WEEK'S MINING- JSEWS

Otago Witness, Issue 2810, 22 January 1908, Page 30

WEEK'S MINING- JSEWS

January 15. The PateTson's Freehold returns are:— No. 1. 23qz tt'-i ior, 129 hours;, No. 2, _250z lOdwt for 133 hour*. ..'-,* The o^o^oinaster of the Koputai dredge^ andex dato 13th January, reports that he has resumed dredging, having succeeded in getSing a fairly satisfactory supply of water in th« paddock. The machinery, after having been overhauled, is running well, and he will .wash -up for the past- week as usual to-day. The dredgemaster Molyneux Kohinoor, reports • —r" Resumed- dredging <on Tuesday afternoon. The ground is still the same as We have be«D working for the last few (reoks. The- prospects show a slight impro ement on the last wash-up. Thejnachinery is r-orking welL"

At Nokomai No. 1 claim thexe has been, a. wash-up, the 1 result (the secretary reports) being, 2040z- 9dwt of gold. Already the run of boxes has been dismantled, the spare plant removed, a division wall nearly com--pleted", a- nozzle line for a drainage sluicing pump put in, and sluicing will probably be resumed on the' 16th .inst. The weather fa warm,, the temperature averaging, nearly, 82deg in the shade for the week; conuequianrly the water supply 'has been decreasing. Water at- No. 2 also is getting scarce, and on Thursday sluicing, "had to be suspended. It is expected that the, dam will b& again filled by the 14th. The ground, continues very stony, and firm. Taking advantage- of the shortages of water, a protection wall was built along the creek, and. the boxes were extended. At the- Lion, race some leakage, was discovered at the intake, and steps axe being taken to remedy this. Already the leakage- has been reduced by three heads. Twenty-two heads were in. the race at the intake when the manager of No. 3 reported, but owing to evaporation and" leaks' only 14 heads were reaching No. 3 claim. Some of this had to be- spared for No. 1, and sluicing will probably be resumed at No. 3' on Wednesday. The Urewera country, on which prospectors- have for many years been casting anxious eyes, will shortly be thrown open for prospecting. Section 7of the Maori Land Claims Adjustment and Law 3 Amendment ! Act, passed- last session, provides that" " the 1 Urewera- District Native Reserve, as- defined '■ by, 'The TTrewera I>iatrict Native Reserves 1 Act, 1896/ and its amendments, shall be t deemed to be a Native- reserve within the i meaning of section 24 of 'The Mining Act, 1905,' notwithstanding that auch reserve is ' not situate within a mining district." Begu- * lations will be. drawn up for prospecting this -area of the North" Island early this year. The total value of minerals raised in Tas- ! mania during 1907 is estimated — the figures ' foe the- last - quarter approximately — at i£2;361,375. Of the individual metals, blistercopper ranks first in importance. The output of this metal reached 8084, tons, and the value, when allowance had. been made for the gold* contents, was £906,620. Silver l«ad ore stands next in. order, with a yield of 90,966 tons, valued at £570,101. Tin is the next largest contributor to the total. The "quantity of thiß metal won was 4068- tons, of which vthe. value is set down at' £509,2201 The figures relating to other metals are, > briefly — Gold. 64,5650z (including gold in blister copper and silver lead Bullion), value £'274,W0; copper ore, 1046 tons, £48,02&; iion or*, 2600 