127

o.—B

At the Barrytown Flat Gold-mining Company's mine extensive development works are being carried out. The manager, Mr. W. White, reports as follows: "This company, which has only recently been formed, has a 192-acre claim on Barrytown Flat. They have a right to thirty heads of water out of Baker's Creek, and a race is to be constructed for a distance of 142 chains to convey the water to the penstock at the head of the pipe-line, which is 600 ft. above the level of the ground we intend to start operations on. The greatest depth that has been reached in the claim is 20 ft., the flat being at too low a level to work deeper by the ground-sluicing system. Messrs. A. and T. Burt, of Dunedin, are supplying the plant, but none of it has arrived yet, and it will be some months before we commence elevating. The main line will be 22 in. and 18 in. pipes, and we will have branch lines of 11 in., 9 in., and 7 in. pipes. Our uptake pipes are to be 15 in., with a 7 in. throat. Ido not know what distance we will have to elevate the dirt, as the depth of the ground is not known. If we find it necessary we will sink to a depth of about 60 ft. with our first elevator, and if we do not then reach the main bottom I will, after opening out a large paddock, put in another elevator and sink deeper. The drift is a sea formation. The surface gold is very fine, and there is a great quantity of black sand with it." On the Barrytown Flat and along the beaches and flats to Razorback in a northerly direction, and to the Ten-mile Creek to the southward, about sixty miners are employed in sluicing, whilst along the terraces in the same district upwards of seventy miners are engaged in sluicing. The returns from those claims cannot be obtained. It is, however, understood that sufficient gold is recovered by the miners to give a fair average rate of wages per man. Grey Valley. Soaring Meg Alluvial Mine, Sluicing and Water-race (Area, 30 acres). —This mine is the property of the Roaring Meg Water-race and Gold-mining Company, and Mr. G. Perotti, the manager and one of the owners, supplies the following particulars : "The water-race is about two miles long, 2,000 ft. above the sea-level, supplies thirty heads of water, and has 900 ft. of pressure to the tail-race. The present ditch is only 600 vertical feet above the tail-race, but if required another ditch can be cut 300 ft. higher. It is, perhaps, the largest natural power developed in New Zealand. The alluvial face is 45 ft. high on an average, and yields about Is. 4-J-d. per cubic yard. Upon such yield the ground should pay splendidly, but so far the company has been unable to obtain profits. Three years and £6,000 have been spent in bringing the water-race in, making two tail-races (one of which is very long), and preparing the ground for extensive operations. The reason the company is unable to make it pay is because the wash consists almost of seven-eighths of stones ranging in weight from 300 lb. to 40 tons. The water has only been used for one hour out of every eight, the other seven hours are all spent in the terribly laborious work of blasting stones and carrying them away in trucks. The owners are aware that nothing but big mechanical power can turn this into a payable venture. Further capital is required to equip this claim efficiently, and the owners are now trying to arrange for this. It will be necessary to obtain 3,000 ft. of strong piping in order to utilise the pressure ; two five-ton cranes to lift the stones and heap them in the back ground, and an electric-light installation in order to enable the water to be utilised for the whole twenty-four hours of every day. It is intended to open a face 200 ft. wide, divided for two hydraulic nozzles, so that the water will have the power of playing alternately on half of the width of the face whilst the cranes do their work with the stones on the other half. When these improvements are effected no doubt the mine with prove remunerative for years to come ; but, as in most instances of gold-mining, the fact is again illustrated here that the industry is becoming most difficult and expensive, and that large outlay is required before attaining a payable development." Moonlight. —The population of this district, which includes Healey's Gully, has also increased. Along the slope of the Paparoa Mountains, from the head of Moonlight to Blackball, a large area of alluvial ground is known to exist, but the difficulty of obtaining a supply of water at a sufficiently high level to command the ground is a great drawback. At Healey's Gully the Republic Company hold a special claim of 35 acres, and has brought in a race capable of carrying forty heads of water. The prospects of this claim appear favourable, but it is not yet sufficiently developed to enable authoritative opinion to be given. About forty men are employed on the field. Granville, Duffer's, and Noble's Greeks. —There have been no new finds during the past twelve months, and the mining population remains stationary. Judging from appearances the miners seem contented and satisfied with their earnings. Some are engaged tunnelling and others sluicing. Orwell Creek. —Here also the population remains about the same, most of the miners being engaged tunnelling. The scarcity of water precludes sluicing to any extent, although it is well known that large areas of payable ground exist. Arahura District. Work has still been carried on in Boy's Claim, but, on account of having lost the face about ten months ago, very little gravel has been washed, the returns not having paid expenses. Dwyer and party are engaged in putting in a drainage-tunnel, and are receiving Government subsidy. The most important mining properties in this district were taken over, and are now worked, by the Consolidated Goldfields of New Zealand. Humphrey's Hydraulic-sluicing Company (Limited). —As much of the ground held by this company as could be investigated since its acquisition has been carefully sampled, and what water was available has, in the hands of the tributers, been used to check data obtained in other ways. The results so far obtained have shown the gravels found on the two slopes and the various