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ANNEXURE C. SUMMARY OF REPORTS OF GOVERNMENT WATER-RACE MANAGERS. Waimea-Kumara Watbb-raobs (Mr. James Rocuford, Manager). Wai in in Water-race. The cash received for sales of water from this race for the year ended 31st March, 1921, was £351 9s. Id., ami the expenditure on management, gauging, maintenance, and repairs amounted to £1,086, showing a debit balance of £734 10s. Bd. on the year's transactions. The average number of miners supplied with water during the year was 6"58, a decrease of 417 on the previous year; and the approximate amount of gold obtained by them was 437 oz., valued at £1,715 4s. 6d., a decrease of £973 Bs. on that of the previous year. The sales of water, which amounted to only £329 7s. Id., wore (he smallest for the past twenty-two years, and showed a decrease of £179 2s. on the previous year. The principal cause of this continued falling-off in the/sales of water was (lie high price of suitable labour, and the ever-increasing cost of tools, timber, pipes, and mining equipment generally, which increased the cost of gold-production out of all proportion to any corresponding rise in value per ounce obtainable by the miners. This phase of the mining industry was dealt with in my last two annual reports, and it is needless for me to again go into the matter; suffice it to say that the disabilities which then existed were not minimized in any way during the past year. Branch Unci i>> Gallaghan's and Middle Branch Flat. The cash received for sales of water from this race for the year ended 31st March, 1921, totalled £48 4s. Bd., and the expenditure on management, gauging, maintenance, and repairs amounted to £347 13s. Bd., showing a debit balance of £299 '.Is. on the year's transactions. The average number of miners supplied with water during the year was 1*75, an increase of I'o9 on the previous year; and the approximate quantity of gold obtained was 102 oz., having a value of £400 75., an increase of £251 4s. on last year. The sales of water amounted to £33 15s. 2d., an increase of £18 l.'Ss. I Id. as compared with thai of the previous year, and in addition to these sales authorized free water to the value of £18 4s. lOd. was also supplied from this race. Although there is a considerable area of payable ground in the Middle Branch Flat commanded by this water-race, no mining has been carried on in this locality since 1915, when sluicing operations were stopped by the Inspector of Mines owing to the unsafe condition of the Waimea main tail-race. Since mining operations were suspended the condition of the main tail-race has become so much worse that it would be an expensive proposition to again put it in working-order, and it is now exceedingly improbable that the ground commanded by it will ever be sluiced. The cash received was £21 Is. Bd. more than for the previous year, and the expenditure showed an increase of £119 10s. 3d. Kumara Water-race. The cash received for sales of water from this race for the year ended 31st March, 11121. was £10 Bs., and the expenditure on management, gauging, maintenance, and repairs amounted to £202 12s. 3d., showing a debit balance of £192 4s. 3d. on the year's transactions. No miners were supplied witli water from this race during the year, and there are no indications of any mining operations being resumed on the south side of the Taramakau River. The sales of water amounted to only £10 Bs., a dee reuse of til 7s. on the previous year. This water was supplied to the Kumara Sawmilling Company (which started cutting timber in January, 1921) for the purpose of developing power to haul the sawn timber from the mill-site in the Taramakau Valley to the traffic-road leading to the Kumara Railway-station. Kumara trans-Tarnintikitii Water-race. The cash received for sales of water from this race for the year ended 31st March, 1921, amounted to £54 lis. 6d., and the expenditure on management, gauging, maintenance, and repairs to £555 Is. lid., leaving a debit balance of £500 10s. sd. on the year's transactions. The average number of miners supplied with water during the year was 4*33, a decrease of 033 on the previous year; and the approximate amount of gold obtained by them was 198 oz., having a value of £777 35., a decrease of £11 15s. 6d. on the previous year. The sales of water amounted to £48 3s. 5d., an increase of £8 lis. 2d. as. compared with the previous year; but to these sales should be added £26 Is. 10d., value of water supplied to Ihe Payne's Gully Syndicate, which cannot be considered free water, as the company is being supplied with water in return for the cash spent b}' them in the restoration of the trans-Taramakau pipeline over two years ago. Erin-go-Bragh Water-race. The cash received for sales of water from this race for the year ended 31s1 March", 1921, amounted to £115 2s. Id., and the expenditure on management, gauging, maintenance, and repairs to £459 Bs. 7d., showing a debit balance of £344 6s. 6d. on the year's transactions. The average number of miners supplied with water during the year was 45, a decrease of I'l6 on the previous year, and the approximate quantity of gold obtained by them was 330 oz., having a value of £1,295 55., a decrease on last year of £39 ss. The sales of water amounted to £115 2s. Id., an increase of £42 9s. as compared with the previous year. In addition to the above sales, authorized free water to the value of £14 19s. 3d. was supplied to assist the miners in opening up new claims. The cash received was £42 9s. more than for the previous year, and the expenditure showed an increase of £107 10s. lOd. This race was well maintained during the year, and is now in good order.