0.—3

59

Abstract of Licenses for Special Claims and Licensed Holdings issued from the Warden's Office at Ohinemuri — continued.

Maratoto District. hikutaia Gold Syndicate's Mine.— The Hikutaia Gold Syndicate's property is situated on the Arizona and Paiakarahi Creeks, and between the Komata and Maratoto Streams. It comprises six claims, and has a total area of 360 acres 2 roods 20 perches. Mr. G. Gemmings has been in charge over two years, and now has the mine well opened up, as will be seen from the subjoined list of drivages. So far it has been possible to open up the mine with adit-levels, but for deeper levels it is questionable if adits would be profitable, owing to the great length of drivage required before cutting the reef. The cross-cut in to No. 7 level is 575 ft. in length, and is driven through exceedingly hard andesite rock. The drivages in the various levels are as follows :At No. 1, 80 ft., with a 50ft cross-cut; No. 2, 147 it., with a 100 ft. cross-cut; No. 3, 356 ft., with 82ft. cross-cut; No 4 1 200 ft. ; No. 5, 117 ft. ; No. 6, 398 ft. ; No. 7, 1,600 ft. (this is the lowest level at present opened in the mine). The greatest depth below the surface is 425 ft. The total drivage for the past year has been 800 ft. There are three reefs on the property—the Maratoto, Liverpool, and Pay Rock—all of which are gold-bearing. The Maratoto reef, upon which the principal work has been done, averages 10 ft. in width right through the whole of the workings. The casing of the reef is decomposed andesite, while the country-rock is hard blue andesite. The quartz is very white in colour, and is much disintegrated, while portions of the reef appear to be waterworn, and carry large quantities of manganese-dioxide. The quartz throughout the whole of the reef is very friable and easily worked, and can be readily reduced to the size necessary for treatment. A small experimental plant is in course of erection, and will soon be completed. It will have a capacity of 10 tons per day, and the treatment at the outset will be the cyanide process. The object of erecting this plant is to ascertain on a practical working scale the best and cheapest method of treating the large quantity of ore opened up in the mine, and should the results prove satisfactory it is intended that the erection of a plant having a very large capacity will shortly after be undertaken. The cost of the experimental plant will not exceed £2,000. Maratoto Gold-mining Company (Limited).— This mine, comprising an area of 83 acres, is situated about nine miles from Hikutaia. Attention was first drawn to the Maratoto district about thirteen years ago, when a discovery of rich ore was made by the late Mr. Bichard Mcßruin, and eventually the property was purchased by an Australian syndicate, who formed it into a company Development works on a large scale were carried out, and a pan plant, comprising two pans and a settler, erected for the treatment of the ore. During a period of eighteen months about twelve thousand pounds' worth of bullion was extracted by the pan-amalgamation process, and it is considered that not more than 50 per cent, of the bullion value of the ore was redeemed. As the company had neither stone-breaker nor stampers, all the ore dealt with was passed through a screen, and the fine stuff sent to the mill, while the coarse particles were allowed to remain on the different tip-heads, stopes, &c. Here there are now fully 2,000 tons of ore available, and the average assay-value is £2 ss. per ton. The Australian company, having made no provisions for lower developments, exhausted the blocks of rich ore above the existing levels, and ceased mining operations. The property was then sold to Mr. W. Nicholl, who took about eighteen hundred pounds' worth of bullion from the old workings by the pan process m a very short time In the early stage of the late mining boom the mine passed into the hands of Messrs. 9—C. 3.

Date of License. Area. Locality. Block. Survey District. Name of Claim. Name of Registered Owner. 19/11/97 !9/ll/97 19/11/97 19/11/97 !9/ll/97 16/8/97 1/2/98 r/8/97 10/9/88 [7/8/95 A. B. P. 100 0 0 77 1 8 96 2 0 82 0 24 92 0 25 6 2 28 95 0 0 56 0 0 9 2 23 100 0 0 Waihi IV. III. Waihi North Waihi Beaoh No. 4 Waihi Beach No. 5 Waihi Beach No. 6 Waihi Beach No. 8 Waihi Beaoh No. 9 WaihiBeachNo.il Waihi Beach No. 12 Waihi Foreshore .. Waitekauri Waitekauri Cross Charles E. MoCormick. David Sheehan Grey. Arthur Frank Moginie. Ernest B. Dufaur. Sydney Godicutt. John Scarlet. John Rowley Miller Stewart. George Carrick and James W. Shaw. Waitekauri Gold-mining Co. (Ltd.). Waitekauri Cross Gold-mining Co. (Ltd.). Waitekauri Extended Gold-mining Co. (Ltd.). Waitekauri South Gold-mining Co. (N.L.). New Zealand Jubilee Gold - mines (Ltd.). Waitekauri King Gold-mining Co. (N.L.). Ditto. Waitekauri South Gold - mining Cor (N.L.). Grand Junction Gold-mining Co. (Ltd.). Maratoto Gold-mining Oo. Waverley Gold-mining Co. (N.L.). Alpha Gold-mining Co. (N.L.). Woodstock Gold-mining Co. (Ltd.). New Zealand Gold - mining Oo (N.L.). Waitekauri .. XIV. VI., VII., X., XI. VI. Ohinemuri S3/3/96 95 2 19 Waitekauri Ext. .. [8/2/96 30 0 0 XIV. .9/6/95 100 0 0 X., XIV. Waitekauri Jubilee Extended Waitekauri King.. .7/2/96 40 0 0 XIV. 16/11/98 5/4/98 38 1 18 97 0 38 Waitekauri South L9/6/95 L9/9/96 :3/ll/95 [1/12/94 [8/1/94 .7/4/94 100 0 0 80 2 2 63 2 35 15 0 0 72 1 18 14 3 12 Waihi Maratoto Karangahake Waitekauri .. Karangahake Waitekauri .. XVI. VI. I. X. I. XIV. Aroha Ohinemuri Aroha Ohinemuri Waka Walker's Maratoto Waverley We Three Woodstock United Young New Zealand