NOTES FOR THE MONTH.

Otago Witness, Issue 2425, 5 September 1900, Page 19

NOTES FOR THE MONTH.

There is but little fresh to report during the past month in the dredging field. Company, promotion has been at complete -standstill, pending the' completion of a number of 'dredges that are rapidly approaching that stage. It ia not because all the claims'likely to prove pay- ' able have been taken up that the temporary cessation of dredge company flotation has coma about, but because the investing public want to " see the' result of existing flotations before they embark upon further projects of the kind/ A goodly number of* first-class properties are being .purposely withheld until the market is propitious. It would damage a valuable claim, to put it' on a dead market, and have to withdraw it, so claimholdcrs and promoters prefer to wait. Other forms of mining continue active. - At the beginning of the month some very satisfac? Tory ' returns were obtained from' the mines at .- Preservation Inlet. Although these mines have not quite , realised expectations, there are indications that rich reefs exist ,in the ' neighbour- i hood, and with further^ exploitation it is probable known lodes will prove rich. Recently some valuable quartz was- found somewhere in the " Awakino district, Taranaki. ■ Specimens submitted to, aft" Auckland Analyst were reported to bo worth £3 and £86 per toia respectively. Coining nearer home, it hasjaeen reported thas a Dunedin company lias taken up an area of 130 acres near the well-known Canada Reef, a, short distance west of the -town of Milton in. Bruce- County. There are "several lines of quartz reef of low, grade known in that locality, and-, the chances are that deep sinking may touch a good payingjode. There are. alluvial deposits in the same locality that^may prove payable for dredging. In connection with thia new form 'of mining it is worthy of note that prospecting licenses have been granted for portions -of^the Ninety-mile Beach on the East Coast of Canterbury. Portions of the beach in the vicinity of tllev larger rivers«iflre known to be more or less auriferous, and should prospecting yield satisfactory results a considerably area will be added to the dredging fields of this colony. Up to the present, however, nothing has transpired concerning the results of prospecting the Ninety-mile Beach. The following . Auckland results have beea published during the past four weeks: — Tha gold return from the Auckland district for July, was valued at £48,313, against £50,711 for the previous month. Tlie Whangamata Corporatiori crushed 892 tons of ore during "July for a .return valued at £882. The: Talisman crushect - 910 tons of stone for bullion valued at £2295. The New Zealand Crown Mines crushed 2912 tons for. a return valued at £5727. The Waitekauri Company's return for July was £Ssoi from 2163 tons of, ore treated.- The return from the Kauri. Freehold Gold Estates for four weeks was bullion valued at £2203 from- 1498. tons treated. The directors of the Waihi' Com,pany have declared another, dividend of 2s 6d • peit share", bringing "the total amount "paid by that mine in dividends up to £519,000. The following Reefton results are to. hand: — The 'Big River Company obtained .a return of 480z.0f gold from 55 tons crushed. The following returns for July have been announced: — • Progress Mines : Battery, " 15220z from 4147 tons; chlorinated, 185oz from 80 tons; — total value, £7053. The following returns for August are to hand : — Keep-it-Dark battery,. 2840z from 960 tons; cyanide, 1460z; — total, 4300z. DIVIDENDS. The following dividends have been declared during the past month : — Golden Gate, 4s ; Success, 2s ; Golden Treasure, 2s ; Keep-it-Dark, 6d ; Vincent, 3s ; Alexandra Eureka, la Gd; Enterprise, Is; Emnire, 2s; Evans Flat, . Is ; Clyde, Is 6d.