Clai^ke,] Report on Steam (Cultivation. ^45 



The " rules" of tliis partnership are pretty much as foHow : — 

 A capital of 1000/., to be raised in four shares of 250/, each ; no 

 member to dispose of his share to any person not a shareholder 

 without the consent of the shareholders, or having offered it to 

 the company or to any member thereof. The committee of 

 management to consist of all the members, three forming a 

 quorum ; any dispute to be settled and become finally binding 

 by a majority of the whole. All fair wear and tear to be borne 

 by the funds of the company. Breakages of working parts (not 

 framework, or engine) to be borne, one-half by the user and the 

 other half by the company. Any dispute to be settled by the 

 committee. Share-points to be found by each user. Oil to be 

 found by the company, and placed under charge of the engineer. 

 As to order of use and priority of claim, one week's work is 

 allowed to each member or to his tenant ; the second employe is to 

 fetch the apparatus from the first, the third from the second, and 

 so on. If any intermediate members exchange turns, it must not 

 prevent the tackle being used by the succeeding member in his 

 due order. The first user to find coal and water for removal to 

 the second, the second for the third, and so on. Four days of 

 storm or stopping by breakage not to count as " use." Whichever 

 member is ready first after harvest takes first turn, then the others 

 in rotation, as settled when the partnership began. The engine- 

 man, ploughman, and anchor-man are paid by the party they may 

 be working for ; and in a slack time ea.ch farmer employs the 

 man living nearest to him, at ordinary farm wages — full-pay being 

 made up by the company. Each user of the tackle has to find 

 his own water-cart men, horse and porter-lads. 



The whole machinery cost 885/. in February, 1862; and addi- 

 tions, repairs, »Scc., for the first 1(J months, up to May, 1863, 

 amounted to about 250/. more. Since that time two new ropes 

 have been worn, costing 100/, ; and the breakages have been costly, 

 from landfast stones ; by the substitution of steel for metal skifes, 

 however, most of this loss has now been avoided. The repairs 

 of engine and apparatus, petty repairs, renewal of rope, and cost 

 of oil (that is, everything excepting coal, water, and labour), have 

 amounted to these suras: — for the vear 1863-4, 228/, 4^. 8iyf/, ; 

 for 1864-5, 106/. 7s. 2M ; for 1865-6, 202/, 18^. Id. But this 

 latter includes a new lire-box, the old one having been fairly 

 burned out. (A metal fire-box is considered to last only 4 

 or 5 years ; whereas a copper fire-box would probably last 10 or 

 12 years.) So that the expense of repairs is really lessening each 

 year ; which is due, in great measure, to the fact of the big 

 stones having been found by the first deep work, and now re- 

 moved. The average outlay for repairs and renewals of parts has 



