AUCKLAND FIELDS.

Otago Witness, Issue 2813, 12 February 1908, Page 30

AUCKLAND FIELDS.

AUCKLAND. February 7. During- the 21 days ended January 25 last the Waihi GM. Company crushed and i treated 25 133 tons of ore for a return of bullion valued at £60.241 This shows an increase compared with the corresponding period of last year, when 22.297 tons yie'ded £55,399. The previous return, that for December last, was £64.085, an increase compared with the present return, but resiiltins from a larger tonnage — name'y, 25,967 tons. The January yield, is, as a matter of fact, .\abovo -the- average, working out at the rate of £20,081 per week, or £80.22* per month. The total amount won from the mine to date is £6,546.889, *nd the total dividends, etc.. declared to date amount to £2,926,215During January the New Zealand Crown mines crushed and treated 1646 tons of ore for a return of bullion valued at £2669. This shows a decrease compared with the return for the corresponding period of last year, when 2673 tons yielded £6003. It is also a decrease upon the return for December last, when bullion worth £3691 was won from 1449 tons The tota! amount won from the mine to date is £721 ; 436. Waihi Grand Junc-

tion return for the two weeks ending January 25 is £2571 from 2071 tons. This is a decrease upon the return for the corresponding month of lust year, when 2426 tons yielded £47-29 . The total won from the mine to aatfc is £32,198. GOLD DREDGING IN MALAY. TO THE EDITOB. Sin,— The Witness of October 23, 1907, contained an account of " Gold Dredging in the Siamese Malay States " by Mr G. Lice. Several items in. this letter are rather misleading, perhaps unintentionally so, therefore I venture to correct them. That Mr Lee was <yne time manager of the Round HjII gold mine is quite true. Mr Lee is not manager of the Duff Development Company, as stated in his letter, but merely dredgeniaster of one of the four dredges owned by the company, and he holds no superior position to the managers of the other three. Mr Lee boast 6of having had no stoppages for repairs for a period of one year and nine months. This boast is well known locally ; he admits here, however, having had the average amount of stoppages owing to renewals. Tliis is certainly an attempt by Mr Lee to create a false impression in favour of himself at the expense of the other managers of this company, who ha-\e had iengthv stoppages owing to bad workmanship in the construction of the dredges, and who had to work their dredges under more severe conditions than Mr Lee's. The juggling with the words "repairs" and " renewals " by Mr Lee certainly deserves condemnation. Mr Lee's dredge never worked on ground that contained many big boulders, but always in ideal dredging ground, never subjecting the ■dredge to severe strains. Mr Leo's account of how he built the dredge of which he is in charge is also calculated to give outsiders an exaggerated idea of his ability ! and his position in this company. This dredge in question was designed and built by Mr 0. Inder, vscll known in New Zealand. Ite wooden pontoons did not answer, and steel pontoons were decided upon. Mr Lee, however, removed the machinery from one to the other. The steel pontoons were built in Singapore by Chinese fitters and boilermakers. They were shipped here in sections. These were marked in Chinese characters, reassembled by Chinese fitters, aJid riveted by Chinese riveters, all of whom helped to build the pontoons at Singapore, and it must be clear that Mr Lee assumed rather much when he stated that he built the dredge in question. It would certainly have added greatly to the interest of his communication to the Minister of Mines had Mr Lee explained to him in what manner the new steel pontoons were responsible for the uninterrupted dredging time later on, as his letter seemed to imply. In New Zealand dredges with wooden pontoons put in very good dredging time, and in very rare instances have the undersigned heard of the pontoons beinsr the cause of the stoppages. It is plain Mr Lee suffers from an exaggerated notion of his own ability, otherwise he would not presume to advi-=o publicly other dredging companies in different parts of the world what kind of machinery to obtain for their respective dredges, as local conditions in every instance govern the selection of the type of dredge and kind of -machinery thereon, quite irrespective of Mr Lee's irresponsible advice. One pleasing feature in Mr Lee'e letter is the loyalty he displays in advocating New Zealand-built machinery.— We are, etc., Two N.Z. Dredgemen on the Kelantan River. THE RATING OF MINING PROPERTY IN WAIKEMO. TO THE EDITOR. Sir. — With your permission I should like to bring before the public the way that the mining industry in this district ij looked upon by some of the members of the Waihemo County Council. Last year the council discovered that it could rate mining property under the Gold Duty Abolition and Mining Property Rating Act, and accordingly had the mining property in . this district valued. Some of the valuations have been objected to, and the objections were held, before the warden, as assessor, who reduced the valuations by threefourths. The council is now anxious to make up for this reduction by raising the rate to 3d in the pound, while the general rate has been struck at Jd. If this rJding were in need of extra money for_ roading there would be some excuse for raising the rate. But the facts are that we have a large credit Balance as compared to debit of nearly all the other ridings, which are | benefiting by having their overdraft rei duoed considerably by our credit with the ' bank, so that the action of the council cannot be for the object of getting money for roads, and one can come to no other conclusion than that the position taken up is caused through enmity to the mining industry, which the council is trying its* best to crush out of existence. The council receives as gold revenue all fees for miners' rights and rents of claims, and with the duty now placed on mining machinery the mines have more than enough taxation to carry. The Waihemo Council has had two solicitors' opinions on the question whether it can strike a greater rate on mining property than the general rate now struck, and it is getting further legal advice on the subject. It is a scandal that the ratepayers' money should be squandered in such a manner. Ag an old miner and an old member of the Waihemo County Council, I can safely say that the mining industry in this district has never reecived anything like fair treatment at the hands of the council. Our two members are very capable representatives and are doing their very best for the industry, but unfortunately they are in the minority. The Government recognise the importance of the industry, and is doing its best in its interests by providing grants for roads, etc.. and it is a shame it 3 good intentions should be nullified by the actions of the Waihemo County Council, the majority of whose members are representatives of agricultural interests in the low country and have no sympathy with mining, and instead of encouraging the mining industry are trying to crush it out of existence. — I am, efe.. ' W. E. Griffin. Macraes Flat, February 3.