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9

Greenstone, Kumara, and Waimea. At Maori Gully, Maori Creek, Greenstone, Westbrook, Kumara, and Waimea there are a considerable number of miners employed, especially at Kumara, which is the principal field for sluicing on the West Coast. When one sees the extensive hydraulic-sluicing operations which are carried on in a part of the country valuable only for mining and the timber it contains, every facility and encouragement should be given to men who are ready and willing to expend their capital and labour in extending the field of operations; when it is considered that the Kumara field has yielded gold to the value of about £1,250,000 from an area of not more than 600 acres, and then only on a false bottom, it fills one with wonder and admiration at the resources and wealth which have lain hidden for such a period from the eyes of man. At Callaghan's, between Kumara and Waimea, a party of miners have constructed a tunnel tail-race for drainage purposes of about 3,000 ft. in length, and are now getting sufficient gold to pay them fair wages. There is also a considerable area of ground in the Upper Waimea Valley which has scarcely yet been prospected, and is likely to afford employment for a large number of miners when the branch of the Waimea Water-race is completed. Humphrey's Gully. At Humphrey's Gully, near Arahura, large sluicing operations are being carried on, but the quantity of water yet brought on to the ground is not sufficient to work the claim —which is over 200 acres in extent —on such an extended scale as the holders of the property deem advantageous. From what I could learn, steps are being taken to get more capital to extend the head-water race to the Arahura River, when a never-failing supply of water will be obtained. Kanieri and Woodstock:. Coming to Kanieri, Woodstock, and Rimu, we find a considerable mining population, some working the ground by shafts and tunnels, and some by hydraulic sluicing, where water and fall for tailings can be got. The Rimu field is, however, at so high an elevation that the expense of getting a large supply of water would be so great that few individuals with sufficient capital could be found to undertake the construction of a water-race sufficiently large to work the ground on the hydraulic principle. Recently a new discovery of gold has been made between the branches of the Kanieri River, which seems to be a continuation of the Gentle Annie Diggings. This discovery was made by the Rimu Prospecting Association, who have been doing very useful work in this locality. A few shafts were bottomed at the time of my visit, and a little gold was being found in each of them—about 2|dwt. to the load; but further work will have to be done before much is known respecting it. Ross. At Ross there is now only a small mining population compared with what there was in the days when mining operations were carried on in the deep ground. Most of the Ross Flat is now held by the Ross United Company, who are working the upper levels by the aid of a tail-race on the ocean-beach. The water used in sluicing the ground is discharged into this tail-race, and the tailings are lifted by a bucket-elevator for a certain distance, and afterwards in trucks up an incline tramway. The large quantity of stones and tailings which cover the flat mark the extensive workings which were carried on in the early days of the field. There are said to be eight different layers of gold-bearing wash-drift, one above the other, in this flat. The lowest one, worked in the early days, proved to be far the richest. This is about 240 ft. under the sea-level, and yet no main bottom has been reached. The pumpingplant formerly used by the company was insufficient to contend with the water, and as all the available capital was expended the lower workings had to be abandoned. Several efforts have been made to get extra capital to place a larger plant on the ground, but so far without success. A little to the south of Ross is the Mont dOr Sluicing Claim, with a face about 200 ft. high. A large quantity of gold has been obtained from this, and steady dividends paid to the shareholders. From the appearance of the country, and the information afforded me when visiting the West Coast fields, I believe this is a part of the colony where profitable employment will be found for willing and energetic men for a long period.

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