29

0.—2

SOUTHLAND COUNTY. Nokomai Hydraulic Sluicing Company (Nokomai).—The company's claims in Victoria Gully are almost worked oat, there being only three claims 011 the lead remaining to work. To provide for future operations an area of 70 acres iu Nokomai Creek, which was formerly held by the Lion Gold-mining Company, has been taken up and two of the water-races are to be extended for working the area. The yield of gold amounted to 1,306 oz., valued at £5,160. Thirty men were employed. The Waikaia Deep Lead Mines (Limited), (Waikaia).—This company was formed to reopen and work the Break-em-all Claim at Winding Creek. A paddock 50 ft. deep which was sunk ten years ago by the Round Hill Gold-mining Company was cleaned out, and pumping and winding plant installed for sinking 011 the lead. After sinking 20 ft. it was found that the plant could not deal with the incoming water, and operations were suspended. The gold won amounted to 52 oz., valued at £211. Muddy Terrace.—F. Hamer and party produced 117 oz. gold, valued at £453. Operations were confined to ground sluicing in Maori Gully. D. McLister (Athol).—This claim is situated on the spur between Glenquoich Creek and the Mataura River. A deposit of old sandstone gravel 80 ft. in height was worked by ground sluicing until the face got too high for safe working with the available water-supply, which is small and irregular. Driving out the richest part of the deposit has been resorted to with payable results. Gold valued at £1,214 was won during the year. A. Mutch and Party (Athol).—This party is working a deposit of old sandstone gravel with payable results. A quantity of wooden fluming in the water-race, which was destroyed by fire in the early part or the year, has been replaced with steel pipe. WALLACE COUNTY. Round Hill Gold-mining Company.—A paddock was opened out 011 the boundary of the old Ourawera Claim. The ground is very stony and contains a lot of buried timber, but carries gold in payable quantity. Seventeen men were employed in the claim and attending to water-races. The yield of sold for the year amounted to 899 oz., valued at £3,906. Orepuki and Pahia.—Nine men were employed at alluvial mining in these localities. The gold recovered amounted to 161 oz., valued at £638. G. Shaw and Party (West Waiau).—This party has been engaged in repairing a race to bring water from the Grovebum for working an area in Block 7, Alton Survey District, for gold and platinum. The area comprises a small block of Native land which was recently ceded to the Crown for mining purposes. IDredge Mining. A company, with headquarters in Melbourne, Victoria, is erecting a suction cutter dredge on the Shotover River, at Maori Point, to work the claims held by Paterson and Searle. The dredge comprises steel pontoons 50 ft. long, 24 ft. wide, and 9 ft. deep, equipped with al6 in. gravel-pump suction-pipe and rotary cutter. The pump, which was manufactured by Thomson and Co., Castlemaine, will be driven by a 165 horse-power motor, and the cutter by one of 50 horse-power. Power will be provided by a 250 kw. alternating-current generator driven by water from Stony Creek under a head of 450 ft. It is estimated that the dredge will treat 50,000 cubic yards of gravel per month, allowing time for cleaning bottom, &c. The Rise and Shine No. 1 dredge, which was purchased from the company by a Cromwell syndicate, sunk in the Clutha River in February after having worked only two months under the new ownership. The Lady Ranfurly dredge was destroyed by fire on the Kawarau River in March. This dredge, oil the 4th November, 1904, while owned by the Electric Gold-dredging Company, obtained 1,273 oz. of gold in six consecutive days, the greatest weekly output for a gold-dredge in New Zealand. McGeorge's Freehold No. 2 dredge, at Waikaka Valley, and the Nevis Crossing, at Lower Nevis, have been in operation during the year. The production of gold from this branch of mining amounted to 1,536 oz., valued at £6,557. Seventeen men were employed. Minerals other than Gold. Tungsten-ore.—-Two tons of scheelite were produced by the Golden Point Gold and Scheelite Company at Macrae's, and 1 toil by J. Tripp, Glenorehy. The price offered for scheelite concentrates—viz., 10s. per unit—is too low to enable the mines to be profitably worked. Phosphate Rock.—The Milburn Lime and Cement Company produced 1,575 tons of phosphate rock from the quarries at Clarendon. Accidents. No serious accidents occurred, at metal-mines or dredges in the Southern Inspection District during the year.

ANNEXURE B.

SUMMARY OF REPORT OF GOVERNMENT WATER-RACE MANAGER. Waimea-Kumaea Watee-eaces (Mr. Jambs Rochfoed, Manager). Waimea Water-race. The cash received for sales of water from this race for the year ended 31st March, 1925, was £416 13s. 2d., and the expenditure on management, gauging, maintenance, and repairs amounted to £809 12s. Bd., showing a debit balance of £392 19s. 6d. 011 the year's transactions. The average number of miners supplied with water during the year was 5-25, the same as that of the previous year, and the approximate quantity of gold obtained by them was 337 oz., valued at £1,322 14s. 6d., a decrease of £416 Is. on that of the previous year. The sales of water amounted to £539 14s. lid., a decrease of £21 Is. sd. as compared with the previous year. Blackmun and party worked their claim at Liverpool Bill's Terrace, Stafford, throughout the year with fairly satisfactory results, but were considerably handicapped with their tail-race, which did not work efficiently, and eventually they liad to construct a new one. The Linklater Sluicing Syndicate leased their claim and plant at Scandinavian Hill, Stafford, to Mr. W. Linklater in May, 1924, and he worked the property intermittently, and with a limited number of men, from that time until the end of the year, but, unfortunately, the gold returns did not come up to expectations, and unless a decided improvement takes place in this direction in the near future this party will be compelled to cease operations. Messrs. Parker Bros, and Williams, who purchased the Gillam's Gully Sawmill in January, 1924, worked the mill regularly during the year, and purchased water to the value of £205 25., an increase of £110 7s. on the previous year. In the month of May a rather serious break occurred in one of the tunnels at Fox's which completely cut off the supply of water from the miners and Parker Bros.' sawmill at Stafford for eight days. This race is now in fair order, but the section of open ditching immediately below the intake reservoir in the Kawhaka Creek must receive attention at an early date to ensure safety. Although the months of December, January, and February were exceptionally dry there was an excellent supply of water, and the Waimea inverted siphon, which has a carrying capacity of 30 cubic feet per second, was running full all the year. The cash received was £99 9s. 2d. less than the previous year, and the expenditure showed an increase of £1 2s. lid.