The Colony's Goldfields.

Thames Star, Volume XLIII, Issue 10591, 8 September 1906, Page 1

The Colony's Goldfields.

AIMMJAL MIMES STATEMIENT.

HIGHEST RBTUKNi FOR MAiNY YEARS-

AUCKLAiNiD HIJiADS THE 1 LIST

By Telegraph—Own Correspondent)

Sept. 7The ■annual Mimes Statement was laid on the table of the House yesterday, together witlh the usiuial reports of the inspecting engineer and the inspectors- ; ' . ■ T!he returns included! in the statement and reports shiowl tlhat the expenditure during, the j'ear. ended •March, last in subsidised roads and tracks wasl £4625. The total expenditure on road§ from direct grants was £40,512. Thie total returns' for the year 1905 showedl til total value of £2,093,936, as aigaintet £1,987,501 in 1904, thiu® showing an increase of £106,435- This is this highest return for many years, and exceeds the -hia'h return of the year 1903 by £56.105. The greatest, increase last year'wais. from the northern goldfields- Tthe Auckland goldfields yielded 1 £935/02, Oltago £694, 241, West .CoasT £438,258, W Nelson■■£2&,B6'2. For the yeai- ended March! last the Auckland goldfieldsi yielded £1,000,954, Otaigo £655,913, West Coast £443,089, and kelson. £17,650The totiail Value of gold exported from the colony from) 1857 to thjei end of last yeaa* was £67,230,584. —'Diamond Drills—— The Government lias engaged a skilled operator and a principal, assistant to operate [ the three diamond dtrills -Avfhicihi have beeni secured to assist the development of mining;- The mien! will -arrive lin, the colony in a few months'- Regulations are now being; drawn up, for letting out and working the drills- . —Prospecting l—■ The report says thei Minister has decided that the day of the one man prospector, however useful hie may have teen mi tilie early days', has passed- iProspecting requires, to- be earriied out on more systematic linles, and the -regulations will be .amended accordingly. While the Government isi-.Avillingi to assist in work of this chlair'aoter, it is now averse to the dis-1 triibuticwii of subsidieiS: to> one or two ■ men- During last flnanoi'al year the simn of £1822 was paid in, subsidies to' p'rospedtorsThia miining oomnumity at Thames i will now have placed ait. its disposal | ai greatly inoreased area of mining Mid included in the Opitouioko, KurajQiUii, aaidi Pa^'areka No- 2 blocks 1, whiichi haver; been seoui-ed by thle Govermiienifc fronni the native owaiersT!he. Minister hopes that within a few months aiTaaxgcimotiits mlay be completed under which prospecting cam. be carried on in the Urewem Country- Numerous applicants have already been made—Copperl-— The statement records the fact that , server'al license® toy mining copper hiave been taken up near Kaeo- Very promising irudlications have been met witihi, ascays ol the '6ra giving a high peroemtage. A license for copper has also been granted for the Mahai-aharai I locality, near Woodville, and bi con> pany 'with ai f-aao* capital . has la,te>ry 'been fowned to further develop the copper mine ait Aniseed Valley, ISSelsion- ■ . —Tihe 'Cyanide Process— The .sum of £10,000, which the Goveirnimient paid for 1 the: rights of the cyanide process of treating tailings for igold, was recouped in October by ' small royalties padd by users- Since th'eni all qualified persons have been free to> use it- Tihie Minister states that the £10,000 would have-been recouped much earlier but for the fact th'ait before tihe Government purch'aised th!o rights from the Oassel Goldi i Extracting Compainy the W'ai'tekauri, Walilii, Unioni Waahi, and. New Zear land. Crowin Mines Compaaiiesi had! miade sqiarate arrianigenients for thei use of the process- By mean® of this process 'a large percentage of gold has | beeni extracted from: tailings, which would otherwise have 'been, Iosf;. —Tibe. Waihii Mine— Tihe statement refea's follows to thie Waihi mine: -—This mine retains its"'premier 1 position aaniongst . tihe : : iiidnes f of the colony, and from the I magnittide of its operations wnd its . output of gold is .entitled to i"aink amomg the largest gold miming properties of the world- ''Tihe inspecting engineeai (Mr John Hayes) says: — "During the year the average number of personis employed by the Waiihii G-M- 'Company at thie mine, mills, a>nd other works was 1396- With such »■ number of persons it is only natural . to expect that amouw them are to.be found many who axe careful as to their own siafety and that of their fellows, whilst on the other hand it is equally to be inferred that careless and indifferent men will be included among the employees- That such, is rcaiUy thie case wias very clearly demonstrated to me whilst making an exhaustive inspection of the mine im Septan-iibeir last su'bsequerit to the occurrence of a numbea 11 of accidents- I found \vi:tihi mnich satisfaiction a keen 'intea'est on the -part-of the maiagemient for thie safety of the employed, that there was no desire or attempt to economise at the expense of safety, and also that no expense was spared in the provision of material necessary to maintain the mine in a t safe eondjti'on!. 'It must, EWev,©! 1, tte i'&-

niamibered thait Uicdeirgroimd work "Is always a, more oi" loss risky undertaking that the greatest dair© cannot altogeitihie'r 1 prove am. effective saleiguai'd against lacpidenit ■ wliere unseen damgems 'hlarve to be encountered, and that it .is imoumibeait on the men employed to satisfy themiSieilves so la-r as is r©&sooiiaiHy pi-adtdcafble of tlie safety- of their own ■working- places-"