MINING NEWS.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LI, Issue 15747, 23 October 1914, Page 3

MINING NEWS.

DRAINAGE WORK AT THAMES.

OPERATIONS TO CEASE.

NO MONEY FOR THE WORK

DECISION OF THE BOARD.

The Thames Drainage Board, at it: meeting yesterday, decided that owing t: difficulty in obtaining moneys due iron contributing companies, drainage opera tions should cease at the Thames on Octo ber 29. There were present at the meet ing: Messrs. ("'. Hudson (in the chair) E. A. Brown, W. Baker, H. \V. Hopkins J. Coe, H. Lowe, and Graves .\ickin. The chairman read a letter which In had received from the Victoria Golr Mining Company, containing the following resolution passed at a meeting of th( directors:—" That it is desirable to en courage and conserve public interest ii gold-mining at the Thames, and more par ticularly in the deep levels, and that tr do this effectively it is advisable that al i mining operations requiring the use o the big pump shall cease until after th< European war is satisfactorily ended, aiic shareholders are relieved of the strair i and burden that now exist in consequent I of its effects in their endeavours to pa) calls upon their shares; and that a meet ing of the directors of all the companies | contributing to the Drainage Board b< convened at as early a date as possible to consider and give effect to the pro posal." Mr. Hudson said a meeting o: ; the directors of the various companies 1 interested was held yesterday morning and the following resolution was passed ,"That the representatives of the vari- ! ous mining companies here present re ! commend the Drainage Board to stop operations at once." The matter, Mr. Hudson continued, was very important, | The board's expenses amounted to £6001 ! per year, and the finances would show that there was a sum of £1000 due from two or three of the contributing companies. There seemed to be every prob ability that there would be a difficulty in getting that sum paid. The board's financial position had been giving considerable anxiety to himself and other members during the last few months. He did not see that the meeting would have any other duty but to order the cessation of pumping operations. Serious Thing for Thames. That was a very serious thing for the Thames district, he added, and it was regrettable that in a time of stress they should' have to take such action. The deep level operations would cease. On these operations the companies interested had subscribed £15,500, and the Government £7000, making a total of £22.50 C spent on the levels to date. In additior to that, when they considered that operations had been in progress for foui years, it was quite tafe to say that a similar sum had been expended by the companies themselves. Roughly speaking, a sum of about £42.000 .had been spent on deep levels work, so that no one could say that they had not done their duty in trying to exhaust the possibilities of the 1000 ft level. No gold had been won from the level except one small return which the May Queen Company had secured from a leader in the proximity of its shaft. The inspector of mines had ordered a cessation of work on the deviation crosscut, owing to the fact that the conditions were dangerous to life. If they shut down the work it was probable that the deep levels operations would remain in abeyance, and perhaps would never be completed unless there wa3 a Teat revival in mining. What had made the pi-sit ion to serious was that they had m the iis-t of the hoard's unpaid contributions tc the end of September, a total sum ol £720 from two companies, and it seemed a little problematical as to whether the board would receive it. Action would have to be taken to recover moneys from all contributing companies whose assessments were in arrears. Mr. Hopkins suggested that before taking any action the board should acqu:int the Government and the Thames Deep Levels Board of what it proposed to do. Mr. Hudson said this would be done. The Deep Levels Board had no money with which to pay for the pumping. The five contributing companies which paid for the drainage also paid to the Deep Levels Board. Mr. Hopkins remarked that the Victoria, Kuranui-C?.ledonian, and Waiotahi companies were anxious to prospect at the 640 ft level. Gold Mining a Luxury." Mr. Coe: Gold mining at this time is an absolute luxury with the local companies. We pay contributions in the hope of getting something in future, and when the hope is remote and times are pressing we must cease to have the benefit of that luxury. Mr. Hudson stated that they were running their business on credit, and they could not do it. The board had been very good to the companies in the past and it looked as if its confidence was to be misplaced. He did not see the use of asking the Government for assistance The Government could not be asked to do work, the cost of which the board was not prepared to pay. The companies had done nobly as far as the Thames was concerned, and if they had 1 to cease they would recognise that it was not their fault, but the fault of circumstances beyond their control. Mr. Hudson moved:— "That the engineer bo instructed : to prepare to cease pumping as 1 soon as the suporvisor of the deep . levels advises that he has removed all . the movable plant to the surface, actual i pumping to cease on October 29. and "the . Deep Levels Board and the Government ■ to bo notified accordingly." i Mr. Coe seconded the motion. '. Employment of Miners. I Mr. Hopkins moved as an amendment :— ' "That in view of the fact that the ' Drainage Board is unable to continue I operations, and that it is of the utmost . importance that a large body of miners ' should not bo thrown out of work at the | present time, a deputation wait upon the " Minister for Mines to lay the matter before him and to request assistance from the Government." Mr. Lowe seconded the amendment. Mr. Hudson stated that 22 men were t affected, and to ask the Government to " spend £6000 a year on behalf of so small ' a number of men would be useless. * TH amendment was lost and Mr. Hud- ' son's motion was carried. 3 f f ROSS GOLDFIELDS. £152 FROM 33 OUNCES. / The weekly return from the Ross Gold f fields was telegraphed yesterday as fol- - lows:—"38o2 15dwt from 938* trucks.'' . The value of tho return is about £152. i COROMANDEL WARDEN'S COURT. - [BT TELEGRAPH.—OWN COIIEESrOXDEXT. ' I Coeomaxdel, Thursday. 9 The monthly sitting of tho Warden's } Court was held before Mr. F. V. Frazer, S.M., warden. The following , applications were granted: McNeil, . residence site, 42 years; A. S. Ford, Ex- . tended quartz claim, 5 acres. 42 years; . T. Petrie, special quartz claim," part % Block 11., Cororaandel, 42 years. Protection was granted for six mouths, subject to the approval of the Minister for Mines, to the Mountain King Gold Mining Company, Kuaotunu, and to William J. Martin, Tokatea.