MINING MATTERS.

Evening Post, Volume LXIV, Issue 131, 29 November 1902, Page 12 (Supplement)

MINING MATTERS.

OTAGO NOTES, As might have been inferred from the announcement last Saturday of rising rivers, the drift interfered with last week's returns, this being the first time for many mouths that it has substantially reduced the aggregate. Some ot the dredges cfid fairly well individually. Jubilee (Roxburgh) has secured 13190z, valued at over £5000, in se\enleen weeks. Troublesome drift has been the cause of Alexandra. Lead's decreased return— 340z. Olrig (15oz) has been turned and is going back alongside old workings. The dredgemaster of the Central Charlton dredge reports for the week ended 21st in st. that the return shows a slight improvement on the previous week or two, and he has no doubt that he will get larger yields in the course of a week or two. The average depth of wash is Bft, with an avers ge depth of stripping of 4ft. I Base and Shine, 590z, tops Olago's last week's returns. A 2ft rise of the, river was recently reported, but this ia not expected to interfere with the work further than to cause more top material to be treated. Golden R»m got 250z 15dwfc 12gr for 86 hours' work. Of this return tha Golden Gate Company gets soz 17dwfc 18gr, the balance of 19oz 17dwt 18gr being retained by the Golden Run Company. Point dOr is now working in its own ground, with good prospects. Lafranchi's *reehcld got lOoz for tw-0 days, losing, four days in repairs. The dredge does "airly well when *he ground is. not too hard and stony, and if equipped with breaking apparalis would do better. Long Valley has a deficiency of £985 lls lid. Last year the working expenditure was £119.7 12s 2d, and the gol4 won £863 7s lid. On the main claim the dredge only bottomed once, but before the fact that the kidder was not long enough had been fully realised, tha levy Had been exhawsted^and funds for its extension were obtarnod only through an advance by a vendor. The directors report to shareholders that the Li<i«Ler has now been extended, and dredging operations will be resumed forthwith to prove the ground. Dredging in the Shotover is hindered much by the rise in the river, which, togather with the travelling tailings, makes ugular and reinunervtive work next to impossible. Afc the Kawarau the same conditions obtain, but ia an aggravated degree, as Lake Wakatipu is about 3ft above it* normal level, rain having been pretty heavy at the H-ead, where there are still heavy deposits of snow. The returns from €he L#wer Enfield dredge hare been rather disappointing since work was commenced 1 , but as the cost of putting the dredge on the claim, was comparatively small, the financial position was fairly satisfactory on 30th. Septembeu, tho close of the half-year, ©n 31sfe March there was a debit balance of £748 7s 7d, and the expanses during the ensuing six months amounted to £233, making a total of £9.81 7s 7d. The gold won within the period under review was 14oz 19dwfc 3gr, valued at £57 lls lid, so that there was a debit balance of £923 15s 8d to be carried forward. The nominal capital is £7500, but" this is reduced to £6875, as 625 shares, on which £303 15s has been paid, have been forfeited. The company's liabilities amounted to £841 Is Id on 30th September, as against which there was cash in the tank to the extent of £348 lls 7d, and also sundry debtors to tho amount of £30 lls. - The Otago Daily Times Clyde correspondent writes: — "The Unity and New Vincent dredges are laid up to undergo a general overhaul. The Matau dredge has been under repairs for some time past, and thof.e are now near completion. The dredge will go on summer ground immediately. The fleet of dredges in tho gorge between Clyde and the Halfway House- are all idle. Some two miles of the river is unoccupied, the , companies having abandoned the ground." The directors of the New Roxburgh Jubilee Dredging Company ha,ve declared a dividend (the third) of 3s per share, payable on the 28th insfc. This dividend will make a total distribution of 8s per share within the last four months. Tha reserve fund now stands at £1000, ia addition to which the company has a working balance of £250. Gore advices state that the Cairnferodlie dredge has been shut down for a fortnight, having stripped several lips off the buckets. A start wm be made again, when a pair of grab hooks will be fitted ou, and the large stone difficulty will be reduced to a minimum. l The Clyde correspondent of the Cromwell Argua states that the Monte Christo dredge will be shifted on to the Boundary Creek claim as soon as the river rises sufficiently to enable the dredge to be safely taken through the rip. After the Boundary Greek claim is worked the Directors will have the ladder lengthened in order to enable the dredge to work the top portion of the Monte Christo claim. •• ' THE WEST COAST. Nelson Creek, 1240z! The floods prevented Trafalgar figuring in the returns, as the paddock wa» nearly filled with silt. Victory aistained no damage, and returned 240z. Four dredges got over 800z — Kohinoor 60oz, Greenstone Junction 530z, North Beach 50oz Mosquito 50oz. Pactolus (two dredges) and Notown Cneek each got 450z, the latter for 110 hours, EriCkson's Reward, 31oz. Leviathan, 270z for 102 hours, is improving. It is understood that the negotiations which have been taking place between the Hokitika River and Bellevue Gold Dredging Companies tor the working of the last-named company's claim, situated 011 the River, by tha dredge of the first-named company, have now been completed, and that arrangements will be made forthwith for the transporting of - the dredge to the new ground. The third annual report of the Al Gold Dredging Company states that the sum of £1275 has ' been distributed in dividenda during the- year. Whilst it has beon unfortunate that for several reasons it has not done so well during^ the past four months, it is now near the spot from which the best returns were obtained, and shareholders may reasonably look forward to payable results. The balancesheet to 31st October shows that the gold produeod during the twelve months was valued, at £3133 13s 3d, that the general working expenses amounted to £2871 18s 3d, and that the credit balance, on the year, after deducting amount paid in dividends, amounts to £313 19s lOd. The dredgemaster of the Cornwall dredge stated in his report for the week ended 15th November that he had a somewhat rough experience owing to the flood and timber. The flood, which was the biggest known for years, carried away 25 bags of coal, and also kept tlie dredsre. master and engineer imprisoned iv their hut for soaie hours, as the river broke through the tailings. \

Article 6 in the schedule of wticict agreed to by the Hamburg Maiilinie International Conference just held runs as follows: — "The fact that the collision lias been caused by the fanll of a pilot \vho*e employment is compulsory piesenis no obstacle to the liability of the ship as estimated by the provisions of the i>r«« sent treaty."