WARDFN'S COURT, MIDDLEMARCH. Tuesday, April 10.

Otago Witness, Issue 2456, 17 April 1901, Page 19

WARDFN'S COURT, MIDDLEMARCH. Tuesday, April 10.

(Bpfoio Mr Warden Burgess) Henry Waddington Smythies applied for a license to construct a watei race from a point on the Deep Stream, about five miles from the junction of the Deep Stream with the Taien River, near the south-east corner of block X, Nenthom survey district, and intended to be carried m a straight line by a tunnel through the neck of a peninsula for a distance of about 1200 ft, and thence down the north bank of the stieam, and to terminate in a point m the Deep Stream about three and a-half miles six chains above its junction with the Taien River. The number of heads of wat-^r intended to be deviatpd was stated to be 135 heads, and the cost of construction £2000. Mi Mouat appeared for the applicant. He said the application was one of considerable importance. The land thiough which the proposed race wps intended to be earned was a public reserve vested in the trustees of the Otago Um\oi-<itv The tmstees had given a qualified consent, the principal condition being that the appLcant bhould anange with Lhe lessees, Messrs Ross and Ulen.cb.iung, oi Diu-

edin. He had called on Mr Glendil.i- * lit Dunedm, and was told that the lessees would be represented at the hearing by Mr Cutter. Mr Cutten was, however, not in attendance,, The land-owners along the south side of ths Depp Stream had all been served with noticesand several had given their consent in writing,, and no one had objected. Notice was given to them because it was thought they might desire* to have riparian rights The country through which the lace was intendeel to be constructed 1 was, like that in the Taien Gorge, rocky and! steep — mostly, in fact, precipitous. A smaller scheme than that now before the court was at first proposed — namely, merely to construct a, tunnel through the peninsula at the starting point, and by diverting the water to lay bare part of the bed of the stream and work it for gold. It was thought to be gold-bearing. On. further consideration, and in view of the great progress that was being made in the application; of natural power to industrial uses, the first application was withdrawn and the piesent one substituted. The amount of capital proposed! to be expended at first was £2000, and he asked leave to arrend it by substituting £15,000. The work would cost almost as much as a railway would do. The quantity of water available was perhaps over-estimated. It was impossible to state with precision the quantity of water available, but 100 hepds of water meant C3Oga2 per second, and that was a large stream. He would ask leave to amend the application bj' inserting the words "if available" after "135 heads." The estimated pressure obtainable would probably be about 300 ft, which, with 75 heads of water, would yield nearly 2000 horsepower. The Warden allowed the amendment, and said as no one appeared m support of any objections he wis disposed to giant the application, but would adjourn the. matter to thes sitting of the Waidcn's Court at Nascby on the 15th mst to allow of time to come to an flgreement with thf lessees. If an pgreemmt was not come to by that time he would furtlic-r adjourn it until such tim: as m agreement should be come to Mr Mouat said that it was desirable to pet the matter settled shortly, in order that ths working survey n^'ght b° proceeded with before the winter set m. In the winter time it wji very difficult to do any work in such lougli country. The matter v.as then adjourned to the Warden's Court at Nascbv on the 15th mst.