THE Thames Advertiser THURSDAY, OCTOBER 5, 1876.

Thames Advertiser, Volume IX, Issue 2436, 5 October 1876, Page 2

THE Thames Advertiser THURSDAY, OCTOBER 5, 1876.

The schedule to the Counties Bill contains the boundaries of the 60 counties into which New Zealand has been divided under the Counties Act. On observing the proposed boundaries for the Thames county Mr Kowe took the a 1 arm, and telegraphed to the Town Clerk to the effect that the boundaries were unsuitable, inasmuch as there would be no land in the county available either for endowments or for settlement, as all the lands on the western bank of the Thames river would be included in the Piako county. In consequence of this telegram, which was despatched late on Tuesday night, and only received yesterday morning, a meeting, of which a report appears elsewhere, was hurriedly convened for the purpose of obtaining an expression of opinion, and complying with the request contained in the telegram sent by Mr Eowe, and dispatch was the more urgently required as the bill defining the counties was to be passed yesterday. Of course with the very meagre information at their disposal the meeting was not in a position to define with any degree of accuracy what they wanted, but on one point there was no uncertain sound, and that was the necessity for acquiring endowments and" lands for settlement. It is not now necessary to enter into any argument in support of the proposition that the lands between the Thames and Piako rivers should be included in the Thames county, for it is an accomplished fact. The proposed county of Piako has disappeared from the map; the Piako valley, with its lands and swamps, is incorporated with the Thames county, and the remainder has been absorbed by Waikato. Dr Kilgour, as chairman of the meeting yesterday, sent the telegrams authorised immediately, and was of course in sufficient time to apprise our members before the afternoon sitting of the House. The following telegram received by Dr Kilgour from Sir G. Grey in the afternoon, apprised him of the result:—" Thames, county takes in all the valley of the Piako." So far, therefore, the matter which had agitated the meeting is set at rest, and this is further confirmed by the more detailed information contained in our telegraphic columns. Upon this very question of the boundaries of the Thames county and their enlargement, so as to secure those lands, a division took place in which the Thames members and those of the Waikato took separate sides, the result, however, being that the lands sought after have been attached to the Thames county.

The unsatisfactory position of the pecuniary affairs of the Pumping Association was a subject brought under discussion at the conference meeting held in the Council Chambers yesterday afternoon, and we are glad to find that our public men are evincing so much interest in a matter in which the fate of the Thames golclfield is to a great extent involved. A committee consisting of members of the Borough Council and the Highway Boards has been appointed to confer with Mr Warwick Weston, one of the directors of the Pumping Association, who arrived from Auckland yesterday, in order if possible to devise some scheme by which pumping could be continued after the small balance of the £50,000 loan now remaining has been all exhausted. Ithasbeen arranged, that this conference is to take place to-day, and Ave sincerely hope that some practical suggestions will be thrown out which will avert such a public calamity as the stoppage of those pumps. The question of their maintenance is now brought home to those interested in the Thames, and it is best that all should fully realise the importance of the subject. The stoppage of those pumps means not onlyj •the suspension of deep mining operations in those mines which are in the immediate vicinity of the big pump, but it has been clearly demonstrated that the Waio-Karaka mines are also to a very large extent indebted for drainage to the United Pumping Association, and should the latter suspend operations even for a time the Waio-Karaka mines, which are now coming to the front as gold.producers, Avould inevitably be flooded, as the pumping machinery of the WaioKaraka Drainage Association is inadequate to the drainage requirements of the whole district. We are not in a position at present to offer any suggestion which can be at orice acted upon. It is clear to our minds that the scheme for utilising the large water race for pumping purposes which has' been devised by the company's engineer, and to which we referred in detail a few days ago, is not only practicable and feasible, but would be comparatively inexpensive, while the benefits which it would confer in reducing the working expenses to a sixth of the present weekly outlay, are so apparent that the scheme must commend itsolf to the directors and the committee. But to accomplish the work requisite for the adoption -of this scheme money is required, and unfortunately it is the want of this which causes the hitch. It is estimated that the whole work could bo accomplished

for less than $,000. This does not include the laying on of the water, but placing all the probable expenditure together it would hardly amount to £7,500. Wo take it for granted of course that the water for motive power will either be granted gratis or on very easy terms, and the reason fortius conclusion is obvious. If mining operations are suspended, the water will not be required for crusliing purposes. There will be no demand for it, and the water which has been brought in at snch an outlay will not benefit the field or resuscitate mining interests, so that even if it is handed over to a county board, they would find it their interest to grant the supply requisite for pumping purposes on liberal terms. Upon this score, therefore, we do not anticipate much difficulty, and could a clear way be seen to raising the capital requisite for the carrying out of Mr Black's scheme, a satisfactory conclusion could be at once arrived at. Although it would be difficult, perhaps impossible, to raise sufficient fuuds in drainage contributions to maintain the efficiency of the pumps worked as at present by steam machinery, we believe that if water power was applied the contributions leviable would more than cover the expenses, so that there is a very strong inducement for the application of water power. It may be that a strong representation made to the Government, and backed by the influence of a public meeting, would induce them, in order to utilise the works already accomplished at such cost, to advance as a further loan the sum required. We simply throw out the suggestion for what it is worth, and leave the conference to deal with it as they think fit. We trust that some practical result will issue from the consultation, which will set the public mind at rest oil a question ill which the welfare of all our population, and indeed of the province generally, is .so closely bound up. •