C—2,

38

Ourawera Gold-mining Company. —Elevating is being carried on in Italian Gully. Operations for the year have given a little profit over working-expenses. Twelve men find employment at sluicing around Orepuki. In most cases they are making a living-wage. Dredge Mining. Two dredges were dismantled during the year —viz., the Confidence, at Lowburn, and Bruce Syndicate, at Glenore. At Waikaka, McGeorge's Freehold No. 1 claim was worked out, and the dredge is to be dismantled. Paterson's Freehold No. 1 has changed ownership, having been purchased by J. Anderson. Two of the dredges operating in the gorges of the Clutha, Electric No. 2 and Manuherikia, got in a short run of about three weeks during midwinter. The others did not start owing to the unsettled state of the river. The Rise-and-Shiue dredges continue to be the most productive in the southern district. Dividends paid during the year amounted to £4,200. The Otakau dredge, operating in the Kyeburn, paid £1,350 in dividends for the year, and should continue to give good results in 1917. The Karanui, at Alexandra, was purchased from the company by a local syndicate, and dredging has been resumed by the new owners. Minerals other than Gold. Tungsten-ore. —The advance in price of scheelite has caused prospecting and consequent discoveries of new deposits and also increased development of known deposits, resulting in the output for 1916 being almost double that for 1915. Prospecting has been most actively carried on in Macrae's, Glenorchy, and Barewood districts. Tin. —The Stewart Island Tin and Wolfram Company's sluicing operations at Port Pegasus have given very disappointing results. The leturn of tin and wolfram concentrates obtained from six months' work only amounted to 2|cwt., of an estimated value of £12. No work has been done during the year to test the lode on the company's property. Copper. —A parcel of 3 tons of ore was mined from the lode at Moke Creek and shipped to Australia for treatment by Messrs. Paulin and Tripp. Assays of the ore gave results up. to 24 per cent, of copper. The lode is about 12 in. wide, and consists of rusty-coloured quartz containing small bunches of copper and iron-pyrites. Limestone. —The output of limestone from the Milburn Lime and Cement Company's quarries at Milburn and Dunback amounted to 51,428 tons. Marl. —The output of marl from the Milburn Limo and Cement Company's pit at Burnside amounted to 7,985 tons. Phosphates. —The Ewing Phosphate Company produced 7,600 tons of rock phosphate from the quarry at Milburn. . Accidents. Fatal. —28th August: Edwin Francis Parker, miner, aged forty-one years, was killed by a fall of earth while working in a tail-race in his own claim at Kyeburn diggings. Serious. —l9th October; Koputai dredge, Waikaia : Edward Sinclair sustained concussion of the brain. Accident caused by a wire rope breaking while the men were connecting up dredgebuckets.