Notes from Keelton.

Otago Witness, Issue 2558, 25 March 1903, Page 23

Notes from Keelton.

(From Our Own Correspondent.) REEFTOX, March 18. The pontoons of the Boatmans Creek Gold Dredging Company were successfully launched on Sntu: day last. The machinery is all on the ground, and the work of erection will be pushed on as speedily as possible. The claim is situated about three miles on this side of Boatmans. The Reeves's Proprietary dredge is working at the top boundary of her claim. The wash is still very heavy. Mr E Silcock has charge of the dredge during Mr Scott's temporary absence. The Al dredge is on very poor wash at present. The,return last week was only 6gr. The Buller dredge, lately taken over by a party of tributers, sank on Monday night. March 22. • The return from the Ffddersen dredge is slightly better than that for last week. The dredge is at present working on a good face. The Mokoia. dredge is working a face 200 ft wide and 9}ft deep. Indications point to the returns being highly payable for some time to come. The Welcome dredge is also opening on a good face, the present wash being promising. The Premier dredge has been moved up to where good returns were formerly obtained. She experienced difficulty in. bottoming in the lower part of the cla m. It will take a little tune before the face is opened up. The Rocklsnds Beach diedge, which has beon undergoing repairs, is now in working order. An improvement is expected in the wash. A fresh occurred in the rive-r during the week, which necessitated some dead work in removing s:lt from faces. MINE MANAGERS' CERTIFICATES. WELLINGTON. March 19. The following ha\e passed —For first-class mine mauagei's certificates: W. C. Hitchcock, Barewood; R. C Clouston, Kaitangata.

! Secon3-class coal certificate: James M'LeUancf; Kaitangata. Dredgeraaster's certificates: W. Kane, Clyde; E. Eeiderer, Cromwell; J. T, Taylor, :Dunedin; J. Bourke, Clyde; G-. M'Donald, Alexandra South; J. Guy ton, St. Clair ; J. Johnston, Maori Gully. Battery; superintendent's certificates: G. S. Orbell, "Waikouaiti; TV. C. Hitchcock, Barewoo^. THE INVESTORS' SYNDICATE. A meeting of the Investors' Syndi^ais wnS called for Wednesday in the Colonial Bank Buildings, but no quorum attended. The accounts were, however, passed, and the final report of the liquidator (Mr D. G. Davidson), which was as follows, presented: — " I have to report having now completed the liquidation of this syndicate, and, as gazetted, the accounts of the same will be placed before the shareholders on the 18th March, 1903, at 5 p.m. in the liquidator's office, Colonial Bank Buildings, Dunedin. The fully paid shares in the Shetland Terrace Sluicing Company (Limited), held by this syndicate, have been, distributed amongst the byndicate sbareholdevs, at the rate of 32 shares for every 25 shares hold in the Investors' Syndicate (Limited). As directed by shareholders at a meeting of ths Investors' Syndicate (Limited), held on Bth January, 1903, I have kandcu to JVlr Alexander S. Adams all securities held from the Clyde Collieries Company (Limited), and Mr Adams now holds the same, together with a bill, due loth January, 1904, for £375.252 d, by the Clyde Collieries Company (Limited), which, -when paid, will be distributed as a .final dividend." NEW BRITANNIA GOLD DBEDGING COMPANY. A meeting of shareholders in the Nev Britannia Gold Dredging Company wns held at the office of Mr J. A. Hopcraft on the 17th.' Mr P. Miller occupied the chair, and there were over a dozen shareholders present. The posi* tion of the company -was discussed at some length, and it was finally resolved to apply to the shareholders for further capital with the object of testing the claim. - NO TOWN GREEK GOLD DKEDGING COMPANY. The directors' report is in the following terms : — " Your directors have the pleasure to present herewith the third annual report usu bp-lance sheet, duly certified by the auditor. In doing so, shareholders will no doubt notice that the loss account in last year's balance-sheet ha 9 during the year, owing to the successful operations of the dredge and the value of the claims, been converted into a credit balance of £1329 15s 7d. The actual amount of gold won ia 223007. lldwt 6gr, valued at ,£BC9S is lid, an* the area of ground worked during the year is approximately seven and one-fifth acres, at an, average depth of 85ft, amounting to 406,360 cubic yards of material treated. A porhen of the county road running parallel with the claim has been deviated to the foot of tho terrace, and four chains of the old road dredged. A further deviation is just completed ahead of where the dredge now is working, making an addition of about two and a-half acres to" tho claim. During the year dividends amounting to £3000 have been paid— equal to 25 per cent, on the capital. Your directors deemed it advisable, whilst declaring dividends, to also establish a reserve . fund for any further contingencies, and have now, as per balance sheet, the sum of £575 on fixed deposit, bearing interest. The prosr»2ctß of the company, as per laiest advices from ±he dredgeruaster, are good 1 , and the directors .have every learon to expect that returns will improve. The. retiring director is Mr C. Parfitt, who is eligible for re-election. 1 The auditor, Mr T. Chalmer, also retires, but is eligible and offers himself for re-election. ' .* LADY CHAELTON GOLD DREDGING COMPANYAn extraordinary general meeting oi shareholders in the Lady Charlton Gold Dredging Company was held on Monday for the purpose of confirming a resolution passed at a previous meeting to the effect that the company b» wound up voluntarily, and also for the purposs of appointing a liquidator. There wert eight shareholders present, and Mr T. K. Harty, (chairman- of directors) presided. On the motion of the Chairman, seconded by Mr Burn, the resolution that the company bo wound up voluntarily was confirmed. On the motion of Mr Burn, seconded by Mr Beadle, it was decided that only one liquidator be appointed. The Secretary intimated that he -would *ot be a candidate for the position of liquidator, but stated that he would assist the liquidator to the best of his ability. On the motion of Mr Beadle, seconded by Mr Walker, Mr S, Mirams wr.s appointed liquidator, and on the motion of Mr Burns, seconded by Mr Calvert, his remuneration was fixed at £50. The meeting closed with a tolc of thanks to the cimir. REPORTS FEO?»l WORKING DREDGES. • The dredgerrnistfr of the North Beach Com>. pany reports for the week ending Friday: — " The return of 330z 83wt was obtained fcr 123 hours' dredging on the ' shingle lead,' with an average depth of 26ft and a -width of 2i chains. ' The machinery for the Eoss Day Dawn is still in Hokitika " -_ The Greymouth Lagoon dredg« washe'l up, with 15oz for last week's work, says a West Coast paper. • The Electric No. 1 dredge's return was 27ca 16dwt. The dredgemaster reports that tho