tons, £1000; coal, 57,660 tons, £48,916; wolfram, 24 tons, £3223; bismuth, 2cwt, £15. Of the 7598 miners employed, 860 were engaged in gold, 1850 in tin, 160 in coal, and *628> m> silver-lead mines. The dividends paid during the year reach a total of £587,650. Here, again, copper heads the' list with £330,000; tin is next with £170,731-, then comes silver with £86,919. No dividend» were derived from gold 'mines. January 16. The Mount Lyell Mining Company, has consigned' 2157 tons of blister copper, for the current half year. Mr Edward Trythall, secretary of the Criffel Lead Sluicing Company (Ltd.), reports the receipt of a- telegram, daied the, 14th inst., from the manager (Mi A. C. Buckland) , as follows: — "Am working steadily on nice face of wash, expecting much better results." The Eiae and Shine No. 1 dredge workedBft ahead last week. The cut was 400 f- wide and from 42ft to 48ft deep. The west sidewas not so- good as it had been; but the east gave a fair prospect, with indications of an improvement. The Lady Boxburgh dredgemaster Teports: "Resumed! dredging Tuesday afternoon, 7th inst. River' in very good condition; bottom, reached on Wednesday on east side. with. prospects of very fine gold. The bottom is very changeable — shisfr, granite, and clay,— and dips quickly towards midstream; depth at present 40ft; at date of writing have face opened out about one chain." The manager of the. Branch Oreek Sluicing Company reports that the water has been brought through from the head of race as far as the second syphon, and that all the fluming is now finished. There ba» been considerable delay occasioned by the difficulty of getting sods owing to the drynesß of the season. The plant ia arriving on the ground slowly owing to the 'holidays' and the lon^ distance to cart— some 60 miles. It is expected! that, this will be away from the con"ijraotcrs during the next few days, and that sluicing will commence some time during next, month. The manager (Mr Butler) of tho Gold King Dredging Company, reports, under date 11th inst., that he had a fairly steady run far the week. The^ ground has been- partly worked, but there i& solid! ground, on both sides of tie cut. "The ground on the west side of the present cut," he adds, '" is hard and full of big stones, whioh causes ua to break a lot of links. I shall now open out towards "the west side, and leave the worked ground." " " January 17. The Waikaia dredgemaster reports a return of 50oz 4dwt agvthe result of 132 hours ' working in the east and west sections; The Masterton return is 670z 2dwt for 193 The Koputai wash-up was for 71oz 2dwt for 71' hours. Hessey's dredge- obtained 550z 6dwt for 170 hours. " , -„ The Mystery Flat dredgemastar reports the substantial return of 104oz 7dwt for 193 hours. January _ 18. < As the river continues to fall steadily it is hoped- that the First Chance dredge will resume work on , tfce, beach portion of tho claim at an early date. - Pink end. patty, on ■tn*. Manu3i«rikia, aro obtaining fair returns on the west side of the river. The OlTig dredge is short of water, ana is not working full time. Prospecrts show some improvemient. We understand that if the present dry weather continues th& dredgei will probably have to dose down for a short period. A miner named Robert Syraas has been twotrkirig a quartz reef on the old Exhibition site at Bald Hill Flat, and getting out eplendid-ksoking stone. Ha reports thai, a.

