MINING.

NOTES FROM WAKATIPU. (From Our Own Correspondent.)

Arrow, December 16.

THE PREMIER CONSOLIDATED MINE, MACETOWN.

I see by the Mining World of October 28 last that the London shareholders in the above mine held a lively and exciting meeting on the 24th of that month. Thera appears to have been a laudable spirit of inquiry evinced at the meeting, which the chairman, Mr G. I?. Tavenor, was in a position to cope with in the-most satisfactory manner. The Mining World, commenting on the meeting, says: "It was evident.before the proceedings commenced that a storm was brewing, and the directors might have had a warm time of it had it not been for the admirable manner in which Mr Tavenor conducted the meeting, and the fair, straightforward way in which he placed the whole position before his fellow shareholders. As it was, those who came to condemn remained to applaud." Such a comment speaks well for the position of the company. It waa mentioned that gold to the amount of £7584 had been obtained by the company in the prosecution of preliminary works. Mr Stanford, the new mine manager, reported to the directors that there were four reefs on the Premier property; that he believed it might be made one of the finest mines in the world by an outlay of £5000, and that ih a year hence the mine would be in a position to require a battery of 100 stampers. In consequence of these statements a reconstruction scheme was almost unanimously carried, the nominal capital mjlie new company being fixed at .£225,000 in 22..000 shares of £1 each, credited with 19s paid up.leavmg a liability of Is per share, one-half of which (6d per share) only to be called up. Mr Farrell, the organiser of the company, stated at the meeting that he was the owner of 13 other mines, every one of them equally.as good as the Premier mine. There can be no doubt that some of these mines, besides being equally as good as tne Premier, can be worked at a far less cost, and that they therefore hold out a promise of greater success.

_ _ THE TIPPERARY MINE. This mine also figures very prominently in the Mining World. Under. date September 2Mr Stanford reports having struck the "hew find"in the Tipperary mine, washing as much as 3oz lSdwt °f free, coarse gold to the pan of stone, and that the lode assayed over 4oz per ton. Eg estimates the block of stone to contain 11,700 tons of. immediately available quartz, taking the lode at 2ft wide. In another block,Mr Stanford calculates there are 20,000 tons of stone, estimated to yieldabout loz per ton. From these statements it will be seen that the Macetown reefs are still far from being exhausted. "^ DREDGING ON TIJE KAWARAU. The last of the Kawarau dredges, the Enterprise, is now in course of demolition preparatory to her resurrection at that happy hunting ground for dredges, the neighbourhood of Alexandra bouth, where the rest of the Kawarau and a good many of the Shotover dredge, have preceded her. YVith the translation of the Enterprise the whilom Kawarau dredging boom may be said to have come to its final and bitter end; .Although there is ample food for moralising upon the origin and the end of the Kawarau dredging boom, the old principle of the least said the soonest mended is perhaps beet applied in the present case. However, I have no hesitation in' placing upon record the prediction that as dredging upon the Molyneux falls off and decays, the' Kawarau, just below the junction of the Shotover river, will once more rise in favour, and seme .of-the dredges which were taken down to Alexandra, will again revisit their native river, and some of them will do well. Had not the pumping machinery and gear been taken out of the Enterprise to pump oufc the wrecked Elginshire at Timaru, a party of tributers could have been formed at a few days' notice to work some of the ground referred to above with advantage to themselves and the shareholders. The Arrow Falls Tunnel Company have made a freah start with work, and are now opening out the ground by sluicing through their tunnel. A fair and almost sure amount of success may be predicted for this company, as gold in paying quantities has been proved to exist Upon the main bottom, as well as gold being mixed up throughout the wash, almost from, the water level. of the Arrow river, to a depth of 20ft at least.

It is reported that the Rees Valley Gold Company (late Invincible) has stopped work for the time being. The work planned has been carried out, but no success being met with, the mine will be closed temporarily. -.

DOLAB. CIGAKETTJES, 3d per Packet.

— Even those who are not Sybarites in taste will sympathise wifch the schoolboy who, according to the Spectator, writing home to complain of the school fare, said,. "There are black beadles in the kitchen, and sometimes they cook them in the dinner, which can't be holesome when you are not strong."