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main reef has also been driven on a distance of 157 ft., and on reaching a point 20 ft. ahead of the present face it is intended to rise up and connect with the workings at No. 3 level, where some fair ore was obtained. This rise will prove the value of the block and improve the ventilation. An average of four men has been employed. Young New Zealand Gold-mining Company. —The work in this mine has been confined to enlarging and retimbering the main low level, also extending it a further distance of 200 ft., now making the total length of this tunnel 800 ft.; and it is expected that another 60 ft. of driving will bring it underneath the place where a rich chute of ore was worked on the surface levels. Five men were employed. Hamua Claim. —Three men have been employed in this mine prospecting and driving on small leaders which have been intersected at different levels. From these 1J tons of ore was obtained, and treated for a return of gold valued at £29 15s. 7d. Burbank Mine. —A large amount of work has been done in this mine. Six men have been constantly employed in driving a low level to intersect the Te Ao Marama reefs that are supposed to strike into this property, but so far nothing of importance has been met with. A little prospecting has also been done on the Starlight, Eclipse, and Waitekauri King, but without success. Ohinemuri Syndicate, Owharoa. —Operations in this property for most of the year were confined to extending the Elliott low-level tunnel, which has been driven a total distance of 2,764 ft.; but, as nothing encouraging was met with in this drive, all work was stopped at the end of the year, and a large portion of the ground held by the syndicate was surrendered. Six men were employed. Rising Sun Gold-mining Company. —This mine has been continuously worked during the year, four men being employed. The work consisted in prospecting and opening up the reefs which have been intersected in the different levels. The quartz is said to give high values, but no crushings have taken place during the period under review. Woodstock Gold-mining Company (Limited), Rarangahake. —A very large amount of work has been done by this company in improvements and development-work. The 4 ft. main water-power pipe-line extension has been completed, connecting the new dam with the old pipe-line, a distance of 1,800 ft. A new water-power plant has been installed, and consists of two Pelton type wheels—■ one lift. 8 in. diameter, and the other lift. 4 in. diameter —the main driving-pulley for the aircompressors being 12 ft. 3 in. in diameter and 38in. face for a 36 in. (10-ply) Balata belt, and the mill is driven by a 32 in. face 7 ft. 6 in. diameter pulley and a 30 in. (8-ply) Balata belt. Two aircompressors have also been installed—one an Ingersoll-Sergeant compound, rope-driven, lowpressure cylinder 24J in. diameter, high-pressure cylinder 15J in. diameter, 18 in. stroke, ordinary capacity 1,170 cubic feet free air per minute ; and the other a Schram single-compressor cylinder 14 in. diameter, 24 in. stroke. The compressed-air pipe-line erected during the year is of 8 in. diameter wrought-iron welded pipes with loose flanges, and is about 2,300 ft. in length, connecting the compressors and the shaft-chamber. At each end of this pipe-line there is a receiver, and in the chamber a porcupine reheater. The reheater is enclosed in brickwork, requires very little fuel, and entirely prevents any trouble from freezing at the pumps. The shaft has been sunk a further distance of 212 ft., making a total depth of 252 ft. A chamber has been cut out at this depth, and No. 6 level driven a distance of 28 ft. Two winzes are being sunk from No. 5 level on the reef to connect with No. 6 level: one is down 66 ft., and the other down a depth of 10 ft. These winzes will open up blocks of ground and insure good ventilation at No. 6 level. A considerable amount of ore has been opened up by the recent developments, which will keep the mill going for some time. Since the end of the year the mine has been closed down for want of funds, but it is said the company has been reconstructed, and it is expected the contemplated works will soon be in full swing. Ninety-two men were employed by this company. Talisman Consolidated (Limited). —On the Talisman main reef, No. 4 level has been continued in a southerly direction as a crosscut to intersect the Dubbo reef in the Bonanza section of the company's property, which it enters from the Earl of Glasgow section of the property of the New Zealand Crown Mines (Limited). On intersecting the Dubbo reef it was driven on southwards for a distance of over 500 ft., the ore-body being from 2 ft. to S ft. in width in the neighbourhood of the present face. This drive is being continued with a view to reaching a promising shoot of ore intersected by a crosscut in the Eoyal Mail section of the company's property, about 200 ft. south of the present face in the No. 4 level. The Nos. 5, 6, and 7 levels have been continued in a southerly direction on the Talisman reef for varying distances, and the crosscut at No. 8 level (which will intersect the reef at a depth of 200 ft. below No. 7 level) had attained a total distance of 1,000 ft. at the end of the year. The reef is expected to be cut at this level by the end of February, when driving on the reef will at once be commenced. On the Dubbo reef three adit levels have been driven in a northerly direction up to the Crown Mines boundary, and ore from the stopes above these levels has been forwarded to the company's mill for treatment. The reef in these upper levels has proved to be very variable and small, but it is expected a larger and more regular ore-body will be found at depth. During the year under review the Adeline Eeefs and Adeline Eeefs Extended Claims were acquired by the company. The area of these claims is 103 acres, so that the total area of the company's mining property is now 372 acres. The new claims are immediately contiguous to the company's property, being bounded on the west by the Victor and Waihou Special Claims. Gold-bearing reefs exist on the new claims, and it is proposed to develop them in due course by means of crosscuts from the Dubbo reef. On the 31st July, 1901, the company's new fifty-stamp wet-crushing and cyaniding plant, erected on the site acquired from the Talisman Extended Company, was formally opened, but, owing to necessary adjustments of the steam-power plant, regular crushing operations did not commence until the second week in September. The returns to date have been extremely disappointing

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