Papers Past | Parliamentary Papers | Appendix to the Journals of the House of Representatives | 1914 Session I | MINES STATEMENT, BY THE HON. W. FRASER, MINISTER...

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CONTENT S . Page Mines Statement .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. 1-7 Statistics :— Gold .. .. .. 8-11 Metals and Minerals other than Gold . . .. . . .. .. 12-13, 17 Coal .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. 14, 93, 96 Persons employed. . .. .. . . .. . . . . . . 15, 17, 94 Accidents .. .. .. . . . . . . .. .. 5, 17, 95 Expenditure on Prospecting .. .. .. . . .. .. 28 Expenditure on Roads on Goldfields . . .. .. .. . . 29 Expenditure on Schools ,of Mines . . . . .. .. .. • . . 31 Revenue of Goldfields .. . . .. .. . . . . . . 73 Quartz crushed and Gold obtained .. .. . . .. .. .. .. 75 Bullion purchased by Banks . . . . . . . . .. .. 79 Gold Duty credited to Local Bodies. . . . . . ... .. ... 79 Statement of Affairs of Mining Companies .. .. .. .. .. 80 Workings in Coal-mines .. .. .. .. .. . . .. .. 115 Balance-sheet of State Coal-mines .. .. .. .. . . .. . . 176 Quartz-mining . . . . . . . . .. .. . . .. 19 Dredge Mining .. .. .. . . . . .. .. .. 22 Alluvial Mining .. . . .. .. .. .. . . .. 23 Scheelite.. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. ..3,24 Kauri-gum .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. 3, 25 Iron .. . . .. .. .. .. .. 7, 25 Petroleum .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. 3, 25 Sulphur 26 Phosphate Rock ... . .. .. .. .. .. .. 26 Stone-quarries .. . . .. .. .. .. .. .. 27 Mining Loans .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. 29 Prospecting-drills .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. 29 Government Water-races .. . . .. .. .. .. .. 31 Reports : Metalliferous Mining :— Inspecting Engineer of Mines . . . .. . . .. .. .. 16 Inspector of Mines, Waihi .. . . . . .. . . .. .. 33 Thames .. .. .. .. .. .. 39 Reefton .. .. .. .. .. .. 43 „ Dunedin .. .. .. .. .. .. 48 Warden, Whangarei .. .. .. .. .. .. .. ... 54 „ Tauranga .. . . .. .. .. . . .. 54 „ Thames .. .. . . .. .. .. .. .. 54 Blenheim . . . . .. .. .. . . . . 57 ~ Nelson .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. 58 Westport .. .. .. .. .. .. .. ..58 ~ Greymouth .. .. .. .. ... .. .. ..59 „ Dunedin.. ~ .. .. .. .. ■ ■ .. 63 Gore .. .. .. .. .. •• •• •• ..63

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Reports : Metalliferous Mining— continued. Page Manager, Waimea-Kumara Water-races .. .. . . . . .. 65 „ Mount Ida Water-races .. .. .. . . . . . . 67 Schools of Mines :— Dunedin .. .... .. .. . . .. .. 68 Thames .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. 69 Eeefton .. .. .. .. .. . . ... .. 69 Coromandel .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. 70 Waihi .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. ..70 Karangahake .. .. . . .. .. .. .. 71 Nelson .. .. .. .. .. . . .. .. 71 Westport . . .. .. .. .. .. . . .. 72 Reports : Coal-mining :— Inspecting Engineer of Mines .. .. .. .. .. .. 93 Inspector of Mines, Thames .. .. .. . . .. .. 98 Westport .. .. .. .. .. .-. ..99 Dunedin .. .. .. .. .. .. .. 104 General Manager of State Coal-mines .. .. .. .. .. ..171 Manager of Point Elizabeth State Coal-mines . . . . .. .. 172 Manager of Seddonville State Coal-mine .. .. .. .. .. ..174 Examinations :— Under the Mining Act— Papers set .. .. .. .. .. .. .. 84 List of Holders of Certificates .. .. .. .. .. .. 88 Under the Coal-mines Act— Papers set .. .. ..' .. .. .. .. .. 108 List of Holders of Certificates .. .. .. .. .. .. ..112 Geological Surveys :— Report of Director .. .. .. .. .. .. .. 117 (See also detailed index) .. .. .. .. .. .. .. ..117 State Coal-mines :— Report of the General Manager, Balance-sheet, &c. .. .. .. ... .. 171 Diagrams :— Quantity and Value of Export of Gold and Kauri - gum, and Output of Coal and Shale .. .. . . .. ■ • • • ••. To face page 12 Plans :— Thames Deep Levels .. . . .. .. .. .. To face page 20 Taupiri. Coal -mines (Limited), Extended No. 1 Mine, Huntly (2) .. To face pages 96 &97 State Coal-mines — Workings of Point Elizabeth No,- 1 Mine .. .. .. -| Workings of Seddonville State , Coal-mine .. .. .. j>End of paper. Workings of Point Elizabeth (Liverpool) State Coal-mine .. .. J Photographs:—■ Obelisks, Mines Court, Auckland Exhibition .. .. .. .. To face page 1 Mines Court, Auckland Exhibition (2) .. . . .. .. To face pages 32 &33

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1914. NEW ZEALAND.

MINES STATEMENT, BY THE HON. W. FRASER, MINISTER OF MINES.

Mr. Speaker,— I have the honour to present to Parliament the Mines Statement for the year ended the 31st December, 1913. The value of the mineral output for the year amounted to £3,187,191, as against £3,042,224 during 1912, being an increase of £144,967. The value of the bullion produced from our gold-mines amounted to £1,563,365, being an increase of £133,495 above that of the previous year. Kauri-gum continues to be a valuable export, for during 1913, the exports amounted to 8,780 tons, valued at £549,106, which is the highest point reached both as regards tonnage and value during the past seven years. The total production for the year actually amounted to 9,596 tons, which is the highest production for the past ten years. The value of scheelite concentrates exported amounted to £22,933, being the highest of any year since this (the youngest) branch of our mining industry was established. Owing to the disastrous strike during November and December nearly all the large collieries were rendered idle, with the result that I regret to record a decrease of 289,610 tons in coal-production, which for the year amounted to 1,888,005 tons, as against 2,177,615 tons during 1912. The loss of wages to colliery employees during those months exceeded £100,000. The mining industry, if judged by the annual value of exports or production, appears to have arrived at a somewhat settled condition, slight declines in some branches of the industry being compensated by increases in others. As time passes reduction in our gold-output appears probable, but this will be compensated by an increase in coal-output, and probably by the initiation of an iron industry. The kauri-gum industry appears to be established for many years to come.

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MINERAL-PRODUCTION. The following table shows the quantity and value of gold, silver, and other minerals, coal, and kauri-gum, exported during the years 1912 and 1913, also the quantity of native coal consumed in the Dominion during the same periods : —

Total value of production for 1913 ... ... ... ... 3,187,191 1912 ... ... ... ... 3,042,224 Total increase ... ... ... ... £144,967 AURIFEROUS-QUARTZ MINING. The value of bullion obtained from our quartz-mines during 1913 amounted to £1,071,813, as a result of treating 464,508 imperial tons of ore, in addition to which scheelite concentrates, value £22,933, was also obtained from, such ore. The dividends distributed by gold-quartz mining companies amounted to £287,088. The above-recorded output shows an increase when compared with that for 1912. The following is a statement of the quantity of quartz treated, the value of bullion obtained, and the amount of dividends paid by the most important quartzmines during 1913 : —

ALLUVIAL AND DREDGE MINING. Gold to the approximate value of £295,704 was obtained at sluicing claims during the year. This result is greater than the production by this class of mining for several preceding years. Alluvial-gold mining appears to have arrived at a more permanent condition, owing to the installation by companies of sluicing and elevating plants capable of profitably handling large quantities of low-grade wash. Although no development of importance occurred during 1913, with the addition of new mines now being laid down the future prospects appear to be favourable to the maintenance of the present output.

