Hello John
When the Internet only began to work only about 25 years ago, and did not give the opportunity to google everything (I clearly remember the slow slow -high sound of the ISDN modem), as today, it was very limited what options one had to check if an importer spoke true (or whether he only had contact with 1 breach/mine in the area)
Sadly enough, at that time I could do nothing but trust that the importer spoke true when he said that Porthmadog slate was no longer available in the dimensions we needed (30 x 60 cm). And I thought in my naivety that there was only 1 mine in Porthmadog, and not as you are unfolding. So I had to rely on the Spanish slate he presented, and as I approved, was our only option. However, the Spanish did not have the same quality at all, or the same superfine and smooth surface. Whether the actually reason was that the cost of the big dimension Porthmadog had risen so sharply that he would rather sneak around and get a higher profit (/or less loss) on the Spanish slate, I couldn't check. Sadly enough, but so are the conditions in construction projects sometimes. And especially if scaffolding allready are ticking money, healthy and swift decisions will be required so that the construction does not stop, and the money runs out of the pocket.
Today it probably hadn't gone that way ...
When the Internet only began to work only about 25 years ago, and did not give the opportunity to google everything (I clearly remember the slow slow -high sound of the ISDN modem), as today, it was very limited what options one had to check if an importer spoke true (or whether he only had contact with 1 breach/mine in the area)
Sadly enough, at that time I could do nothing but trust that the importer spoke true when he said that Porthmadog slate was no longer available in the dimensions we needed (30 x 60 cm). And I thought in my naivety that there was only 1 mine in Porthmadog, and not as you are unfolding. So I had to rely on the Spanish slate he presented, and as I approved, was our only option. However, the Spanish did not have the same quality at all, or the same superfine and smooth surface. Whether the actually reason was that the cost of the big dimension Porthmadog had risen so sharply that he would rather sneak around and get a higher profit (/or less loss) on the Spanish slate, I couldn't check. Sadly enough, but so are the conditions in construction projects sometimes. And especially if scaffolding allready are ticking money, healthy and swift decisions will be required so that the construction does not stop, and the money runs out of the pocket.
Today it probably hadn't gone that way ...
Salix acutifolia/Верба