D.—4

59

575. Is there any gold-mining country?—No; none whatever in that portion of the block. I traversed Portuguese Creek, and made a thorough examination of the block. Outside the blue portion there are no workings except at Spring Creek. There has not been any workings, but there are a few shafts and bits of tunnels to be seen. 576. Hon. E. Blake.] Is that near the hatched portion?— Yes; it has been thoroughly prospected, but nothing has been found. 577. Mr. Jones.] Did you go along the western country of that block—on the hatched part ?—■ Yes. 578. Was there any evidence of gold-mining there?— None whatever. We followed the snigging tracks, and thoroughly examined it. 579. Can you say you discovered any gold-workings ?—No. With the exception of prospecting operations, and at Spring Creek, I can say positively that there are no gold-workings on the block. 580. Can you say why, in Block 81, some parts should be excluded and not other parts?— Some few men are , working there, but their workings are confined to Black Jack's, Eough-and-Tumble, &c. The creeks are auriferous, and there are a few men working there at the present time, but making a very poor existence ; and I suppose that, instead of reserving so much there, 180 acres would be enough to include the whole of the gold-workings. But, on account of the difficulty of cutting out the small portions, and our instructions from the company being that we were to be liberal with the reserves, we cut out the whole portion. 581. Prom No Town Creek, from where the reserves begin, has any gold been found until you reach Chinese Creek ?—No gold whatever. 582. Do you know if the creeks and banks have been prospected down there?— Yes, from my own knowledge during the last seven years. I know no gold-workings have been found there. There is no evidence of any kind ; and, if there had been any gold-workings there, there would have been something to show them. 583. What is your opinion as to Block 81 being hatched?— That no gold-workings of a payable character exist—that the ground has been thoroughly prospected, and that it is not required for gold-mmjng purposes. 584. Is it hilly country?— Towards Spring Creek the country rises a little, but around this portion it is flat. 585. It forms a divide between the part that is hatched and the part not hatched?— Yes, at Spring Creek. 586. The southern slope contains no gold, but on the northern slope where it is intersected gold has been worked, and there may be still deposits ?—Yes. There is no payable gold existing between the creeks. I suppose on that portion of the ground I counted some 200 tunnels driven in between the dividing ridges, and no workings exist between these creeks. In no case do workings exist 2 chains from the bed of the creek. 587. Although you have allowed that area? —Yes. 588. You know that it is necessary to have easements—dams, tailing-sites, and so on?— Yes. 589. And in that portion of Block 81 which is hatched, did you find any traces of dams and tailing-sites, and so on? —None whatever, except a small dam which was used at one time to drive a chaff-cutting machine for a man named Gillon, and which was taken up under mining rights. 590. And where is that ?—lt is situated near a small creek between Spring Creek and No Town Creek. 591. That is the only mining privilege held on that block ?—The only one. 592. And that is abandoned now ? —Yes. I saw it there, and made inquiries about it, and found out what I say. 593. Are there any creeks in that block which could be utilised by miners for any mining purpose, and which is not now occupied ?—Portuguese Creek is used. There are men working there. I saw four men who are discharging their tailings into Portuguese Creek from three or four miles above the mouth, but the workings are very small. 594. All the mining privileges within the area you have allowed to be reserved ?—There are no mining privileges outside the area we have allowed. 595. Did you make a careful examination of Block 80 ?—Yes. 596. Will you tell us what you discovered there ?—Every hatched portion I traversed in various directions, and on the hatched portion on the plan here there are no mining rights of any kind or nature existing. All the workings are at No Town Creek and the little creeks running into it. I think No Town Creek is shown a little out of place here. [Map referred to.] About the junction of the hatched portion a water-right heads from it. It is practically abandoned now. I think the edge is outside the hatched portion. 597. The creeks running into Portuguese Creek, what about them? —I did not make a special examination of them myself, but I have a general knowledge of those creeks. There are four men prospecting in them —in Menschikoff, Candlelight, Mad Gully, and Maori Gully. I saw the four men, and had a talk with them. They are fossicking about, and their tailings are delivered into Portuguese Creek. 598. These four blocks form the No Town district, do they not ?—Yes. 599. In marking off the hatched places, have you allowed for the timber required for mining purposes, residence areas, or anything of that sort ?—Pour thousand eight hundred acres have been allowed, but I would not have allowed that. 600. How many men are there working?— There are fifty-two men on Block 80—sixteen of whom are Chinamen. The area outside is not, and is not likely to be, required for gold-mining purposes. As a matter of fact, including dams, water-races, residence-areas, and claims generally, the total amount of ground at present occupied would not exceed 80, or, at the outside, 100 acres, and 4,800 acres are shown on the unhatched portion. The same remarks as to the unhatched portion of Block 81 would apply to this block. There are places where a few hundred acres could be cut out. There is no claim of any sort on the terraces.