Year ending Product. 31st December, 1912. 31st December, 1913. I Quantity. Vain Value. Iβ. Quantity. Value. I Gold Silver ... ... ... ... Mixed minerals ... ... ... New Zealand coal exported ... New Zealand coal used in New Zealand Kauri-gum ... ... ... Coke ' ... £ 343,163 oz. 1,345 801,165 „ 84. 1,729 tons 20, 229,012 „ 216. 1,948,603 „ 974, 7,908 „ 401. 4 „ £ 1,345,131 84,739 20,571 216,170 974,301 401,305 7 6 £ 1,131 376,161 oz. 1,459,499 ,739 975,616 „ 103,866 ',571 2,927 tons 31,532 ',170 211,749 „ 205,010 ,301 1,676,256 „ 838,128 ,305 8,780 „ 549,106 7 28 „ 50

Quantity of Quartz treated. Dividends pa tered Comp lid by Eegislanies only. Name of Company. Value of Bullion. |r Total to End if December. 1913. 1913. ]o Waihi Gold-mining Company (Limited) Waihi Grand Junction Gold-mining Company (Limited) Talisman Consolidated (Limited) New Big River Gold-mining Company (Limited) Blaekwater Mines (Limited) Other quartz-mines i] Imperial Tons. . 164,971 [) 87,842 39,780 4,970 45,053 . 121,892 £ 323,345 180.020 215,642 28,022 82,207 242,577 £ 99.181 19.219 133.687 14.400 12.500 8,101 £ 4,478,539 57.656 819,041 81,600 99.996 * Totals 464,508 1,071,813 287,088 * Unknown.

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The value of the production by gold-dredges during 1913 amounted to £195,848, as against £257,333 for 1912. The number of dredges in commission at the end of 1913 was seventy-four, being thirteen less than those at work during the previous year. When this branch of gold-mining was at its zenith—viz., about the year 1902— the number of working dredges was 201. The decline in importance of dredging is now rapid ; except for ground inaccessible by other methods it has been found costly, and inefficient in gold-recovery. The following is a statement regarding the most productive dredges owned by registered companies (the profit from privately owned dredges is not obtainable for publication):—

SCHEELITE. The quantity of scheelite concentrates exported during the year amounted to 221 tons, valued at £22,933, the highest annual output yet recorded. This mineral is obtained from the scheelite-gold-quartz mines of Otago and Marlborough in conjunction with gold. KAURI-GUM. The most satisfactory feature in connection with our mineral exports during 1913 is the considerable increase in the quantity and value of kauri-gum exported, which amounted to 8,780 tons, valued at £549,106. These results are the highest both in tonnage and value during the past seven years. The total production for the year actually amounted to 9,596 tons, being the highest during ten years. The reason for the improved condition in this old and settled industry is that there is now a steady sale for inferior grades of gum—known in the trade as " dust " and " chips "—hitherto in little demand, but which are now shipped to Germany for linoleum-manufacture. PETROLEUM. Drilling operations are still being vigorously carried out by eight companies in the North Island, in the Provincial Districts of Taranaki, Wellington, and Hawke's Bay. The most important development during the year has been the tapping by the Taranaki Oil Lands Company at Moturoa of a flow, which during the first two months of the current year is reported to have yielded over 1,000 barrels of crude oil. The Taranaki Oil-wells (Limited) commenced operations at their new refinery at Moturoa during the year,_ and have drilled three additional boreholes, but these have not yet proved productive. The petroleum industry is not yet permanently established, however. The yield of oil, although of excellent quality, has not been proved in sufficient quantity to be profitable.

Name of Dredge. Production during 1913. Dividends declared from Dredges owned by Registered Companies. During 1913. Total to the End of 1913. West Coast, South Island— £ H.essy Cameron .. . . . . .. ] , 856 Worlcsop .. .. " .. .. ' .. | 18,244 Otago— Olrig .. .. .. .. .. 1,852 New Golden Run" .. .. .. .. 7,534 Earnscieugh (three dredges) .. .. .. 9,204 Rising Sun .. .. .. .. 5,159 Magnum Bonum .. ' .. .. .. 3,584 Electric (two dredges) .. . . .. 5,985 Paterson's Freehold (three dredges) .. .. 4,819 Ngapara .. .. .. .. .. 4,803 Willowbank .. .. .. .. 4,084 Sixty-three other dredges by registered companies 1 28,724 and privately owned £ 225 11,400 300 400 550 800 1,000 1,300 600 975 1,200 * £ 6,480 35,700 4,473 400 26,400 19,200 11,875 130,643 21,100 1,500 3,600 * Totals .. 195,848 18,750 L.... I * * Unrecorded. •

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For the better control of drilling operations, and protection from influx of water into the oil-bearing beds, regulations based on those in operation in other countries are being prepared. COAL-MINING. The output of coal during 1913 amounted to 1,888,005 tons, as against 2,177,615 tons during 1912, being a decrease of 289,610 tons. This decrease is accounted for by the general strike, by which nearly every colliery of importance was closed during the months of November and December. The shortage of coal thus created was made good by importations from foreign parts, which amounted to 468,940 tons —the greatest quantity ever imported—being 104,581 tons in excess of that imported during 1912. The following is a comparative statement of the coal and lignite raised during the years 1911, 1912, and 1913 :—

The comparative tonnage of the various classes of coal for the years 1912 and 1913 is summarized as follows : —

The most important development in the coal-mining industry during 1913 has been the entry of the new Liverpool State Colliery near Point Elizabeth into the list of productive collieries, and the approaching completion of the plant and surface arrangements at the new Waipa and Pukemiro Collieries, on the Waikato Coalfield. PERSONS ENGAGED IN MINING. The number of persons employed in and about the mines of the Dominion during 1913 is estimated at 9,191, or 376 less than during the previous year. The number employed at metalliferous mines was 4,941, and at coal-mines 4,250. The number of gum-diggers is not known, but exceeds 1,000. The following table shows the number of miners in each inspection district, and the branch of mining in which they are engaged : —

Inspection District. Output for Output for 1912. 1913. Decrease, 1913. Outnut for Increase or Decrease. ]qil between Years 1912 and 1911. Northern West Coast Southern Tons. Tons. 383,847 349,586 1,301,461 1,057,564 492,307 I 480,855 Tons. 34,261 243,897 11,452 Tons. 397,872 1,218,693 449,508 Decrease Increase Tons. 14,025 82,768 42,799 Totals 2,177,615 1,888,005 289,610 2,066,073 Increase 111,542

Class of Coal. Class of Coal. Output for 1913. Output for 1912. Increase or Decrease for 1913. Bituminous and semi-bituminous Pitch-coal Brown coal .. ' Lignite - - i Tons. 1,160,274 2.397 624,852 100,482 Tons. 1,417,608 4,115 544,675 •211,217 Tons. Decrease 257,334 1,718 Increase 80,177 Decrease 110,735 Totals .. 1,888,005 2,177,615 Decrease 289,610

Inspection listrict. Classification. Northern. West Coast. S-old and silver loal .. )ther minerals .. 2,263 824 6 1,361 2,411 33 Southern. 1,125 1,015 153 Totals. J 4,74!) 4,250 192 Totals 2,293 9,191 3,093 3,805

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MINING ACCIDENTS. The number of fatalities in connection with mining operations during 1913 was sixteen, and the number of persons reported as seriously injured was twentytwo. The proportion of fatalities per thousand persons employed is as follows : At all mines combined, 1-74; at metal-mines, 2-02; at coal-mines, 1-38: being a slight increase when compared with the proportion of fatalities during 1912. STATE COLLIERIES. The output from State collieries during the ten months of 1913 when they were operative amounted to 196,284 tons, as against 261,528 tons during the previous year. The new Liverpool Colliery, near Point Elizabeth, commenced to supply coal towards the end of the year. At the Point Elizabeth Mine a new development of coal situated to the rise of the old workings will enable the life of this mine to be somewhat prolonged. The Seddonville Colliery, which has been approaching exhaustion rapidly, was finally closed as a State mine during May of the current year. Owing largely to the disastrous strike which closed the mines during November and December, from a financial point of view the year's business resulted in considerable loss, as shown upon the balance-sheet appended. STATE AID TO MINING. The encouragement of the mining industry by the Government has again been considerable. Subsidies have been granted to miners and prospecting associations, loans have been made for legitimate development of promising mines, and subsidies and direct grants for the construction of roads on goldfields. The free use of Government prospecting-drills has been given when desired. The Government water-races have been maintained and, on the West Coast, considerably extended to supply miners who have proved claims in places where water was not readily obtainable. The following brief details of such State aid during 1913 may prove interesting. Subsidized Prospecting. During the year ended the 31st March, 1914, forty-two approved prospecting parties were granted subsidies, amounting to £4,381 Bs.,* of which sum £756 10s. 9d! was expended during that period. In addition to the above expenditure, £3,439 14s. 2d. granted during previous years was expended during the financial year 1913-14. Loans for the Development of Mining. Since 1905, when statutory provision was made for advances by way of loans for mining development, five companies have been assisted by grants of loans aggregating £32,725, of which £20,600 has so far been paid as the mining operations have proceeded, and in accordance with the conditions upon which the loans were granted. In two cases the developments for which the loan was granted are not yet completed; in another case the loan has been refunded. Roads and Tracks on Goldfields. The expenditure on roads and tracks by subsidies and direct grants during the financial year ended the 31st March, 1914, amounted to £24,143 2s in addition to which, goldfields' local bodies were credited with goldfie'lds revenue amounting to £17,139 7s. 7d. and gold duty amounting to £22,039 lis. 5d The total amount of State aid thus given on behalf of the mining industry was £63,322 during the past financial year.

