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boom to dispose of their claims outside the colony, and, as a result of the larger areas of ground being held by single companies, there is less actual prospecting carried on than before the boom period. MINEEAL PEODUCTION. The annexed Table No. 1 gives the quantity of gold, silver, coal, and other minerals, including kauri-gum, produced for the year ending 31st December, 1899. The total production of gold and silver was 738,896 oz., valued at •£1,554,011, being an increase in value of £440,213 as compared with the production of the preceding year. The output of other minerals, including coal and lignite, has been 987,812 tons, representing a value of £1,102,543, or 68,818 tons, value £56,680, in excess of the previous year. 11,116 tons of kauri-gum was produced, value £607,919, as compared with 9,905 tons, valued at £586,767, for 1898. The quantities and values of the chief mineral productions for the past two years are summarised for comparison as follow : — Year ending 31st December, 1899. Year ending 31st December, 1898. Product. Quantity. Value. Quantity. Value. n n Gold ... ... ... 389,558 oz. 1,513,173 280,175 oz. 1,080,691 Silver ... ... ... 349,338 „ 40,838 293,851 „ 33,107 Copper-ore ... .... ... tons ... 2} tons 70 Manganese-ore ... ... 135 „ 407 217 „ 703 Mixed minerals ... ... 1,309 „ 6,591 1,828 „ 4,792 Colonial coal exported, including that used by Home steamers ... ... 89,480 „ 83,085 56,332 „ 50,381 Coke exported ... ... 18 „ 9 9 „ 14 Colonial coal consumed in New Zealand ... ... 885,754 „ 404,532 850,701 „ 403,136 Kauri-gum ... ... 11,116 „ 607,919 9,905 „ 586,767 Total value of production for 1899 ... 2,656,554 2*, 159,661 1898 ... 2,159,661 Total increase ... ... ... £496,893 The total value of gold, silver, coal, and other kaurigum, produced up to the end of 1899 was £73,401,834. GOLD-MINING. The quantity of gold entered for exportation through the Customs for the year ending 31st March last, as per Table No. 2 annexed, was 392,663 oz., representing a value of £1,526,344, or 89,138 oz. in excess of the previous year. The quantity exported from each district is as follows: Auckland 168,836 oz.; Marlborough, 344 oz. ; Nelson and West Coast, 96,670 oz.; Canterbury, 22 oz.; Otago and Southland, 126,791 oz. The greatest increase for the year is in the Otago and Southland Mining District, the gold export being 48,502 oz. in excess of the previous year. This is due principally to the development of dredge-mining. QUAETZ-MINING. In the North Island the export of gold to Slst March last shows an advance of 20,653 oz. as compared with that of the preceding twelve months. This is accounted for by the fact of several comparatively new mines having passed the initial stages of opening out and becoming actual producers, also to the extensions which have taken place at some of the older mines. The Waihi Mine which paid £128,000 in dividends during the year 1899, is the most extensive quartz-mining property, and during the past year the average number of persons employed was 740. The battery already comprises 190 heads of stamps used for dry crushing, and an addition of 100 heads of stamps is now being made. The latter will work by the wet process, and in the event of this proving an advantage over the system now in use it is probable that wet crushing will be adopted throughout. It is worthy of note that the change from dry to wet crushing has already been made at some other batteries in the northern goldfields.