11

C—3

The following statement will show the expenditure by the department on the Schools of Mines since their inauguration :—

The total expenditure on these schools for the five years they have been in existence has been £9,094 3s. 6d., exclusive of an annual contribution of £500 which has been paid towards the School of Mines in connection with the University of Otago, and last year an additional £200 was given towards providing a Metallurgical Instructor at the same University; so that the total amount paid to the University of Otago is £2,700. Adding this amount to the expenditure on other schools, it shows the total cost of this class of technical education has been £11,794 3s. 6d. In concluding my remarks on the schools of mines, it may be well to reiterate that if the servics of the Instructors were strictly confined to the two schools, Thames and Reefton, the progress would be much greater, especially in the latter district, where the Instructor has been travelling about from place to place, and when this is done the students can only learn the mere elementary rudiments of the science taught. WATEE-EACES. Waimea Water-bace. The construction of this water-race was commenced in the early part of 1874, and portions of it have therefore been constructed for sixteen years. Some of the original timber now shows a state of decay, but all the long legs in the fluming have been replaced as well as many other portions of the timber structures, so that at the present time the race is in a good state of repair, and can. be kept up so long as water is required to work the ground it commands in sufficient quantity to pay the cost of maintenance. There is still a great deal of ground in the wash-drift terraces in the vicinity of Stafford and Goldsborough, but there is no doubt the ground is becoming less remunerative for working, as far more drift-wash has to be removed to get the same amount of gold that was obtained some years ago. The dump for tailings is also getting less, and the sluices have to be constructed on a less gradient, which all tends to increase the cost of working the ground. Indeed, it is only by improved systems of hydraulic sluicing, which require a plentiful supply of water, that a great deal of the poor ground can be made to pay. The following table will show the sales of water, cash received for sales of water, expenditure, outstanding moneys at end of each month, number of men employed, approximate amount of gold obtained, and value of gold for the year ending the 31st March, 1890 :—

The value of the sales of water for last year amounted to £1,240 9s. 7d., as against £1,416 6s. Bd. for the previous year, which-shows a falling-off in the revenue of £175 17s. Id. The expenditure for the past year has been £795 7s. 7d., as against £860 2s. sd. for the former year. Therefore, although-the revenue has been falling off, the_ expenditure on maintenance has also decreased, leaving the actual prof.c on the working the race to be £445 25., as against £556 4s. 3d, for the year previous.

* Chemicals and Apparatus, also Mineralogical Specimens, supplied to Schools of Mines. Financial Years. Subsidies towards the Erection of Schools of Mines, and Maintenance. Salaries of Teachers, and Travellingexpenses, &o. Total Sums paid by the Department towards the Schools of Mines. 885-86 .886-87 .887-88 .888-89 .889-90 £ s. Nil 257 16 253 15 42 10 142 2 d. 6 9 0 0 £ s. d. 36 19 9 409 1 4 253 14 1 6 12 9 181 14 10 £ 1,223 2,716 1,714 1,139 716 s. d. 9 10 9 3 9 6 4 1 3 10 £ s. d. 1,260 9 7 3,383 7 1 2,221 19 4 1,188 6 10 1,040 0 8 Total 696 4 3 888 2 9 9,094 3 6 7,509 16 6

Month. Sales of Water. Cash received for Sales of Water. Expenditure. Outstanding Moneys at End of each Month. Number of Men employed. Approxi- j mate Amount of Gold obtained. Value of Gold. 1889. £ s. a, 96 11 8 145 2 11 102 16 7 112 8 3 100 0 7 111 0 5 131 4 4 113 3 4 85 9 7 £ s. d. 223 13 6 126 12 6 105 16 10 102 7 10 114 7 9 111 3 4 141 5 4 103 0 8 45 18 0 £ s. d. 93 18 7 54 11 9 57 11 0 57 19 0 59 16 0 53 1 0 53 9 0 57 4 0 80 0 9 £ s. d. 58 11 0 61 5 2 56 16 5 57 5 9 56 13 11 59 17 8 57 7 1 60 0 10 62 2 1 Oz. 144 256 218 246 209 207 253 233 218 £ a. d. 547 4 0 972 16 0 828 8 0 934 16 0 794 4 0 786 12 0 961' 8 0 885 8 0 828 8 0 Ipril .. rfay Fune fuly .. Vugust September October.. November 3ecember 1890. 77 90 87 84 90 89 95 93 97 Fanuary February March 43 10 6 92 2 1 106 19 9 91 9 8 88 14 0 80 5 4 92 4 6 55 18 0 79 14 0 61 2 9 61 12 2 60 0 4 91 96 97 114 226 279 433 4 0 858 16 0 1,060 4 0 Totals .. 795 7 7 91 2,603 9,891 8 0 1,240 9 7 1,334 14 9