C.—2

Okarito Five-mile Beach Gold-dredging Co., Ltd. (1) Okarito. —Situation: On Five-mile Beach swamps. The company used a Stewart drill with 4in. casing andijin. shoo to put down sixteen holes. Gillespies' Beach Gold-dredging Co., Ltd. (1) Gillespies' Beach. —Situation: On the company's special dredging claim in Blocks IX and X, Gillespies' Beach Survey District. A Keystone drill with 3 in. casing and 4 in. shoe put down sixty-one holes. Argo Gold-dredging Go., Ltd. (1) Ahaura Valley.—Situation : At Baldock's farm, in Blocks I and 11, Ahaura Survey District. A Keystone type drill with 6 in. casing and 7 J in. shoe was used to drill four holes. Department of Labour. (1) Wakamarina Valley.—Situation: In Blocks XIV, Wakamarina Survey District, and Block I, Onamalutu Survey District. A Government No. 5 percussion drill equipped with 4 in. casing and 5£ in. shoe was used to drill forty-one holes during the year. Operations were stili in progress at the end of the year. Mines Department. (1) Ross Aerodrome.—Situation: In Block 11, Totara Survey District. Government alluvial drill No. 3 was used to put down one hole, using 4f in. and Gin. casings with sJin. and 7|in. shoes. Operations were still in progress at the end of the year. Diamond Drilling. The Consolidated Goldfields drilled No. 1 hole to a depth of 1,165 ft. before commencing No. 2 hole on the Globe Progress Area. The second hole was drilled to a depth of 1,278 ft., and operations were still in progress at the end of the year. At the Homer Mine, Goldwater Mines (N.L.) bored two holes to depths of 86-8 ft. and 90 ft. respectively in the mine workings.

Summary of Areas.

Labour Department's Gold-mining Scheme : Summary of Results op 'Special Investigations. The following notes give a brief summary of the results of special investigations made since tho inception of the scheme :— In the northern sections of the West Coast Inspection District special investigation was confined largely to the Marlborough County, where a geological and prospecting party consisting originally of eight men under the direction of a geologist worked for several months. The party commenced operations at the head of the Wakamarina River and covered an area of high country extending to the Wairau Valley. In the subsequent reports of the party it was recorded that scores of quartz outcrops were tested for gold, and in the majority of cases were found to be barren or of extremely low value. An exception to this rule was the location of leaders carrying a little gold, but the limited size of such veins rendered them worthless for profitable exploitation. Considerable attention was paid to the streams and terraces of the area with the object of adding to the alluvial areas available for subsidized miners, but nothing was discovered that justified the extension of the scheme beyond the proved ground in the Wakamarina Valley diggings which include tho tributary streams and their terraces. After a year had been spent on the work and nothing of importance had been discovered, the party was disbanded. It is perhaps worthy of comment that extensive sampling for scheelite was carried out in old workings above Mountain Camp Creek, the results from which indicated that, although large-scale scheelite-mining in the area would not be warranted there might be some possibilities of remunerative employment if a small working-party desired to prospect on their own account. Better results were obtained from boring carried out in the valley. The high-level channels of the river were located, and values from several holes in one section of the Valley above Mountain Camp disclosed ground that can be worked by blocking the wash dirt resting on the schist bottom. In the Collingwood County the Victoria Creek terraces in Block 111, Aorere Survey District, were carefully tested by means of shafts with a view to locating suitable ground on which subsidized prospectors could be placed. Over forty shafts were sunk, varying in depth from 6 ft. to 15 ft., and although at the top end of the main terrace the first twelve shafts showed fair gold returns values became progressively less as the work was extended. Tho over-all value of the ground prospected was, on an average, very poor, the last few shafts showing only a few colours. In the Golden Hope area the bed of the Maggie Cre'ek was tested by boring, three lines of holes being drilled. The values were disappointing and shaft-sinking was commenced for the purpose of checking the results obtained. This work was abandoned when it was found that the pumping-plant available was unable to cope with the inflow of water, but in view of tho fact that results obtained from one shaft which was successfully bottomed confirmed the values disclosed by tho boring it was considered that expenditure on a more powerful pumping-plant was not justified. Consequently the work was abandoned before finality was actually reached,

42

Name of Company. | Nmnb b e 0 r r °£ Areas Number bored l ' N.Z. Prospecting and Mining, Ltd. . . .. .. .. .. 6 143 Rimu Gold-dredging Co., Ltd. .. .. .. .. .. 2 33 Maori Gully (Kokiri) Gold-dredging Co., Ltd. .. .. .. .. 4 96 Bundi Tin Dredging, Ltd. .. .. .. .. .. .. 1 31 Austral Malay Tin, Ltd. .. .. .. .. .. .. 1 9 Snowy River Dredging Syndicate .. .. .. .. .. 1 132 Tronoh (N.Z.), Ltd. .. .. .. .. .. .. 4 34 Barrytown Gold-dredging, Ltd. .. .. .. .. .. 1 15 Okarito Five-mile Beach Gold Dredging Co., Ltd. .. .. .. 1 16 Gillespies' Beach Gold-dredging Co., Ltd. .. .. .. . i 1 61 Argo Gold-dredging Co., Ltd. .. .. .. .. .. I 4 Department of Labour . . .. .. .. .. .. 1 41 Mines Department . . .. .. .. ■. .. 1 1 Consolidated Goldfields of New Zealand, Ltd. (diamond drilling) 1 2 Goldwater Mines (N.L.), (diamond drilling) .. .. .. .. 1 2 Totals .. .. .. .. .. .. .. 27 621