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DEEP-MINTNG EXPLORATION. The crosscutting operations on the 1,000 ft. level at Thames, to connect the Queen of Beauty and Kuranui-Caledonian shafts, a distance of 2,740 ft., have been temporarily suspended at a point 157 ft. distant from the termination at the last-named shaft, owing to an influx of water and gas at great pressure, the crosscut having entered the broken country in the vicinity of the Moanataiari Fault. It is proposed to resume operations in this crosscut when ventilation is restored by means of the Waiotahi shaft, which is now being connected with the crosscut. The quartz-lodes intersected at the 1,000 ft. level have been small and of low value. The above work has been subsidized by the Government to the extent of £7,000, of which £1,000 was granted during the past year. The operations are controlled by a Board, and the capital necessary to carry on the work is provided by the mining companies whose areas are benefited, assisted by the Government as stated. No other subsidies for deep-level development were accepted during the past year, but £10,000 has been offered for a considerable time for exploration at depth at the Welcome - Fiery Cross group of mines near Boatman's. An attempt is now being made to float a company to carry out the work upon the conditions specified by the Government—viz., that the applicants for the subsidy shall first expend £14,000 of their own money upon the operations before the subsidy shall be payable. GOVERNMENT PROSPECTING-DRILLS. There still continues to be a demand for the Government diamond and Keystone prospecting-drills, although not so great as during the previous year. The drills have been utilized in prospecting for coal and alluvial gold. During the year 112 holes, aggregating in depth 2,949 ft., were drilled by two Keystone drills in alluvial gravel, and seven holes, aggregating in depth 3,144 ft., were drilled in search of coal. The result of such drilling carries considerable influence with those who finance mining proposals, for by such means may the actual value of mineral deposits be most economically ascertained and mining rendered less speculative. • The Government, by providing these modern and economically run prospecting-drills, have done much to assist the mining industry. GOVERNMENT WATER-RACES. The Waimea-Kumara and Mount Ida Water-races, which render possible hydraulic mining in the Kumara district, Westland, and the Naseby district in Central Otago, have supplied one hundred miners with water for sluicing during the past year, and enabled them to obtain gold to the value of about £23,226. For the year ended the 31st March, 1914, the receipts from sales of water from the combined races amounted to £3,305 6s. 9d., the expenditure in upkeep and supervision during the same period being £3,214 19s. 9d., as compared with £2,588 os. Bd. and £3,273 lis. 3d. respectively during the previous year. New branch races have been constructed to serve miners in the Waimea-Stafford district, and a race-deviation is now being carried from the Erin-go-Bragh Waterrace, purchased by the Government for £2,000 during the past year, to Argus Terrace. Westland, where alluvial-gold deposits are known to exist. In Central Otago the Mount Ida race has been extended to enable new ground to be worked. By the maintenance of the Government water-races, mining is rendered possible in the districts served, for without such aid the miners employed would be unable to carry on their occupation in these localities. The races are at present selfmaintaining. When mining ceases to be profitable the Government water-races of Westland and Central Otago may become of value for hydro-electric power and irrigation.

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SCHOOLS OP MINES. The attendance at the subsidized schools of mines at Waihi, Thames, Coromandel, Karangahake, Westport, and Reefton is still small. Only seventyeight students presented themselves at the annual Government examinations held at all the schools during 1913 ; of this number a considerable proportion were not bona fide mining students, but were scholars of the State schools and others who attended night classes at the school of mines to perfect themselves in some special subject. The expenditure by the Government upon schools of mines during the year ended the 31st March, 1914, amounted to £3,497 16s. 7d., and during the twenty-nine years since the schools were established it amounted to £31,404 18s. 2d. GOLD-MINERS' RELIEF FUND. This fund, which was inaugurated by the passing of the Mining Act Amendment Act, 1910. is still unfinancial, the credit balance on the 31st March last being only £428 4s. Bd., against unpaid claims amounting to over £500. During the year payments from the fund amounted to £4,640 35., and contributions thereto were £4,730 7s. sd. To put the fund in a better condition further legislation was passed during last session, and now claims on the fund are restricted to those on account of miners' disease. GEOLOGICAL SURVEY. During the past year the survey of the Buller-Mokihinui ("Westport) Subdivision has been completed, and a detailed report upon the area, which has been written, will shortly be in the hands of the printer. The survey of the Reefton Subdivision has made good progress, and is now practically completed. In addition to their ordinary field-work, officers of the survey during 1913 and the early part of this year made visits to the Gisborne, East Cape, New Plymouth, Southern Hawke's Bay, Waikaka, Murchison, Motueka, Marlborough, North Canterbury, Waihao, and other districts. The Palseontological branch of the survey has done good work during the year. At present, however, work is to some extent suspended owing to the transference of Dr. Thomson, who was in charge, to the Dominion Museum. IRON AND STEEL INDUSTRY. The question of offering a bonus to assist in the development of the iron-ore resources of the Dominion has been considered, and it has been decided to introduce a Bill during the present session. The Bill is now being prepared, and will be submitted for consideration of honourable members in due course.

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TABLES TO. ACCOMPANY THE MINES STATEMENT,

No. 1. Table showing Comparison in Quantity and Value of Gold entered for Exportation, also the Quantity and Value of other Minerals, for the Years ended the 31st December, 1912 and 1913, as well as the Total Value since the 1st January, 1853.

No. 2. Table showing the Quantity and Value of Gold entered for Exportation from New Zealand for the Years ended the 31st December, 1913 and 1912, and the Total Quantity and Value from 1857 to the 31st December, 1913.

For Year ending the 31st December, 1913. For Year ending the 31st December, 1912. Total from the 1st January, 1853, to the 31st December, 1913. Name of Metal or Mineral. Quantity. Value. Quantity. Value. Quantity. Value. Precious metals— Gold.. Silver Oz. 376,161 975,616 £ 1,459,499 103,866 Oz. 343,163 801,165 £ 1,345,131 84,739 Oz. 20,884,312 17,783,621 £ 82,058,543 1,938,714 Total gold and silver 38,667,933 83,997,257 |l,351,777 1,563,365 1,144,328 1,429,870 Mineral produce, including kauri-gum— Copper-ore Chrome-ore Antimony-ore Manganese-ore Haematite ore.. Mixed minerals Goal (New Zealand) exported Coke exported Coal, output of mines in Dominion (less exports) Shale Kauri-gum Tons. *2,927 211,749 28 1,676,25b £ 31,532 205,010 50 838,128 Tons. t*l,729 229,012 4 1,948,603 £ Tons. 1,495 5,869 3,768 19,364 76 20,571 41,442 216,170 3,536,032 7 16,491 974,301 j 33,812,787 £ 19,198 38,002 54,941 61,905 444 313,597 3,254,932 24,975 16,814,583 Total quantity and value of minerals Value of gold and silver, as above.. 8,780 1,899,740 1,623,826 1,563,365 3,187,191 549^106 2,187,256 7,908 14,423 401,305 330,775 1,612,354 i 37,782,522 1,429,870 3,042,224 7,215 16,759,563 37,349,355 83,997,257 121,346,612 Total value of minerals produced, including gold and silver I i * Scheelite, 221 tons; grfcenstoB , t Stone, 23 tons ; greenstone, 7 torn I Sf,, trons; pui i; (inmice-flto mice, 2.68:1 ti me, 1,562 torn me; stone, I. i; scheelite-c 1 tons; unenumerated, 6 tons, ire, 135 tons ; pyrites, 2 ton...

