C.—2.

pumped from the Waimumu Stream through a line of 15 in. pipes into a reservoir on the hill top. This water is then used for sluicing and elevating on the left-hand river-flats. Active operations were commenced about July. During the latter part of the year water became scarce and impeded operations. Five men were employed, and the gold yield was 118 oz. 11 dwt. 23.gr., valued at £876 lis. 7d. Stewart Gold Company, Waikaka (R. T. Stewart, General Manager and Engineer, W. 6. Stewart, Works Manager).—Sluicing operations have been carried on throughout the year with the water pumped from the Little Waikaka Stream to the site of the workings by Diesel engines and electric motor, four heads of water being used. The greater portion of the work done during the year has been in the direction of obtaining an opening into the deeper ground, which has been already worked to some extent from shafts, some of which were over 80 ft. in depth, put down by the diggers over sixty years ago. Props of brown and red birch used by these early diggers in securing the ground while the wash was being driven out, are still standing and are as sound as when first put in. The ground now being worked is approaching 80 ft. in depth, and consists of a white quartz wash, with a surface layer of clay from 6 ft. to 10 ft. in thickness. The wash lies upon a bottom of pipeclay, the surface of which is very uneven and broken in places by bands of fine quartz drift. The bottom wash is delivered to the boxes, 3 ft. in width, by a hydraulic elevator lifting to a height of 24 ft. The gold, which is of a very fine nature, is saved on coconut matting, the fine material passing over a set of tables measuring 12 ft. in width. Eight men were employed. The Coastal Mining Co., Ltd. (0. W. Thomson, Manager).—During the early part of the year a self-contained gravel pump mounted on caterpillar tractors, built in Dunedin to the plans and specifications of the late Mr. R. S. Ciree Brown, was erected near to the Haldane Estuary and taken on to the Haldane or Six-mile Beach, Block IX, Waikawa Survey District. The designer, Mr. Cree Brown, was fatally injured during a trial run of the machine on the 26th May, 1934. This was an extremely regrettable happening, as he had made a special study of hydraulics as related to gravel-pump mining. This gravel pump is mounted on caterpillar tractors so that it can be moved easily when pumping, or when it is necessary to shift the machine to another place on the beach, or to a place of safety. The 8 in. Kelly Lewis gravel pump is chain-driven by a 35 brake horse-power, twin cylinder, vertical, Ruston Hornsby full Diesel engine. An auxiliary centrifugal pump is fitted to provide water for priming the gravel pump and for providing clean water for the main-pump gland. The treatment boxes, 15 ft. wide and 15 ft. in length, are fitted directly above the machine and are mounted on a swivel frame which can be kept horizontal by means of levelling-screws. The gravel pump delivers the material into a distributory box provided with grizzly bars to prevent the rough material from going on to the tables. The flow of the material is regulated by movable gates. The waste material and water are delivered well away from the machine by means of a line of pipes, 100 ft. in length by 10 in. in diameter, suspended from a gantry. Two large rollers or castors are provided to take the weight of the delivery-pipe. The gravel-pump intake pipe, 40 ft. in length, is also suspended from the gantry, and both the intake and delivery pipes can be lowered or raised by means of winches provided in the operating-cabin, movable joints being provided where these pipe-lines leave the machine. This machine is thus self-contained and can be easily moved from place to place under its own power. Much of the sheltered beach has been worked extensively by the early beach miners. Six men have been employed since active operations commenced, the gold won amounting to 45 oz. 4 dwt. 1 gr., valued at £257 9s. 3d. The sluicing and elevating claim operated by Wilson and party on the banks of the Waipapa Creek at the Eastern end of the Waipapa Beach has been taken over by the Waipapa Beach Dredging Co. who are now building a dredge to work the areas. There has been considerable activity on the sea-beaches from Wallace Beach to the Bluff during the year. In addition, 127 men were engaged fossicking, prospecting, cradling, sluicing, elevating, gravel pumping, driving, sinking, and treating beach sands at Waikaia, Waikaka, Waimumu, Mataura River, Nokomai, Glenham, Bush Siding, Haldane, Wallace Beach, Otara, Waituna, and Awarua for a return of 1,486 oz. 14 dwt. 8 gr., valued at £10,053 3s. 3d. The chief producers were the Stewart Gold Co., Little Waikaka; A. Copeland, Victoria Gully; J. Robertson, Te Wai Beach ; W. Campbell, Te Wai Beach; S. W. Copeland, Nokomai; and A. Mutch, Waikaia. Wallace County. Round Hill Gold-mining Co., Ltd. (P. Hart, Manager).—Active operations have been continued during the year, and approximately 5 acres of bottom with an average depth of 60 ft., has been sluiced and elevated. The water-supply in the Longwood is good on account of a copious rainfall, therefore, in order to obtain a maximum output, it has been decided to install a 27 in. pipe-line to replace the 74 chains of 18 in. pipe- ine. The pipetrack for this line has been prepared, and the new pipes will be installed early in 1935. Four men are employed constantly on water-race maintenance and repair work. An average of eighteen men has been employed during the year. The gold-yield was 849 oz. 15 dwt. 1 gr., valued at £6,431 Is. 9d. Orepuki Mining Syndicate, Orepuki.—Sluicing operations have been continued during the year in the old township workings, previously driven out by early miners. Try Again Sluicing Party, Orepuki.—Sluicing operations have been actively carried on during the year in the mid-section of the old township workings in island blocks and partially driven sections. Several parties have been employed in these old township workings sluicing island blocks, driving, and blocking-out sections which were the sites of dams during the previous early mining days. In and around Orepuki, Round Hill, Pahia, Wakapatu, Longwoods, Tuatapere, Waiau, Te Oneroa, West Coast Sounds, and Stewart Island 128 men have been engaged fossicking, prospecting, and mining on the alluvial areas and seabeaches for a return of 1,107 oz. 19 dwt., valued at £7,182 16s. lOd. The chief producers have been the Orepuki Mining Syndicate ,- The Try Again Party ; J. Brookland, Te Wai Point; Lennon and Pahl, Orepuki; and Shaw and Braid, Orepuki. In the Preservation Inlet and West Coast Sounds several parties have continued prospecting operations during the past year, but no discoveries of importance have been reported. Canterbury. The only gold won was in the Ashburton area —4 oz. 8 dwt. 16 gr., valued at £28 15s. 6d. Taieri County. Twenty men were employed fossicking, prospecting, and mining, winning approximately 13 oz. 6 dwt. 3 gr., valued at £89 6s. 6d. Bruce County. Nine men were employed fossicking, prospecting, and mining, winning approximately 11 oz. 18 dwt. 12 gr., valued at £86 14s. 4d. Clutha County. Eleven men were engaged fossicking, prospecting, and mining, winning approximately 6 oz. 6 dwt. 2 gr., valued at £40 19s. Bd. Waikouaiti County. Twenty-five men were engaged fossicking, prospecting, and mining, winning approximately 13 oz. 18 dwt. 7 gr., valued at £90 12s.

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