Irift is running strong, and that most dredges _»re stopped. ! The Cromwell No. 2 return is 7lT>z Bdwt for 123 hours. The dredgemaster adds that prospects are good. < The Enfield is reported to have washed up last Saturday for 18oz 6dwt 12gr for 182 hours' work. . The dredgemaster of the Dunstan Lead dredge reports heavy drift. The return was «18oz 15dwt for the week. The return from the Alexandra Lead dredge Xvna 250z Sdwt for 114 hours. The dredge is reported to be working well. The secretary of the Bise and Shine Company reports a return of 540z for 120 hours' ?.vork. The ground is rough, but the prospects «r« good. . The secretary of the Aldinga Gold Dredging Company reports a return of 21oz 14dwt for 120 hours' work. A stoppage was made on Thursday for the purpose of relippmg the buckets and effecting other repairs. The secretary of the Gabriel Company reports a return of 21oz 2dvrt Everything is iworking well. , The secretary of the Eiley's Beach Gold Dredging Company reports that last week's return was 9oz lOdwt. The master states that the drift is heavy and the river still high. The master of the Golden Gate dredge reports th»t last week's return was 230z ldwt for five days' work. The river was falling on Saturday. The secretary of. the Island Block Company reports a return of 19oz 4dwt for 117 hours' work. One day's work'was lost owing to boiler inspection. 7 The Ettrick dredge, which was working m old tailings, obtained a return of s*oz last jweek. '.. The Buller Jcnction return for last v/eek was I6oz for 132 hours' woik. *.' The Stafford Waimea dredge washed up 15oz Bdwt for 150 bonrs. ' The return from the Enfield dredge for the .•week ending Marqh 14 was 18oz 6dwt 12gr gold for 132 hours. ' The secretary of the Nelson Creek Gold predging Company reports a return of 340z for 115 hours' work. The dredgemaster states that the prospects are good. Mr Laurence Ryan, Alexandra, reports the following returns from the perseverance dredges for last week:— No. 1 dredge, 20oz !4dwt; No. 2 dredge, 31oz. The No. 1 dredge has finished her present cut to the top boundary, and was yesterday shifting down to the lower end of the claim, next the Chicago boundary, from where she -will work up another cut. ' Our Wetherstones correspondent writes: — *' The Local Industry manager washed down last Saturday, when he got another 16oz out cf -the paddock. That represents 46 hours' ground sluicing." THE WEEK'S DREDGING RETURNS. During the week ended Monday, March 23, .returns were reported from the following 58 dredges, the total yield being 13170z 18dwt 27gr, or an average of 220z per dredge : — Oz. dwt. gr. Cromwell No. 2, Cromwell, 123hrs 71 8 0 Eise and Shine, Upper Clutha 120hrs 54 0 0 Matau, Clyde, week 51 0 0 Enterprise No. 1, Alexandra, wk 49 19 12 bunstan Lead, Alexandra, week 48 15 0 fSarnscleugh No. 2, Alexandra, 129hrs 47 13 0 Enterprise No. 2, Alexandra, wk 44 17 0 Empire, Waipori (2 dredges) .. 42 15 0 .Upper Waipori, Waipori, 137hrs 35 0 0 iWftikaka, Waikaka, 130hrs .. 34 12 5 iWaimumu Queen, nr Mataura 129hrs 34 7 0 Golden Run, Miller's Flat, 126hrs 31 12 0 Perseverance No. 2, Alexandra . . 