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C—3a

Started driving on the reef from the Point Russell section of the Moanataiari Mine•; and prospecting is also carried on in the Golden Age section. A trial crushing of 2:25 tons was put through the battery last month from the mullock-tip, which gave a return of 30 oz. 1 dwt. of gold; value, £81 2s. Bd. Ten men are employed on the property, although the mine is protected. The West Coast, Infant, Little Muriel, and Little Maggie Mines have had from one to two men employed, but the quartz treated and gold obtained during the year has been very limited. Waiokakaka. May Queen-Hauraki.— -This company have done a considerable amount of work during the year. The May Queen shaft has been enlarged from the surface to 12 ft. 5 in. in the clear down to the present Big Pump drainage level, a depth of 520 ft., and the shaft is now being sunk below the 520 ft. level, and is down 44 ft.; but it is the company's intention to sink other 56 ft. before opening out the next level, which will give a large block of ground on the reef to be operated upon. New poppet-head and other things in connection with the winding-gear have been erected over the May Queen shaft, and a Lancashire boiler put in position for the purpose of working the air-compressor for rock-drills; also a Cameron pump put in the shaft, to be used in case of emergency. In the Saxon section a winze is being sunk on the No. I lode from No. 6 level, which is now down a depth of 25 ft., the country being perfectly dry, which is a proof the water must be drained off by the Thames-Hauraki pumps. Should no water be met with in this winze, it is the manager's intention to sink another winze at the junction of the No. 1 and new lode, to more fully prove the value of the lodes in this section of the mine. In the Saxon and Cardigan sections of the mine the No. 1 and No. 2 lodes have been operated upon at the different levels, but for some time past chiefly by tributers. The company during the year crushed 2,139 tons of ore for 1,866 oz. 10 dwt. of gold, value £5,887 14s. 5d.; and the tributers have crushed 199 tons of ore, for 351 oz. of gold, value £963 15s. 6d. From the Cardigan section the company had 112 tons 10 cwt., treated for 245 oz. of gold; value, £648 os. 9d. The tributers in the same section crushed 97 tons 10 cwt., for 121 oz. 11 dwt.; value, £331 12s. 4d. Twenty-three wages-men employed and thirty-four tributers. Thames-Hauraki.Since the erection of the pumping-plant good progress has been made with the stripping and enlarging of the shaft. Previous to the completion of the pumps the shaft had been timbered down to a depth of 420 ft., or drainage-level, and since then it has been timbered down a further distance of 136 ft., or a total depth of 556 ft.; but there is still 194 ft. to be enlarged and retimbered before the bottom of the old shaft is reached. At a depth of 327 ft. a large chamber has been made, and two cisterns placed in position, where the first set of plungers work from, which are supplied with water from the bottom of the shaft by two double-action Cameron steam-pumps, it being considered more convenient to use those pumps until the bottom of the old shaft is reached than by putting in the large draw-lift. The No. 8 chamber has been retimbered, and work will soon be commenced here with a view of trying the Vanguard reef at this level. Deep-Sinker Section : Work has been vigorously carried on in this section of the mine. The eastern cross-cut was extended a distance of 390 ft., but, the country not being of a favourable description, it was deemed advisable to suspend work in this drive for a time. The northern cross-cut is being pushed on with all possible speed for the purpose of intersecting the Una and Vanguard reefs, and is now in a distance of 790 ft. from the shaft. The country has been of a very hard description, and nothing of importance has been discovered, but it is expected the Una may now be met with at any time. In the Deep-level Consolidated section very little work has been done during the year. A small parcel of 7J tons of quartz was treated from the ThamesHauraki section, for 5 oz. 11 dwt. of gold : value, £14 14s. 2d. There are fifty men employed on the Thames-Hauraki section, and thirteen men in the Deep-sinker section. Kaeaka. May Queen Extended. —Operations in this mine have been confined to driving on the Hague Smith reef for the purpose of intersecting any cross leads that might strike into the reef, as if is generally where leaders run into the reef that gold is obtained, but so far nothing of importance has been discovered. 33 tons 10 cwt. of quartz was treated, for 19 oz. of gold; value, £28 4s. From two to four men have been employed. Adelaide .Miwe.—This mine was protected in the beginning of the year, but has latterly been worked by tributers, who crushed 18 tons 10 cwt. of quartz, for 12 oz. of gold; value, £36; and last month the mine and plant was advertised for sale. Four men have been employed on this property. Claremont Mine. —This is one man's ground, and is worked by the owner, George Bryant, whose whole attention is directed to working the reef and the small flinties striking into where he states rich specimen stone is obtained. During the yeax he treated 345 lb. of stone, for 255 oz. 9 dwt. of gold ; value, £689 14s. 3d. Manchester Mine. —This mine has been worked by tributers most part of the year, who crushed 43 tons of quartz, for 40 oz. 8 dwt. of gold. Six men were employed. Gloucester Mine. —There has been very little work done on this mine during the year. The shaft which was sunk last year, on which it was intended to erect pumping- and winding-machinery, has been at a standstill, and the work that has been done has been confined to prospecting the reefs at the surface-levels. 1 ton of general dirt and 86 lbs. of stone were treated, for 29 oz. 17 dwt. of gold; value, £90 3s. 10d. Three men were employed. ■ Karaka (Limited) Mine. —This mine has been continuously worked during the year. The drive on No. 2 reef has been driven a distance of 150 ft. from the junction of No. 1 and No. 2 reefs, and the reef has run from 3 ft. to 8 ft. in thickness. It is a good feature in this reef that where the best gold is obtained is at the places where the reef is thickest, and lately the prospects met with on this reef are more encouraging than they have been for some time past. The eastern