Yeai 31st Deci ending imber, 1913. Year ending 31st December. 1912. Increase 01Decrease for Year ending 31st December, 1913. Total Quanti from Janui 31st Decei District and County or Borough. Ity and Value ■try, 1857, to nber. 1913. Quantity. Value. Quantity. Value. Increase. Decrease. AUCKLAND — County of Coromandel County of Thames County of Ohinemuri County of Piako .. Borough of Thames Great Barrier Island Borough of Waibi Oz. 3,694 7,694 89,090 52 275 2 1.16,830 £ 14,607 28,643 325,645 217 1,146 9 463,661 Oz. 2,801 9,297 86,140 38 868 £ 11,757 35,189 321,595 159 3,603 Oz. 893 2,950 14 Oz. 1^603 Oz. £ '593 80,719 321,646 2 36,111 217,637 833,928 |L79,863 693,949 39,970 2, 196 5,823,841 22,203,539 WELLINGTON 188 706

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No. 2 — continued. Table showing the Quantity and Value of Gold entered for Exportation, etc.— continued.

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Yeai olst Deci ending imber, 1913 Year ending 31st December, 1912. Increase or Decrease for Year ending 31st December, 1913. District and County or Borough. Total Quantity and Value from January, 1857, to 31st December, 1913. Quantity. Value. iQuantity. Value. Increase. Decrease. Mablboeough— County of Marlborough Oz. 1,533 £ 5,944 Oz. 439 £ 1,643 Oz. 1,094 Oz. Oz. 92,484 £ 360,189 Nelson— County of Waimea County of Collingwood County of Takaka County of Murohison 624 2,492 40 3,156 4 34 160 12,599 16 136 40 2,532 4 "38 "lSO 4 662 2,642 3,234 12,911 2,576 1,730,402 6,860,415 West Coast— County of Buller County of Iuangahua County of Grey County of Westland Hokitika Borough Ross Borough 3,302 59,169 9,492 9,782 12,559 226,963 37,761 39,484 3,457 42,287 11,576 9,606 13,388 166,741 46,282 38,796 16,'882 155 2,084 176 120 "479 1,343 5,373 1J223 81,865 317,246 68,269 270,580 17,058 3,462 5,840,380 23,209,639 Oantekbuby— County of Ashburton 99 387 Otago— County of Taieri County of Tuapeka County of Vincent County of Maniototo County of Waihemo County of Waitaki County of Bruce County of Lake County of Wallace County of Fiord County of Southland County of Clutha.. 528 14,296 19,409 4,952 646 2,326 878 2,921 2,141 18 24,931 778 2,221 57,230 78,279 19,547 2,324 9,169 3,515 11,800 3,596 74 101,286 3,191 469 15,409 25,951 6,946 966 2,320 1,333 3,471 4,231 3 28,634 876 1,866 61,693 103,966 27,399 3,725 9,115 5,339 13,778 16,918 12 115,873 3,556 59 6 1,113 6,542 1,994 320 455 550 2,090 15 98 Unknown 73,824 297,232 90,609 363,240 80 16,865 7,394,776 29,415,414 640 2,507 749 2,808 109 2,142 8,254 Totals 376,161 1,459,499 343,163 1,345,131 58,206 25,208 20,884,312 82,058,543

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No. 3. GOLD PRODUCED, 1857 to 1913 Table showing the Total Quantity and Value of Gold entered for Exportation from the 1st January, 1857, to the 31st December, 1913. (This Return shows the Output of the various Goldfields. Gold entered at Nelson from Hokitika, Greymouth, and Westport is put under the Head of "West Coast," and Gold from Invercargill and Riverton under the Head of "Otago.")

.Auckland. Nelson. Marlborough. West Goast. Oti -go. Wellii igton. Canterbury. Grand Tr >tals. Year. Oz. Value. Oz. Value. Oz. Value. OZft Value. Oz. Value. Oz. Value. Oz. Value. Oz. Value. 1857 1858 1859 1860 1861 1862 1863 1864 1865 1866 1867 1868 1869 1870 1871 1872 1873 1874 1875 1876 1877 1878 1879 1880 1881 1882 1883 1884 1885 1886 1887 1888 1889 1890 1891 1892 1893 1894 1895 308 1^239 4,483 3,448 5,449 5,814 6,637 53,660 132,451 85,534 330,326 104,890 119,449 76,910 69,485 56,057 99,081 55,982 37,901 42,720 35,516 33,059 41,291 36,087 42,989 32,271 30,697 35,223 28,655 31,745 .45,392 45,555 45,714 52,916 111,213 £ i|l92 4,098 13,853 10,552 17,096 17,463 18,277 168,874 434,687 319,146 1,188,708 369,341 437,123 305,068 262,156 221,905 403,627 220,454 154,295 176, 41,6 141,326 131,007 163,618 143,564 170,416 128,140 121,564 139,556 113,191 125,760 181,185 183,655 186,553 211,974 430,862 10,437 13,226 7,336 4,538 6,335 10,422 9,580 14,410 12,137 7,650 9,123 5,999 10,631 12,244 10,014 8,175 13,697 5,642 4,577 14,018 5,367 4,463 2,993 3,222 3,453 3,289 2,064 2,159 2,798 2,582 2,914 3,027 3,252 2,856 4,445 2,535 2,145 2,860 2,460 £ 40,422 51,272 28,427 17,585 24,552 40,386 37,120 55,841 47,030 29,643 35,918 38,396 42,524 48,692 40,056 32,700 54,786 22,158 17,866 55,862 21,092 17,223 11,424 12,223 13,039 12,494 7,724 8,002 10,337 9,979 10,829 11,320 12,310 11,049 16.896 9,604 8,187 10,634 9,016 24,838 7,952 469 501 404 666 1,852 1,867 2,057 1,274 1,198 1,159 450 870 404 879 1,550 1,378 1,352 636 1,079 540 404 1,041 699 5,189 6,073 5,649 3,898 2,165 2,536 2,695 £ 95,231 30,814 1,818 1,978 1,616 2,664 7,408 7,468 8,228 5,050 4,748 4,636 1,796 3,197 1,617 3,460 5,650 4,531 5,400 2,524 4,306 2,160 1,451 3,759 2,547 20,167 24,285 22,576 15,429 8,644 10,123 10,771 - 1,463 289,897 552,572 511,974 405,762 317,169 280,068 232,882 172,574 188,501 157,531 158,678 133,014 153,198 144,634 142,822 144,090 127,544 130,048 116,905 111,686 117,861 112,671 98,774 100,139 101,696 89,096 109,268 103,106 99,127 86,950 89,429 £ 5,560 1,127,370 2,140,946 2,018,874 | 1,608,844 i 1,269,664 1,121,525 931,528 690,296 756,442 631,203 635,480 531,274 ! 612,823 i 578,508 571,061 575,258 509,971 519,978 467,-152 446,517 471,325 446,287 395,430 400,405 406,451 356,368 437,126 412,383 396,516 347,464 357,719 187,696 399,201 614,387 436,012 259,139 168,871 158,670 171,649 153,364 165,152 154,940 157,574 182,416 135,107 121,423 118,477 113,169 105,003 102,869 113,666 102,670 83,446 87,478 78,810 73,183 79,104 70,443 62,107 64,419 63,423 87,209 82,933 77,660 76,353 87,694 £ 727,321 1,546,905 2,380,750 1,689,653 1,004,163 654,647 623,815 686,596 613,456 660,694 30 619,760 630,696 734,024 542,154 487,632 473,491 455,341 422,277 407,868 457,705 411,923 333,804 10 352,334 318,932 101 294,378 317,543 47 279,518 247,142 256,430 255,976 349,573 33 333,467 52 313,238 307,644 353,796 £ 120 37 380 169 132 206 24 24 £ 96 96 £ 10,437 40,422 13,534 52,464 7,336 28,427 4,538 17,585 194,031 751,873 410,862 1,591,389 628,450 2,431,723 480,171 1,856,837 574,574 2,226,474 735,376 • 2,844,517 686,905 2,698,862 637,474 2,504,326 614,281 2,362,995 544,880 2,157,585 730,029 2,787,520 445.370 1,731,261 505,337 1,987,425 376,388 1,505,331 355,322 1,407,770 322,016 1,284,328 371,685 1,496,080 310,486 1,240,079 287,464 1,148,108 305,248 1,227,252 270,561 1,080,790 251,204 1,002,720 248,374 993,352 229,946 921,797 237.371 948,615 227,079 903,569 203,869 811,100 201,219 801,066 203,211 808,549 193,193 ' 773,438 251,996 ! 1,007,488 238,079 954,744 226,811 913,138 221,615 887,839 293,491 1,162,164

o.—_

No. 3— continued. GOLD PRODUCED, 1857 to 1913— continued. Table showing the Total Quantity and Value of Gold entered for Exportation from the 1st January, 1857, to the 31st December, 1913. (This Return shows the Output of the various Goldfields Gold entered at Nelson from Hokitika, Greymouth, and Westport is put under the Head of "West Coast," and Gold from Invercargill and Riverton under the Head of "Otago")— continued.

