REVIEW OF THE YEARS OPERATIONS.

Auckland Star, Volume XXVIII, Issue 298, 23 December 1897, Page 7

REVIEW OF THE YEARS OPERATIONS.

THE OUTLOOK FOR 1898

r-Ag the year draws to a close, it •- but natural in considering- tbe position of the mining industry to ask Aether the operations of the past 12 months bave been of a satisfactory haracter, and also to dwell upon the nutlook for 1898. Briefly put the Lrk of tbe year now closing has v eell sufficiently satisfactory to inure the permanence of the ruining industry although the absence of anyMn" ia t^e sil3?6 °fa sensational find'has not been without its effects E the Stock Exchange. At the close • the local scrip boom was already on the wane, and now at the end j '97 the many year-old ventures that were launched cm tbe local market without sufficient) capital to even nrospect the surface ccf the large areas Lo-ced out are like the yea.r itself, slowly but surely passing away into obscurity. Similarly some of the representatives of English syndicates *rh o flocked to New Zealand in the hope of earning large dividends by securing properties am option and floating 0 them in London at a large Brofit,but who had not the slightest intention of expending money to develop such properties, iiave passed or are soon to pass awayj The result of this is that the mines that are sound ventures have survived, and that the renuine English development syndicates are steadily working away, and ,vill undoubtedly in due course reap the harvest they desrve, because the absence of inflated values enables properties to be secured on more reasonable terms than formerly. If judged by actuai results, the war's operations have been very encouraging, the monthly output of bullion having been kept up to a steady av6rage, and the new batteries, as they get to work, are proving that the English experts knew bow to select properties that were calculated to more than repay the heavy initial expenditure involved in fitting up a modern crushing plant. Of course the Waihi cannot be looked upon as a product of the boom of the last two years, but it is none the less "ratifying to be able to chronicle Mt the output of bullion from that mine for ISO 7 was the largest ever obtained from that property, and that there is plenty of ore left is shown by the fact that a new battery of 100 head of stampers is now aproaching completion. The output of bullion for the last year for the Waihi mine was only about £ 10,000 short of the total capital of the original company, and the shareholders have already bad repaid to them in dividends considerbly over the total capital originally paid up. The New Zealand Crown Mines promise so well that the directors are about to erect another 40 stampers. The output of bullion for the year from this mine totalled £43,433 0/2. Tbe Waitekauri returns, roughly speaking, give an average monthly return of about £4,500, the total outpat for the year being £51,867 14/3, while the yield from tbe Woodstock mine since April, when the new battery started, already totals £30,805, and recent developments are of a most eucoiiragiiig nature, several tons of ore. from, a new 6-inch leader, having yielded about £ 130 per ton. Steady returns have been received each month, from the Waihi-Silverton, and latterly the yields have shown some/improvement.

The Talisman Company's returns since the new battery started have beea satisfactoryas wos also the first crushing from the Komata Reefs.

•Turning from the Upper Thames to Coromandel, we find that the Boyal Oat has assumed the leading position latterly, as since August 130 tons ol ore returned £ 18,894 5/S. worth of bullion. The next best mine is undoubtedly the Hauraki, which .-produced during the 12 "months bullion worth £35,258 14/4, which is very nearly the total capital of the company. Further evidence of tbe richness of Coromandel ores is shown by tile fact that the Success mine obtained £1039 from 32 tons of ore and 40 pounds of picked stone, and the Tokatea Consols £300 from 20 tbns of ore.

