply, and at once made enquiries into the matter, with the result that ib was arranged that it should remain on. At this point Mr. Ralph, manager of the Askham Molloy Co., sent in an application for the use of water, and Mr. Brodie, County Chairman, advised the Clerk to notify the applicant that, as a tem|x>rary measure, his request would be granted, ponding the approval of the Council. The clerk failed to carry out this instruction, and on the 14th instant the following memo, was written by the clerk and signed by Messrs. Walton and Townsend:—''Memo, for Mr. Law, foreman of water-race: We hereby request you to at once turn off the water for Herald battery." Acting under this instruction. Mr. Law cut off the water this morning, and thus prevented a start being made in Mr. Molloy's presence. Ib would almost appear as if undue influence had been brought to bear on the Water Committee to give this order, bub this will probably be sifted at the nexb meeting of the Council.

In commenting on their action, the Star of this evening says: "We cannot help expressing an opinion that in so arbitrarily acting they have not only endangered the success of a scheme from which ho much good to the field has been anticipated, but they have stultified the whole Council, inasmuch as notwithstanding the lavish promises of concessions, among other things in the way of water supply, to all who would come forward to help to open up the field, which were published in the Auckland papers, and even were sent home in order to give the widest publicity to them, they have now refused to grant even the trifling request made by Mr. Molloy. The circumstances of the case were of so peculiar a nature —the fact that Mr. Molloy and his friends had been working day and night in order to have the plant completed so that it might be tested before he left Auckland for England to-morrow, and that only an hour at the utmost was all the time the water was needed this morning, render the action of these two councillors the more reprehensible, ignoring as they did the sanction of the chairman of the Council previously obtained."