MINING NEWS.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XLV, Issue 13845, 3 September 1908, Page 3

MINING NEWS.

WAITANGI.

PROPOSED I RECONSTRUCTION.

The whole of the capital £5000 in Is shares) of the Waitangi Gold Mining Company, having now been called up, shareholders are shortly to be asked to vote upon a proposal to reconstruct, further money being required to develop the property and acquire a reduction plant. The proposal to bo submitted is to wind up the company and form a new . one, in which . present shareholders will be allotted share for share. The new share capital proposed is 100,000 at £1 each, 5s of which' will be considered as paid up. ' : '' " ' < ' ■ '

. CROWN ■-..■■{:. | THE MINE CLOSED DOWN.' V . AN INSURANCE QUESTION. •[BY TELEGRAM.—OWN - COIIRKSPONDKXT.] .... ... .'.. Waihi, Wednesday. [ The New Zealand Crown Mines Company's mine at Karangaliake has been closed down. I This course, it is understood, was i decided upon by the; ' management tin consequence : of the;'-dispute;' between lithe employers and ; the miners concerning I the payment of accident insurance premiums, 'which the management held v should be cliargcd to the contractors; while the mon eoni tended that the company should meet the - insurance costs.'' ' , ; . : / I ■ As to the length -. of time for which the I mine will be closed nothing definite is yet known. • ~.■ '.■' - ~t< " :' ' '' ■ A message from our Waihi correspondent, published on Tuesday last, ; slated that f for • some time past a difference ,had existed between the superintendent of the Now Zealand Crown Mines (Mr. Daw) men employed in the mine. . The Prime Minister, . when in the district recently, intimated that ho would have the Act amended, so that the men should not in future be liable for insurance premiums, but nothing had eventuated so far. The men, at a meeting of the Miners' Union last Saturday night, decided to refuse to sign a document indemnifying the company against responsibility for the'payment of the accident premiums, and providing for the deduction by the management of the insurance premium from wages. - ' Our correspondent added: "It is 'understood that Mr. Daw has threatened to close the mine -down unless the company's conditions regarding insurance are complied with, \ and at Saturday's meeting the union decided that, in the event of the management applying for protection, objection, should bo, lodged, and a recommendation made that the mine be thrown open for tribute." As is now well known, the New Zealand Crown Alines Company recently ceased pumping at the lower levels, a fact which Was followed by the flooding of the Talisman No. 13 -level, but operations were still in progress in the upper levels of-the Crown until the ' present contretemps - reached the stage referred "to in the above telegram. Seen last night, Mr. Chas. Rhodes, the Crown Company's attorney in Auckland, could throw Ho further light upon the matter. ~

, . TAIRUA GOLDEN HILLS. V i- The directors of the Tairua Golden Hills Gold Mining Company are having; a sketchplan and estimate prepared of a battery plant which it is contemplated - erecting oh their property. The mine is reported to bo opening up well, and there are between 600 tons and 700 tons of ore on hand ready for treatment, from which satisfactory assay values have been obtained. . No.* 1 reef, which .' is being worked at two levels, tiie upper one being.2ooft below the surface, and the lower one 400 ft, has proved of even better grade in the latter level than in the former. The 200 ft level is expected to shortly intersect No. 2 reef, on which, owing to it being further in the hill, there will be about 400 ft of backs from this level. j ; ,i : : ■ WAIHI BEACH. ' ' _; Pin consequence of the great inrush of viator, "It has been found quite impossible to uwater the Waihi Beach mine with the present; appliances. The company has now, therefore, made arrangements to return- the Cameron nu'mp and replace it with a Cameron vertical pump capable of- lifting about 20,000 gallons per hour. This will arrive in a few weeks time, and when installed i' (according to expert advice) " should be sufficient to fulfil all requirements. - NEW BIG RIVER. . A 2s 6d DIVIDEND. The New Big River Company has declared another dividend (the 6th) of 2s 6d per share, absorbing £3000. The dividend will be payable on the 7th inst. The sum of £500 has been added to the reserve fund, making same £2500.' ____________" GOLD AND SILVER EXPORTS. [BY i TELEGRAPH. —PRESS ASSOCIATION.] ; Wellington, Wednesday. i The quantity of gold exported from New Zealand during the oast eight months was 337,3190z, valued at. £1,334,232, as compared with 330,7870z, of the value of £1,322,793, in; the corresponding period of last year. The export of trold last month was 4.0,3820z, of the value of £158,708, as against 50,9510z, valued 1 at £203,565 in August of last year. " During the past month 116,0050z of silver, valued at £11,748, were exported. . ,

£:;";/;-: NOTES. _-, *- : .... , 7 ;. : . No. 2 level in the Mountain King mine .is in good country, which, the manager states, has every appearance of continuing, as there is a big flow of water from the face. If the present country continue.*, another seven weeks should see this contract completed. - /■-.'.:, The manager of the Victoria mine reports that the country on the hangingwall of tho lead is firm sandstone, carrying some good mineral veins. The footwall is still puggy.. Four stopes aro.in hand cast of the rise, the quartz from same showing dabs and colours of gold. In the stope below this level, also,, the lead has shown some good dabs of gold. The ore broken from the reef in the north drive in the Golden Cross mine .last week was not quite so promising in•; appearance, but the manager states that a little gold was seen in the dish. . The ■ lode matter in the leading stope on the hangingwall reef is about 2f fc '6in wide. ' There is very •'it jle improvement in value. At the : battery about 10 tons of ore per shift is being put through. •The low level in r the Watchman mine is penetrating firmer ' sandstone, ■■■] with small quartz seams running through it. Should the present country continue up to the Windfall reef the manager has no doubt but that there will be ah improvement in the ore. At No. 1 level the crosscut through the Windfall lode proves to be 20ft wide. Although only a little gold has been seen in the- dish, the quartz is very promising-looking. ■■ • ■' The Shotover drive is in 128 ft. The manager reports that at 124 ft good country was /met with, and water, is making in: the face. A distance of 7ft has been sunk, on the outcrop -of the reef formation, and quartz is still in the bottom- Good prospects can be obtained for the distance sunk. At present the reef matter is in disturbed country, but the manager is satisfied that once located in solid ground the ore body will prove to be a large one. " ■"■■.-;;.:■■■:..':

; In the May Queen Extended mine the drive j east : on V the reef is now in 107 ft from the crosscut. About 6ft ahead the manager expects to cut the Adelaide .reef. The country in the face is easier, but is interlaced with bands of quartz, or reef matter, for the width of the drive. '3 Some of the quartz is heavy in mineral, and gives a prospect of gold, • and I the ' other portion is loose ■ and rubbly. The whole forms a large body of broken quartz. The country is changing to a brown colour, and showing more dampness, indications that the face is near a junction with another reef. ~-• ■;";.-

'"'■ The Atlantic reef in; the stopea in the Southern Queen mine maintains its size rnd appearance. In the fourth stope started east the lode has 'shown a decided improvement. The manager reports that in breaking it down' last week nice colours and -dabs >of gold; were ;seen; in the quartz.; From the fourth stope west 301b of picked stcne came to hand. A stope "has also, been started at 'the other end of this block from the winze. Here the lode has been stripped for 12ft. It has not^been broken down yet, but appears to b(5 a fine body of quarts, and is in splendid sandstone.