MINING NEWS.

Press, Volume LX, Issue 11510, 17 February 1903, Page 5

MINING NEWS.

Writing to Mr J. R. Evans, of this city, under date February 19th. Mr G. S. Cray, legal manager of the Mount Paparoa, Gold Mining Company, states that during the week ending February 7th four raen were working in the mine, opening it up preparatory to starting stoping, and the mine manager had reported that they had risen eighteen feet on the stone near the scuth end of tho good stone. It was intended to put in another uprise last week, near the north end, when there would be room for four couples to start getting out stone as soon as the aerial tramway is finished. Working the mine -with two shifts, and four couples to each, sixteen all. it ia expected that they will be. able t2r* keep tho battery fully employed. When in. full working order. 29 men will be employed in or about the mine and battery, and the monthly wages sheet will be about £348. Six additional men will bo required, however, to do development work, and tho wages of these will bring the total wages payable up to -420. Stores, explosives, and battery renewals, will bring the monthly cost o£ working the mine to about £500. The mine manager reckons he will have no difficulty ia keeping the battery supplied with 400 tons of ore per month. It will be well on toward 9 the end of the month before the contractor for the aerial tramway completes the work, and. given reasonable weather between the present and the beginning of March, Mr Cray thinks everything should be in order for putting the mine hands on and starting the battery. DREDGING RETURNS. Additional West Coast returns are:— Buller Junotion (91 hours). 80oz; Nelson Creek, 47 oz;, Cornwall (120 hours). 13oz lOdwt; Trafalgar (120 houra), lloz 9dwt; Al (52 hours), 7oz 9dwt.