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West area (site of B shaft): The original shaft-timbers have decayed, allowing the surface to collapse. A winze was sunk to No. 1 level —depth 160 ft. —through loose ground. It was deemed advisable to discontinue this work, as the restoration of this shaft would be an expensive undertaking, and even when ultimately completed would be liable to distortion at any time. It has therefore been decided to transfer operations to C shaft, where a suitable winding plant will be erected and the shaft put in working-order to the 500 ft. level. The lode at No. 1 level was sampled, with the following results : At 42 ft. east, width 70 in., footwall exposed; value, £1 13s. per ton. From north crosscut, 30 ft. west, width 74 in., walls not exposed; value, 3s. 2d. per ton. A crosscut at 28 ft. east exposed 17& ft. of quartz; value, £1 13s. 9d. per ton (footwall only exposed). A crosscut 40 ft. east exposed 12 ft. of quartz; value, 6s. Cd. per ton (footwall exposed). Rising Sun Gold-mining Company, Owharoa. —Owing to delay in obtaining a motor to provide sufficient power to work the mine and the mill no work was done in this mine until the middle of May. On resuming operations the drive on No. 1 reef at the low level was extended 110 ft.; width of lode, 12 in.; average assay value, £4 10s. per ton. A rise was also put up on No. 3 reef for 32 ft.; width of lode, 18 in., carrying high values. Work is at present confined to sinking a shaft in the country below the low level to test the reef-system at a depth of 100 ft. Talisman Mine, Karangahake. —At the end of December, after driving 120 ft. south on main lode from the bottom of No. 16 winze with no improvement in values, it was decided to suspend mining operations. Therefore it was decided to remove the air-pipes, rails, sinking-pumps, &c. Unfortunately, one of the main rods in the Woodstock shaft broke. This was replaced, but it again carried away, and it was considered that the cost of putting in another rod and pumping out the accumulated water would exceed the selling-price of the pumps, &.c. It was therefore decided to salvage all above water-level, this work being still in progress. Besides sinking a winze on this lode, three vertical and one horizontal diamond-drill holes were put down. No. I bore, Woodstock section (vertical), attained a depth of 424 ft., and proved the width of a vein lift. The cores showed zinc, iron, sulphides, and a little black flint. Assays range from nil to 14s. per ton. No. 2 bore, No. 15 level, Bonanza section, was started 125 ft. west of No. 6 winze, and reached the vein at 332 ft., and passed through into the footwall country at 350 ft. The core carried zinc sulphides and pyrites, but no values. Estimated width, 8 ft. Owing to soft ground this hole gave a good deal of trouble. The first 201 ft. had to be cased, and several short sections cemented. No. 3 bore, Bonanza section, was put in horizontally from the site of No. 2 bore, and stopped at 150 ft., disclosing nothing of value. No. 4 bore, No. 15 level, was started 170 ft. west of No. 12 winze, and put down 501 ft. From 431 ft. to 439 ft. the core was quartz carrying zinc sulphides but no values. From 468 ft. to 490 ft. the core was quartz carrying a fair percentage of pyrites and zinc sulphides, but practically no values. At a recent meeting of the shareholders this company decided to go into voluntary liquidation. New Zealand Crown Mines (Limited), Karangahake. —During the year five men have been employed dismantling the machinery and keeping the water-races in repair. . Ohinemuri Gold and Silver Mines, Maratoto. —Camoola section : The drive has been extended south of crosscut for 150 ft. and north 157 ft. On the footwall of the lode at different points the ore carried blotches of sulphide of silver, and this portion is being saved for treatment. During the year Mr. Stansfield, superintendent of the Talisman Mine, was asked to report, and advised that the crosscut known as the Silverstream be extended to intersect the Camoola lode about 200 ft. below the top level. This work is now in progress. Waiotahi Gold-mining Company, Thames. —This mine has been held under protection during the year. Any portion is open to tributers, but there are no applications. All the ground above high-water mark has been worked out. Evening Star Gold-mining Company, Thames. —This claim was formerly held by Bird Bros., and was taken over by the present company. The principal work, in progress is sinking a winze on the Waiotahi-Cambria lode. This winze has now attained a depth of 70 ft. Gold is frequently seen in the ore broken out, and the mineral indications are favourable. Nonpareil Gold-mining Company, Thames. —Four men have been employed driving a crosscut to intersect a lode worked in the upper levels with payable results. Gloaming Gold-mining Company, Thames. —Ore has been won from small leaders. Gold valued at £295 was produced from 7 tons 2 qr. of ore treated. Kuranui Gold-mining Company, Thames. —During the year four men have been employed driving north-west on a lode 2 ft. in width from the Magazine tunnel. A distance of 314 ft. has been driven, but nothing payable has been met with. Kuranui-Caledonian-Moanataiari. —This company was formed with the object of testing the continuation of the gold-producing reefs from the Moanataiari tunnel, on the eastern side of what is known as the Moanataiari fault. This tunnel has been retimbered up to the Inverness crosscut, and a drive started towards the fault. Waitangi Gold-mining Company, Thames. —Work is confined to driving on the main reef at No. 1 level. A distance of 262 ft.' has been driven without disclosing anything of the lode being small and values low. Sylvta Mines, Tararu Creek. Thames.—The principal work in progress is driving from a shaft on the Norfolk lode. The shaft has reached a depth of 76 ft. at an angle of 45° below No. 5 level. The reef is the full width of the drive. The quartz is highly mineralized, and is said to contain good assay values. This shaft is equipped with a winding plant. _ A considerable amount of money has been spent in repairing the water-race and installing an air-compressor to supply power for haulage and ventilating the mine.

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