TARANAKI IRONSAND.

Taranaki Herald, Volume LX, Issue 143770, 19 April 1912, Page 7

TARANAKI IRONSAND.

At tiie Harbour Board meeting on Friday Messrs. Garrick and Co., Christchurch, forwardeti a letter which had been addressed by Mr. W. G. Dauccy, 0.E.A1.E.. Loudon, through them, to the hoard, with respect to ironsaud leases.

Mr. IV. G. Dancer wrote;—l am approaching you again in connection with the. aoove maiu.-r because by tho time this reaches you I believe all option, etc., will hove expired and that vonr board will lie in a position to entertain any application for a short term option embracing the right to take up and work tho ironsand deposits at Taranaki. To make my position quite clear 1 may remind yen that 1 hare been in communication with you ior nearly three years about this matter and have always been prepared to carry out mv original offer; namely to pay a nominal sum for a short term option providing that in the event of my demonstnting that my contentions were all correct the leases would become my property afterwards. 1 would suggest* as the most satisfactory arrangement that the Harbour Board after receivin' m.v cash for opn should evolve some scheme by means m i.nic.n -* ■ • . ‘.'C.a receive: (1)

A nominal rent for the period that would have to elapse after my securing the leases before I could commence to turn out manufactured iron and steel, and thenceforth an arranged royalty of so much per ton on all iron and steel manufactured: or (2) that your board place an animal rental charge upon the iron-bearing area of Taranaki. To my mind the first sngges- ; tion would be the most mutually ad--1 vantageous if worke.d out, say, at a royalty of so much per ton up to 100 tons per week, a slight decrease when the output exceeds 100 but not 200 tons per week, and so on, to .meet any possible output. By this means your board would be assured of an increasing revenue from the sand deposits, although the royalty per ton would be a decreasing one. 1 only make these as -tentative suggestions, and shall be glad to receive and give fullest _ possible consideration to any alternative ideas ynir board may care to advance. Now that all tiie other schemes and ideas have fallen through, I presume there will bo no obstacle placed in my way ac;d that at last I may be about to have my turn.”

..On the motion of Messrs. Wilkinson and Swadling it was decided to reply to the effect that the board regretted it was not in a position to treat with the leases at present.