WARDEN’S REPORT.

Evening Star, Volume IX, Issue 2562, 4 May 1871, Page 2

WARDEN’S REPORT.

Mr Warden Wood, wiitingfrom Switzer’s under date 13th of April, reports as follows :

1 have the honor to enclose statistical return for the quarter ending 31st March, 1871. The very dry season has been, as a rule, against the prosperity of the district, though the escorts have kept up—in fact, increased—which I attribute to the Chinese, who are working the creek beds. The quantity of gold escorted for the year en ling the :11st March, has botn 10,129 ounces, or an average of over 841 ounces per m mth. No new rushes have taken place within the district; but on Mr M‘lntyre’s run on the Waikaka, outside the goldfield, about forty-five men are at work, with good prospects as soon as rain sets in. The water of the Waikaka stream has been brought ou to the Waikaka diggings by the amalgamated races of Barbary and party and Paterson and party ; but they are using the water themselves, say about six heads, so that the population has not increased as it would have done if water could be obtained at a moderate rate. The Nokomai Creek has gi.eu remunerative employment to a number of Chinese during the last Jive months, ami a few parties arc starting iu the old Moa Creek, the lirst place that gold was obtained at (he Nokomai. The revenue for miners’ rights, &c., for thu district, has amounted for the year aiding 31s: March to L 892 19s; a id the fees, &c., fur the Resident Mag strata’s Court during the same period to i.103 11s.

1 ii's) enclose statistics for the Longwood and (Jampbelltown goldfi ids, in the Southland portion of my district 1 . The goldfields revenue for that part of the district amounts to L 156 9s, and the ilesideiit Magistrate’s Court fees a id lines to L 3 2s.

The mining \ ovulation o. tie ditt dot consists of 770, of whom 523 are Europeans and 257 Chinese, cf this number 121 areminers working on the Southland digg n ,s, now included in the Switzers district. The machine y in the dis' r ct comprises 3 watei -wheels, 41 Hydraulic hoses, 20 pumps, 1516 sluiceboxes, of the aggregate value of L3,b3 5. Besides there ai e 117 water-races, valued at JL.12,070; 50 tdl r ces, valued at LI,500; and 20 dams, valued at L6O. Value of gold L 3 15s. on the Otago diggings ; L 3 16s. at Crepuke and L mgwood.