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Kapanga Mine. —This mine* formerly owned by Hollis and Cornea, has during the year been formed into a company. Since the new company has acquired possession it has purchased a winding and pumping plant from the Golden Pah Mining Company. This plant has been erected at the Old Kapanga shaft, and a start made to unwater the mine. At present a pair of steam-driven pumps (Worthington, I believe) are being used. It is hoped that the company will succeed in unwatering the mine, so that the old mine levels to a depth of at least 400 ft. can be reopened and explored, with a view of working several blocks of ground believed to have been left in by the company, and which it is thought can be worked at a profit. This shaft is nearly 1,000 ft. deep, and it is said that beyond driving several levels below the No. 5 level the reefs were not thoroughly prospected. It is the intention of the new company to unwater the mine to its deepest levels and prove the value of the reefs at that depth. On the surface where the outcrop of the Kapanga and Scotty reefs occurs, and where some work was done years ago, thus allowing water to get into' the mine, proving very troublesome, a fluming was put in to carry the water of a creek away, but this fluming having become defective the new company has driven a tunnel through a spur to divert the creek, and thereby save the mine from being flooded with water. It is hoped that the company's efforts to unwater the mine will be availing, and that the mine may become a dividend-payer in thenear future. For the year 100 tons 17 lb. was treated, for a value of £166 165., and an average of twelve men were employed. New Tokatea Mine. —Early in the year work was mostly confined to putting in several drives on the eastern side of the range on the company's property to cut small quartz leaders known to exist and believed to be payable. In due course the leaders were cut and driven on, but, unfortunately, did not turn out as was expected. Attention was then directed to the western side of the range, and a drive put in and a quartz leader cut, from where some good specimen-stone was secured. But this also became poor, and towards the end of the year protection was sought, and on being granted the mine was closed down. 10 tons of ore was treated for a yield of 14 oz. 6 dwt., valued at £40 os. 6d., and an average of ten men were employed. > Monte Christo Mine. —This mine is owned and worked by Mr. Magnus Kemner, and is situated near the Royal Oak Mine, Tokatea. Early in the year a low level was commenced to cut the Day Dawn reef, the Mines Department granting assistance, and at 111 ft. a new reef was cut and driven on for 70 ft. without meeting with payable ore. It is intended to extend the low level in order to cut the Day Dawn reef, which it is expected will be cut in another 40 ft. of driving, and it is hoped it will prove to be payable. A section of the claim was worked by tributers during the year, but proved unprofitable to them. Six men were employed for a time. Royal Oak Mine. —The work in this mine has been carried on by tributers, who have been working on portions of the reefs left in by the company and on small leaders which were considered unpayable for the company to work. The tributers have won 43 tons of ore and 2,031 lb. of specimen-stone for a yield of 1,217 oz., valued at £3,223 2s. 3d., the value of gold per ounce being about £2 13s. In years gone by the company worked the mine on the wages principle, and then a great amount of prospecting and development work was done in the several levels. The No. 3 level, for instance, about six years ago, was extended, and several small leaders (quartz veins) were cut, but not thoroughly prospected, and it is thought that this level should be reopened and those leaders worked to prove their value, for although there are several well-defined reefs on this company's claim it must not be forgotten that from the small leaders some very rich stone has been won. Something like thirty-one men were employed during the year in tributing almost entirely on ground previously opened up. It cannot be expected that tributers are going to undertake the work of development of a mine, so therefore it is hoped that the company will put on men to further develop and open up the mine. In this is their only chance of successfully working a valuable property. For some time, especially in the summer months, the water-supply for driving the crushing plant has been defective, and I believe the company are about to erect an 8-horse power oil-engine to overcome the difficulty. Four-in-Hand. —At the commencement of the year work was confined to the extension of the low crosscut. In March this drive drained the workings on the eastern side of the range, and in consequence the men were removed to the foot-wall reef, where sinking below the No. 4 level was taken in hand. In conjunction with this work a winze was also sunk upon the Four-in-Hand lode. The ore from this reef, where cut, proved to be unpayable, and, considering there were great difficulties to contend with in the working of this section, operations were suspended and the men moved to a block of ground on the Four-in-Hand reef above the No. 4 level. During the year a new reef was discovered on the surface further north than any of the company's workings, and from which some rich stone was obtained. From a parcel of 1 ton of ore and 37 lb. of selected stone £111 Is. 3d. was obtained, the result of a week's work for two men. During the year the company crushed 58 tons of ore for a return of £368 10s. 3d. An average of six men were employed. Prospecting. —A considerable amount of prospecting-work has been done in this district during the year. In a number of cases the prospectors have received aid from the Mines Department to enable them to go out and prospect, but unfortunately nothing of an encouraging nature was found. The Big Reefs Prospecting Association at Coromandel got £50 to assist them in carrying on their prospecting in what is known as the Big Blow reef, on the western side of the Tokatea Range. This association has done a considerable amount of work on the Big Blow reef, but so far have not met with much encouragement, the ore being very low-grade and nothing like payable ore being met with. Kuaotunu District. Waitaia. —The work done in this mine consisted mostly in stoping, and in the early part of the year some 487 tons of ore was treated for a return of £2,417 6s. 3d. for twenty-one men employed. Early