C—2.

The following statement shows the production for the year 1905 by coalmine owners or lessees having an output of upwards of 10,000 tons:—

KAUEI-GUM. The export of kauri-gum from the Auckland District for the past year was returned at 10,883 tons, value £561,444, showing an increase of 1,680 tons and £59,627 in value. The average price per ton was £51 lis. 9d., as compared with £54 10s. 6d. for the preceding year. Whenever the output of the gum reaches a certain figure, the value invariably recedes, and last year was no exception to the rule. The export of this commodity has now reached 266,165 tons, value £12,920,531. SCHEELITE. This mineral continues to be mined at Macrae's Flat, Otago, and also at Top Valley, Marlborough, in connection with quartz reefs. Messrs. Donaldson Bros., who may be said to be the pioneers in the systematic mining and concentrating of this mineral, have now exported scheelite to the value of £24,000 from their property at Macrae's Flat. This mineral is valuable on account of its tungstic acid, which is used for the hardening of steel plates and big guns. PETEOLEUM. At a depth of 2,310 ft. petroleum flowed into the bore at New Plymouth, and the indications appear promising, but anything like undue inflation in the value of shares or properties is to be deprecated at the present stage. Near Lake Brunner, on the West Coast, a small quantity of petroleum has been obtained by the Kotuku Oil-Springs Syndicate by hand-drilling, and the Lake Brunner Oil Company has expended £1,000 on valuable plant and labour. lEON-OEE AT PAEAPAEA. The lessees of the land containing the enormous iron-ore deposits at Parapara, near Collingwood, in the Nelson District, have now commenced work on their mineral lease. Nineteen men are employed in tramway-construction work, and it is expected that this number will be considerably augmented at an early date.

6

Name of Colliery. Locality. Output for 1905. Inspection District. Westport Coal Company (Limited) State Colliery, Point Elizabeth New Zealand Coal and Oil Company (Limited) Taupiri Coal-mines (Limited) Blackball Coal Company (Limited) Hikurangi Coal Company (Limited) State Coal-mine, Seddonville Nightcaps Coal Company (Limited) Tyneside Proprietary (Limited) Northern Collieries Company (Limited) Greymouth-Point Elizabeth Railway and Coal Company (Limited) Freeman's Coal Company Puponga Coal and Gold Mining Company, New Zealand (Limited) Allandale Coal Company (Limited) Westport Greymouth Kaitangata Huntly Blackball (Greymouth) ... Hikurangi (Whangarei)... Seddonville (Westport) ... Nightcaps (Invercargill)... Brunner (Greymouth) ... Hikurangi (Whangarei)... Brunner (Greymouth) ... Tons. 500,231 131,816 119,744 118,612 64,713 50,410 46,085 45,500 44,047 37,733 35,176 West Coast. //■ Southern. Northern. West Coast. Northern. West Coast. Southern. West Coast. Northern. West Coast. Abbotsford (Green Island) Puponga (Collingwood) ... 21,285 20,157 Southern. West Coast. Shag Point (Palmerston South) Saddle Hill (Mosgiel) ... Kaitangata 19,533 Southern. Christie Bros. ... Taratu-Kaitangata Railway and Coal Company (Limited) Lowden and Howarth (Jubilee) Union Collieries Company (Limited) J. Dean J. and J. Smyth Cromwell and Bannockburn Collieries Company (Limited) Ngunguru Coal Company (Limited) 18,247 18,189 n it Fairfield (Green Island)... Mercer Glentunnel (Malvern Hills) Gore ... Bannockburn (Cromwell) 16,928 15,994 15,415 11,314 11,142 Northern. Southern. n a Kiripaka (Whangarei) ... 10,871 Northern.