THAMES DEEP LEVELS.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XLIII, Issue 13304, 10 October 1906, Page 8

THAMES DEEP LEVELS.

'. — - » — .. THE QUEEN OF BEAUTY GROUN'D. [BY telegraph.— correspondent.] v Wellington, Tuesday. The Thames Deep Levels' Enabling Bill, which gives the Government power to dispose of the improvements on the Queen oi Beauty ground, was introduced by Governor's message this afternoon. The Bill provides that the improvements on ; tin Queen of Beauty Extended special claim shall be sold by public auction, on .such terms and conditions as the Warden thinks fit and the Minister approves: ' The purchaser shall have the right to remove the improvements at any time within three months after sale. Upon the land being made available for mining purposes, the purchaser ;of the improvements shall have the prior right to a license for a special claim in respect of such land, provided that his application is made within one month of the land being made available. The area attached to the Thames Hauraki pump is exempted from the provisions of the Bill. Mr. Hemes took the' opportunity of asking whether the Government intended to place a sum of money on the Estimates to assist the. companies operating on the Hauraki goldfield in regard to the development r i lie deep levels. The Premier (in the absence of the Minister for Mines) said that the"principal object of .the Bill was to.ensure that certain ground might be disposed of by the Government, and thus prevent people from continuously pegging off claims and stopping, important work at the Thames. He was quite certain it was the right thing to do. Mr. Hemes agreed that what was proposed was the right thing, but he wished the Government to go further.' From the title of the Bill he was hoping that it would contain some provision for assisting the development of the deep levels at the Thames, and he hoped the Government would grant some assistance. , . The Premier said that the Government would be very glad to do anything to assist an. important gold mining industry like that at the Thames, and it had already shown its sincerity in the matter by the purchase of the pumping plant and machinery.