95

C—3

their attention to extending the No. 2 level and rising on the reef at different points over the No. 1 level. These works are meeting with a fair amount of success. 455 tons of ore was treated for 127 oz. 7 dwt. of gold, valued at £317 17s. 6d. An average of four men was employed. Monowai Mine, Waiomo. —This mine has been steadily worked during the year, the operations being chiefly confined to driving and stoping on the reef from the No. 3 B level upwards. The reef in places is over 30 ft. wide, and has been driven on for a considerable distance at different levels, where it has been cut through to ascertain its value. Up to the present only one payable chute of ore, from 80 ft. to 150 ft. in length, has been discovered, and will be soon exhausted if some development-work is not proceeded with. The ore being of a very refractory nature, most of the values were obtained from the concentrates, which were shipped to Sydney for treatment, the balance of the bullion being obtained by the cyanide process. 4,044 tons of ore was treated for a return in value of £4,575 2s. 2d. An average of thirty-five men has been employed. Broken Hill Mine. —Prospecting operations were carried on in this mine with from two to four men, the work being chiefly confined to driving the low level for the purpose of intersecting the Monowai reef. In the No. 1 level the No. 1 reef varies from 18 in. to 4 ft. in width, and has been driven on for a distance of 80 ft. ; although the quartz is of a kindly description, and carrying a little gold, yet it is not considered payable. A limited amount of prospecting-work has been done on the Victory and Hector McDonald Claims, situated in the Waiomo Creek, but no returns of gold from these mines have been reported during the year. Bullion Mine, Tapu. —This mine has been worked by tributers, who have done a large amount of prospecting on various portions of the property, but the ore that was treated was obtained from the Sheridan section. 20 tons was crushed for 72 oz. 7 dwt. of gold, valued at £218. An average of eight men was employed. Mahara Boyal, Tapu. —This property (which was owned by an English company) was under protection during the first part of the year; the only work carried on was conducted by the caretaker, who treated some tailings at the battery. At the expiration of the protection no capital was forthcoming to further develop the mine, and the company decided to sell the whole of the property, which was purchased at auction by the Broken Hills Gold-mining Company, Tairua, who intended to increase their crushing plant, but before removing the twenty-stamp battery, &c, from the Mahara Royal they decided to drive a low level to develop and prove that mine at a deeper level. This is estimated to cost £500. A contract was at once let, and the work is now proceeding. The Mahara Royal Company treated 143 tons of tailings for 43 oz. 1 dwt. of gold, valued at £120 19s. A little prospecting-work has also been carried on in the Golden Horn and other claims in this creek, but nothing of importance was discovered. Coeomandel Disteict. Hauraki Mine, Coromandel. —Owing to the falling-off of the gold returns during the year 1901 this mine gradually came to a standstill early in the year, and in March everything was closed down for a time. At the same time negotiations were being carried on by the London board to acquire another gold-mining property in Australia. These were finally concluded, and instructions were sent out from London with the object of transferring the winding and pumping plant from the Union Beach section of the Hauraki property over to the company's new Australian lease. Owing to some misunderstanding, only the boilers and air-compressor were taken away from the Union Beach section, while the pumping and winding engines from the Main Hauraki shaft were also dismantled and shipped away, thus entirely crippling the original property. By the time Mr. Woolmer (who was to take over the management of this and other mines in Coromandel) had arrived the whole of what may be termed the injury had been done; but, owing to a rich run of gold having been found by a party of tributers in the Bunker's Hill Mine on this company's boundary, a fresh impetus was given to mining in this part of the district, and an arrangement was arrived at whereby the Hauraki Company permitted the Bunker's Hill Company to use their main shaft for the purpose of putting in another large Cornish pump to drain the two mines. The mine above the 100 ft. level was thrown open for tributers, and a number of men took the opportunity of working under this arrangement. It is gratifying to notice that several were successful in unearthing some very rich ore, in some cases paying them handsomely for their labour. 789 tons of ore was treated for 1,340 oz. 6 dwt. of gold, valued at £4,037 3s. lid. An average of twenty-five men was employed. Bunker's Hill. —On the 15th August, 1902, a tribute was let to Messrs. Jamieson and Fraser, who commenced operations from the Hauraki Company's workings at the 100 ft. level on what is known as the lona reef, specimen stone being obtained immediately work was begun. The Hauraki Company have, it appears, worked this reef on the rich chute of gold right into the Bunker's Hill ground, and which has since been found to carry through the Bunker's Hill into the Hauraki Freeholds property, a distance horizontally of 118 ft. The tribute was only let for a term of two months, but during this time the tributers won and treated 70J tons of ore for a return of bullion of the value of £3,305 10s. Id. Since their term expired the company has treated 13 tons of ore of the value of £1,909 os. lOd. Operations have been confined to driving, sinking, and stoping on this lode, which will average 12 in. in thickness. Owing to the cessation of mining in this and the adjacent mines with the removal of the machinery, the mines were flooded, and operations have been considerably impeded owing to the water difficulty ; but in order to cope with this the Bunker's Hill Company have purchased the pumping plant from the Blagrove's Company, and a contract has been let for the removal and erection of it on the site of the Hauraki Company's shaft, where pumping operations will be conducted. The total quantity of quartz treated from this company's mine was 83 tons for 1,693 oz. 18 dwt. of gold, valued at £5,214 10s. lOd. An average of ten men has been employed.