MOANATAIARI GOLD MINING COMPANY.

Thames Advertiser, Volume VII, Issue 1835, 9 June 1874, Page 3

MOANATAIARI GOLD MINING COMPANY.

At the sixth annual meeting of the Moanataiari Gold Mining Company held in the largo room of the New Zealand Insurance Company, Auckland, the following exhaustive report of tlio mine manager was submitted to the shareholders:-

MoiNAiiUM Mihe, May, 1874.—The Directors.— 'Jentlemen,— I do myself the honour to submit the folio »ing report of the operations in couuection with the battery for tbe past year, and have to express ray very deep .regret that they hive not been attended with better results. On takiog charge of the mine in the beginuing of June, 1873, I found the various stop;s then being worked producing stone of low value, the produce for the fortnight previous beiDg 710z9 gold from 2/0 tons. There were were several blocks of ground, however, but partially opened up, and it was .'thought that some of these would probably yield good stone. This was especially so in reference to a ' block of ground on the old Hobson Park leader, which had yielded some splendid returns for the ' first four weeks of the year, and' it was hoped' that the run of gold would have continued ■ down to the battery level, but this did not prove ti be the case; anj the block after it was opened, yielded but >vary poorly, and this applies to most of the other sections of ground through which we have drives. I wish now to refer to the various works and levels cousecutively, beginning with 'the tvmnel level. At this level we have opened up a block of ground on No. 9, by driving 66 feet and rasing 40 feot. In this block the reef is large, averaging from 10 to* 12 feet, and some good stone was met with in driving, but upon trial of a large lot of quartz from it, the produce was so. low that work upon it has been suspended. The norths west cross-cut has been extended [132 feet to intersect No. 2 afcthislevel. , This has been done at a point where the Pai Mariri and No. 2 leaders junction. The reef is large, and becaiiionally gold is visible in it, but the average product is low at the point where, intersected. The reef lies directly on the main slide, and on cutting through the slide a leader wn found lying under it. This has produced some payable stone, but little work hasten done on it. On No. 2 leader the drive ii being extended seaward, and I have strong hopes that in this direction some good discoveries will ba nude. A rise has also been pub up 40 feet on t the leader, and all'the necessary appliances fixed for the transit of the quartz from the upper levels direct. The drives on aVw. 1 and 3 leaders have been extended 60 feet; an I both these leaders near their j .taction have produced some good stone. There is a large block of ground on these leaders, and I believe they will pay we'l to stope. Nos. 1 and 3 have been followed seawards into a piece of dead ground, where they are hardly traceable. We have driven in this direction for 13) feet, an 1 hwe cross-cut 100 feet, but without being able to trace or find either of the leaders. A rise ki bean put up from tunnel to battey level to facilitate the passage of quutz from all,-the higher levels, which has effected a great saving in its transit, to the battery. On No, 1 leader the drive towards the inairi slide has been'extended 64 feet, and the leider has_ produced some payable stone, hut generally it is poor, and thickly impregnated with.iron pyrites and other base minerals; the stopes above this drive are now producing some very fair stone, but driving has been stopped. I have from the first deemed it to be of primary importance to open the section of ground on the seaward side, below the tunnel level,, and a considerable n'jiount of work has been done in this direction. A maiu shaft has been sunk 70 feet, the size of which is 12 feet by sfoet clear of timber, being wide enough for pumping, winding, and all other purposes. The, shaft is in good ground, and is securely timbered throughout. It is intended to sink it to a depth of 100 feet, and if the main slide continues its present underlie it will be cut in about 70 feet of driving. A winze has been sunk on Heldt's leader for a distance of 70 feet, the leider averaging ten inches in with and carrying a little g )ld all the way d?wn. Another winze has been sunk 50 feet near the junction of the Don Pedro leader and No. 9, directly under the rich, run of gold which has been traced down on the ' main slide all the way from the surfaje. In this winx? we had sime good atone, but being directly N an. the slide the leader is somewhat broken, but I have no doubt that at the next level the run .of gold will again le met with. We have stoped away about 12 feet in height by 50 feet in length from this wiuze below the tunnel level, and have had irom this piece of ground the best returns since my connection with the mine. In the north-west crosscut a winze has been Hunk 60 feet, commencing at a point where Nos 1 and 3 intersect each other. In this 'winno good stone was found, nnd, I believe, ithat when the next level is opened up a good uruu of gold will be found about this winze. 'We have also driven 70 feet on Wallace's leader, ;anel have stoped a small portion of ground below vithe tunnel level. This leader is.small; but 'pays well to work. We have had to widen the vtunuel at the bottom of the old hauliig shaft, \:as it was too small for the passage of the large of qiwte} coining from upper levels

9, aud the drive extended 36 feet beyond it, but it is in unsettled ground, and no reef or leader has been met with.

