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for the prospector, and should be one of the first considerations of the local bodies having control of the goldfields revenue. I have, &c, Geo. Wilson, Inspector of Mines. The Under-Secretary, Mines Department, Wellington.

Return of Quartz crushed and Gold obtained in the Te Aroha and Ohinemuri Districts, for the Year ended 31st March, 1888.

MAELBOEOUGH GOLDFIELDS. . . .. No. 5. Mr. Warden Allen to the Undee-Secbetaey of Mines. Sir,— Blenheim, 30th April, 1888. I have the honour to report as follows re the Goldfields under my charge. Queen Charlotte Sound District. —A company has been formed to work the claims orginally held by the Eavenscliff Company. As they have scarcely commenced work, there is nothing to report. Pelorus and Wairau District. —My report of last year will unfortunately answer for this year ; very little doing, nothing worthy of report. One or two companies have been formed for working river claims. Ido not think there is any decrease in population of this goldfield. My returns have been forwarded to you as usual. I have, &c, The Under Secretary, Mines Department, Wellington. J. Allen, Warden.

NELSON GOLDFIELDS. No. 6. Mr. Warden Gibbs to the Undek-Secbetaby of Mines. Sic, — Warden's Office, Oollingwood, 4th April, 1888. I have the honour herewith to transmit the usual returns for the Collingwood and Takaka portion of the Karamea Mining District for the year ending 31st March, 1888. I have also to report that there is little alteration in the actual state of mining matters since my last report. The old localities still support a fair number of miners, who are, in most cases making fair wages. There is little or no increase in the number of claim-holders, but some little increase in the number of those working for wages, consequent on the active prosecution of the preliminary works of the Red Hill Gold-mining Company, such as the construction of a capacious water-race and fluming some four miles long, constructed to carry some ten or twelve heads of water; the erection of an extensive plant for crushing and extracting the gold from the stone, which, it is said, will save a much larger proportion of gold than any other process previously in use. During the last two months some little activity has been shown in the pegging-out and application for licensed holdings for quartz claims and a small alluvial rush to the quartz-ranges. Of the value of these I cannot at present venture to report further than that the prospects are said to be very good. In the Takaka there is a small increase in the number of men employed in gold-mining, chiefly by reason of unemployed mill-hands and small settlers taking to that employment temporarily. The road works, to which I referred to in my last report as likely to open up new mining country, not having been completed, such localities are still inaccessible. Minerals other than Gold and Silver. —Out of the many hundred acres held under mineral leases in this district none have been either worked or prospected during the last year. Coals. —The above remarks apply also to the large blocks held under coal leases. With the exception of the old mine, known as the Wallsend, none have been worked, and with one exception

Sub-district. Quartz. Tailings treated. Gold. [arangahake Iwharoa 'e Aroha Vaihi Vaitekauri ... Tons cwt, lb. 622 17 0 193 10 0 5,722 0 0 1,284 0 0 1,065 0 12 Tons cwt. lb. 18 0 0 14 0 0 1,444 0 0 130 0 0 61 0 0 Oz. dwfc. gr. 1,628 8 0 427 19 0 2,917 16 0 883 16 0 465 11 0 7,887 7 12 1,667 0 0 6,323 10 0