0.—3

32

EXPENDITURE ON SCHOOLS. The following table shows the expenditure by the Government on Schools of Mines since their inauguration, exclusive of subsidies paid to the University of Otago towards the School of Mines in connection with that institution:—

There has also been given towards the School of Mines attached to the Otago University £3,750, which makes the total expenditure on schools £15,589 lis. lOd. up to the end of March last. The expenditure extends over a period of eight years, which gives an average of £1,948 14s. per annum : but by far the greatest annual expenditure was incurred during the first three years of their inauguration; the total expenditure last year being only £1,232 4s. 4d. The colony is only now beginning to reap the benefit of this technical training of the miners. As stated previously, some of the millmen and managers of mines in the North Island are forced to admit that, in order to know whether a fair percentage of the bullion from the ore is extracted or not, regular and systematic assays will have to be made ; and this is now being done, with a result which shows that about 50 per cent, of the value of the bullion is entirely lost, which means that different appliances for saving it will have to be adopted, and lodes containing lower grade ore that have hitherto not been worked at a profit made to give fair returns for the capital expended in opening them out and carrying on mining operations.

WATEB-BACES. Waimea-Kumaea Watee-Bace, Consteuction. An extension of the Waimea Water-race has been constructed from the lower end of the pipeline to the middle branch of the Waimea Creek. This extension crosses Stoney, Akaroa, and Duffer's Creeks, where mining is still going on. In constructing the ditch around the sideling of the range, gold was iound in the drift gravel, and this led to parties taking up claims and prospecting the ground in the neighbourhood. This branch of the water-race is 4ft. 6in. wide in the bottom, 3ft. Sin. deep, with a batter of lin4 on the sides, and constructed on a gradient of Bft. per mile. This gives the race a carrying-capacity of about 26 sluice-heads. This extension will command all the ground in the valley of the middle branch of the Waimea Creek, where there is a likelihood of a good deal of new ground being opened. The length of this extension is 2 miles 10 chains, and the expenditure on the work up to the end of March last was £1,547 ss. sd. An extension of the Kumara Water-race Branch along the Kapitea Hill has been surveyed for a further distance of about 40 chains, and its construction is now in progress. This extension was required to supply water to parties having claims at the lower end of the flat. The ground on the upper end at Larrikin's is gradually getting washed away towards the range, and will in a few years be worked out. The expenditure on this work to the end of March last was £723 14s. 6d. The Kawhaka Supply-race was also widened last year, at a cost of £65 10s. 4d. Waimea Watee-eace. There was not a large expenditure incurred in keeping this water-race in repair last year. The fluming at the upper end is the only troublesome portion. A small portion of the boxing had to be replaced, as it broke down, but very little had to be done to the under-structure. The manager was, at the time of my visit, preparing to renew a good many of the trestle-legs during the Christmas holidays. The upper portion of this water-race—namely, that above the pipe-line, was constructed with very little fall—4ft. to the mile—and as there are two pieces of fluming in this portion, each about half-a-mile in length, it requires large boxing to carry the water, and necessitates the understructure always being carefully looked after to prevent a breakdown taking place, as the most of the original trestles, with the exception of those constructed of rata and kawhaka, are pretty well decayed. The heart of red-pine is now being used as trestle-legs, and some of them have been in for eight years, and show no sign of decay. The flumes between the end of the pipe-line and Stafford are in very fair repair, and have not required much attention during last year. The quantity of water required for supplying the miners at Waimea and Stafford from this water-race does not exceed 14 sluice-heads. The following statement will show the result of the working of this waterrace for the year ending the 31st March last:—

Financial Years. Subsidies towards the Erection of Schools of Mines, and Maintenance. Chemicals and Apparatus, also Mineralogical Specimens supplied to Schools of Mines. Salaries of Teachers, Total Sums paid and Travelling by the DepartExpenses, &o? ™ nt ow f A d J. the Schools of Mines. 1885-86 1886-87 1887-88 1888-89 1889-90 1890-91 1891-92 1892-93 £ s. d. 257 16 6 253 15 9 42 10 0 142 2 0 217 6 6 181 14 0 312 3 4 £ s. d. 36 19 9 409 1 4 253 14 1 6 12 9 181 14 10 54 8 0 £ 1,223 2,716 1,714 1,139 716 620 689 670 s. d. 9 10 9 3 9 6 4 1 3 10 9 9 5 9 1 0 £ s. d. 1,260 9 7 3,383 7 1 2,221 19 4 1,188 6 10 1,040 0 8 892 4 3 870 19 9 982 4 4 Totals... 1,407 8 1 942 10 9 9,489 13 0 11,839 11 10