The returns from Thames mines sliow a falling off, but this is due to ftefact that only development works are going on in most cases, the mines °a the flat being- delayed pendingthft completion of the shaft at the Thames-Hauraki, or as in the case °t the Moanataiari, awaiting the completion of the-new battery. As to the outlook for next year, it is safe to predict that there will be a much larger output of bullion in 1898, because about 500 head of stampers are now in course of erection for various companies, added to which some of the batteries now working have only been inning a month or two. The Moanaraiari battery of 60 stampers is just about ready, and the Eoyal Standard, of 40 head, should be working during tte first quarter of 1898. The Waite«rari Extended 20 head battery is now _\ full swiug\ and it is said another i\ are to be erected. " The Crown jnines are to have another 40 head; lue Waihi Company an additional WO, the Broken Hills (Tairua) 20 *«o; Kauri Gold Estates, 40 head; «c Whangamata Proprietary, 20 Uead; the Alpha, 20 head; and the Consolidated, 10 head. The Hau- *« Associated Reefs Company's 10 *cad battery has just commenced OrK; the Sheridan 15 head mill has Been repaired and is now working, ?u« the same applies to the 10 head at the Grace Darling mine. Y» Thames-Hauraki will also have a large modern crushing plant, and ™any smaller companies are negotiator n batteries ' white at Te Aroha, a ne flev. Joseph CampToell is erecting new plant to treat the ore from the ' °nt€zuma mine by his process. In 2T of suc]l facts it is safe to preJg that 1898 will be a year of prosfess in the Hauraki Peninsula, ENGLISH COMPANIES' MINES. erS 6 reCord of the Past year's opsW?i 0n the Hauraki Peninsula, m ad s ™at steady progress has been wii„l I the majority of mines on PcS • I hsh has been exthe W, m devel <>Pment works, and for crL?ri rp°Se of erecting pumping and fronT^" mafillinery. The returns est ai nunes that hss" e been lon^mu7J OTk also show that the retoLJf 6 SUch M to warrant the ftir 1™? incurred in developing i'PjJorfaes. Where modern c^shsomp nts i1 _haTO been at work for eenenK c refcurns of bullion, justify fh speakin&. are snch as fully uibiini I? afi.serti°a thai systematic c ointia«4- .ksft™l^ development Pames pay on the Hauraki

