C—2

29

plant consists of one 15 h.p. three-phase motor coupled to a 4 in. centrifugal pump, one 5 h.p. motor to a 3 in. centrifugal pump, and one 1 h.p. motor to a 1$ in. centrifugal pump. The power is supplied by the Central Otago Electric-power Board. Haulage from the dip is done with a crab winch. Nevis. —A falling-off is noticeable in the number of men employed and returns of gold from sluicing operations on this field. Four claims employing twelve men produced 367 oz. gold, valued at £1,415. Graham and party with 246 oz. 16 dwt., valued at £949 25., were the largest producers. Boring operations were in progress on J. Stevenson's claim at Upper Nevis in the early part of the year with the Department's No. 2 Keystone drill. Ten holes were bored to depths of 32 ft. to 68 ft. The results were considered to be satisfactory. Lake County. Kawarau Gold-mining Go. —The gates of the company's dam were closed for three weeks during the mcnth of August to enable the Cromwell Development Co. to repair its weir in the Kawarau River. No work was done on any of the company's claims. Glenorchy Scheelite-mining Co., Ltd., Glenorchy. —The company's operations were confined to the Glenorchy Mine. Two men were employed at Kelly's level breaking out scheelite-ore which produced 13$ tons of concentrates. Since September seven to eight men have been engaged in repair and development work on the main lode at Nos. I, la, and 7 levels. Repairs to the water-race and mill, have also been carried out. The Mount Mcintosh mine has been let on tribute. Big Beach Gold-mining Co., Shotover River. —Sluicing operations were in progress throughout the year. Two nozzles were used for breaking down the terrace-gravels. Water under a pressure of 150 ft. was supplied by the company's races. The gold won amounted to 793 oz., valued at £3,035. Nine men were employed. Moonlight Mining Syndicate, Moonlight Greek. —Returns from this company's claim show that 273 oz. 10 dwt. of gold, valued at £1,038 6s. 9d., were recovered by sluicing operations in the old channel of Moonlight Creek. Sandhills Gold-mining Co., Upper Shotover. —The channel through the sandhills was deepened sufficiently by the end of May to allow a stream of water from the Shotover River to pass through. Operations were then suspended over the winter months until the end of September, when the water-races were cleaned out in readiness to resume work in the channel, but the weather broke and the river was in a continuous state of flood up to the end of the year, which prevented the final work of diversion being carried out. The fall in the river from inlet of the channel to the outlet is 20 ft. The length of river-bed to be laid bare by the diversion is 45 chains. The quantity of material removed in making the channel amounted to over 1,000,000 cubic yards, and was removed by sluicing and rushes of water from a dam which was built at the highest point in the centre of the cut, at a cost of under lsd. per cubic yard. The permanent pipe-line has been laid to the mouth of the river-gorge, and the company intends to work the old river-bed on the beach above the gorge before working the bed of the river in the gorge. Reid and Lynch, Sawyer's Creek. —The rise from the low level was continued to a height of 140 ft., where the lode formation that was met with in the crosscut from the rise was cut; but as there was no quartz in it and it did not carry any values the party ceased operations. Oxenbridge and Party, Twelve-mile Greek. —This party's sluicing operations in the terrace gravels on the west bank of Twelve-mile Creek resulted in a return of 30 oz. 10 dwt. gold valued at £117 Bs. sd. Dart River Prospecting Co., Ltd. —This company was formed in Queenstown for the purpose of prospecting the bed of the Dart River by boring. Six boreholes were put down to depths of 30 ft. to 40 ft., but nothing but drift, containing a few fine colours of gold, was disclosed. Southland County. Nokomai Sluicing Co., Nokomai. —Two elevators were in operation during the year lifting the gravel from the bed of Nokomai Creek to a height of 90 ft. The gold recovered amounted to 997 oz. 5 dwt., valued at £3,770 16s. Bd. Owing to the high lift and seepage of water into the workings from the creek, amounting to about six heads, the work of hydraulic elevating cannot be profitably carried on. King Solomon Gold-mines, Ltd., Waikaia. —This company ceased operations in April owing to shortage of capital. The main shaft had then been sunk to a depth of 177 ft. At 162 ft. running sand was met with, and the method of timbering had to be altered from longitudinal planking to frame sets and laths. A new company, named the King Solomon Deep Lead, Ltd., has been formed in Gore for the purpose of working the claim. Winding Creek Gold-mining Co., Waikaia. —This company took over the King Solomon Consolidated Claim in the early part of the year, and has been engaged in driving out auriferous gravel from an old channel of Winding Creek. The channel is 30 ft. wide, and the wash, which is 4 ft. deep, is payable throughout. A distance of about 300 ft. was driven, and at 250 ft. from the mouth of the drive a connection was made with a shaft from the surface to provide ventilation for the workings. The yield of gold amounted to 236 oz. 14 dwt. 21 gr., valued at £912 15s. 6d. Stony Creek Gold-mining Co., Waikaia. —This company was formed in Gore to work H. Nelson's special alluvial claim at Winding Creek. An old elevating-paddock formerly worked by the Break-em-all Co. was pumped out, and a winch and Pelton wheel installed for haulage purposes. The company intends to drive out the wash from the bottom of the paddock. Waimumu Gold-mines, Ltd., Gore. —Pumping plant, comprising a 75 horse-power motor, 7 in. single-stage centrifugal pump, and a line of 13 in. pipe, was installed for lifting three heads of water from Waimumu Stream to a height of 60 ft. for sluicing terrace-gravels on the east bank of the stream. Power for pumping was supplied by the Southland Electric-power Board. Sluicing commenced in October, and the gold won up to the end of the year amounted to 25 oz. 14 dwt. 20 gr. Dome Creek Prospecting Syndicate. —Ten boreholes, ranging in depth from 15 ft. to 43 ft. to bedrock, were sunk in the first basin upstream from the main valley of Dome Creek by J. M. Stewart. The results showed that gold does not exist in payable quantities within the area prospected. Athol. —Four men were employed at alluvial mining in this locality. The gold recovered amounted to 219 oz. 14 dwt. 12 gr., valued at £882 10s. 2d. Wallace County. Wakapatu Mining Co., Ltd., Wakapatu. —The company was unsuccessful in its efforts to work the sand and gravel deposits at the mouth of Ourewera Creek by means of a gravel-pump. Pumping operations ceased in the early part of the year, and some boring was then done to prospect the unworked area of the company's claim. The results of the boring were considered to be satisfactory. Round Hill Mine. —Hydraulic elevating was carried on throughout the year with seven men. The gold recovered amounted to 294 oz. 10 dwt., valued at £1,163 16s. Orepuki. —A few small parties of miners continue to work the alluvial and sea-beach deposits in this locality. The gold won amounted to 123 oz. 13 dwt. 19 gr., valued at £476 ss. Bd. Dredging. Upper Nevis Gold-dredging Co., Nevis River. —The company's electrically-driven dredge was not powerful enough to work the deep ground, and dredging was only carried on to a depth of about 25 ft. The gold recovered amounted to 665 oz. 3 dwt. 12 gr., valued at £2,653 7s. lOd. Application has been made for the loan of the Department's No. 2 Keystone drill for the purpose of further prospecting the claim.