HIKURANGI COAL MINE

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume LXIV, Issue 19371, 8 July 1937, Page 4

HIKURANGI COAL MINE

EXTENSIVE FLOOD DAMAGE 1 STATE AID FOR COMPANY (Special to the Herald.) WELLINGTON, this day. An announcement that the Govern- ' ment had decided to assist the Hikurangi Coal Company to dewater its mine and that the work was to coed immediately, was made by the Minister of Mines, the Hon. P. C. Webb, at the conclusion of a Cabinet meeting last evening

Extensive damage has been done to the mine by the abnormal flooding in the North Auckland district last week, and the directors of the company had announced their intention to abandon indefinitely any further attempts at mining and to salvage whatever plant was available.

Mr. Webb said that representatives of the Hikurangi Town Board, the Miners’ Union and the Hikurangi Coal Company had met himself, the Undersecretary of Mines, Mr. A. Tyndall,! and the chief inspector of coal mines, Mr. G. Duggan, and discussed the whole matter fully. The situation was indeed critical, and 40 miners would be thrown out of work immediately. Unless the mine was dewatered quickly additional expense would be incurred. The Government had decided to assist the company to dewater the mine, and arrangements had been made to proceed with the work immediately.

The Hikurangi Coal Company, ” Limited, was established 44 years ago, and has operated continuosly ever since. The company for many years was a prosperous concern and paid regular and substantial dividends. However, several years ago considerable difficulty was experience when mining operations were extended under the Hikurangi swamp, resulting in the flooding of the shaft in the company’s Waro mine. Work in that area was abandoned, and the company two years ago began the development of the present workings in the area of coal lying between the Hikurangi mountain and the township of Hikurangi. The flood came just at the time when the company was in a posi- •/ tion to reap the fruits of its labours. '