49

C—3a

company have now decided to erect a No. 5 Krupp mill to crush the quartz. The mill will Soon be completed, and crushing is expected to be started ia the couree of another month. An average of thirty-five men have been employed. No returns. Wentworth Mine. —There has been a considerable amount of work done on this property during the year, and preparations have been made for the erection of a crushing-plant; but the company is now trying to get the adjoining claims to amalgamate, with the object of working the ground on a larger scale and to better advantage. Twenty-nine men are employed. No returns. There has been very little work done in the other mines in this locality during the year. OHINEMURI COUNTY. Maeatoto. r Hikutaia Gold Syndicate. —There was a considerable amount of work done on this company's: property in the beginning of the year, but the number of men was reduced to two in the mine pending the erection of a crushing-plant, and it has now been decided to erect a No. 5 Dodge crushing-plant, which is said to be equal to five stamps. This mine is well opened up, and as the, reef is from 6 ft. to 14 ft. in thickness there would be no difficulty in keeping a forty-stamp battery continually crushing for years should the quartz that is to be treated at the small mill prove payable. No returns. .;,•■■ Maratoto Mine. —This mine partly changed hands, and a company was formed in Auckland composed chiefly of local shareholders, who lost no time in commencing development operations, and have been successful in discovering what they consider payable ore, and in sufficient quantities; to warrant the erection of a ten-stamp battery and the necessary gold-saving appliances to treat, the ore. The battery is now being erected, and is expected to be completed at an early date. The Waitekauri Extended (Limited). —-This company has done a very large amount of work during the year. There has been a total of 3,933 ft. of driving done, 550 ft. of rises and winzes, and I,oooft. of stoping. The average width of the reef is from 25 ft. to 30 ft. and underlies about 22 degrees, and its course about 150 degrees east of north. There is about 6 ft. of the hanging portion of the reef that may be considered payable ore, so far as it has been opened up. It carries a large percentage of lime and is what might be termed a " cement vein," the gold in it being excessively fine and only worth from 10s. to £1 an ounce. The reef carries a little gold from wall to wall, but a. great portion of it is not payable, and only one chute of good ore has so far been followed up ; but i there is every reason to believe that payable chutes of ore will be met with as the work proceeds. There was great difficulty at first in getting the aerial tramway to work, and it was only constructed half-way from the mill t<? the mine. This has lately been extended up to hoppers near the> low level, and the quartz is now conveyed from the hoppers to the mill, a distance of a mile and a half, and is working very satisfactorily. There are seventy-two buckets fixed on the rope, carrying from 1501b. to 1601b. of ore in each, and the rope completes the circle in fifty minutes, thus delivering 35 tons in eight hours. The mine and battery is now in ; better working order, and it is anticipated that in a short time monthly returns will be sent in regularly. 1,011 tons was treated, for a return of 925 oz. 4dwt. of bullion; value, £920 14s. 6d. Forty-five men were employed. . -.-,.■ f KOMATA. Komata Beefs. —This company have done a large amount of development work during the year, the chief being the driving of a low level for the purpose of operating on the reefs at a depth. The company has an air-compressor at the entrance of the tunnel, which is used for forcing in air to work the. rock-drills, the work of extending the tunnel is being pushed on with all possible speed. It is expected the. reef will be to hand in this level before the supply of ore is exhausted in the upper levels, and thus enable the manager to keep up a supply of quartz sufficient to keep the battery continuously crushing. The principal reefs operated upon in this company's mine are the Komata, Argall, Hartridge, and Leamington, which vary in size from 9 in. to 8 ft. in thickness.: 5,435 tons of ore were treated, for 14,477 oz. 14dwt. of gold; value, £17,795 3s. 6d. Eighty-five men have been employed, mine and mill included. Kaeangahake. Woodstock Gold-mining Company's Mine. —The usual works necessary for keeping up a con- 1 stant supply of ore have been carried on—that is, driving, sinking, and stoping on the reef. The : mine is well opened, and there is plenty of ore in sight to keep the battery, which consists of forty heads of stamps, constantly crushing for some time to come. The method of treating the ore from this mine for some time past was not as satisfactory as could be desired, as the ore contained coarse, as well as fine gold, and the cyanide process did not give results anything like equal to tests,; consequently experiments have lately been tried in order to save a larger percentage of gold, and an alteration in the form of a concentration-plant has been adopted, which, in conjunction with the cyanide process, is giving better results, and the present mode of treatment is wet-crushing, amalgamation, concentration and cyaniding. 9,850 tons of ore has been treated, for 17,427 oz. of bullion; value, £15,692 3s. 6d. ; and a hundred and sixty-one men have been employed. ■""' - *. ■ '■■ New Zealand Talisman Mine.— This company's mine is now well opened up, a large amount of development work having been done during the year. The reef will average 4 ft. in width throughout, and has been driven on for a considerable distance at the different This mine is well situated on the north-eastern side of the high range known as " Trig..Hill Station," and no sinking or expensive pumping-machinery should be required for many years to come, therefore the mining expenses cannot be very great, and the ore is delivered at a small cost, being' 7—C. Ba.