a—3

90

the whole of the mines in the colony, and Mr. Stanford, the manager, deserves credit for capable manner in which the work of construction has been carried out. The first question to be decided was whether a shaft or an adit would be the most econon method of working the mine. Of the two, the method adopted seems to me to be the r preferable. It must be borne in mind that this mine is considerably over 2,000 ft. above the lev< the sea, and, at that height, is subject to a great deal of frost and snow in the winter mon which renders it almost impassable for any wheel-traffic on surface roads to be carried on for at two months in the year, and consequently blocks all means of transit of quartz or material betw the crushing-battery and. the mine. By the method at present adopted the mouth of the low-level adit is no great distance f the crushing-battery, but it will not give many feet of backs on the lode to the old workings, shaft will have to be sunk inside this adit-level; but this can be done equally as well as sinkir from the surface, while winding and pumping machinery can be erected in a chamber alongside shaft, and men can work here in all weathers. The contract price for the construction of this adit is £1 6s. 6d. per foot. Already several yi and two leaders have been cut, one of which is said to have an assay-value of 7dwt. per ton. U such time as this adit is completed, and a lode cut at a greater depth, nothing can be said \ regard to the future paying possibilities of this mine. The Premier Mine. —This mine has been worked continuously for many years, but the reti from the same left no margin for profit. Indeed, it may be said that it barely paid expenses; 1 considering the system formerly adopted for working it, this result was not to be wondered at. ' company was in financial difficulties, and had to resort to many makeshifts in order to be ( to continue mining operations. Some three years ago the Premier Company put this mine in the hands of Mr. Farrell to f on the English market, who arranged with the Glenrock Company to take up both the Premier Tipperary Mines, giving them four-sevenths of the whole properties for the sum of £12,000. ' Glenrock Company afterwards advanced £5,000 on mortgage to complete necessary works open up the- mines in a proper manner. This, however, proved insufficient, and they got into furl financial difficulties with their creditors, and were also owing a considerable amount to the i working in the mine. The creditors brought an action against the company, and, judgment being obtained, a ba was put into possession of the property, and on the 12th of February of the present year a sal the mines took place. The Premier Mine was the first offered, and was knocked down to Farrell for £1,550; but as the purchaser tendered a cheque which was not marked by the ban was declined, and finally Mr. W. Turton, solicitor for the Glenrock Company, became the purchs for the sum of £1,100. The remaining properties of the company were also purchased by the G rock Company, who are now the sole owners. For some time previous to the sale, operations in mines had been suspended, and have not yet been resumed. An expert has been employed by Glenrock Company to examine and report on their properties. The following are extracts from the reports on these mines, supplied to the directors by '. G. F. Hoskings, who was employed to examine the same. In regard to the Premier: — " The No. 1 reef runs easterly and westerly, and underlies towards the south at an angle of fi 55° to 85°. Nos. 2, 3, and 4 reefs are more irregular in their bearing and underlies, sometimes lj over almost fiat, when they fall into or drop out of the No. 1 reef, but, withal, maintaining tl parallelism with No. 1 reef. The reefs are similar in construction, and are chiefly composed c bluish-grey to nearly white hard to a friable quartz, of a heavy, laminated character, with pate in the deeper levels freely interspersed with arsenical and iron pyrites, changing to red oxide of i near the outcrop. " As this system of reefs divides the country-rock at a large angle, it is the highest presump evidence that the reefs are of a permanent character, and that they will live at a very great de] This principle, which is admitted by most mining engineers, is strengthened by the fact that No. 1 reef has been opened on and worked from the outcrop to the bottom of the No. 3 shaf distance of about 1,550 ft., throughout the whole of this distance maintaining its individuality getting stronger and wider in depth, and is now visible in the back of the stopes at the bottom of level of No. 3 shaft, Bft. wide, and carrying a gold value of £30 per fathom. This stope be excavated for £2 per fathom, and, with good facilities for removing the ore to the batti should pay well. " Stoping was being done in the bottom of the lower-level adit, east of No. 3 shaft, to a de of about Bft. below the level; and there the reef varies from 2ft. to Bft. wide, about 2ft. of whicl carrying gold, and at present milling 1-Joz. to the ton. ... A drive at the bottom of the Ni shaft is driven east about 22ft. The lode in the end is about 2ft. wide, and is not of a pror ing appearance, only carrying traces of gold. ... So far as is now known, all the payable above the low-level adit has been taken out and milled ; but, with a better system of mining tha: at present carried on here, quartz of a low grade could be made to pay dividends, whilst to win quartz from here is, under the present system, to lose money. " In order to do this [open out the mine] with speed and economy it would be neeessar begin with a new mode of development, instead of operations in sinking winzes in the bottom of level, and from these winzes driving and stoping where all the debris and ore have to be taken and hauled by hand or whip out of the winzes. An incline-shaft should be sunk at the pre angle, and far enough below to insure safety to the shaft, and of sufficient dimensions to admit < double line of tramway, and for a footway. The reef could then be pierced by drifts and rises, i stoped away in the cheapest manner. "For this purpose winding machinery must be provided and erected in position. As fue expensive, it will be necessary to consider the erection of an electric plant, with an auxiliary pi able steam-engine, to be used when the water-power is frozen up, which is for about twelve we