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Mr. T). McConnon was appointed by the Department to carry out the repairs, and the excellent work done by him and his staff bears ample testimony to the wisdom of the selection. The manner in which he manipulated ropes, blocks, and other tackle to convey heavy stringers, trestle-legs, and sawn timber over almost inaccessible places, greatly reduced the cost, of the work, which will be done under the estimate ; and, in addition to this,, the old flumings were demolished and the new ones re-erected with a minimum loss of water. The following is a summary showing the revenue and expenditure of the Waimea Water-race for the year ended 31st March, 1913 : Sales of water, £766 Is. 7d.; cash received, £747 ss. 6d. ; expenditure, £590 14s. Id. ; approximate quantity of gold obtained, £6,251 1.45. ; average number of miners employed, 32-08. Branch Race to Callaghan , s and Middle Branch Flat. The cash received for sales of water from this race during the year , ended the 31st March, 1913, was £448 18s. 9d., and the expenditure on management, gauging, maintenance, and repairs amounted to £454 13s. Id., showing a debit balance of £5 14s. 4d. on the year's transactions. The average number of miners supplied with water was 13-58, a decrease of 2-08 as compared with the previous year ; and the approximate quantity of gold obtained by them was 1,177 oz., having a value of £4,590 6s. The total sales of water amounted to £434 4s. 2d., an increase of 2s. 6d. on the previous year. The approximate quantity of gold obtained by the miners was 14 oz. less than during the preceding year, representing a decrease in value of £54 12s. The expenditure was £30 18s. Id. less than during the previous year; and the races, tunnels, and flumings are now in good order. Carmine and party worked their claim in Middle Branch, near Gtoldsborough, throughout the year, with satisfactory results, and purchased water to the value of £152 11s. Bd. Although the deviation of the Hokitika-Kumara Road was completed in May, there was practically no sluicing done into the Waimea Main Tail-race until the last two months of the year, when Hanrahan and party and Manzoni and party started to work their respective portions of the old road. At Callaghan's Flat Havill and party worked steadily during the year, and, although the quantity of water purchased was small, the results attained were most satisfactory. This would be a very valuable mining property if it could be worked with ordinary facilities, but the hard nature of the ground, coupled with the limited pressure from the Callaghan's Race, reduces the quantity of wash treated to much below the average of other sluicing claims in the district. S. Honey and party (late Cook and Honey) sluiced a fairly large area of ground during the year, and purchased water to the value of £152. This party also opened out another claim in December last, and the returns so far from both properties have been most encouraging. Manzoni and party completed their 1,000 ft. of tunnel tail-race in November, and sluiced during the whole of December. Authorized free water to the value of £20 2s. 6d. was supplied from this race to parties opening up new claims, and the usual quantity of flush-water was allowed to parties sluicing into the Waimea Main Tail-race free of charge. The following is a summary showing the revenue and expenditure of the Callaghan's Race for the year ended 31st March, 1913 : Sales of water, £434 4s. 2d. ; cash received, £448 18s. 9d. ; expenditure, £454 13s. Id ; approximate quantity of gold obtained, £4,590 6s. ; average number of miners employed, 13-58. Kumar a Race. The cash received for sales of water from this race for the year ended the 31st March, 1913, was £122 13s. 2d., and the expenditure on management, gauging, maintenance, and repairs amounted to £401 12s. 4d., showing a debit balance of £278 19s. 2d. for the year. The average number of miners supplied with water was 6-41, a decrease of 1-75 on the, previous year ; and the approximate quantity of gold obtained by them was 515 oz., of a value of £2,008 10s.' The total sales of water for the year amounted to £179 7s. 6d., an increase of £25 10s. 3d. on the preceding year ; and the cash received for sales of water shows an increase of £29 7s. 9d. The expenditure was £32 ss. Bd. less than during the previous year; and the head-race tunnel, the main and branch races, and the siphons are now in good repair. The break in the No. 3 channel, which occurred on the 28th October, 1911, was not repaired until the middle of September, 1912. Owing to the cost of these repairs, and the very heavy expenditure involved in maintaining over 6,000 ft. of channel, the Long Tunnel Company's returns were so unsatisfactory that they decided at the end of the year to cease operations until some other party started sluicing into the No. 3 deviation. After a lapse of eighteen months Shannon and party started in December last to put their claim in working-order, and since that time they have been steadily engaged boxing and blocking their tail-race, which is about 1,200 ft. in length. This party should be ready to sluice into the No. 3 deviation by the end of June, and the Long Tunnel Company may then give their ground another trial, as the maintenance of the channel will not be so heavy proportionally for two parties as one. McGrath and Co. started to sluice in their Upper Larrikins Claim in May, and sluiced for six months, when they were compelled to cease operations owing to the wash dipping below the level of their top tail-race. This company has had a very uphill fight for years past. The tunnel tail-race, which commands the property, is 2,970 ft. in length, and, owing to the difficult nature of the ground through which it was driven, cost nearly £3,000 ; and just when the company got their claim in good workingorder, and had a reasonable prospect of receiving some recompense for their heavy outlay, the unexpected occurred, and it will cost them at least another £200 to bring up fall from their low-level tail-race and again open up their property.
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