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7. Kumara Deep Levels; liayes Terrace; Havill Brothers' Claim, neae Callaghan's. (Summary of Reports by P. G. Morgan). Discussion on the advisability of testing the deep gravels between Kumara and Dillmanstown having arisen, I made a search of the old reports, and on the 6th March last visited Kumara and adjoining localities. South of Kumara, towards Dillmanstown, the gold-bearing gravels are over 140 ft. thick, and rest upon the claystone of Upper Oamaruian age known as the Blue Bottom. They lie above the level of the Taramakau River in an old channel eroded in the Blue Bottom by a large stream issuing from the ancient Taramakau glacier—or, rather, from the front of the ice-sheet that once spread over a great part of the Westland lowlands. The upper layers, which rest, as a rule, upon a " false bottom " composed of gravel of less coarse grain, according to Mr. J. Rochford, manager of the Government water-races, have yielded gold to the value of £3,500,000. The false bottom and the layers underneath it contain little gold, but towards and on the Blue Bottom richer gravels appear. These have been tapped in two places by shafts, and also by a low-level drift from near the level of the Taramakau River, which connected with the more northerly of the two shafts. According to report, the gravels near the shaft-bottoms carried from 1 dwt. to 2 dwt. of gold per load, but this would not pay to drive out. Of the two prospecting-shafts referred to, one was sunk about 1892 and the other in 1906-7. Since the latter date practically nothing has been done to test the deep levels, although so long as the shaft remained in repair there would have been no difficulty in driving underneath the greater part of the deep ground. The Kumara district has been geologically surveyed in detail, and the results of the survey will be found in Bulletin No. 13 (1911). On page 91 the Kumara deep levels are discussed as follows :" At Kumara the lowest portion of the ancient river-channel in the Blue Bottom has never been prospected, though attempts have been made to do so, and portions of the rim have been tested. It is practically certain that this channel, scooped out while the ancient ice-sheet was advancing by a stream which may be called the ancient Taramakau, contains a considerable amount of gold. Probably the richest layer is that resting on the Blue Bottom in the deepest part of the channel, but only trial can show whether its exploitation will be profitable or not." Hayes Terrace. —By this name 1 mean the flat-topped ridge east of Kumara, between the Taramakau River and the lower part of its tributary, the Hohonu or Greenstone River. Here there are several hundred acres of flu via tile and fluvio-glacial gravels containing gold. These have been •extensively sluiced at Westbrook, on the north side of the terrace. On the south side a syndicate, with Mr. Lachlan McLachla.n as manager, is sluicing the upper part of the fluvio-glacial gravels at Payne's Gully, and good results are reported. Local opinion is that the whole terrace will pay for sluicing, but the abundance of enormous glacial boulders, which have to be shifted by winches, &c, is a great drawback. For the efficient working of the Hayes Terrace ground, water under a higher pressure than that given by the Trans-Taramakau water-race is desirable. References to Hayes Terrace and vicinity will be found in Bulletin No. 13, pages 87 and 90. Havill Brothers' Claim, near Callaghan's. —Havill Brothers, having brought in a low-level tail-race from Little Kapitea Creek, are now working a claim on the north-east slope of Italian Hill by hydraulic sluicing with highly payable results, although they are hampered by want of pressure in their main water-supply (Waimea Water-race). The gravels being sluiced rest upon a sloping irregular surface of Blue Bottom, near or on which most of the gold occurs. The uppermost layers are mainly silt. 8. Chatham Islands Expedition. (Summary of Report by J. Marwick.) Until the fossils collected have been worked up, a detailed report on the work done by the geologists attached to the Chatham Islands Expedition of January and February last cannot be given. Schists, presumably of the same age as the Otago mica-schists, occur in the northern part of 'Chatham Island. In the north-west and the north-east these strike almost east and west, but midway between their strike is about north and south. Fossiliferous Middle Tertiary rocks, chiefly limestones and bedded tuffs, outcrop at many points, and are well seen along the north coast of Chatham Island, at Red Bluff north of Waitangi, and in Pitt Island. At Titirangi, on the west side of Te Whanga Lagoon, highly fossiliferous sands containing a Nukumaruian (Middle Pliocene) fauna are seen. The species represented are not numerous, but large numbers of good specimens can be obtained. I The southern part of Chatham Island was not explored to any extent. It consists mainly of basaltic flows, presumably of Middle Tertiary age. Peat, locally reaching a thickness of over 40 ft., covers a great part of Chatham Island. It has been set on fire at several places, and at two of these is still burning. The limestone will be of value for agricultural purposes. In several localities it is so little cemented that it can be easily excavated, and then applied to the land without crushing or other treatment. 9. Waihi Goldfield. (Epitome of Reports by P. G. Morgan). During the past year two visits were made to the Waihi Goldfield—one in November, and the other during the latter part of December, 1923, and the early part of January, 1924. Many of the data obtained have been added to the detailed report entitled " The Geology and Mines of the Waihi District, New Zealand " (N.Z. Geo!. Surv. Bull. No. 26), which is now about to be issued as a volume of over two hundred pages. It may be as well to state here, as concisely as possible, the chief results set out in this report. Tn the first place the more productive part of the Waihi Goldfield—that in and near the Town of Waihi—has been shown to consist of a series of andesitic (or " dacitic ") flows, interspersed with minor layers of breccia, tuff, and even mudstone, and not of intrusive " dacite," as supposed by Dr. J. M. Bell and Mr. C. Fraser, the authors of Bulletin No. 15, in opposition to all previous geologists who had examined the area. This enforced return to the older view justifies lateral exploration—that is, exploration directed outwards from the known ore-bearing areas. The impoverished condition of the lodes in the Waihi and Waihi Grand Junction mines at depths exceeding 1,000 ft. is apparently due mainly to the action of descending solutions, which have dissolved much of the gold and silver as well as other minerals, in the ore-bodies. This conclusion renders probable the existence not only of " primary " ore at greater depth, but also of " secondary " ore ; and it can be extended—though