January 17.

recent crushing yielded good returns, and | thart the stone at present taken oitt is expected to produce an even better yield. Tbe Perseverance Company is engaged dis- ' mantling all the machinery not required for the new apparatus. The dredges will in future be worked upon the pumping system, and all thai" wrll be necessary for working the dredge will ba an engine ar.d boiler and the winches. Mr Duncan Livingston has been appointed master of the Golden Beach dredge, vice , jlir Anderson (resigned). I Sine® its opening at the beginning of 1906, the Waikaia field has "indeed progressed wonderfully. This week seven of the dredges operating on th« field obtained an aggregate return of 3850z 15dtvt, or an average return of 550z per dredge for the week. The yield is particularly satisfactory when it is taken into consideration that most, of the dredges have had trouble with, silt and other evils consequent, upon closing down for tbe Cbsristinats and New Year holidays. Indications certainly point to a very successful year fox the dredges in this area. The Kura dredge, which obtained 220z lOdwt for 212 'hours, was srtopped yesterday tv enable repairs, renewals, etc., in connectiorfc. with the top tumbler and bcdler to be carried out. The Lady- Roxburgh dredger, obtained her return of 3Ek>z after eight days and a-half opening out. The Alexandra Eureka is art present _on a good run of wash, and another goad return is -expected' this week. The ground where the dredge is now working is covered with several feet of failings, and was< supposed to have- been worked out a few years back. / With no snow on the hills and 1 the river 'falling rapidly,- the gorge fleet should soon j be able to resume dredging, and the coming season gives every promise of being- even mare> successful than' last year. Ther directors of the Mystery Flat Company have declared a dividend (the twentysixth) of 2a per share, payable- on Monday. The Chicago Gold' Dredging Company paid 4s in dividends last year, the total amount distributed among, shareholders being £995. Th© work of shifting the Loch Lomond j dredge (on the Fraser River) down stream has not yet been commenced. Mr M'Grath. of West Africa, last week inspected the oscillating' box on the Rising: Sun dredge. Mr M'Grath highly approved of the invention, and started, that it would ba the very thing for the extremely fine gold in Africa. Messrs W. Churstain and B. Lucy, both o£ Alexandra, left at the beginning of the week for West Africa, where they have, been' engaged as winohmen for tHe Offin River. Gold , Estates Company. Mr T. M'Mato, formerly, of. Alexandra, is manager for the company, and paid a visit to the ""Alexandra district last week. January 20. _ The Waikaka Company's dredges put in short time owing to boiler inspection. The mastarr of the Blackwater River dredga wires that the wash-Tip was 'postponed on i acocunt of repairs- to the sreen path. - The Rise and Shine No. 2 dredge resumed work on * Tuesday- riigiht; and was engaged all th-e. week in cleaning out the paddock. TEere was no wash-up. - The master of the RiLey's Revival dredge in wiring his", return, says: "Stiff wash, showing good prospects." The Chicago dredgemiaister wires : " 20oz lid wf for 131 hours on wash.; baling paddock last week." The. New Roxburgh Jubilee master wires that the 87oz of. amalgam reported last week ■resulted in a return of 38oz of gold, which, with the Boz 3dwt 21gr, makes a return of 460z 3diwt 21gr for that week. This wee&s return is 490z 14d'wt. The dredge is now working on solid ground," with improving prospects. The Alexandra- Eureka dredge 1 has again com© away with a very large return — 1250e-. he dredge is- now working an area of ground acquired from the Golden Beach Company in exchange- for a channel. The Paotolua dredgea still continti* with large returns, the combined yield this week being 1390z 18dwt. v The- Punt dredgemastex advises: — " Pros- , peots improving." Some time ago Messrs Sains bury and party made application, to Government for a subsidy, through the Lake County Miner's Association, towards prospecting ground in the Upper Shotover. A favourable reply was tcoeived from the Mines Department, but the matter had to atamd over pending rho inspection of the property by Mr Green (Inspector of Mines). Mr Green passed through Arrowtown on- Monday and informed Mr Simmonds (secretary of the association} that ho had visited the* locality, and would recommend the granting of the subsidy. He also promised to inspect early the claim of Mr E. Hayes, Cardrona. Mr Hayes is also making application, through the association for a subsidy. " January 21. The river height on Monday morning was 7ft sin above the normal mark at Alexandra. The weather was warm. A Gore telegram gives the Waikaka Queen return ats 340z Bdwfc for 110 hinirs. The No Town Creek Secretary report* a' return of iSoz' for 127 hours-. During -fijie four weeks tending Decembar 28, 2100 tons of ore were crushed by the Komata- Reefs for JE3317. This brings the total output to date- to £273,176. In. many parts of Ofcago attempts have been made to form prospecting associations, but with little success. At a- public meeting in Ballarat; held to oomsideir the prospecting question, a company of 60,000 shares of Is was formed to prospect the B&lLarat North district. The- new regulations under " The Mining Act, 1905," have now been gaaettedv in accordance, with the recommendations of the Goldfieids Committee last session. The rent on mineral, leases, instead, of being 2a 6d per acre for the first two years, and 5s per acre for tha remainder of vk& term, is now 2s 6d an aero for the whole of the term. The, 1 labour conditions are- also amended. Search fees are reduced from/ Is each search to Is for the first six searches, and 6d~ each additional one. Fees, for timber-splitting are redjuced from £3 each to 3s per acre, with a minimum of £1, and 5s an acre, with a rnininram of £2. Provision is mads for local bodies giving subsidies out of their funds towards prospecting- deep rents. The Minister of Minea may also, grant a subsidy of £2 for £L on moneys expended 'by a local authority m prospecting. Tbe subsidy to prospectors is increased from 10s a week to 20s, and the subsidy for prospecting drives front 8a 6d a foot to 5e a foot. A reward: for, the discovery of a new goidfLeld will he> payable if 10 men ore employed instead of 50. Gold buyers do not now require to advertise applications for renewals of licenses.