o.—B

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Electrically Driven Pumps. Several of the most important mines throughout the Dominion are putting down electrically driven pumps, or have already done so, and as the application of this power for such a purpose is an innovation in this country the following table has been prepared by the writer for the purpose of illustrating the type of pump generally favoured : —

(2.) Dredge Mining. During the past year, as will be seen from the following statement, the average yield per working dredge was £3,039, being a decline of £239 on that obtained during the previous year ; a decline of £45,816 has to be recorded in the value of gold-production by dredges, and the number of working dredges has decreased by five. The following statement shows the number of dredges, the gold produced by them, and the number of persons employed during 1907 and 1908 : —

The dividends paid by forty-one of these dredges, the property of registered companies, amounted to £75,050 during the year ; the profits of privately owned dredges is unobtainable. The following is a statement regarding the most productive dredges during the year:—

Name of Mine. Type of Pump. Estimated Height to be pumped. Estimated Capacity in Gallons per Minute. Vaihi Grand Junction ... Sulzer vertical 3- stage turbine Three-throw ram ... Three-throw ram ... Duplex ram (2 units) Cornish ... Multi-stage Worthington turbine (4 units) 250 ft. ... 666. Gold-mining Company larewood Gold-mining Company... few Zealand Crown Mines 'alisman Consolidated loss Goldfields (Limited) (alluvial) 600ic. ... 600 ft. 1,000 ft. (2 stages) 1,500. 1,135. 400ft. ... 3,500.

Number of Dredges. Number Inspection District. 1907. 1908. of Persons ordinarily Yield during 1908. Average Yield per Dredge, 1908. Idle. At work. Idle. At work. emp loyec Vest Coast louthern Totals m 2 ... 35 ... 37 25 103 4 J 3 23 100 196 817 £ 75,670 298,148 £ 3,290 2,981 128 17 123 1,013 373,818 3,039

Dividends paid by Forty-three Dredges owned by Registered Companies. Production durini Name of Dredge. 1908 of all Dredges. During 1908. To 31st December, 1908. West Coast District — No Town Creek Pactolus (2 dredges) ... Southern District — Alexandra Eureka Golden Treasure Koputai Manuherikia ... Masterton Mystery Flat Otago (3 dredges) Paterson's Freehold Bise and Shine Bising Sun ... Waikaia Waikaka Syndicate Waikaka United (2 dredges) Waikaka Queen Other working dredges (both districts) 7~174 14,391 ' £ 3,000 8,125 £ 23,400 56-^250 5,012 5,847 6,952 5,145 9,206 9,873 5,621 7,669 14,414 8,567 8,113 5,735 11,767 4,345 243,987 2,400 2,445 2,538 2,100 5,500 6,614 1,250 3,600 5,700 3,600 4,550 1,400 7,000 1,590 14,408 18,450 23,439 4,813 30,600 25,000 20,119 16,000 13,200 15,600 8,000 10,500 13,300 33,600 4,628 377,007 Totals 373,818 75,820 693,906