Auckland. Nelson. Marlborough. West Coast. Otago. Wellii igton. Cantei ■bury. Grand Totals. Oz. Value. Oz. Value. Oz. Value. Oz. Value. Oz. Value. Oz. Value. Oz. Value. Oz. Value. 1896 1897 1898 1899 1900 1901 1902 1903 1904 1905 1906 1907 1908 1909 1910 1911 1912 1913 92,346 105,477 142,383 168,769 166,342 191,968 201,583 232,681 223,010 232,215 295,417 298,101 296,971 288,614 286,526 263,791 179,863 217,637 £ 350,355 2,753 392,337 1,892 527,786 i 1,720 624,737 , 419 605,398 3,718 695,551 7,212 721,977 ; 5,947 832,334 , 7,962 791,529 | 5,049 935,602 ' 6,469 1,195,541 2,944 1,187,079 3,893 1,171,375 3,196 1,142,098 2,572 1,136,057 i 117 1,049,204 ! 2,149 693,949 ! 3,234 833,928 682 22,203,539 310,983 £ 10,333 7,055 6,882 1,571 14,605 28,138 23,649 31,710 20,141 25,862 11,746 15,274 12,783 10,286 466 ' 8,586 12,911 2,642 1,229,258 916 810 781 535 133 601 972 473 .. £ 3,588 3,195 3,003 2,147 513 2,404 3,845 1,890 79,317 58,817 79,948 90,031 73,923 113,286 118,796 125,241 122,310 109,704 104,743 87,069 86,052 95,014 92,036 92,403 68,269. 81,865 £ 317,161 235,430 319,789 360,149 295,733 454,006 475,272 501,090 489,177 438,258 -414,292 343,146 335,722 369,930 358,099 368,545 270,580 317,246 £ 88,362 359,991 84,649 342,187 55,343 , 223,231 130,311 ' 526,605 129,075 521,629 142,940 575,492 181,116 728,124 166,458 668,852 169,478 684,764 172,098 694,214 160,739 649,325 118,352 478,982 119,907 483,900 120,132 484,431 99,556 401,494 96,654 389,580 91,358 366,048 74,464 299,739 ■' i - £ ! •• 28 23 22 2 £ 111 90 83 7 263,694 251,645 280,175 389,558 373,616 455,561 508,045 533,314 520,320 520,486 563,843 508,210 506,423 506,371 478,288 455,226 343,163 376,161 £ 1,041,428 980,204 1,080,691 1,513,173 1,439,602 1,753,783 1,951,433 2,037,831 1,987,501 2,093,936 2,270,904 2,027,490 2,004,925 2,006,900 1,896,328 1,816,782 1,345,131 1,459,499 82,058,543 795 297 39 53 229 439 1,533 92,330 3,009 1,145 155 212 867 1,643 5,944 i " .. .. i -. -I .. I ■■ Totals .. 5,823,841 359,612 7,259,953 28,841,373 7,396,809 29,423,234 273 1,044 123 483 20,884,312

€.—2

No. 4. Table showing the Total Quantity and Value of Mineral Ores other than Gold (the Product of New Zealand Mines), Coal, Coke, and Kauri-gum exported from the Dominion up to 31st December, 1913.

Copper-ore. I Chroi Antimony-ore. Manganese-ore. Hematite Ore Mixed Mineral Ores.* Coke. Kauri-gum. Totals. Silver. le-ore. >a ; . Oz. Value. Tons. Value. Tons. Value. Tons. Value. Tons. Value. Tons. Value.! Tons. Value. Tons. Value. Tons. Value. Tons. Value. Oz. Tons. Value. £ £ £ £ £ £ £ £ £ £ 15,972 28,864 4,514 18,591 35,251 20,037 20,776 9,851 9,888 11,107 27,026 60,590 46,060 70,572 77,491 72,493 111, 307 175,074 167,958 154,167 85,816 79,986 138,523 109,234 118,348 132,975 147,535 242,817 253,778 260,369 336,606 342, 151 299,762 257,653 362,449 380,933 329,590 378 563 437,056 517,678 510,775 404,567 418,766 431,323 398,010 586,767 £ 15,972 28,864 4,514 18,591 35,251 25,066 23,501 12,883 11,708 36,850 31,344 65,500 46,060 72,287 81,419 74,680 115,100 188,082 192,715 164,982 96,321 91,957 149,272 129,372 137,711 154,687 168,001 275,799 271,623 281,016 350,086 353,024 362,779 318,783 419,844 459,301 439,260 4 67,465 544,633 614,360 598,330 487,132 516,393 516,149 495,069 675,834 1853 1854 1855 1856 1857 1858 1859 186a 1861 186S 1863 1864 1865 1866 1867 1868 1869 1870 1871 1872 1873 1874 1875 1876 1877 1878 1879 1880 1881 1882 1883 1884 1885 1886 1887 1888 1889 1890 1891 1892 1893 1894 1895 1896 1897 1898 11,063 37,123 80,272 37,064 36,187 40,566 29,085 12,683 33,893 23,019 20,645 20,005 18,885 5,694 16,826 24,914 16,624 12,108 20,809 403 24,105 32,637 28,023 22,053 63,076 54,177 85,024 94,307 183,892 293,851 - ■■ ; •• ! •• 2,993 11,380 23,145 9,910 9,850 10,380 7,569 3,171 7,556 5,755 4,512 4,500 4,236 1,286 3,785 5,125 3,169! 2,946! 3,453 71 4,043 6,162 5,151 3,996, 9,743 6,697 10,679! 10,589 20,872; 33,107! 351 245 137 110 51 246 84 7 .. •" 5,000 2,605 1,590 1,300 1,024 700 977 "l20 .3 8 116 52 3,843 595 768 281 .. 25 120 1,440 520 24,719 4,318 4,910 1J315 - • • .. •• • -. .. I "' .. - .. •• .. i ■ • - '• .. .. •• .. "• ., ■■ I .. ! •• - I •• .. '• i 3,180 2,366 2 i • - •• .. •• " 14,824 9,664 8 •• •• I 2J 1 261 973 1,027 750 1,672 1,696 990 724 1,463 3,385 1,854 2,658; 6,362: 7,144; 7,020! 6,621! 3,207, 6,522! 6,104 43,893 46,136 44,129 68,087 86,405 69,614 91,664 78,911 69,136 75,004 85,987 79,524 76,073 56,332 - •• 4 2 .. 400 1,228 1,210 800 1,508 1,612 855 655 1,363 3,129 1,954 2,071 5,139 6,187 5,9771 5,610i 2,380 4,879; 4,461; 51,257 52,133 44,650 64,971 84,347 67,003 91,173 80,225 72,699 73,438: 83,342 71,984! 69,595 50,381 .. 21 87 15 53 25i 85 154 87 I 223 I 275 il,430 : 236 267 497 183J 953 2,132 2,218 2,544 4.306 51 ! 107 288 ! 105 .. •• "50 228 51 189 72 177 324 135 353 480 2,057 372 385 715 266 1,646 3,407 3,334 3,658 5,691 53 160 715 263 830 1,661 355 1,440 2,522 1,811 2,010 1,046 856 1,108 1,400 2,228 1,867 2,535 2,685 2,690 2,850 4,391 5,054 4,811 2,834 2,569 3,231 2,888 3,633 3,445 3,229 4,725 5,461 5,533 6,518 6,393 5,875| 4,920| 6,791 8,482 7,519 7,438 8,388 8,705 8,317 8,338 7,425 7,126 6,641 J 9,905 1 •• I •• I •• I •• ! 11,063 37,123 80,272 37,064 36,187 40,566 29,085 12,683 33,893 23,019 20,645 20,005 18,885 5,694 16,826 24,914 16,624 12,108 20,809 403 21,105 32,637 28,023 22,053 63,076 54,177 85,024 94,307 183,892 293,751 830 1,661 355 1,440 2,522 2,167 2,263 1,300 1,018 3,997 1,995 2,996 1,867 3,077 3,904 3,801 3,600 6,070 6,750 5,882 3,558 4,119 6,631 7,975 8,682^ 12,120 12,722 17,177 15,538 14,019 14,9534; 13,071 51,468J 52,409| 51.686J 79,147 97,828 80,287 J 1 104, 164 J 92,891 78,191 84,052 94,026 86,878 84,465J 68,253| " ! .. ' ! - "6 55 5 9 46 20 20 "2 "lis 1,105 36 41 678 106 "390 •• J i ■• •• •• .. •• ! .. 4 •• I 60 30 31 "666i 62 134 376 493 515 413 364 331 44 54 21 10 "l02 612 24 900 804 5,289 1,784 3,989 6,246 5,319 11,121 4,950 4,900 3,467 761 1,486 450 157 2,516 2,140 2,611 1,271 2,181 384 318 602 328i 305 1,085 1,080 482 1,153 521 319 534 210 65 180 217 I 10,416 8,338 10,423 3,283 6,963 1,155 809 1,716 1,316 895 2,404 2,569 1,004 2,634 1,239 943 1,156 525 205 541 703 1 i 1 i 50J 12 208 5 1 2,674 1,955 2,784 22 114! 445 144 162 199 19 2 84 37 25 62 37 1,561 1,828 11,335 4,303 8,597 no 1 993 1,846 4,142 2,955 9,985 273l 6! 631! 650! 353! 880! 1,335: 5,892j 4,792' 75 "oi i 4 •■ •• •• "2i 2 70 9 "l4 .. i .. I .. I

