C.—2

(3) Alluvial Mining. The following is a statement showing the value of production and dividends declared from alluvial gold-mines during 1930 : —

V. MINERALS OTHER THAN GOLD. Iron. The Onakaka ironworks resumed operations early in the year. During the period the works were closed down a pipemaking plant was installed, and all sizes of cast-iron pipes, suitable for water-mains, can now be produced. The furnace produced 8,075 tons of pig iron, valued at £5 per ton. Sulphur. From the deposits on White Island 3,031 tons of crude sulphur and 25 tons of retorted sulphur were produced during the year. Quicksilver. The works at Ngawha Springs, North Auckland, owned by the Kaitoke Development, Ltd., started operating about the middle of the year. The plant did not treat the ore satisfactorily, and various alterations had to be made. Four thousand and forty pounds of quicksilver, valued at £1,080, was produced during the year. Petroleum. With the new rotary drilling-plant the Taranaki Oilfields, Ltd., resumed drilling in Gisborne No. 2 well, and got down to 3,910 ft. in badly caving ground. At that depth the well was abandoned and the plant shifted to a new well, Waitangi No. 1, which at the end of the year had reached a depth of 373 ft. Serious difficulties were encountered by the Blenheim Oil Well Reclamation Co., Ltd., in their No. 2 well through caving ground and lost tools ; at the end of the year the depth reached was 2,096 ft. The Omata No. 1 well, put down by Coal Oil (New Zealand), Ltd., reached a depth of 2,917 ft. without getting more than slight shows of oil. The Moturoa Oil Fields, Ltd., started drilling in March, and in November their No. 1 Moturoa well had reached a depth of 3,310 ft. A good oil-sand was supposed to exist between 3,000 ft. and 3,300 ft., but when the well failed to strike any show of oil at that horizon it was decided to stop drilling and go back and test ah oil horizon at 2,600 ft. to 2,700 ft., which had given fair quantities of oil when being drilled through. The tests made of this horizon showed that, with pumping, the well would probably yield fifteen to twenty barrels of oil per day. The New Plymouth Oil Wells, Ltd., started drilling in December, and by the end of the year the well was down 280 ft. The Whanga Petroleum Prospecting and Development Company, Ltd., commenced drilling in the month of March, and by August the well had reached a depth of 640 ft. Difficulty was experienced with fine-running sand, resulting in operations being suspended. The New Zealand Oil Syndicate made desultory efforts to deepen its No. 2 well at Whangamomona below the 1,230 ft. mark, and by the end of the year a depth of 1,340 ft. only had been reached.

20

Dividends declared. Name of Company. f During 1930. Total to End of 1930. £ £ £ Kildare Gold-mining Co. .. .. .. .. 1,576 A. and G. Brown .. .. .. .. .. 724 Gabriel's Gully Sluicing Co. .. .. .. .. 2,196 160 20,375 W. R. Smyth .. .. .. .. ■ .. .. 696 Sailor's Gully Sluicing Co. .. .. .. .. 1,736 105 9,515 Graham and party .. .. . . .. .. 477 Big Beach Gold-mining Co. .. .. .. .. 2,338 Moonlight Mining Syndicate .. .. .. .. 1,271 540 660 Nokomai Sluicing Co. .. .. .. .. .. 2,288 Paddy's Point Gold-mining Co. .. .. .. .. 1,738 Kve-mile Beach Gold-dredging Co. .. .. .. 1,810 A. E. Smith .. .. .. .. .. .. 981 Tallaburn Sluicing Co. .. .. .. .. . . 938 Hohonu Sluicing Co. .. .. .. .. .. 1,178 Stubbs and Steel .. .. . . .. .. 736 Mutch Bros. .. .. .. .. .. .. 574 Murchison Bros. .. .. .. . . .. 425 R. H. Parker .. .. .. .. .. .. 232 Hawk Mining Syndicate .. .. .. .. 141 Copeland and party .. .. .. .. .. 562 Winding Creek Gold-mining Co., Ltd. .. .. .. 329 H. M. Quilter .. .. .. .. .. .. 528 All other claims .. .. . . .. . . 11,593 Totals .. .. .. 35,067 805 Unknown.