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16
MODERN QUARRYING
January - February 2016
specifically agreed by the industry with
the Government Mining Engineer for
good reason in the early stages of arrang-
ing the course.
‘The next course to be designed, that
of open pit mining manager, which will
be taken at Technikon level, is, however,
intended to lead to a Government certifi-
cate at the end of it. The setting up of this
course is being actively pursued’.
Quality and specifications
‘In line with the educational facilities,
the industry has been concerned with
the quality of its products. Agfed and its
regional associations spend considerable
time looking at the standard of products
of the industry, and at present, are work-
ing on the updating of the SABS 1083
which is the basic SA Bureau of Standards
quality specification for concrete and
roadstone.
‘There has been little problem with
this specification for concrete stone and
only a few minor changes are being con-
templated. But the aggregate industry
and the users of roadstone, the National
Transport Commission, Provincial Roads
Department and the consulting engi-
neers designing roads, have been unable
to come to any agreement on the spec-
ifications for roadstone and base course.
‘On the one hand, the aggregate
industry has been unwilling to expend
the capital and redesign its working
schedules to produce materials which are
not only small volume offtake, but which
necessitates the slowing down of major
sections of its production plant; at least
without some recompense for so doing.
On the other hand, there is a tendency to
design roads with sophisticated aggre-
gate materials without any consideration
of the cost and difficulty of making them,
and to expect them to be sold to the road-
makers at standard prices.
‘At the same time, many different
specifications are in use. Every province
has its own specification and consulting
engineers also often design their own
specifications. This is most inconvenient
for the aggregate industry and efforts are
being made – under the auspices of the
SA Bureau of Standards and the National
Institute of Transport and Road Research
– to bring together the various parties to
produce agreed and universal specifica-
tions for the various products required.
‘The aggregate industry wants to
produce what its customers require.
But the customers need to have some
understanding of what is involved in pro-
ducing aggregate to non-standard speci-
fications. In other words, some education
of customers by the quarry industry is
required. The Agfed sub-committee con-
cerned with the SABS 1083 is tackling this
problem’.
Ending his report 30 years ago, Sir
Rupert writes: ‘The quarry industry, as
in all countries, is still a small part of the
country’s industrial complex. But without
it, not much construction, the infrastruc-
ture of development, can take place. As
has been indicated, considerable prog-
ress has been made over the past 15 years
in the modernisation of the industry.
Contact is maintained with quarrymen
in other countries and no doubt the next
15 years will see a great deal of further
development.
‘South Africa is likely to go the way of
other countries in creating larger units,
making use of economies of scale to con-
trol unit costs. The greatest hindrance to
this is the distances which the finished
product must be transported. But there
is scope for the development of the rail
system as has taken place elsewhere, with
special trucks and depots where stone
can be stockpiled.
‘This is a young industry with an inter-
esting niche in the overall economy, and
plenty of scope for future development’ –
Sir Rupert Bromley, January 16, 1986.
About Face RSA
Looking back on the establishment of
the About Face RSA beautification pro-
gramme, Sir Rupert reminds
MQ
that
this was a programme initiated by the
National Stone Association (NSA) of USA
“and we sought their permission to use
the name, logo and programme, suitably
amended to take account of our local
operations.
“Now there were many things to be
done to set up this programme,” he says.
The then Alpha-owned Peninsula Quarry, photographed in 1997
(courtesy Sir Rupert Bromley).
Ridgeview photographed in 1997 (courtesy Sir Rupert Bromley).
HISTORICAL
FEATURE