1492
THE NEW ZEALAND GAZETTE.
[No. 68

Mokihinui Coal Lease.

Mines Department,
Wellington, 10th July, 1899.

OFFERS in writing will be received up to noon of the 1st day of September next from persons willing to lease and work, under the provisions of the Coal-mine Acts and Regulations, the above coal-mine, comprising an area of 957 acres, situated in the County of Buller, on the west coast of the Middle Island, together with the plant and machinery now on the ground.

The following conditions will apply to any lease that may be granted:—

(a.) A royalty of 6d. a ton to be paid on all coal raised during any one year, such royalty to be payable every six months, on the 1st day of January and 1st day of July in each year.

(b.) Fifty per cent. of the amount paid as rent or royalty will be allowed towards the cost of further prospecting for coal within the limits of the lease.

(c.) The plant now on the ground, a schedule of which can be seen at the offices of the Inspectors of Mines at the Thames, Dunedin, and Westport, or at this office, together with such portion of the tramway formation as may be required by the lessee, to be mutually valued, and to be purchased by the lessee for the amount of the valuation; payment may, however, extend over a period of five years, or for such further period as may be agreed upon, without interest. Or the lessee may lease the same on payment half-yearly of interest at the rate of 5 per cent. per annum on the capital value, as agreed upon.

(d.) The lessee to maintain the plant in proper working-order, and not to be allowed to sell or dispose of any portion of the same.

Applicants will be required to state—

(1.) The term for which the lease will be taken.

(2.) The quantity of coal they are prepared to produce from the mine every six months from the 1st day of January and 1st day of July in each year.

(3.) The annual dead-rent per acre they are willing to pay on the 1st day of January and 1st day of July in each year; the amount of rent to be deducted from the royalty of 6d. a ton hereinbefore referred to.

A. J. CADMAN,
Minister of Mines.

Bonus for the Production of Quicksilver.

Mines Office,
Wellington, 17th February, 1898.

NOTICE is hereby given that a bonus of fourpence (4d.) per pound will be paid on the production of the first one hundred thousand pounds weight (100,000lb.) of good marketable retorted quicksilver, free from all impurities, from any mine in New Zealand, on the following conditions, that is to say:—

1. That at least one-third of the quantity is produced on or before the 31st March, 1900, and the remaining two-thirds on or before the 31st March, 1901.

2. No bonus will be payable until the whole of the one hundred thousand pounds (100,000 lb.) of quicksilver has been produced as stipulated to the satisfaction of an officer to be appointed by the Minister of Mines, and on whose certificate alone the bonus will be paid.

3. In the event of more than one person producing the required quantities of quicksilver before the dates named, inquiry will be made by the officer above referred to, when, if it is found that each applicant is equally entitled to a bonus, the amount will be divided in proportion to the quantities produced by each applicant, but in no case shall any bonus be paid until at least one hundred thousand pounds (100,000 lb.) of quicksilver has been produced in the aggregate.

A. J. CADMAN,
Minister of Mines.

Bonuses for Encouragement of New Zealand Hemp (Phormium tenax) Industry.—Notice No. 535.

Department of Agriculture,
Wellington, 18th February, 1899.

Bonus No. 1.

A BONUS of £1,750 is offered for a machine or process for dressing New Zealand hemp (Phormium tenax) which shall be an improvement on the machines or processes now in use, and which shall, after trial, be found to materially reduce the cost of production, improve the product, or increase the quantity of dressed fibre.

The following are the conditions:—

1. All applications for the bonus must be sent addressed to the Hon. the Minister for Agriculture, Wellington, and must reach him not later than the 31st March, 1900. Each application must be accompanied by a description of the machine or process, particularly stating improvements on present machines or processes, and also the cost at which the machine or process can be supplied.

2. The applicants must be prepared to submit their machines or processes to examination at such time and place as the Government may direct.

3. The Government shall appoint a committee of three or more experts, to whom all applications shall be submitted. Such committee shall, after perusal, state what machines or processes they deem worthy of consideration, and may inspect the same at any place within the colony; and, having so inspected the whole or any of them, may direct that the whole or any of them be brought for further trial to such place as they may think fit.

The cost of bringing the machines or appliances on to the ground, from within the colony, supplying the necessary shafting, motive-power, and buildings, to be defrayed by the Government. If any machine sent from beyond the colony is awarded the bonus or part thereof, then the cost of bringing such machine shall be borne by the Government.

The following shall be the basis of the test:—

The committee shall supply a sufficient and equal quantity of green hemp to each machine or process as a test.

The committee shall take into consideration—

The time occupied by each machine or process in the operation;

The cost of labour and time required after the fibre has left the machine or process before it is ready for baling;

The percentage of dressed fibre and tow produced by each machine or process;

The cost of producing the same;

The cost of the machine, and the simplicity and durability of the working parts.

On completion of the tests the committee shall furnish a report to the Minister on all the machines or processes which they have examined or tested, and shall state,—

(1.) The machine or process which they consider on the whole the most efficient and economic.

(2.) Whether they consider that any machine or process tested so materially reduces the cost of production, or improves the product, as to be worthy of the whole bonus or of a part only.

(3.) Whether, in the event of no one machine or process being entitled to the whole bonus, they deem any machine or process worthy of a part of the bonus, and, if so, how much.

Bonus No. 2.

A bonus of £250 is offered for a process of utilising the waste products of the hemp.

The first three conditions of Bonus No. 1 to apply to this also.

The committee shall supply a sufficient and equal quantity of the waste products to each process as a test.

On completion of the tests the committee shall report to the Minister, and shall give the following particulars of each process: (a.) The nature of the article made. (b.) The quantity produced, and the cost of production. (c.) The value of the product. (d.) Whether any of the processes are of sufficient importance to warrant the Minister in giving (1) the whole, or (2) any part, of the bonus; (3) if a part only, how much.

JOHN MCKENZIE,
Minister for Agriculture.

Bonus on Mineral Oil produced from Shale obtained in New Zealand.

Colonial Secretary’s Office,
Wellington, 29th October, 1898.

NOTICE is hereby given that a bonus will be paid for the production of mineral oil under the following conditions:—

1. A bonus of 1s. per gallon (£5,000) will be paid on the first 100,000 gallons of mineral oil produced from shale obtained in the Colony of New Zealand, the oil to be of a quality approved of by Government, and to be sold at a price not exceeding 1s. a gallon at any port of shipment in the colony.

2. Notice of intention to claim the aforesaid bonus must be given in writing to the Colonial Secretary not later than the 31st December, 1899.

3. The claim must be made before the 30th June, 1900.

4. The first claimant who proves to the satisfaction of the Government that he has fulfilled all the conditions to be the recipient of the bonus.

5. The other conditions—as to quantity, priority, quality, and value—to be fulfilled to the satisfaction of an officer appointed for the purpose by the Government.

J. CARROLL.