MINING NEWS.

Alexandra Herald and Central Otago Gazette, Issue 503, 10 January 1906, Page 5

MINING NEWS.

The total gold yield for the year, as reported from an average of about 50 working dredges per week, amounts approximately to 77,0000z, as against 89,0000z for 1904, 87,000cz for 190:3, and 106,0000z for 1902. Looking at last year's yield of 77,0000z as against the 89,0000z for the previous similar period, it mast be admitted, when the favorable season is taken into consideration, that the gold yield from dredges owned by public companies is undergoing a gradual depreciation. Mr Neil Bradley, who has for some considerable time acted as master of the Alexandra Eureka dredge, has accepted a similar position for a dredging company in Tasmania, and leaves Dunedin this week for his new field. Messrs J. Hartnett, G. Ormond and F. Leary accompany him as winchman. The export of gold from New Zealand last year was 500,486 ounces, of the value of £2,093,936, which is the largest quantity sent away since 1871. Since the year 1867 New, Zealand has exported 17,146.620 ounces of gold, valued at £67,230,058. L*st month's export of gold exceeded that for December, 1904, by about 8000 ounces. The export of silver last month was 183,663 ounces, valued at £18,479. The Surprise (Coulson and party) started operations on her claim on the Manuherikia last week. The Enterprise No 1 is at present undergoing repairs, and it is expected that operations will be resumed in a day or so.

The Sandy Point resumed dredging at the middle of last week, and a washnp is expected this week. The Matau, which has undergone an extensive overhaul, has been shifted to the bottom of her claim, where operations will be earned on. The Dunstan Lead started dredging at the end of last week, and everything is running well Three local dredgemen Messrs Harold Williams, William Gunton, and George Fisher—have been selected to proceed to Terra del Fuego for a dredging company there. The party sail from Wellington on the 18th inst. The Alexandra Lead washed up last week for a return of 17oz Isdwt for 60 hours' dredging. We hear that as many as 60 dredgemasters applied for the position of master for a company in Terra del Fuego. For the positions of nine winchmen ior the same place, over 200 applications were received. The contract for repairing and strengthening the ladder of the Molyneux Hydraulic, which was let to the local foundry, was completed on Monday last. The work of coupling the buckets is now in hand, and dredging will be resumed in a few days. Messrs Robertson and party, who own the Conroys reef, and who recently erected a live head stamper battery, have had their first crushing, but with what results we have not yet learned. The party has gone to considerable expense in testing this reef, and we have no doubt but that their efforts will be amply rewarded, for the stone compares favorably with that of other reefs higher up on the Old Man Range, and which are yielding payable returns.