a—3

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Golden Pah. —This company's operations have been confined to opening up the reefs and leaders at the 80 ft. and 130 ft. levels, and, although the prospects met with from time to time were of an encouraging character, yet the results have not been as good as anticipated. 60 tons of ore has been treated for 164 oz. 17 dwt. of gold; value, £516 Os. 7d. Twenty-seven men have been employed. Hauraki South. —Work in this mine has been chiefly carried on by tributers, who have worked on various leaders above the sea-level, and have had 33 tons of ore treated for 16 oz. 17 dwt. of gold ; value, £51 18s. Bd. Seven men were employed. Golconda. —This company have three men employed working from the shaft. The work has been of a prospecting character, and nothing of importance has been met with. Hauraki Main Lodes. —This property was protected for some time for the want of funds to carry on the developing-work contemplated by the company. Work was again resumed in January last, which consists of driving two levels from the main shaft. One is being driven in a nor'-easterly direction, and is in a distance of 400 ft., and it is expected the Green Harp leader will be intersected in about another 100 ft. of driving. Another drive is being put in in a sou-westerly direction, and is in a distance of 450 ft.; this is a prospecting-drive, and is driven for the purpose of intersecting unknown reefs that may traverse the western side of the property. The country is more favourable for gold-bearing reefs than it has been since the company commenced their first prospecting-work. As this company's claim is situated on the foreshore and below high-water mark, there is a good deal of water to contend with, but this is pumped out by a Tangye pump driven by a capable engine. At present 6,000 gallons per hour is being lifted, but the pump is capable of lifting 19,000 gallons per hour. Eighteen men are at present employed. Hauraki No. 2. —ln this mine two men are employed driving a crosscut from the creeklevel to intersect the Hauraki reef. Several leaders have been met with, but, as the quartz did not contain much gold, there is a doubt as to whether they have got the reef they were driving for. Zealandia. —Two men were employed in the early part of the year driving a crosscut from the side of the hill, but, as the prospects met with were not of an encouraging nature, work was discontinued and the claim protected. Hauraki North. —This company's claim, being situated on what is known as the Wynyardton town allotments, and there being several claimants for the ground, has caused considerable trouble, and consequently work has been greatly kept back. A new shaft has been sunk a depth of 50 ft. and excavations made for the site of a pumping- and winding-engine, and, as there is every likelihood of this company either purchasing or amalgamating with some of the adjoining claims, it is fully expected a number of men will soon be employed to proceed with the development of the mine. From three to seven men have been employed. Bunker's Hill. —This mine has been continuously worked during the year. Operations were confined to working on what is termed the 5 in. leader at No. 2 level, from which 42 tons of ore and 192 lb. of specimen stone was treated for 356 oz. 14 dwt. of gold, valued at £1,008 6s. 7d.; and for some time past work has been directed to the extension of the crosscut at No. 3 level and prospecting the leaders that have been cut through at this level, on which little work had formerly been done. This property adjoins the Hauraki Mine, and, being well situated, important discoveries have been expected from time to time, but as yet have not been realised. An average of thirteen men have been employed. Welcome Find. —There were a few wages-men employed in this mine in the early part of the year, but, as sufficient gold was not obtained to meet the expenses, the directors decided to stop work on their own account and let the mine on tribute. From two to five men have been employed. The company crushed 1 ton 3 cwt. of quartz for 30 oz. 12 dwt., valued at £89 2s. 2d. ; and the tributers 1 ton 12 cwt. for 32 oz. of gold, valued at £93 Is. 4d. Trig Hill. —This claim has been worked for some time by Moore and Verran, tributers, but they have not been successful in finding payable quartz. The leader has varied from 2 in. to 4 in. 2 tons was treated during the year for 6 oz. of gold ; value, £18 12s. Port Charles District. No steady work has been done in this locality during the year. A little prospecting was intermittently carried on, but nothing of importance discovered, and no returns of gold, have been made during the year. Cabbage Bay District. A few men have been steadily employed prospecting in various parts of this district, but so far have not been successful in making any new discoveries of importance. In the Cabbage Bay Extended Quartz Claim (area, 5 acres) the owners, G. Beattie and party, have been working for some time on different leaders varying from 3 in. to 18 in. in thickness, and from which fair prospects have been obtained. They have broken out parcels of quartz from the leaders, which are to be treated at a small four-stamp battery, which was formerly known as Vizard's, situated near the mine, but which has been out of repair for some considerable time. At present they are busy renovating the battery and putting it in working-order, and expect to start crushing operations in a very short time. A small parcel of 2-f cwt. taken from these leaders was treated at the Hauraki Associated battery, Kennedy Bay, for a return of 9 dwt. of gold, which was considered by the owners to be satisfactory, and warranted the expenditure of putting the small battery in workingorder, as the expense of getting the ore to any other battery would be very considerable. At present three men are employed in this mine. All other work in this locality is principally confined to surface-prospecting, with an average of about eight men, and no further returns of gold have been made during the year.