GOLDFIELDS STATISTICS.

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume IX, Issue 192, 14 August 1874, Page 2

GOLDFIELDS STATISTICS.

We nre tot yet in receipt of the Parliamentary paper containing the Under-Secretary's annnal report upon the Goldflelds which, however, appears to bave been supplied to the Buller News from which we take the following:-— There has been a large decrease in the goldfields population, partly owing to the number and extent of the public works goiug on in different parts of the Colony attracting workmen from the gold-mines, and also the departure of such a large proportion of the mining population proper for other gold discoveries in Australia and elsewhere. But although the mining population has decreased during the year 1873, the aggregate earning has been largely augmented. Iv 1872 the number of miners employed on the goldfields wasy 22,235, while the recent census shows the number to be 18,142. There has, however, been an increase in/the aggregate earnings of 59 ,969 jz, or, in value £256,164. The averaee earnings per miner in 1872 were £77 10a 31, but in 1873 thty increased to£9sßs 6<rT During the year 1873, 165,3770z of gold were extracted from quariz, i and 254 485 were extracted from ' alluvial workings. Nelson contributed 20,098cz from quartz. In New Zealand as io Australia, the quartz mines y yield a larger return per miner em/ ployed than the alluvial, but it must be borne in mind that the costof machinery in quartz-mining is mnch greater than in the case of alluvial workings. In tin province of Nelaon 18,568 tons of quariz yielded 20,5420z of gold, valued at £77,508 12s Id, giving an average of loz 2dwt 3|gr to the ton. In Coromandel the average earnings per head were £116 5i' t and in the Dunstan £391 14s 3|d. The richness of the Cromwell Company's reef will account for the large returns for the lastmentioned district. With regard to the annual earnings of alluvial miners, we find that in the Ahaura district they were £70 6s 8d; in ykarito, £76 12s 6d; in Greymouth, £81 lis 8d; in Ross, £90 14s; Waimea, £28, 10s IOJ; Kanieri, £148 4s; Tuapeka, £102 laf Mount Ida, £47 3s; Switz^s, £§2 4s IOJ. / After giving ao estimate cf the gold actually found, and a guess as to .what has become of it, as well as treating of tbe population engaged in obtainicg it; the report refers to the means of still further developing the resources of tbe goldfields, the most important of which is a water supply. Glancing at the table appended to the report, we are forcibly struck with the small amount of money expended on water-races in the province of Nelson, as compared with Westland and other mining districts, for while for the year, ending May 3 1st, 1874, £212,535 were expended in Westland, but £51,165 were incurred in Nelson. There were in the colony on the 31st March, 1874, 4510 water-races, of a length of 5911 miles, carrying 9059 sluice heads of water, constructed at an estimated cost of £854,465. The Wardens complain of an insufficient water supply, and the utilisation of waste water is a question of vital importance, though the 1 necessary works would be beyond the means of private associations of miners. The expenditure ahd the liabilities for survey, construction of, and subsidies for water-races on tbe goldfields of the colony up to 30th May, 1874, amounted to £296,660 10s 9d, and the money disburse! to £87,788 6s 9d, of which £11,462 7s 41 were paid as subsidies to registered gold-mining companies.