53

C—3

General Bemarks. The Hauraki Mine has still continued the chief gold-producer in this district, although there has been a considerable falling-off in the yield of gold. It will, however, be some time before the lower levels in this mine, the Kapanga, Success, Scotty's, Tokatea, and other mines can be opened up in such a manner as to produce continuous yields, and unless other rich shoots of ore are met with in the meantime an immediate increase cannot be looked for in this quarter. In the Kuaotunu district, at the Kapai-Vermont, Try Fluke (now Mariposa), and Great Mercury Mines, more attention has ■ been given to mine-development than making the most with the present machinery of the ore immediately in sight. As those mines are now held by English owners, whose policy is to explore the mines thoroughly, and erect suitable plants for treating large quantities of ore, no great addition to the returns can be expected from Kuaotunu until after the new machinery is in operation. During the year 18,748 tons 5 cwt. 481b. of quartz was treated in Coromandel County, for a yield of 35,846 oz. 10 dwt. of gold, and 100 tons of tailings treated by cyanide yielded 40 oz. ; the whole valued at £100,911 os. lOd.; whilst 1,329 men were employed in connection with the mines. Thames District. The Thames portion of the Hauraki district lies to the southward of Coromandel, and the country is of an extremely rugged and broken character. A large number of mining properties are situate within this district, including the Thames-Hauraki Goldfields (Limited) Deep Levels Drainage-shaft, the famous Caledonian, Moanataiari, Prince Imperial, Waiotahi, and other wellknown mines, which are within the boundaries of the Thames Borough. The development of the mining industry in this portion of the Hauraki district is exemplified by the following list of mining properties taken up : —

Abstract of Licenses for Special Claims and Licensed Holdings issued from the Warden's Office at Thames, in the Hauraki Mining District, and registered on or before the 31st March, 1897, in the Books of the Mining Registrar at Thames.

Date of License. Area. Locality. Block. Survey District. Name of Claim. Name of Eegistered Owner. 23/7/96 A. R. P. 100 0 0 Tairua ( IX. 1 „ IV, V. II. IX. II. VIII., XII. f I., II. (XIV., XV. XII. IV. Thames ) Tairua J Thames .. Ace William S. Styak. The Adelaide Gold-mining Co. (N.L.). Simon Fraser. Finlay McLiver. Ake Ake Gold-mining Go. (N.L.). Henry James Ross. Jl/11/95 J3/12/96 11/3/96 14/12/96 14/12/96 21 3 32 99 0 0 58 2 10 61 3 5 100 0 0 Thames Waiomo Tairua Waiomo Whangamata Tairua Thames .. Tairua Thames ) Hastings j Adelaide Adeline Ajax Ake Ake Alameda J/11/96 100 0 0 Waiomo Alaska James Hickey. JO/3/96 J/2/97 i/4/96 J7/2/96 J5/6/96 J7/2/96 J5/6/96 L3/11/95 J9/10/96 J4/4/96 5/3/96 13 2 37 100 0 0 71 2 18 68 1 0 98 0 0 82 0 3 98 2 7 96 2 0 21 2 0 99 0 24 5 0 0 Tapu Gum Town .. Thames Waiomo Thames Puriri Thames Tairua Puriri Tapu XIV. V. XIII. V. II. XIII. XI. Whitianga Thames .. Hastings .. Thames .. Albert Park Albion .. Alburnia Bast Alma Alpine Amazon Anchor Annie Apakura Argentum R. Kelly, F. Shaw, and F. Duthie. Walter Calloway. The Alburnia East Gold-mining Co. The Seven Reefs Gold-mining Co. Benjamin Henry Bishop. Francis Angus White. Golden Centre Gold-mining Go. Adolph Kohn. William Long. W. J. Nevill. Neil McPheo, Charles Baddeley, James Blair, and Campbell Thompson. Argosy Gold-miniDg Co. (N.L.). Tairua Hastings .. Jl/12/95 J6/2/96 J5/6/96 .4/12/96 S/2/97 J3/12/96 J3/12/96 J3/12/96 L5/2/97 J3/7/96 L9/9/96 .3/8/96 .4/12/96 100 0 0 77 2 0 100 0 0 100 0 0 64 2 0 99 2 22 90 1 8 100 0 0 54 2 0 100 0 0 100 0 0 29 0 0 100 0 0 Waiomo I. Thames .. Argosy .. Argosy Extended .. Arundel Athenian Athens Auraria Aurelia Aztec Band Band of Hope Bankers Bankers Extended Bank of New Zealand Beatrice.. Beehive Bell Rock Bendigo Big Reef Black Watch Bluefire Extended Bohemian Bonanza Bonanza No. 1 Boss Boss Extended .. Brazilian Briton British Tar Broken Hill Tairua Waiomo Puriri Whangamata III. XIV. XIII. . XV. XIV., XV. XI. Tairua Hastings .. Thames .. Tairua Hastings .. Ernest 0. Beale. James Welman. Charles White Cave. George Greenaway. Thomas John Mountain. John Morrison. John Ward. Patrick Ryan and others. Simon Fraser. Henry Edward Cotton. William Grey Nicholls. Tapu Tararu II. Thames .. Whangamata XI. Tairua J3/12/96 .8/2/97 S/12/95 J7/2/96 J4/4/96 J3/12/96 J/2/97 L9/8/96 i/4/96 J2/9/96 L8/5/96 J/11/96 20/8/96 21/11/95 22/9/96 17/1/95 77 2 0 16 1 23 79 3 0 100 0 0 98 3 2 69 1 0 44 1 11 92 2 0 85 3 20 76 0 0 51 1 20 43 0 0 100 0 0 28 0 12 100 0 0 28 0 15 Ohui Tararu Thames Tararu Waiomo Puriri Whangamata Tapu Thames Ohui Waiomo XIV. II. V. I. XV. XIII. XL, XV. XI. IV. Whitianga Thames .. Hastings .. Tairua Hastings .. Thames .. Tairua Hastings .. Herbert Gentles. John Hague Smith. The Bell Rock Gold-mining Co. (N.L.). The Bendigo Gold-mining Co. Arthur Wright. James Coe. Cholwell Dean Pitt. A. M. McMahon. Louis Melhose. George Bigg Withers. Ernest Mansfield. Richard J. Dunn. Albert Cuff. Samuel Stephens. Roderick Ross McGregor. Broken Hill Gold-mining Co. (Ltd.). XV. Tairua Tapu Tairua Waiomo XIV. XI. II. XIV. Tairua Hastings .. Tairua Hastings ..