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Vincent County. Kawarau High Levels Mining Co., Waitiri. —An open cutting, 75 ft. wide in the bottom, 300 ft. wide on top, and 62 ft. deep, is being sluiced out of the west bank of the Kawarau River. The ground contains numerous large stones, which are broken up with explosives and hauled out of the workings with an hydraulic winch. The gold won during the year amounted to 44 oz. 2 dwt., valued at £169 4s. Nevis.—Five sluicing claims, employing seventeen men, were in operation in the alluvial deposits of this field. The gold won amounted to 671 oz., valued at £2,591. Graham and party, at Upper Nevis, with 429 oz., valued at £1,659, wero the largest producers. The Department's No. 2 Keystone drill was used by the Upper Nevis Dredging Co., Lower Nevis Prospecting Co., and Mr. John Stevenson for prospecting their claims. In Stevenson's claim a depth of 220 ft. was reached in one of the boreholes without striking bed-rock. The wash passed through was gold-bearing from the surface down to 114 ft. Luke County. Kawarau Gold-mining Co. —The gates of the dam at Kawarau Falls were closed for one week during the month of August, but the river did not fall low enough to allow any work to be done in the company's claims. Sandhills Gold-mining Co., Upper Shotover.—An old channel of the Shotover River is being sluiced out for a length of 33 chains and depth of 50 ft. for the purpose of diverting the river from its course and thus enabling its present bed to be worked. Big Beach Gold-mining Co., Shotover River. —Ground sluicing has been carried on at the Sugar Loaf during the year. The supply of water from the company's races has been sufficient to keep two nozzles working eight hours daily. The yield of gold amounted to 720 oz. 13 dwt., valued at £2,746 9s. 4d. Moonlight Mining Syndicate, Moonlight Creek. — This syndicate is working an old channel of Moonlight Creek. A face of gravel 130 ft. deep is being sluiced away with water from Dead Horse Creek. The gold won amounted to 169 oz. 5 dwt., valued at £634 13s. 9d. Shotover Gold Claims, Ltd., Shotover River.—The company's efforts to work the bed of the Shotover River have not proved successful. A flood in October swept away part of the dam which was erected for diverting the river, and filled the workings with gravel. Oxenbridge and Party, Twelve-mile Creek. —The auriferous lead which was found in the party's tunnel could not be profitably worked, and driving operations were suspended. Water has been brought in from Lake Dispute for working the bed of Twelve-mile Creek and a terrace of the west bank of the creek by sluicing and elevating. Reid and Lynch, Sawyer's Creek. —The Crystal reef was cut off by a fault in the rise at a height of 85 ft. above the low level. At this point a drive was put out 65 ft. into the hanging-wall, and a reef formation 3 ft. wide was cut. This may prove. to be the reef that was worked in the upper level, and rising is being continued to prospect it. Southland County. Nokomai Sluicing Co., Nokomai. —The Rimu Gold-dredging Co., under an option to purchase, bored seventeen holes, varying from 71ft. to 113 ft. deep. Good values were obtained from some of the boreholes, but as the overburden carried very little gold and the drill in places revealed a rock bottom unsuitable for dredging the option was abandoned. Elevating was carried on, and, although No. L elevator was closed down during the winter months through a shortage of water, two paddocks were cleaned tip, for a return of 481 oz. 16 dwt. gold, valued at £1,781 6s. 6d. King Solomon Gold-mines, Ltd., Waikaia.—The company's main shaft was sunk to a depth of 143 ft. from the surface, leaving 37 ft. to sink to reach bed-rock. A 16 h.p. boiler was installed for supplying steam for pumping the water, which is coming into the shaft at the rate of 2,000 gallons an hour. Waikaia. —Sluicing and elevating was carried on by three small parties of miners. The yield of gold amounted to 277 oz. 5 dwt. 20 gr., valued at £1,074 3s. Athol. —Returns from this locality show that four men were employed, producing 168 oz. 17 dwt. 14 gr. gold, valued at £667 18s. Bd. Wallace County. Wakapatu Mining Co., Ltd., Wakapatu.—This company is working an area on the foreshore at the mouth of Ourawera Creek for gold and platinum. A 10 in. Gould's double-suction pump is used for delivering water at a pressure of 40 lb. per square inch on to a face of sand and gravel 20 ft. high. The material broken down by the water is lifted by a 10 in. Thompson's gravel-pump and discharged through a screen on to tables lined with matting for saving the gold and platinum. The stones from the screen are lifted and stacked by a small bucket elevator. Electric power for driving the pumps and elevator is supplied by the Southland Power Board. A total of 142 h.p. is required to work the plant. The gold and platinum recovered during the year is valued at £243. Round Hill Mine. —Sluicing and elevating were carried on throughout the year, for a return of 430 oz. 5 dwt. 19 gr' gold, valued at £1,699 12s. lOd. Seven men were employed. Orepuki.—Eleven men were employed on this field. The gold won amounted to 257 oz. 7 dwt. 5 gr., valued at £1,007 19s. Bd. Dredging. Upper Nevis Gold-dredging Co., Nevis River.—Operations were curtailed by a shortage of the water, which is used for generating the electric power for working the dredge, and a stoppage of twelve weeks during the winter season. The gold won amounted to 1,246 oz. 11 dwt. 20 gr., valued at £4,984 3s. 2d. Nevis Crossing Dredge, Nevis River.—Dredging was continued during the year, with the usual stoppage of three months in the winter. The yield of gold amounted to 267 oz., valued at £1,028. Undaunted Dredging and Mining Co., Naseby.—The company's water-power dredge commenced operations in October, but the gold-returns have so far been unpayable. Golden Terrace Extended Gold-dredging Co., Lower Shotover. —This company's special dredging claim of 400 acres on the Shotover River is being equipped with a dredge capable of treating 40,000 cubic yards per week. The pontoons are 107 ft. long, 40 ft. wide, and 9 ft. deep. They are made of in. steel plating, braced and stayed with steel sections, and fitted with a series of bulkheads, making each compartment watertight. The tumbler-framing and gantry are manufactured of steel. The gantry is of the hinged type, secured to the deck at four points, the deck at these points having been reinforced with heavy steol plating 1 in. thick. The screen-framing and stacker-framing at the stern of the dredge have been built from heavy steel-joist sections, and the whole of the framing from the stern to the bow is thoroughly tied and braced with rolled-steel channels and joists, thus ensuring rigidity. The