132-fekt Level —Stoping has been carrifd on in various directions, but especially on Wo. 3. My predecessor was of opinion that fjooJ stone would be found in this section of ground, but the quartz throughout the year has been • poor. The leader has been one mass of inundic, antimony, &c, but no doubt better stone will be met with higher up, near the battery level. The drive on No. 3 at this level has beeu extended seaward for a distance of 197 feet, but for some time the leader has been hardly traceable, and is still in dead ground. Driving here lias been discontinued. Nearly all the drives and passes at this level have hid to be re-opened and re-timbered, as most of them kid gone together. They are now in good order, and most of the stopiog is being done above this, and below the battery level, but the stopes are generally poor. ' 70-Fest Level—A. new level has been opened at 70 feet from the Burface along the main slide for a distance of 295 feet, and the old ground re worked to the surface; several small patches of rich stone were met with, but the quartz is no * exhausted. At this level wo have cut through the main slide, and intersected two leaders which did not show any gold, but little work, however, has been done upon them. Battesy Level —at this level a great deal of driving and stoping has been done, and there are several large blocks of ground yet to be opened, Stoping has been continued on Nos. 1 aud 3 leaders, but the stuff has been generally poor. During the past three weeks, however, there has been an improvement in No. 1, but. this block is now stoped out nearly to the surfaco, and other blocks will have : to be opened. At the surface we have taken out a quantity of quartz from the place previously worked, but it proved to be so poor tha; work was discontinued. Ido not think there is any large quantity of surface quartz rich enough to crush without careful selection. Several trials have been made of quartz from reefs' cropping out on the surface in one ptrt of the ground, but none of them proved payable. During the year, 1,700 feet of new drives hive been opened, and 1,000 feet*of old drives has been re-opened and re-timbered j 235 feet of'new winzes have been sunk; 180 feet of new'rises hive been put up; 70 feet of main shaft sunk, aod 500 feet of old passes have been re-opened and repaired. During the year ending 30th April, B,B63'tons of quartz have been crushed, producing 4,9500z5. 3dwts. 2gre. of melted gold, equal to lldwts. s£§rs. per ton, ■■ The first three months in May, however, produced 1,2740z5. of this quantity, and since that Mine ; the average has been very low. A large poition of the expenditure during the year has been increased in preparing for an output of 1,000 tons of quartz fortnightly, and this can now he done without difficulty. The new battery has been completed, and though it took ■ a much longer time and a larger sum of money than was anticipated, yet the company have now as good a crushing plant as is to be found in the colony. -Tin work has been well done, and works admirably. H present 20 head of stampers, are at w.rk on the>co'Dpany's own stuff, and 2) more let" on hire to.the Old Wh'au Company. I'o enable this company to use the battery, a branch tramway h>s been nude from the Moanataia'i main line to tlie old hauling shaft, and the quirtz is passed through this to the Kuranui Hill Tunnel, and through it to the battery.' t Ddring the year the old bittery has

been taSJen down and the machinery, &c, removed. Notwithstanding the poor results from the mine in the past y.ear, T have not lost confidence in it, but believe that if properly opened

up, it will prove one of the best on the tield. There ii no doubt that several of the old blocks of ground will pay, and there is l even how a considerable change for tho better in many of

the stopes, bub lam of opinio!i that it is to new sections of ground the company must look

for any continuous Urge returns, The opening of the section of groun lon the' seaward' BtJe of the slide should be pushed on with atl possible speed, as there is little doubt but Mat the old runs of gold will be met with, and being so near the slide it will be easily worked. I should also advise thit the cross-cut at the 70feet level bi extende I north-we3t on the sli-le to intersect the eld Hob«)u Park leader. I believe there is a section of ground through which this leader runs yet unworke.l, and there ought to be some gold id that d.rectton. The ssction '■ of ground behind the slide should also be opened and proved. I am, however, decidedly of opinion that the mine ought to be opened up at a sufficient depth to intersect sonn of the flit reefs, and I feel assured that only when this is done will the true wealth of the AlOauataiari'be known. I hope the coming year will h a much more' prosperous one than '■. the ; p )St; and although my connexion with the mine will shortly cease, 18hall;ever fool the, deepest' interest in the welfare of the company, and shall, always be ready to do anything in my power to ■promote its prospetity.r-l am, .&c., ,W. Howe.