23

H.—l7

The following is a return of miner's rights, licenses, and registrations issued during the twelve months, with comparative column showing the increase over the year 1880 : — Westport. Charleston. Lyell. Total, 1881. Total, 1880. Increase, 1881. Miner's Rights .. 228 290 267 785 672 133 Business Licenses, £5 112 4 2 2 £3 10 3 9 22 15 7 Water Licenses, 2s. 6d. 121 217 121 459 245 214 ss. 1 .. 1 1 Registration, 10s. 10 14 1 25 20 5 Is. . 331 1,232 327 1,890 1,614 246 Applications .. 156 454 281 891 567 324 Gold-Mining Leases 4 7 19 30 16 14

The revenue for the twelve months, amounting to £4,394 os. Bd., with a comparative table showing increase over the year 1880: — Westport. Charleston. Lyell. Total. £ s. d. £ s. d. £ s. d. £ s. d. Warden's Department 1,197 7 7 773 910 973 12 3 2,944 9 8 Resident Magistrate's Department 187 19 0 63 0 0 60 2 0 311 1 0 Fees, Licensing Court .. 15 11 0 17 0 0 10 19 0 43 10 0 Spirit licenses 625 0 0 215 0 0 255 0 0 1,095 0 0 Total, 1881 2,025 17 7 1,068 910 1,299 13 3 4,394 0 8 Total for year 1880 1,862 15 2 887 6 4 1,050 14 8 3,800 16 2 Showing an increase of 163 2 5 171 3 6 248 18 7 594 4 6 _~. ~,.r-„„r-T^^i i - 'I

The following is the return of cases disposed of in Resident Magistrate's and Warden's Courts during the year, showing an increase in the civil and Warden's cases as compared with the year 1880:— Civil. Criminal. Warden's. Total. Westport 205 108 15 328 Charleston 45 16 28 ... 89 Lyell .. .. 51 36 28 ... 115 Total, 1881 301 160 71 532 Total for year 1880 246 190 28 464 Showing an increase of 55 43 68

The estimated yield of gold in the district is 23,570 oz.: — Oz. Westport .. 6,600 Charleston .. .. . 6,270 Lyell ... 10,700 Total .. .. .. .. 23,570

No. 8. Mr. Warden Revele to the Undee-Seceetaey for Gold Fields. Sib,— Warden's Office, Reefton, 11th May, 1881. In compliance with your Circular No. 90, of 29th January, 1881, I have now the honor to forward you the returns called for therein, and my report upon this portion of my district during the past twelve months. I have, since the date of my last report, continued to hold fortnightly sittings of the Resident Magistrate's and Warden's Courts here, aud the subjoined tables will show tho business transacted and revenue collected, &c. The cases disposed of in the Resident Magistrate's and Warden's Courts, Reefton, were: Civil, 298 ; criminal, 101 ; Warden's, 23 : total, 422, The revenue collected was as follows : Warden's Department, £1,873 7s. ; Resident Magistrate's Department, £321; fees, Licensing Court, £17 18s.; spirit licenses, £968 10s. : total, £3,180 15s. The following is a return of miners' rights, licenses, and registrations issued during the twelte months: Miners' rights (£1), 367; business licenses (£5), 1 ; ditto (£3), 20; water-race licenses (2s. 6d.), 123 ; ditto (55.), — ; registrations (10s.), 13 ; ditto (Is.), 423 ; lost miners' rights, 3 ; transferred business licenses, 3. Applications : Mining rights, 303 ; gold-mining leases, 20 ; special claims, 4 ; cancellation leases, 5 ; protection leases, 5 ; agricultural leases, —. The population of sub-districts is as follows : —Reefton : European, 963 ; Chinese, 10 : total, 973. Murray Creek : European, 383. Black's Point and Crushington : European, 102. Boatman's, Italian Gully, Due North, Redman's, Landing Creeks, and Cronaden : Europeans, 445 ; Chinese, 100 : total, 545. Maori Gully, Soldier's, Devil's, and Slab Hut Creeks, and Merrigigs : Europeans, 88 ; Chinese, 181: total, 269. Graud total, 2,272,