e.—3a

50

conveyed in buckets down a wire-tramway direct from the mine to the mill. In the Bonanza section a good chute of payable ore has lately been discovered, which has greatly enhanced the value of this property, and in consequence the monthly returns from the month of August have been, nearly doubled. The company's reduction-plant is in close proximity to the mine, and consists of two stone-breakers, twenty head of stamps, one Krupp ball-mill, six berdans and amalgamating-tables; and the cyanide plant includes fourteen vats, twelve of them being 22 ft. and the other two 18 ft. in diameter. A revolving drying-furnace is erected, and, if required, iscapable of putting through 40 tons a day, and is working very satisfactorily. 8,696 tons of ore was treated, for 44,541 oz. 19 dwt. of gold; value, £32,648 13s. Id.; and an average of ninety-four men were employed. The New Zealand Crown Mines (Limited). —Mining operations on this company's property are being vigorously proceeded with, the work being now directed more to opening up the mine at a depth, the chief point of development being the sinking of the main underlie-shaft on the reef near the entrance of the main adit-level. The reason for sinking on the reef is that owing to the surface of the property being of a very precipitous nature, a suitable place could not be selected to sink vertically. This shaft has now attained a depth of 150 ft., and the prospects met with are said to be most encouraging. Two levels have been opened out from this shaft—No. lat a depth of 70 ft., and No. 2 at a depth of 140 ft., both drives being pushed ahead with all possible speed. A large chamber has been excavated over the top of this shaft in which is erected a powerful winding-engine driven by compressed air and lighted up by electricity. Some considerable distance in the same adit-level another shaft is also sunk down on the reef to a depth of 140 ft., and over this shaft a winding-engine is fitted up similar to the former and is used for winding purposes, but this is more of a temporary character, and is used at present for the more expeditiously opening-up of the reef and for ventilation. When the levels that are being driven from the No. 1 shaft are connected with the workings in No. 2 shaft, the quartz will be trucked to the No. 1 shaft, and winding the stuff up No. 2 shaft will be discontinued. Stoping on the reef is proceeding over the different levels, and abundance of quartz obtained to keep the sixty heads of stamps constantly, crushing; and as the reef is from 4 ft. to 16 ft. in width, there is enough quartz in sight to keep the battery going for several years. 27,860 tons of quartz was treated, for 28,234 oz. 18 dwt. of gold; value, £55,483 ss. 4d., an increase of £14,363 3s. 2d., compared with the previous year, which must be considered very satisfactory. One hundred and eighty men are employed. Imperial Mine.— This company has had from five to seven men constantly employed, the work being principally confined to putting in a low level and driving on the course of the reef, which has now been driven on for a distance of 143 ft. The reef is also being operated upon in a drive on the outcrop; but the reef formation is of a broken character, and the prospects met with here are not as good as could be desired; but the manager is sanguine that something of importance will be discovered at the low level. Talisman Extended Mine. —This company had four men employed for the greater part of the year in extending an adit-level, with the object of intersecting any reefs that might run through the property ; but as no important discovery was made the work was stopped, and arrangements are now being made to amalgamate it with the New Zealand Talisman Company's Mine. Woodstock Main Beef. —For some time this company had twenty men employed prospecting their property, but as no payable quartz could be obtained, and the prospects met with being disappointing, they stopped all work. Prospecting operations have been carried on in the Stanley, Sterling, and Waverley, but nothing of any importance discovered. Owhaeoa. Ohinemuri Syndicate Mine. —Work in this company's mine is steadily progressing, but the developments have not yet resulted in the intersecting of any payable chutes of ore. A reef recently met with is being driven on north and south, and a little gold is being obtained, but nothing of a payable character is expected until the drive has been advanced to a point under the surface-work-ings where good payable ore was obtained in the early days. It is thought this reef is one of those worked in the Smile of Fortune, and to prove this it is intended to continue the crosscut, with a view to intersecting the waterfall and No. 4 lodes. Another drive from the No. 1 drive south is being pushed ahead for the purpose of cutting the Eadical lodes, which should now be to hand at any time. The country that is being penetrated in the crosscut is of an excellent description for gold-bearing lodes, and it will be disappointing if payable ore is not met with when the lode is cut. There has been a large amount of water to contend with in the shaft, but the pump has been quite capable of dealing with the water that has been met with so far. There has been an average of twenty-seven miners and eight bushmen employed on the property. No returns. Bising Sun Mine. —Operations in this mine have been directed to opening up the mine at a depth. A drive has been put in from the side of the hill for a distance of 600 ft., for the purpose of intersecting the reef that has been worked on at the upper levels; and, according to the survey, the drive was in the distance it should have been met with, but as there was some doubt about it, the company decided to sink a winze on the reef from the upper level. The reef is about 3 ft. 6 in. in thickness, and is a strong body of kindly-looking quartz, and from which I am informed payable assays have been obtained. Four men employed. No returns. Waihi. Waihi Mine. —This company's mine is worked on a large scale, and is being systematically and extensively opened up, and the prospects met with in the development of the reefs go to show that a still further improvement might reasonably be expected at no distant date, as the reefs