G.—S

90

20 tons was recently packed over to the Taitapu Company's battery and crushed, with a result of 65 oz. smelted gold, or an average of 3-Joz. per ton of 2,2401b. A winze was then started on the reef, but water soon stopped operations there. Another level to drain the reef was put in 102 ft. lower than No. 1, which cut the reef at 300 ft. Drives on the reef are now being carried on from this level. North 130 ft. has been driven, and south 50 ft. A rise has also been put up and connected with No. 1 level, carrying the reef the whole way. The reef varies in No. 1 level from 1 ft. to 6 ft. in width, and is about the same size in No. 2 level. Blocks 11. and 111. each comprise 50 acres, and it is the intention of the owners to fully prospect them before erecting machinery or connecting the mine with machinery already erected. During the year from twelve to sixteen men have been constantly employed, and, in addition to the work here described, a large amount of trenching and other surface workings has been done. The Golden Gully property belongs to the Collingwood Goldfields Company, but they are developing their Quartz Ranges property. Work has also been carried on in the Louisa and Southern Waihi properties. Science Defeated Claim, Waitapu. —(l. S. M. Jacobsen, owner; area, 16 acres.) —This claim has been prospected during the year by the owner, who has erected a small plant for the treatment of the ore, which is considered by him to be refractory. A battery of four stamps and a furnace has been used in the treatment of the stone, but the results have not come up to the expectations of those interested. During the year reports were in circulation that a large deposit of platinum had been discovered on this ground, and that the results of an assay made in Australia for a syndicate who were interested showed the deposit to be phenomenally rich. Assays made at the Colonial Laboratory, however, did not disclose any trace of platina, and declared the stone to be a haematite of small commercial value. The owner has devoted much time and a considerable amount of money in endeavouring to demonstrate the value of his property, but so far without result. Motueka. Steps are being taken to mine the asbestos which was found on the land taken up under mineral licenses. A party of men were employed in opening up a pack-track from the ground to the Mount Arthur Track, in order to admit of a parcel of 20 tons being conveyed to a seaport. Prospecting for copper has been carried on in the Wangamoa district, about four miles from the accommodation-house on the Havelock-Nelson Road, and also in other parts of the Nelson District. Westpoet. Mokihinui. Fairly good patches, or small chutes, of auriferous quartz have been found from time to time in the Mokihinui district, at what was known as the " Mokihinui Reefs," which is on the north side of the river, and in the Red Queen Claim, on the south side of river. All mining operations are suspended at this place now ; but at the commencement of the late mining boom a new reef was discovered about a mile lower down the river than the Red Queen and Mokihinui reefs. Gold was seen visibly in the outcrops, and two special claims were taken up, termed the Lady Agnes and Carson's Reward. An option of this property was taken up by the Anglo-Continental Syndicate, who constructed an adit level on the line of reef from the side of the range facing the Mokihinui. This adit was constructed so as to be about 80 ft. below the place where gold was seen on the surface. The lode in the adit level is from 4 ft. to 6 ft. in width, having well-defined walls, and carrying a little gold, but not nearly sufficient to pay for the expense of working. After the adit was constructed for about 250 ft., and a good way past the place where there was apparently a chute of payable ore on the surface, without any auriferous quartz of a payable character being found, the option was abandoned. Waimangaroa.— The property known as the Beaconsfield has been recently taken up by an English company or syndicate, and operations have been commenced to bail out the water from the shaft, and also to trace the reef into the range on the south side of the river. Several years ago some good stone was found here, but nothing has been done for some time to prove whether it is a payable property or not. Now that the English capital is forthcoming it is likely to be well prospected and proved. Republic and Britannia. —These are separate claims, about a mile and a half further north than the Beaconsfield, and apparently on a belt of country further to the eastward. Very rich auriferous quartz has been found in both these claims from time to time, but the reef has never been found in a well-defined and solid state. Gold to the value of about £12,000 has been obtained from the Republic Claim, which is at an elevation of 1,700 ft. above sea-level. A crushing battery of ten heads of stamps, driven by a Pelton water-wheel, and also an aerial tramway a mile and a half in length, have been erected by the Republic Company. About two years ago the Republic property was taken over by Mr. Jesse King, of Auckland, on behalf of an Auckland syndicate, who has expended a good deal of money on the property without meeting with success. The character of the reefs met with here is merely lenticular veins and leaders, lying at a very low angle from the horizon. These lenticular bodies of quartz occur in bunches all the way down the side of the range. In some of these bunches the lenticles of quartz will be 3 ft. in width, and taper out to a mere thread, which can be seen in some of the workings in the Britannia Claim, going up vertically for a certain height at the end of a bunch, and will form another lenticular body at a higher level. In driving levels in these lenticular veins they go into the hill for a certain distance as flat as a coal-seam, and then take a jump, almost vertically, either up or down as the case may be, according to the height the adit levels are constructed, into the range. The quartz in these lenticular masses is broken up like so much road-metal. The only quartz that is yet found in this locality occurs in a succession of ledges from the top of the range downwards. Highly auriferous quartz is found in places, but there is not a sufficient quantity available to pay a company to work it.