C._ 2

Mines Department New Zealamd. DIAGRAM showing QUANTITY & VALUE of GOLD exported annually from N.Z. For the years 1857 to 1913

DIAGRAM showing QUANTITY & VALUE of KAURI GUM exported annually from N.Z. For the years 1853 to 1913

DIAGRAM showing ANNUAL OUTPUT of COAL and SHALE from N.Z. Mines - For the 1872 to 1913

C—2.

No. 4— continued. Table showing the Total Quantity and Value of Mineral Ores other than Gold (the Product of New Zealand Mines), Coal, Coke, and Kauri-gum, exported from the Dominion up to 31st December, 1913— continued.

Haematite Ore. Mixed Mineral Ores.* Silver. Copper-ore. Chroi ie-ore. Antimony-ore. Mangai iese-ore. Coal. Col :e. Kauri-gum. Total. 1 Oz. Value. : Tons. Value. Tons. Value. Tons. Value. Tons. Value. , Tons. Value. Tons. Value. Tons, j Value. Tons. Value. Tons. Value. Oz. Tons. Value. 1899 .. 1900 .. 1901 1902 1903 .. 1904 .. 1905 1906 1907 .. 1908 .. 1909 .. 1910 .. 1911 1912 .. 1913 .. 349,338 326,457 571,134 674,196 911,914 1,094,461 1,179,744 1,390,536 1,562,603 1,731,336 1,813,830 1,711,235 1,311,043 801,165 975,616 £ 40,838 38,879 65,258 71,975 91,497 112,875 120,542 143,572 169,484 175,337 380,872 171,562 131,587 84,739 103,866 1,938,714 12 3 6 4 I £ 45 105 123 "17 "28 175 £ 'iioj '525j .. •• . 30 •• I £ ioi 136 135 166 208 70 196 55 16 5 407 .. 614! .. 17 570! 7 165; .. 40 .. 26 .. 29i '.'. £ 116 96 1,309 2,126 696 415 625 1,404 632 1,297 1,492 1,690 1,836 2,088 3,469 1,729 2,927 £ 6,591 12,751 7,775 4,422 7,014 10,168 8,136 18,421 30,448 16,179 11,709 22,202 22,104 20,571 31,532 89,480 ! 112,707 159,643! ! 188,677 152,332 165,220 ! 122,817 ! 141,641; 128,950! 100,502 201,685 i 277,011 i 2^3,275 229,012 211,749 £ 83,085 98,136 ! 142,176 154,747 128,927 139,898 107,062; 122,614 ! 114,737 85,846 183,961 259,562 204,379 216,170 205,010 18 15 15 2 22 24 28 £ 9 15 6 15 4 23 10 41 7 50 11,116 10,159 7,541 7,430 9,357 9,203 10,883 9,154 8,708 5,530 8,250 8,693 7,587 7,908 8,780 £ 607,919 622,293 446,114 450,223 631,102 501,817 561,444 522,486 579,888 372,798 I 552,698 465,044 395,707 401, 305 549,106 349,338 326,457 571,134 674,196 911,914 1,094,461 1,179,744 1,390,536 1,562,603 1,731,336 1,813,830 1,711,235 1,311,043! 801,165 975,616 102,058 125,201 168,121 196,714 162,390 176,030 134,406 152,113 139,324" 107,742 211,806 287,803 234,375 238,653 223,484 £ 738,849 772,903 662,178 682,008 658,874 765,424 797,381 807,139 897,316 650,512 929,452 918,395 753,914 722,792 389,564 22,466,271 I •• 56 13 5 595 275 100 98 5 2 2,118 73 60 5 •■ 6 5 20 92 : Totals 17,783,621 1,495 J 19,198 5,869 3,768 54,941 61,905 76 £ •41,442 •313,597 3,536,032 3,254,932 16,491 24,975 330,775 16,759,563 17,783,621 3,955 312 18,002 19,364, 444 * The following are the principal minerals included under t] tis heading: —

Scbeelite-ore. Sulphur. | Mixed Minerals. Auriferous Ore. Y( Tons. Tons. Tons, j Tons. Value. Value. Value. Value. 1898 1899 1900 1901 1902 1903 1904 1905 1906 1907 1908 1909 1910 1911 1912 1913 32 54 2 39 42 17 28 55 137 ! 68 58 143 138 135 221 £ 2,788 2,635 83 1,200 1,439 791 1,848 3,407 15,486 6,055 4,263 15,070 11,853 13,347 22,933 22 5 219 390 231 472 977 535 1,186 1,244 654 182 100 138 £ 380 153 4,450 6,663 2,560 4,449 8,898 5,997 13,940 14,650 6,993 2,450 1,538 1,419 1,765 1,227 1,692 143 100 i £ 4,097 3,483 4,824 360 475 £ 315 167 842 669 187 1,126 479 291 1,074 312 3,131 4,996 5,594 8,832 7,224 8,373 6 226 74,766 43,612 Totals 1,169 | 103,198 6,361 4,927 13,239 I

0.—2

No. 5. Table showing the Increase or Decrease in the Annual Production of Coal and Shale in the Dominion, and the Quantity of Coal imported since 1878.

No. 6. Table showing the Output of Coal from the various Coalfields, and the Comparative Increase and Decrease, for the Years 1912 and 1913, together with the Total Approximate Quantity of Coal produced since the Mines were opened.

No. 7. Table showing the Different Classes of Coal from the Mines in the Dominion.

Coal raised in the Dominion. Coal imported. Year. Tons. Yearly Increase or Decrease. Tons. Increase over Decrease over Preceding Year. Preceding Year. Prior to 1878 1878 1879 1880 1881 1882 1883 1884 1885 1886 1887 1888 1889 1890 1891 1892 1893 1894 1895 .. 1896 1897 1898 1899 1900 1901 1902 1903 1904 1905 1906 1907 1908 1909 1910 1911 1912 1913 709,931 162,218 231,218 299,923 337,262 378,272 421,764 480,831 511,063 534,353 558,620 613,895 586,445 637,397 668,794 673,315 691,548 719,546 726,654 792,851 840,713 907,033 975,234 1,093,990 1,239,686 1,365,040 1,420,229 1,537,838 1,585,756 1,729,536 1,831,009 1,860,975 1,911,247 2,197,362 2,066,073 2,177,615 1,888,005 69,000 68,705 37,339 41,010 43,492 59,069 30,232 23,290 24,267 55,275 Dec. 27,450 50,952 31,397 4,521 18,233 27,998 7,108 66,197 47,862 66,320 68,201 118,756 145,696 125,354 55,189 117,609 47,918 143,780 101,473 29,966 50,272 286,115 Dec. 181,289 111,542 Dec 289,610 174,148 158,076 123,298 129,962 129,582 123,540 148,444 130,202 119,873 107,230 101,341 128,063 110,939 125,318 125,453 117,444 112,961 108,198 101,756 110,907 115,427 99,655 124,033 149,764 127,853 163,923 147,196 169,046 207,567 220,749 287,808 258,185 232,378 188,068 364,359 468,940 6,664 24,904 26,722 14,379 135 161072 33 ,-778 380 6,042 18,242 10,329 12,643 5,889 17,124 8,009 4,483 4,763 6,442 9^151 4,520 15^772 24j 378 25,371 21,911 36,070 16^727 21,850 38,521 13,182 67,059 29,623 25,807 44,310 104,581

Name of Coalfield. Output of Coal. Increase. I Decrease. Approximate Total Output of Coal up to 31st December. 1913. 1913. 1912. Tons. 102,710 243,316 3,560 14,717 679,283 13,708 349,856 14,430 306,647 159,778 Tons. 116,147 263,938 3,762 29,071 826,105 11,046 435,239 16,764 294,063 181,480 Tons. Tons. 13,437 20,622 202 14,354 146,822 Tons. 3,127,113 3,474,084 85,120 239,321 12,157,911 229,594 7,132,072 671,471 7,965,296 2,266,837 North Auckland .. Waikato Mokau Nelson Buller .. Inangahua Grey Canterbury Otago Southland 2,662 85 ,'383 2,334 12|584 21,702 Total* 37,348,819 1,888,005 2,177,615 289,610

Name of Coal. Output of Coal. 1913. 1912. Increase. Decrease. Approximate Total Output of Coal up to the 31st December, 1913. Tons. 1,160,274 2,397 624,852 100,482 Tons. 1,417,608 4,115 544,675 211,217 Tons. Tons. 257,334 1,718 Tons. 22,486,327 1,993,594 11,074,944 1,793,954 Bituminous and semi-bituminous Pitch Brown Lignite 80,177 110,735 Totals 289,610 37,348,819 1,888,005 2,177,615

0.—2.

