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Frye and Giddens Syndicate, Cromwell Flat.. —This syndicate ceased operations early in the year after driving 460 ft. north from the shaft. The distance was driven on the south sidling of the gutter, and the face was stopped short of the point where a geophysical survey had indicated the deepest part of the gutter. There •were seven men employed. The gold won amounted to 2 oz., valued at £13 18s. 2d. B. J. Bell, Horn's Freehold.—A second shaft was sunk on this property, approximately 6J chains north of the shaft that bottomed at 126 ft., and abandoned. The north shaft bottomed at 146 ft. Driving towards the south shaft was started and continued until a rising floor was met at 180 ft. At 70 ft. south of the shaft crosscutting was carried both east and west, also a drive was put out north from the shaft 90 ft. to the north, and the bottom was found to be dipping in this direction. Bell-Kilgour Gold-mining Co. (H. de Latour, Manager).—During the year this company carried out extensive prospecting operations to the west of their main drive. This work proved that the greater part of their claim was unpayable by the present method of mining, which necessitates the use of a large amount of timber. By November all the payable wash was extracted from the section served by the main drive, and the working staff was reduced. A drive was put into Murray's Claim, which was acquired by the company. Prospecting on this area is now being carried out. An average of twenty-four men was employed. The gold produced amounted to 961 oz. 2 dwt. 13 gr., valued at £6,884 3s. 3d. Bell Hooper Gold-mining Co. (A. J. Walker, Manager).—By the end of the year the payable ground adjoining the Bell-Kilgour Claim had been recovered, and blocking-out of ground developed from the No. 4 drive was being carried out by a reduced staff. The future of the mine lies in the development of the gutter to the east of the present workings. The available ground to the west and north is limited by the boundaries of adjoining claims. The maximum number of men employed by the company was fifty, the minimum eighteen, and an average of thirty. The gold won amounted to 1,239 oz. 10 gr., valued at £9,004 3s. 4d. Cornish Point- Gold-mining Go. (M. Moye, Manager).—This company abandoned the workings on the Clutha River side of their claim, and started an incline shaft on the Kawarau, opposite the old coal-mine. The first 60 ft. were sunk through loose gravel, and the remainder through schist, the total depth of the shaft being 159 ft. on a l-in-3 grade. At this depth a pump chamber was cut, and driving south was commenced through rock to reach the gutter. At 74 ft. south of the shaft wash was struck, also a flow of water equalling 200 gallons per minute. This level was driven a total distance of 153 ft. At this point the bed rock had risen to the roof of the level. This development cut across the gutter, and from the lowest part driving east was commenced. Three hundred and fifty feet was driven, and a considerable amount of crosscutting from the east level in both north and south directions was carried out. Values were low in all parts of the mine. Number of men employed, seven. The gold won amounted to 4 oz. 7 dwt. 22 gr., valued at £31 lis. lOd. On the Cairnmuir side of the Kawarau, between the Cromwell footbridge and Bannockburn Creek, seven claims are being worked by driving, and employ on an average sixteen men. Four have been worked for a considerable time, chiefly by subsidized miners, who recover a fair amount of gold by following the narrow runs, which are payable while they last. Three claims are in the prospecting-stage. They are driving on the sandstone floor and under the Cairnmuir Plat. Most of the driving has to be close-timbered, the ground being wet and loose in some of the claims. The work done on this area during the past two years has established the fact that there is a large area of ground that would yield good returns if cheap water or power to pump it from the river was available. As a sluicing venture it has possibilities. Mining, by driving and blocking-out, is proved to be uneconomical even when tried by working parties with no overhead costs. Bendigo Bise and Shine Gold-mining Co. —The syndicate which took over this claim from the prospectors after cutting the lode at the end of 1933 floated a company. Work at the mine was suspended for several months until the company flotation was finalized. In September six men and a working-manager commenced to drive east and west on the lode, with the object of ascertaining the length, width, and value of this orebody, also to prospect a large low-grade north and south lode that is expected to join the smaller lode at depth. New Bendigo Gold-mining Co.—Debentures were offered and taken up in order that operations in the lowlevel drive could be continued. Recognizing the importance of lode mining to this district, the Unemployment Board granted substantial aid to the company, as the mine had been an important producer and employer of labour. The cessation of past operations was chiefly on account of the exhaustion of free milling-ore. The sulphides coming in at depth presented treatment problems which had not been solved thirty years ago. Tenders were called and a contract let for 1,000 ft. of driving, and operations are to be resumed early in 1935. Luggate.—A camp of subsidized men are working under a supervisor in this area. A water-race was constructed by the Unemployment Board, and upwards of twenty men are profitably employed in groundsluicing. Quartz Beef Point.—A gang of men receiving the Unemployment Board's subsidy is working in the east banks and terraces of the Clutha River, under the control of a supervisor. Jones Nevis Sluicing Co. (P. Jones, Manager).—The mining privileges of Jones and party are now held by the above company, which is constructing another race and pipe-line. The increased power available will enhance the returns from this claim in the near future, as a considerable increase in the yardage treated will be possible. There were seven men employed. The gold won amounted to 278 oz. 6 dwt., valued at £1,956 3s. lOd. McLean Bros.—A party of three men is hydraulic-elevating on ground which is giving them good returns. Operating with a good plant and water-supply, the owners can reasonably anticipate a profitable season. Nevis Sluicing Co. (J. Johnson, Manager).—This company has taken over the mining privileges formerly held by Johnston and Williams. The water-race has been enlarged and a new pipe-line laid on to ground alongside Schoolhouse Creek. This extension will allow of two faces being worked, which should more than double the past returns. There were six men employed. The gold won amounted to 12 oz. 19 dwt., valued at £92. Sutherland and Party.—-A party of five subsidized men brought in a race and was provided with pipe-line and monitor by the Unemployment Board to work their claim, situated on a terrace east of the Nevis River and two miles north of the Nevis Sluicing Claim. With the plant the men are making a fair living, where formerly they were fossicking for a few pennyweight per week. Nevis River.—A party of five men has been engaged in wing-damming a stretch of river several miles above its junction with the Kawarau. Their efforts have been only moderately successful owing to the heavy floods. Each rise of the river destroyed, in a few hours, the work which had taken weeks to complete. Carrick Range.—Attention has been turned to lode-mining in this district. The Unemployment Board has two parties of prospectors engaged in trenching and sampling lode channels. In the near future attention is to be devoted to reopening and exploring some of the old mines which were formerly worked and yielded payable returns. Waenga, Clutha River.—Bruce and party have brought in water from Leaning Roek to work their claim, situated about three miles downstream from Cromwell. A terrace between the river and railway was prospected by driving. This method of mining was unprofitable, and the party built a storage dam on the flat and has constructed a pipe-line with the intention of ground-sluicing the deposit. Mining operations are to. commence early in the new year if water is available. Morton and Party.—A party of ten men has won a considerable amount of gold at their Waenga River claim. A payable lead was exposed on the river-bank and followed into the terrace. Owing to the claim being at low-water level, a slight rise in the river causes suspension of operations. Clyde Development Co., Clyde.—This company, employing six men, carried out a considerable amount of prospecting and development work under the Clyde Domain. A level was driven 320 ft., and boreholes put

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