87

C.—3

Operations will then be carried on in this company's ground should the prospects warrant it. An average of six men is employed. Waihi Consols. —Boring operations were carried on in this property up to the month of August with the diamond drill, the object being to locate the Waihi reefs, which are supposed to be on the strike of this company's mine ; but, after reaching a depth of 330 ft. with one hole, by some means a piece of metal got into the hole and did considerable damage to the crownhead and diamonds. After several unsuccessful attempts being made to extract the metal the hole was abandoned, and the drill removed. Protection was then applied for and granted by the Warden, to enable the company (who went into liquidation to reconstruct and raise further capital) to prospect the property. lam informed the concern will be registered as a limited company, and it is fully expected vigorous prospecting-work will be undertaken to prove the value of the mine. An average of three men was employed. Waihi Consolidated. —An option is held by Mr. J. Ziman over this property, which is at present under protection. A little prospecting was carried on during the year, but no work of a permanent nature has been undertaken. The most of the ground adjacent to the Waihi Company's mine is difficult and expensive to prospect, as it is low-lying land and contains a great amount of water, which requires pumping machinery and capital to work it. Two men have been employed. Pride of Waihi. —There has been very little work done on this ground during the year, the company up to the present not having provided any pumping machinery for their shaft, in which a greater inflow of water was met with than could be dealt with by hand-labour. As the ground could not be prospected otherwise than by sinking, operations were stopped, and the men employed in the erection of a manager's cottage, &c, on the property, pending the shareholders' decision as to the erection of machinery or otherwise giving up the ground. Ohinemuri Biver Claims. —Mr. Rich and party have taken up several river claims in the Ohinemuri River with the object of treating the tailings that have been allowed to run away from the Waihi and Waihi-Silverton batteries. They have carefully sampled the tailings, and the results obtained have been of such an encouraging nature that an up-to-date plant for treating the tailings has been designed, and is in course of erection between Waikino and Waihi. This should be completed early in the year. Waitekaubi Disteict. Waitekauri Gold-mining Company. —Operations in this company's mine during the latter part of the year have not turned out as successful as could be desired. A considerable amount of pro-specting-work has been carried out in various parts of the property with the object of trying to locate payable ore. Unfortunately the management has been unable to do so up to the present. A large body of calcite came in at No. 7 level and cut the gold-bearing quartz out, and was the cause of the company being compelled to close down the battery pending the development of payable blocks. In the Golden Cross section, No. 1 shaft and No. 1 level, the main drive north has been extended 321 ft., making a total of 531 ft. from the shaft. This drive is being continued with a view to proving the continuation of the ore-chute northward at this depth. A connection with No. 5 level has been made in 216 ft. of rising; crosscuts have also been projected at various points. At 80 ft. below No. 5 level an intermediate level has been opened, and drives on the lode both northward and southward have been commenced. No. 5 level : Operations have been chiefly centred in stoping the blocks of payable ore on the Southern Cross reef and the main reef at this level. 7,200 tons of payable ore, totalling in value £12,900, has been obtained from these blocks. At Nos. 2, 3, and 4 levels comparatively little work has been done. At No. 1 level the main drive north has been driven 721 ft. through large bodies of low-grade ore. Several rises have connected with Corbett's level, and a large quantity of ore has been contributed by the various blocks opened. The main crosscut west from the shaft has been further extended 320 ft. with the object of locating the Realm reef, which had previously been encountered at Corbett's level. This work has not been sufficiently advanced to prove its object. Corbett's level: The main drive north in the foot-wall of the lode has been driven 262 ft., some fair-grade ore being obtained. Empire section : A prospect-ing-drive has been extended eastward 443 ft. : the lodes were intersected in the course of this work, and these await further development. Old Waitekauri section :In the Horn level the drive south has been extended 165 ft. on the reef. A connection with the intermediate level was made by a rise. Intermediate level (90 ft. below the Queen level) : About 800 tons of ore, averaging in value £3 10s. per ton, was crushed from this block. Summary of work—Golden Cross section : No. 7 level—driving 321 ft., crosscutting 157 ft., and rising 216 ft.; No. 5 level —driving 23 ft., crosscutting 50ft., sinking 13 ft., and rising 34 ft.; No. 4 level —driving 73 ft. ; No. 3 level—crosscutting 25 ft.; No. 2 level —driving 118 ft.; No. 1 level —driving 770 ft., crosscutting 420 ft., and rising 192 ft.; Corbett's level—driving 262 ft. Empire section: Crosscutting 443 ft. Old Waitekauri: Driving 165 ft., crosscutting 95 ft., rising 106 ft. Total, 3,483 ft. Quartz won from stopes : Golden Cross section, 13,497 tons; Old Waitekauri section, 800 tons: total, 14,297 tons. Milling and treatment: 14,297 tons of ore has been crushed and cyanided from the various.places in the mine, from which 25,131 oz. of bullion was obtained, worth £24,007 7s. 2d. Milling has been suspended pending the development of further payable blocks in the mine. This company has had an average of 122 men employed. New Zealand Jubilee Gold-mining Company. —This mine has been continuously worked during the year, the operations being confined to extending the low level and prospecting. The low level has been extended a distance of 950 ft., making the total distance from the mouth of the drive 3,760 ft. The greater part of the driving done last year was on the course of the lode, which varied from a few inches to 6 ft. Good assay tests were reported to have been obtained from time to time as the work proceeded, but no bulk crushings have been yet made to prove the actual value of the lode. About 700 ft. of crosscutting and driving on other reefs has been done at the low