31 0 0 jNew Royal Maori, Upper Clutha, 130hrs 30 10 0 Bheddon's Freehold, Waikaka, wk 29 0 0 Electric No. 1, Cromwell, week .. 27 15 0 Central Chaxlton, nr Gore, 136hrs 26 6 0 Success, Waipori, 128hrs .... 25 16 3 Alexandra Lead, Alexandra, 114hrs 23 5 0 fsew Teviot, Roxburgh, 88hrs .. 25 3 0 Waikaka Syndicate, Waikaka, wk' 25 0 0 Earnscleugh No. 1, Alexandra, 119hrs 23 18 6 Golden Gate, Miller's Flat, sdys 23 1 0 Molyneux Hydraulic, AJexandra, 134hrs 22 10 0 iWaikaka United No. 1, Waikaka, week 22 6 0 Lawrence, Tuapeka Flat .... 21 18 0 Mystery Flat, Waikaia, 13Shrs .. 21 :7: 7 0 Gabriel, Tuapeka Flat, wk . 21 2 0 Perseverance No. 1, Alexandra .. 20 14 0 Meg and Annie, Kawarau River.. 19 5 12 Island Block, Beaumont, 117hrs 19 4 0 Charlton Valley, nr Gore, lllhrs 16 8 0 Inch Valley, near Palmerston, 130hrs , 15 32 0 Enfield, Waipori, week . . . . . . 15 10 0 (Ngapars No. 3, Nevis River " 130hrs ~ 15 8 0 Olrig, Manuherikia, 117hrs .... 15 7 0 Central Mataura, nr Gore, 130brs 15 5 0 Grand Junction, Nevis River, 120hrs 15 0 0 Cairntrodlie, Poolburn, 126hrs.. 15 0 0 27ew Go!2eli Gravel, Beaumont , 210hrs "" .. -..' .. „ .. .. 14 10 0 Inchdale near Palmerston, 138hrs 13 7 0 Reliance, Tuapeka Flat, week 13 5 0 MaoChailton, *nr ,Gore, 130hrs .. 12 17 0 Charlton Creek, near Gore, 130hrs 12 10 0 IWaimumu Extended, nr Mataura, 131hrs 12 2 0 IWaimumu Central, nr Mataura, 93hrs 12 0 0 Bpcc Gully, near Mataura, 12Shrs 11 19 0 Waik«ka Queen, Waikaka, 103hrs 11 8 0 Tuapeka, Tuapeka Flat, week .. 11 5 0 Majestic, Miller's Flat 10 2 0 Golden Treasure, Miller's Flat, week 10 0 0 Eiley's Beach, Cromwell, wk ... 9 10 0 ILafranchi's Freehold, Cardrona, 3J days „ .» 8 4 0 Clyde, Alexandra, 132hrs .. *. 8 ' 0 0 Ciiity, Clyde .. .. M .. M 7 0 0 Ettrick, Roxburgh 5 10 0 Lower Enfield, Waipori, 120ihrs 3 10 3 Total - .. - 1317 18 17 Tub West Coast. Mosquito, week 53 0 0 Stony and Mosquito Leads, 102hrs ~ .. « 43 15 0 Mokoia, 136hrs ....-„- 43 0 0 Pactolus No. 2, 136hrs - « -~> 48 12 0 iNelson Creek, 115hrs ...-■■ 3* 0 0 Three-mile Greenstone, 112hr3 .. 34 0 0 Iforth Beach, 121hrs .. .. +* 33 14 0 Callaghan's Cre«k, 138hrs .. — 32 14 0 Fcddersen. 138hrs ......•» 29 0 0 Eohinoor, HOhrs .. .. •» *• 27 6 0 Blackwater River, 134hrs •« „ 24 5 0 Aldinga, 120hrs ......>. 21 14 0 Maori King, 112hra ..«.«• 20 13 6 Victory, 128hrs mm* IB 1* 0 JReeves's Proprietary, llOhrs « 18 9 0 Greenstone Creek, 125hra _ v» 18 0 0 Cornwall, H9hrs ....-» 17 15 0 Shellback, 9Ohrs .. .. — *~ 16 0 0 New Greenstone, lOOhrs •« wk 15 2 lo Leviathan M » 9 20 Siafford Waimea, 80hrs — .. 6 6 0 Greenstone Junction «• n *. 6 0 0 Total «: mm m m m *•' V% • *■

DTTNEDIN STOCK EXCHANGE. Match" 17.— Dunstan Lead, 9s 9d and 10s; Grand Junction, 14s and 13s 6d ; North Beach, 25s 9d; Prince of Wales, 10s. March 18. — Buller Junction, 14s; Meg and Annie, 6s; North Beach, 25s 9d; Upper Waipcri, 11s 6d p. March 19.— Alexandra, Lepd-, 14s 6d; Kelly and Casey, Is 6d ; Manuherikia, 27. March 19. — Bendigoes, 10s premium ; Rise and Shines, 24s 6d. March 21. — Davis's Bend, Is dis. The Mystery Flat Company's dredgemaster wires : " 21oz 17dv.t for 138 hours."