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Waimea-Kumara Water-race. The following is a summary of the revenue and expenditure in regard to this race for the financial year ended 31st March, 1907:— £ s. d. Sales of water .. .. .. .. • • • • • • 1,727 3 9 Cash received .. .. .. • • • • 1,833 9 11 Expenditure 2,026 14 10 Value of gold obtained .. .. .'. •• •• •• 16,992 6 0 Number of men ordinarily employed, 53 - 5. The sum of £168 13s. 9d., in addition, was expended on new work and repairs. It will be seen by the above summary that the value of sales of water from the combined races last year was £1,727 3s. 9d., as against £1,718 Bs. 9d. for the previous year, thus showing an increase in the value of the sales of water last year of £8 15s. The expenditure on gauging," maintenance, and repairs was £2,026 14s. 10d., as against £2,097 13s. 10d. for the former year, thus showing a decrease in the cost of maintenance last year of £70 19s. The cash received during the year was £1,833 9s. lid., as against £1,797 14s. Bd. for the previous year, thus showing an increase in revenue of £35 15s. 3d. on the previous year. Wainihinihi Water-race. The supply of water from this race has been excellent throughout the year, and, together with the water from the Kawhaka Race, has kept the Waimea siphon (which supplies the Waimea, Callaghan's, and Middle Branch Races) full all the year. No breaks occurred and there were no stoppages of any kind, and the race has been well maintained and is now in a thorough state of repair. • I have, &c, James" Rochford, Manager, Water-races.

Mr. R. Murray, Manager, Mount Ida Water-race, to the Under - Secretary, Mines Department, Wellington. SIR __ Naseby, 25th April, 1907. I have the honour to submit the following report on the Mount Ida and Blackstone Hill Waterraces for the year ending the 31st March, 1907 : — ! The total sales of water from the Mount Ida Race during the year amounted to £817 17s. lid. The expenditure on maintenance and repairs for the same period was £1,455 10s. Bd., a decrease of £35 7s. 10d. on that of last year. The total cash received was £815 12s. lid. On account of payment in advance, free water to the value of £1 Bs. Id. was supplied, and free water for washing up was also supplied to the value of £56 3s. sd. The total value of water supplied from this race during the year amounted to £875 9s. sd. The average number of miners supplied with water was forty-four, a decrease of two on that of last year. The approximate quantity of gold obtained by parties using water from this race was 1,316 oz., valued at £5,099 10s. The season has been an extraordinarily dry one, the driest within the memory of the oldest inhabitant. From the Ist to the 20th April, 1906, the water-supply in the whole length of the race was reduced to twelve heads and the reservoir empty. The miners were on half time from this on to the Ist May, when the weather became very rough, with several light falls of snow, allowing the reservoir to be closed down and the miners to be fully supplied. ,' i During this month the race neaT the outlet end of the Wedderburn siphon, where it is cut through a narrow belt of lignite clay, began to slip. To prevent its overflowing and breaking-away I had it temporarily sodded, to allow of a certain quantity of water through, to supplement and save that in the reservoir to this extent. ■i> On the 24th June a heavy fall of snow took place during the night-time, followed by severe frost; on the 26th a sudden thaw set in : the thaw coming so sudden after the hard frost caused the race, when slipping, to break away. This being followed by snowing and freezing, I could not get to repair it until about the middle of July. The supply during this time had to be practically drawn from that in the reservoir. I was able to make a permanent job of it when cleaning out the race in the spring. Most of the ground-sluicers, on account of the changeable weather, knocked off in July. The whole of the miners knocked off on the 12th August, but, a thaw setting in on the 14th, they made a start again, but as there was very little water in the creeks supplying the race, they had to practically draw the supply from the reservoir, which ran dry on the 24th. . On the' 27th a start was made to clean out the race. There being so little water in the creeks, and the reservoir empty, no water was turned on to the miners until the 26th September, when Hill's Creek, the twenty-seventh-mile peg, was reached, the small quantity from this inward being stored in the dams. The effect of the freezing, snowing, and thawing often caused a large amount of stuff to be loosened along the upper sidelings and into the race, and made the cleaning-out very heavy. The cleaning-out was completed on the 19th October. On account of another elevating claim starting in Spec Gully, I had to widen this branch to 4ft. a length of about five miles, and to place a length of 102 ft. of 19-in.-diameter pipes across a break, as timber does not last, always giving trouble and expense ; also a small culvert bridge had to be constructed where the Burster Road crosses it, and 24 ft. of boxes across a small creek,* at the head of Milkman's Gully. A 6 ft, sheep-bridge was also required on account of the widening, and one renewed on the main racec