No. 8. Return showing the Total Quantity and Value of Coal imported into and exported from New Zealand during the Year ended the 31st December, 1913.

No. 9. Number of Persons ordinarily employed in Mining during the Year ended 31st December, 1913.

Summary op Persons ordinarily employed in or about New Zealand Mines during 1913 Gold-mines ... ... ... 4 749 Other metalliferous mines ... ... ... 192 Coal-mines ... ... ... __ 4. 250 Total ~. ~, ~. 9,191

Imported. Exported. Countries whence imported. Quantity. Value. Countries to which exported, j Quantity. Value. few South Wales .. 'iotoria Tons. 468,935 5 £ 466,280 6 United Kingdom .. Victoria New South Wales South Australia .. Western Australia Tasmania Fiji Canada U.S.A. (West Coast) Bismarck Archipelago Caroline Islands .. Friendly Islands .. Gilbert Islands .. Marshall Islands .. Navigator Islands French New Guinea Society Islands Chile Tons. 141,540 8,539 20,895 350 1,095 2,306 13,781 1,760 3,200 3,846 2,210 1,315 877 894 2,711 3,013 2,117 1,300 £ 143,413 6,547 18,248 174 828 2,362 13,116 1,760 2,972 2,751 1,602 1,261 636 648 2,142 3,090 2,043 1,417 205,010 Totals .. 468,940 466,286 Totals .. 211,749 The export figures do rn it include co: .1 and produci of countries other than New Zealand.

Number of Persons Irdinarily Employed at County or Borough. Gold Gold Quartz-mines. Alluvial Mines. Golddredges. Mines other than Gold and Coal. Total. I Northern Inspection District. County of Thames .. ,, Ohinemuri ,, Coromandel ,, Piako Borough of Thames waihi ;; Puhipuhi district Great Barrier Island 173 615 117 8 76 1,269 173 615 117 8 76 1,269 6 5 5 6 West Coast Inspection District. County of Marlborough ,, Waimea .. ,, Collingwood „ Murohison Buller .. ,, Inangahua ,, Grey „ Westland Borough of Ross 32 13 6 658 15 3 8 3 13 29 56 7 110 241 57 30 3 70 3 29 29 62 713 168 263 57 48 43 19 Southern Inspection District. County of Taieri ,, Tuapeka .. „ Vincent .. ,, Maniototo „ Waihemo ,, Waitaki .. ,, Lake ,, Wallace .. „ Bruce Clutha .. „ Southland Stewart Island 28 2 3 8 7 172 81 83 27 49 45 60 210 20 12 2 19 73 39 9 232 319 124 76 27 108 45 23 1 294 20 1 108 23 186 20 Totals 3,031 1,097 621 192 4,941

C.—2

APPENDICES TO THE MINES STATEMENT.

APPENDIX A.

REPORTS RELATING TO METALLIFEROUS MINES AND STONE-QUARRIES.

The Inspecting Engineer of Mines to the Under-Secretary of Mines g IE Wellington, 30th June, 1914. I have the honour to present the annual reports of inspection of mines and stone-quarries, together with extracts from the reports of Wardens and other officers, accompanied by statistical information in regard to the metalliferous mines and stone-quarries of the Dominion, for the year ended 31st December, 1913. In accordance with the usual practice, the tables showing expenditure through the Mines Department on roads, bridges, tracks, prospecting operations, &c, are for' the period covered by the financial year —viz., from the Ist April, 1913, to the 31st March, 1914. The reports, &c, are divided into the following sections : — I. Production of Minerals. 11. Persons employed. 111. Accidents. IV. Gold-mining. (I.) Quartz-mining. (2.) Dredge Mining. (3.) Alluvial Mining. V. Minerals other than Gold. VI. Stone-quarries. VII. State Aid to Mining. (1.) Subsidized Prospecting. (2.) Loans for Development of Mines. (3.) Subsidized Roads on Goldfields. (4.) Government Prospecting-drills. (5.) Government Water-races. VIII. Schools of Mines. Annexures, — Reports of— (a.) Inspectors of Mines. (b.) Wardens. (c.) Water-race Managers. (d.) Directors of Schools of Mines. («.) Mining Statistics. (/.) Examinations under the Mining Act, 1908, and Lists of Certificate-holders

C—2

I. PRODUCTION OF MINERALS

the S aZ'ZZ%TT° ti ™ °f. BOl ,* i .f' Kl "'"' " b °™ ""» °' t'.e Previou, „„ i, due to ■■»t|s;»^

11. PERSONS EMPLOYED

The reduction shown above in the number of miners employed during 1913 below th™* employed during the previous year is probably due to a more accurate method of determine the actual number, recently introduced. "ewiuu 01 determining refinery SSnaki.* 116 f ° reg ° ing ' *? *" at the «l-P«*P«*iiig wells and The number of gum-diggers is not ascertainable, but there are considerably over 1 000 employed on the North of Auckland peninsula. ,lD ' 5 ovei l > ooo

111. ACCIDENTS. I regret to record an increase in the number of fatal accidents at our metal-mines during 1913, ten persons being killed and twelve others seriously iniured Th* f«t«l V '" g 2-02 persons per 1,000 employed at metal-mines; at our coal mines the ft """""i £ persons per 1,000 which when compared with the'average' BdSsh "oTliert "LZ ZTnZl'' 38 The cause and description of these accidents is given in the following tables It will h. seen that m only one case-viz., the accident at the Talisman Mine by which two men LT 1, hves-did the evidence and verdict at the inquest show negligence upon the meat, although in some other cases greater safety precaution's be nEsary. man&S "'

3—C. 2.

Classification. 1912. 1913. Increase. Total from the 1st January, 1853, to the 31st December, 1913. Gold Silver Other minerals Kauri-gum £ 1,345,131 84,739 20,571 401,305 £ 1,459,499 103,866 31,532 549,106 £ 114,368 19,127 10,961 147,801 £ 82,058,543 1,938,714 488,087 16,759,563 Totals 1,851,746 2,144,003 292,257 101,244,007

Inspection District. Classification. Total, 1913. Northern. West Coast. Southern. Gold and silver Scheelite Cinnabar Iron Tin 2,263 6 1,361 30 1,125 133 4,749 163 6 3 20 3 "20 Total for 1913 Total for 1912 4,941 5,239

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The following is a summary of persons killed or seriously injured in metalliferous mines during 1913 : —

Table showing Number of Deaths from Accidents at New Zealand Metal-mines and Dredges during the Years 1906 to 1913.

The following is a brief description of fatal accidents at metal-mines during 1913 ;

Inspection District. Explosions, q^ 1 In Shafts. i?tj i^o" 13 SJh ro gt, io a Z £ £■£, ,S .2 , a -S ° 3 ~ LI fl **h *£* 5 '£ 'a* Miscellaneous Underground. Surface. About Dredges. Total. £»•« I .br^ . cu cp . CD di 'o 3 *-> n3 3 n ju O ti <D O 3 H a I rti "a* JS-d co CD tin rH ° P '** a W CQ _. 2 « • ! ec m • eom "O 3 »J H3 g m iO 3>H 2 .2.2, ' — ° . a ™ op H fl S3 i' fl' T-l '2 'g' 1.-H ID ._, i .. ©J3 k j <D i M a | M iai H M m m Northern West Coast Southern Totals 1 1 4 1 1 4 2 2 2 1 1 ... 1 1 2 2 6 2 2 2 9 1 2 6 4! 2 2 2 10 12 ieing at the rate of 2'02 fatalities per 1,000 pen ions .mplo; ■ed.

