0.—3

92

100 heads of stamps at work. The New Zealand Talisman is erecting fifty heads, the New Zealand Crown has mortar blocks ready for another twenty heads, and the Wentworth is erecting a Lamington mill, and has the foundation laid for ten heads of stampers. The output of gold from the Great Barrier district has been small, but the Barrier Reefs Company will have their complete plant finished in about three months' time, when regular returns may be expected from this district. Drainage. The deep levels of the Thames are now being drained by what is termed the Big Pump and the Thames-Hauraki pump at the Waiokaraka Plat. There has been considerable trouble for some time past over the adjustment of the amount of money that should be paid by the contributing companies to keep the Big Pump working, and also the Thames-Hauraki for doing a share of the work, and it is pleasing to be able to state that since the end of the year this has been amicably settled, and arrangements have been made with the Thames-Hauraki Company to take over the Big Pump and work the same under that company's management, the various companies benefited to contribute as heretofore a fair share of the cost of pumping to keep the mines dry. The ThamesHauraki Company are now pumping the water from the bottom level of their shaft, and the machinery and pumps are working very satisfactorily. The Big Pump : After the annual overhaul of the machinery the pumps were kept continuously working up to the 15th May, when, in order to economize as much as possible, the working of the pump was reduced from twenty-four hours to sixteen hours a day from the above date to the 13th August, when it was further arranged that pumping should be carried on for eight hours a day, and this was done until the lst September, when it was found the water was rising, and had got up to the No. 6 level of the Saxon shaft; the pump was then run sixteen hours a day, and has continued from that time up to the end of the year running sixteen hours. A breakage occurred on the 27th September to the county main pipes opposite the pumping plant, and, the water bursting out of the pipes, washed away the brickwork of the back wall of two of the boilers, and swamped the whole place. The damage was repaired with as little delay as possible, and pumping resumed before the water rose in the workings that were proceeding in the contributing companies' mines. The machinery was thoroughly overhauled in the month of December, and put in fair workingorder, and the most urgent repairs now required is a new roof over the boilers. The consumption of coal for the past year was 1,948 tons.

Sunday Labour in Mines.—Schedule of Permits issued by Inspectors and in force on the 31st March, 1900.

Date of Issue. Mine. Number of Men. Date of Expiry and Remarks. 9/1/99 1/3/00 9/1/99 9/1/99 9/1/99 11/1/99 11/1/99 18/1/99 18/1/99 18/1/99 18/1/99 18/1/99 18/1/99 18/1/99 18/1/99 18/1/99 17/2/00 Waihi Grand Junction Komato Eeefs New Zealand Talisman ... .'.. New Zealand Crown Big Pump ... ... ... Waitekauri Gold-mining Company Boyal Oak of Hauraki Scotty's Gold-mining Company Kapanga Gold-mining Company Kathleen Gold-mining CompanyGolden Pah Gold-mining Company Hauraki Gold-mining Company Union Waihi Kauri Freeholds Gold Estate ... Woodstock Gold-mining Company 20 4 6 14 14 4 21 9 6 9 9 9 12 5 14 7 12 Till notified. it '/ .'/ It tt it // tt Temporary for a few Sundays. Building a dam. 23/1/99 16/1/00 Waihi Gold-mining Company ... 10 35 Urgent work, and for short time. Sinking a shaft. Till notified. a a •• ■ ... 23/1/99 23/1/99 23/1/99 28/1/99 10/2/99 8/6/99 6/7/99 7/8/99 17/9/99 Waitekauri Extended Gold-mining Company Whangamata Proprietary (Limited) Thames-Hauraki Company Balph's Taupiri Coal-mines Great Mercury Company Hikutaia Gold Syndicate Waihi South Tararu Creek Company Ethel Beefs 4 6 10 4 1 3 6 6 4 tr 1/ tt tt One Sunday. 254