Peninsula. Appendad are tbe returns from the mines at which, crushing plants have been working during tbe greater part of 1897: — WAIHI. This mine still maintains first position amongst our bullion producers, the return i for the past year being the largest ever j obtained in one period of twelve months from this property. The following tables show how each year the return from this famous mine increases, and as the ne-w 100 stamper mill should be running early next year, a much larger output of bullion may be expected by the close of 189S:— Bullion won ' £ s. d. In 1890 21,112 13 6 1891 23,935 5 11 1892 .. „ .. 44,888 2 4 1893 61.900 10 11 IS9I 82,827 2 2 I 1895 120,334 2 2 1896 137,321 8 2 1897 138,750 12 1 Total output for 7 years.. 631,070 17 3 The monthly returns for 1597 were as follows:— Month. Tons. £ s. d. February 4140 .. 14,010 14 1 March 3120 .. 10,650 11 7 April 3150 .. 10,022 4 11 May 3060 .. 9,303 16 5 June 3294 .. 11,296 17 5 July 3240 .. 11,823 5 3 August 2 3120 .. 11,667 15 3 August 30 3120 .. 11,757 1 10 September 3300 .. 12,670 5 i October 3240 .. 11,640 0 0 November 3300 .. 11,353 0 0 December 3450 .. 12,475 0 0 By Concentrates SO 0 0 Total for year £138,750 12 1 Total dividends paid—£2544,500. N.Z. CROWN. The return from this Karangahape mine for the past 12 months show that the average value of the ore has been satis- ' factory. Work is now proceeding for the purpose of erecting another 40 head of stampers at the mine. The monthly output of bullion for the year was as follows:— Month. Tons. £ s. d. January 918 .. 3071 0 0 February 990 .. 33-12 211 March 1161 .. 2873 0 0 April 1150 .. 3185 0 /0 May 1181 .. 3305 17 3 June 1360 .. 3570 0 0 July 1200 .. 3300 0 0 August 1473 .. 40S1 0 0 September 1567 .. 4163 0 0 October 1778 .. 40C9 0 0 November 1964 .. 4230 0 0 December 2034 .. 4443 10 o £43,433 0 2 ■WAITEKAURI. The returns from this Company were as follows:— * Month. Tons. £ s. d. February 1992 .. 5203 0 0 March. 1712 .. 4145 0 0 April 1916 .. 3845 0 0 May 1801 .. 3503 0 0 June ..1665 .. 4031 0 0 July 2... 1931 .. 5279 0 0 July 2&. 1841 .. 5462 0 0 August 1830 .. 3900 18 10 September 2005 .. 3050 9 8 October 2093 .. 4512 5 9 November 1945 .. 4077 0 0 December 2415 .. 4859 0 0 Total rfor year £51,867 14 3 TALISMAN. This Karangahake Company has only entered the list of bullion producers during tb_e latter part of this year and the results as will be seen are satisfactory:— Month. Tons. £ s. d. September* 1008 .. 3915 4 0 October H 1010 .. 3044 4 0 November 603 .. 1809 15 9 £10,769 3 9 WAIHI-SILVERTON. The returns from this mine are as follows:— Month. Tons. £ s. d. January 581 .. 1034 0 0 March j. 600 .. 1561 0 0 April 2 - 762 .. 1594 0 0 April 30.... 820 .. 1546 0 0 Any .. 7SO .. 1505 0 0 June §60 .. 1391 0 0 j u iv 1000 .. 139S 0 0 Auejust ....- 840 •• llos ° ° September 1024 .. 1220 0 0 October 1104 .. 1615 0 0 December .-_. •* HSO ■• 1554 0 0 £15,526 0 0 WOODSTOCK. This Company's new 40-stamper battery started in April, 1897. The returns since that date are as follows:— Month. Tons. £ s. d. Anril -» 1350 .. 4652 0 0 May 1020 .. 3590 0 0 June' 1080 .. 3675 0 0 July 1030 .. 3947 0 0 Ang-nqt i 1035 .. 2758 0 0 September MO -• 3060 0 0 October 1015 -- 2765 0 0 November 1021 .. 3171 0 0 December 1018 - 3187 0 0 Total for eight months.... £30,805 0 0 ROYAL OAK HAURAKI. The first crushing from the new find in this Coromandel mine was completed on August 10th. The results to date are as follows: — Month. Tons. Pkd. Stone. £ s. d. lbs. A n cr US t 25 .. 1600 .. 3500 0 0 Sent 1 "9 -■ 2073 •• sm ° ° Sect 28 25 .. 760 .. 21-15 0 0 Ortobfr ::. 10 .. 1238 .. 3087 0 0 November 17 .. 1401 .. 4262 5 8 December 36 .. 1074 -• 2900 0 0 Total from about 130 tons.. £18,894 5 8 HAURAKI. Although the returns from this mine art not equal to those of 1896, still it contributes a monthly quota^ to the gold output, and the recent finding of picked stone, as shown in the last few crushings would seem to point to a possibility that during the coming year the Hauraki may once more take the leading position at Coromandel:— Month. Tons. Pkd. Stone. £ s. d January ..330 .. - -- 6362 5 0 February 300 .. - -- ggg o 0 Marcfti ... 300 -• _ May.*.- » •• z :: lIS 8 o fig?.::::: IS :: - •• ™« j j Aufst ... 300 .. - •• If- 0 0 Sept. "W •• 354 __ lso o o 0 Octofber ..gO -- ** m 6 6 0 Sec.":::::: S :: 285 .. 1337 3 4 Tfctal for 1897 £35,258 14 4.. Total for three years £209,883 13 4 Sbta^ Capital of Com- Q Q KOMATA REEFS. Thfe Company has only just got its new rSfof l^^ns^ie^bum^Vo^ £3,3001. M^Y q UEE n. Pemding the completion of the pumping cwPhv the Thames Hauraki, the May at £I,3SKURANUI CALEDONIAN. S Tha n r Swo Crr Pof yaiiS SSiS&oE' development wows or character rhe ore wo throU g h the cumstances has oeen i»u mill, 3,076 tons yielding ±-*l&i vs. ' SUCCESS. This Coromandel Company has cashed several parcels of nch stone. IrtolfT SaSfand^^^lbs of picked stone. TOKATBA CONSOLS. A small crushing of 20 tons last month yielded £300. AJjßUrN ia. „.„n in development works in rbAJSF e Tmtae haa also been put this Thames mm .™T the year but the valued at £4,18* 14/8. _ anr , TAT ™ n HAURAKI ASSOCIATED. _, „„„„„•». new battery has now TMS Company anew this * two smaU c^Jwere/ade at other^ts^one SSdS 23 a£d Mother 78 tons returned £180. KAPANGA. mw, i/i -K-anane-a Company is still workTheold Kapajiff* * proving the ng steadi y downwar mandei lower depths at battery got to beariing. laving returned gold work. 109 tons T^ibuters on the sur f a ce of tWte property have had a sensational crushing tWsmonth. gX^^TlJB* made to the plant

Meanwhile, low grade ore and accumulated tailings have been treated. The total value of the gold saved was ±4490 19/o.