Page 23 - 00 Volume 5 The Mine

Workers of the Kimihia Mine in the 1980s, Many of whom also worked the land to break in their farms.
There was at least one farmer, Mr Hall, who worked his shifts in the mine then trekked over the hills to
Ngaruawahia for a weekend of “socializing”.

Number of men employed: 180. a shaft near the river and opened the present mine
Transit: By rail to Auckland costing 6 shillings 6 (i.e. Ralph mine in the Main Street). There was
not sufficient trade for four mines, and the Taupiri
pence (65 cents) a ton. Extended and Taupiri Reserve leased Ralph's mine
Mine Management: The ventilation in the past at £800 a year and kept it closed.
has been deficient and not sufficient strictness in "The four companies have now combined
observing the requirements of the Act has always into one company. The Extended mine and the
been shown. There is every prospect of an Waikato mine (across the river) are doing very
immediate improvement in this respect and also in little; the chief work is being done in the Kimihia
providing two known means of egress from the
mine. The ventilation in the Kimihia Mine is and Ralph Mines."
the most seriously deficient and the methods
heretofore adopted have been unsatisfactory and The members of the Commission were William

must be altered. Reeve Haselden, Stipendiary Magistrate; Joseph
General observations: There were Proud, Mine Manager; John Lomas, inspector.
originally four companies at work in Huntly. The It is interesting to note that there has been a pithead
Taupiri Extended was the principal mine and at Kimihia for nearly 100 years; first the Taupiri
opened their mine about 25 years ago (N.B. this Reserve Mine 1887-1910: then by various small
was the original Ralph's Taupiri mine registered private concerns of which the most durable was Taupiri
1874 of which the Extended was just that - an East Coal Mines owned by the Holland family. In the
extension, but registered as the Taupiri Extended 1940's a decision was made to opencast and the
Coal Company in 1882). The Taupiri Extended State opencast operated until the late 1970s, the lake
leased their first mine from Mr R Ralph. This ran being drained by a specially built dredge.
out 10 years ago (i.e. the old Ralph mine) and they
then opened the present mine on 150 acres of It was then decided to win the remaining coal
freehold adjoining the old mine. under Huntly by underground mining and the East
"Shortly after that Messrs Ralph and Biss sank Mine was built, whose headquarters are on what was
the bed of Kimihia Lake.