(To the Editor.)

Sir: Be the dispute between the Drainage Board and the Thames- Hauraki (Ltd.), it is a fact that the Thames-Hauraki pujmps do not drair. the old Big Pump shaft; and at pres ent it is impossible for them to do so, because the old Big Pump shaft Is so coated with a deposit of sulphate of lime, alumina and oxide of iron— which, during the last twenty-five years has crystallized out of the min eral water; that is, like an enamelled bucket, which will not allow the water that is continually being poured into it from the Kuranui-Caledonian and Moanatairi mines at the 400-feet level to get away, excepting it is pumped to the surface by the old Big Pump, notwithstanding that the Thames Hauraki pumps are draining the Wai otahi, Victoria and May Queen mines: right up to the old Big Pump shaft. If the melfnbers of the Drainage Board were not well known to be strictly honest men, anyone would suppose that some of them were get ting perquisites out of the expendi ture incurred in mining the old ele phaot. But, judging frojm the past history of the old Big Pump, of course that iB impossible. Certainly the Thames-Hauraki could drain the Big Pump shaft, but because of the im pervious nature of the (mineral deposit with which it is coated, such can only be thoroughly accomplished by the Thames-Hauraki Company putting ?n a drive from their shaft to connect with the drive from the Big Pump shaft at the 640-feet level, which ends a little north of the old Prince Im perial shaft. This means about half a mile of driving, but it would allow! the surface water from ther Kurajnui- Caledonian and Moanatairi imihes, which now runs into the top of the Big Pump's impervious bottle to run out of, the bottom and thence to the Thames-Hauraki pumps. The jmoral of all this is that as the two mines named put the water into the Big Pomp shaft and it cannot get out any other way exoept by being pdrnped to the surface by the Big Pump, these companies should pay the entire cost of draining their own mines them selves.—l am, etc, PIONEER.
