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Waimangaroa River. —Along the banks of this stream ten parties make fair wages by driving small tunnels into the banks and washing the gold-bearing drift in the stream by the use of longtoms. Fairdown Claim (Area, 100 acres; owners, the General Exploration Company, Limited ; mine-manager, Wilfred Cottrell).—This claim is situated at Christmas Terrace, about seven miles from Westport. The nature of gravel deposits and depth of stripping are as follows : Eaised marine terraces, 15 ft. to 30 ft. of sand and shingle deposits, with varying proportions of magnetic and titanic sands, gem sand, and fine hornblendic debris. The beach deposits are covered by overburden, varying in depth from 20 ft. to 60 ft., of subangular coal-grit, sand, and boulders. The ground is worked by hydraulicking, the larger boulders being hoisted out of the face by a steamcrane. 120,000 yards of gravel (180,000 tons) was operated on during the year. There are two miles of race to the reservoir at Lake.Bochfort, of a capacity of eighty heads; head-race to drain, one mile, fifty heads capacity. The total pressure used for hydraulicking is 380 ft. When there is a reasonable warrant for the expenditure the Wareatea water will be brought in, complete surveys and estimates for the work having already been prepared. Seven men are employed. Orawaiti River. Mackle and Party's Claim (Area, 6 acres). —This claim is situated at Caledonia Gully. The operations consist of sluicing and raising the debris by means of an elevating tramway worked by a water-balance. The face operated on is part of a bed of tailings that was deposited in the Caledonia Gully from the upper terraces, the result of earlier washings, which have filled the gully to a depth of 50 ft. Jamieson and party of two men are at work in an adjoining gully. They have driven two tunnels, 1,300 ft. and 700 ft. The washdirt, which is taken out by hand, is sluiced by water brought in from Ballarat Creek. . ■ Bradshaw Terrace. Several claims are being worked, the wash consisting of black sand, sometimes interspersed with clean water-worn stones and boulders. A small crushing-mill is also at work reducing cement. :; Addison's Flat. Halligan and Party's Claim. —This party of six men continue sluicing operations on the east side of the Charleston Eoad. Shamrock Claim. —Since the extension of the sand-tunnel and the removal of the elevating plant to the north face were completed sluicing operations have been carried on by two shifts, with profitable results. Eleven men were employed. Venture Claim. —This claim is on a cement lead, a battery of ten stamps, driven by waterpower, being used. The layer of cement is from 8 ft. to 10 ft. in thickness, and is conveyed to the battery by a tramway about 60 chains in length. The cement is broken and sent to the mill by contract labour. Seven men were employed. Golden Sand Claim. —The face of cement which, was previously worked was found to contain too many stones and boulders for profitable treatment by the battery. A new face ha,s now been opened at the south end of the claim, and from this better results are being obtained. It is dntended to remove by sluicing the vegetation and soil on the surface, as the fibrous material from the roots was detrimental to the discharge of the crushed sand through the gratings. Bendigo Claim (Area, 80 acres; owners, the General Exploration Company, Limited; minemanager, James Meehan). —during five months an acre of ground was operated on, and 28,000 yards, or 37,000 tons, of gravel treated. There are ten miles of races delivering fifty-five sluiceheads of water. The pressure for ground-sluicing is 200 ft., and 175 ft. pressure is used for the Pelton to work the winding gear. The work of opening out is completed, and the face now being advanced is expected soon to be in payable ground. Eight men are employed. , ; Virgin Flat Claim (Area, 99 acres 3 roods 35 perches; owners, Virgin Mat Gold-mining Company).—A considerable amount of prospecting was done by sinking a number of shafts in order to ascertain the value of the wash, the average depth of the shafts being about 15 ft. from the surface to the blue bottom. The wash, which consists of fine gravel, is to be all sluiced away, as there is gold distributed through the whole mass from top to bottom. In order to deal with this extensive deposit a water-race is being constructed. The water is taken from three of the branches of the Totara Eiver, and conveyed through tunnels into a storage-dam—area, 30 acres, and about 25 ft. in depth at the deepest part. The water is carried in an open ditch from the dam to the penstock at the head of the pipe-line. The pipes are to be a mile and a half in length to convey •the water to the claim. A tunnel tail-race 60 chains in length, 5 ft. in height, 4 ft. 6 in. wide at the bottom, 4 ft. wide on top, all closely timbered, is approaching completion. At the end of this •tail-race a set of tables 300 ft. by 16 ft., partly covered with baize and partly copper plate, is also in course of construction. The total capacity of the race will be seventy sluice-heads. The whole of the work in progress is in an advanced s.tage, and it is expected that all will be completed in four months; but, as the pipes have to be made on the ground, further time may elapse before sluicing operations can be commenced. The necessary buildings, consisting of an office, men's huts, store-room, carpenter and blacksmith's shops, and also a large shed for use in making the iron pipes, "have been erected. The whole of the iron for the pipes and siphons is shortly expected from England. Eighty-two men were employed. Groninville. O'Donnell's Claim (Area, 8 acres; owners, James and Michael O'Donnell). —This claim is worked from an open face having 12.ft. of wash. About, 20 ft. of stripping has first to.be sluiced away. About an acre was operated oh during the year, which yielded 50 6z.-gold, valued at £200. Three men were employed. 15—C. 3.

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