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being situated at a considerable elevation on the north-eastern side of the mountain, it can be worked from adit-levels, and sinking and pumping will be unnecessary for some time to come. In the Bonanza section a chute of payable ore was discovered, and when worked on has been the means of adding materially to the returns. The milling machinery consists of two stone-breakers, twenty head of stamps, one Krupp ball-mill, six berdans, and fourteen vats (of 18 ft. and 22 ft. diameter), and also a revolving drying-furnace, with a capacity of 40 tons a day. The quantity of quartz crushed was 8,696 tons, yielding 44,541 oz. 19dwt. of gold, valued at £32,648 13s. Id. Ninety-four men were employed. Imperial Mine (Area, 62 acres and 15 perches; owners, Imperial Gold-mining Company).— This mine has constantly been worked, principally putting in a low-level, and driving on the reef for 143 ft.; but so far the prospects have not been very important. Seven men were employed. Talisman Extended (Area, 72 acres 2 roods 15 perches; owners, Talisman Extended Goldmining Company, Limited). —The principal work in this mine was the extending of the adit-level, but, as no discovery of importance was made, work was suspended. The owners are trying to arrange an amalgamation with the New Zealand Talisman Company. Four men were employed. Woodstock Main Beefs. —The company owning this property had twenty men prospecting for some time, but, as no payable quartz was met with, the work was stopped. Prospecting-works have been carried on at Eotokohu and other parts of the district. Owharoa District. Ohinemuri Syndicate Mine (Area, 677 acres 1 rood 34 perches; owner, Ohinemuri Syndicate, Limited ; mine-manager, William Morgan).—Prospecting has been steadily carried on in this mine throughout the year, but without any important discovery. In a reef that was driven on a little gold was obtained, but not in payable quantities. A large quantity of water had to be contended with in the shaft, but the pump was sufficiently powerful to deal with it. An average of about twenty-seven miners and eight bushmen were employed. The shaft is 150 fb. in depth, and a level has been opened at 125 ft. The mine machinery consists of one pumping-engine, 30--horse power; one double-cylinder engine, 10-horse power ; driven by steam. The battery consists of fifteen stamps of old pattern and two berdans, the motor being a turbine driven by water brought in a race from Waterfall Creek, and siphoned across the Ohinemuri Eiver. In the early days of Ohinemuri Goldfield the Smile of Fortune and Eadical Mines were successfully worked, and yielded very profitable returns. The ground which comprised those old mines is now occupied by the Ohinemuri Syndicate, and is being prospected at a deep level. Rising Sun Mine. —The principal work carried out in this mine was in driving a low-level crosscut tunnel to intersect the reef upon which work had been formerly done at the surface. It is now intended to follow the reef downwards by sinking a winze downwards from No. 1 level. Four men were employed. Remarks on Ohinemuri District. There is every evidence that the returns from the various mines will next year be in excess of the amount of this year's yield. The exploitation of the low levels in the Waihi Mine has resulted in revealing the existence of the reefs to greater depth, and has proved that they are not falling off in size and richness. Operations in the Waihi Grand Junction have shown that the line of the Martha reef is being traced both to the eastward and westward, and that large quantities of payable quartz exist in the ground adjoining the Waihi Mine. This will, no doubt, give further encouragement in prospecting all along the line in both directions. The returns from the Waihi-Silverton may still be expected to continue, and as further prospecting is carried on other lodes of payable quartz will most probably be discovered, and in time add to the returns. In the Waitekauri Mine the mining operations point to increase in future yields. The Komata Beefs Mine is being energetically opened up, and large quantities of quartz are available, the results of the treatment of which will yield greater returns in the future. The Crown and the Talisman Mines at Karangahake are both developing valuable quartz at low levels, and producing rich returns of gold. The reef in the Crown Mine is now opened to a depth of 150 ft. below the bed of the Waitawheta Eiver; it is of large size and of high value: this indicates future success at the deep levels. The Woodstock Mine also continues to be a steady producer, and as improvements are being made in the methods of treatment increased yields may in future be expected. The old mines at Maratoto are again being opened, and the result of operations is sufficient to warrant the erection of a crushing-mill. This will shortly be ready, and the proceeds will add to next year's yield of gold from the district. Ohinemuri is, without question, the premier quartz-mining field in the colony, and bids fair to maintain the position for a long time to come. Te Aeoha Disteict. This district is situated to the southward of Ohinemuri, and includes portions of the Tauranga and Ohinemuri Counties, but the largest area lies in the Piako County. Mining-works for the year have not been conducted on a very extensive scale. The efforts made to deal with the refractory ore have not demonstrated in a practical manner that all low-grade material can be economically and profitably dealt with; extensive mining-works are therefore not likely to be carried on until a process of profitably working those low-grade ores is introduced.

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