Cause of Accident. 1906. 1907. 1908. 1909. I 1910. 1911. 1912. 1913. Explosion ... .Fall of ground In shafts ... Miscellaneous : Underground... ,, On surface About dredges 3 3 1 '"i 3 2 1 2 G i 2 1 3 1 5 2 2 1 5 1 2 1 1 2 5 3 1 6 2 3 "3 4 2 1 2 Total killed... Number of employees ■--■„■ persons killed per 1,000 employed 14 8,716 1-60 7 9,389 0-84 15 8,880 1-69 14 7,651 1-83 15 8,121 1-84 5 7,100 0-67 5 5,239 0-95 10 4,941 202

Name of Person killed. Date ot Accident. Mine or Claim. Cause of Accident, and Eemarks. Patrick McNannom ■2/1/13 Dominion Consolidated (quartz) While building a trestle bridge on an inclined surface tramway from the mine a falling stringer struck deceased on the head, with fatal results. The two deceased, experienced miners, were working about 70ft. above the battery level, in a stope timbered with 7 in. legs, 8 in. caps and laths, but with no spreaders. The timber evidently collapsed without warning, and the deceased were immediately killed by the falling quartz. The Coroner's jury, while holding no person blameworthy, added as a rider a recommendation that heavier timber should be used in future, and that the sets be " straddled " top and bottom, also that spreaders be placed between each set. The two deceased, having loaded with tools and explosives at the 8th level in the mine one of the skips used in the shaft (inclined 62°) communicating with the lower levels for a farther depth of 950 ft., they then stood on the skip, when the 3 in. (circumference) crucible-steel wind-ing-rope attached to the skip broke at a distance of 41 ft. above the shackle, precipitating deceased down the shaft, with immediately fatal results. The rope (maker, Scott) had been in use 14£ months ; it was composed of a hemp core and six strands of eight large and seven small wires in each strand. The drum and pulley around which the rope passed were 4| ft. diameter. The total strain upon the rope at the time of the accident did not exceed 2 tons. The Coroner's jury, in their verdict, stated that deterioration was the cause of the rope breaking, and that it had not been properly cared for. This accident was followed by a prosecution of the mine-manager by the Inspector of Mines on two charges, viz. : Failing to comply with the Inspector's written instructions that notices should be posted in all chambers of the mine forbidding men from riding on the skips ; and failing to test the winding-rope when fir.it put on, and subsequently every three months. Both offences were admitted, and fines of £10, with costs, were imposed on each charge. Joseph Senior and David Christie 11/1/13 Sylvia (quartz) Thomas McBride and William Hyde 28/3/13 Talisman (quartz)

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Description of Fatal Accidents at Metal-mines, &c. —continued.

IV. GOLD-MINES. The following statement shows the value of the bullion-production, also the dividends declared, number of persons employed, and number of gold-mines and dredges : —

* In addition to the go!d produced from the gold-mines, silver was obtained from them, hence the word " bullion " is used in preference to " gold." t The bullion-production is from 74 dredges, but the dividends given are only from 11 of these, the property of registered companies. The profits of privately owned dredges and mines are unobtainable, which renders this statement incomplete. { The bullion-production is from 223 alluvial claims, but the dividends are only ascertainable from those few that are the property of registered oompanies. (1.) Quartz-mining. The following is a statement showing the tons of ore treated, the value of bullion produced, and the amount of dividends paid by quartz-mining companies in each of the inspection districts durine the years 1912 and 1913 :— 5

Name of Person killed, j f^ t i ■ I Mine or Claim. Cause of Accident, and Bemarks. Wong Hong 10/5/13 Nokomai (sluicing) .. Deceased was working in a sluicing and elevating claim when by some means his foot became caught in the hydraulic elevator, although there appeared to be no necessity for him to go too close thereto, the paddock being roomy. The sufferer's countrymen prevented Europeans from attending to the deeply lacerated foot, but, after neglectful delay, applied their own remedies. Finally amputation became necessary, fatal results following. The elevator was provided with Adams' Patent Blow-back, for use when a block occurred. The Coroner decided that no person was blameworthy. .Deceased, an experienced claimholder, was picking a stone from a sluicing-facc of about 12 ft. in height, when a fall of earth occurred without warning, killing him instantly. The Coroner's jury returned a verdict accordingly. While shovelling after blasting at the 1,000 ft. level a fall of quartz occurred, breaking the back of deceased. The walls being soft and the quartz disjointed, the place was timbered to within 12 ft. of the faco, and slabs were driven ahead, but no false sets were used, which precaution was necessary, and if adopted the accident would not have occurred. While engaged at work a large stone rolled down from the face, crushing deceased fatally. The Coroner's verdict was "accidentally killed." In contravention of section 269 (b) of the Mining Act, the mine-manager failed to notify the Inspector of Mines of this accident, and for such neglect was liable to prosecution and fine. Deceased and .another were working in a leading stope at the No. 6 level, immediately above a drive timbered with stulls, when without warning the loose quartz underfoot gave way owing to the collapse of the stulls underneath, burying the deceased and his companion. When extricated, Woods was dead. It is probable that surface - water percolating through broken country caused the collapse of the stulls. The Coroner's jury returned a verdict to the above effect, adding as a rider a recommendation that set timbers in preference to stulls should be used in the class of country in which the accident occurred. Coronation Claim (sluicing) Francisco Carmine 2/7/13 2/7/13 W. H. McKeo 13/4/12 (died 17/11/13) Moanataiari (quartz).. Lewis Adams 26/11/13 Adams and Weir's Claim (sluicing) 26/11/13 Alexandor Woods .. 11/12/13 New Zealand Crown Mines (quartz) 11/12/13

Production of Bullion, 1913.* (All Mines.) Dividends paid, 1913. (By Registered Companies only.) Number of Persons ordinarily employed. Number of Working Mines, Dredges, and Claims. •uartz-mining ... >redge mining!... lluviai mining \ £ 1,071,813 195,848 295,704 £ 287,088 18,750 11,643 3,031 621 1,097 63 74 223 Totals, 1913 1,563,365 317,481 i,im 360

Tons of C (2,2i ire treated. 10 lb.) Value of Bullion. Dividends paid. (ByRtgistered Companies only.) Inspection District. 1913. 1912. 1913. 1912. 1913. 1912. Northern .Vest Coast Southern 327,590 126,260 10,658 264,831 55,098 15,722 £ . 865,619 201,987 4,207 £ 781,716 116,408 8,065 £ 260,188 26,900 £ 299,303 15,600 Totals ... 464,508 335,651 | 1,071,813 314,903 906 , 189 287,088

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The following is a statement of the production, working-cost, dividends declared, and the number of persons employed at the principal quartz-mines during 1913:—

* The total value of the output of this company at the end of the year was £10,454,869. The dividends here given are free of income-tax. t In the annual report of the directors of this company for 1913 the value of the bullion-production is stated to be £336,652, but the figures given in the table above are the official returns from the company to the Inspector of Mines. The discrepancy occurs owing to the actual value of the bullion not being known until it is refined in England. % 140,100 imperial tons of old tailings from Waihi and Karangahake Mines dredged from Ohinemuri River sludgechannel, crushed during former years and recorded therein, but re-treated during 1913. § Unknown. Northern Inspection District. Waihi Goldficld. —Underground development by the Waihi Gold-mining Company during 1913 has not disclosed any improvement of the ore-bodies as depth has been attained," and the decline in the value of bullion-production and of dividends continues. During the past four years such decline amounts to two-thirds and nearly four-fifths respectively. The average value recovered per imperial ton of ore treated has declined from £2 Bs. to £1 19s. 2d. during the past year. Underground development at the No. 10 or 1,151 ft. level has proved a reduction in the width of the lodes and in value of their contents. The Martha lode, at upper levels the strongest and most productive in the mine, which gradually became impoverished at a depth of 950 ft. to 1,000 ft., shows no improvement at the 1,151 ft. level where it is still rubbly and oxidized, but none of the five other lodes developed at that level exhibit the same objectionable feature. On the occasion of my last inspection of the No. 11 or deepest level the only lode there exposed was the recently discovered Dreadnought, which varied in width up to 10 ft.," but did not impress me as a strong lode, it being much split up and lenticular; the value contained appeared extremely variable. The hydro-electric power-supply transmitted from the Hora Hora Falls, on the Waikato River, is now employed for general purposes at the mine arid mill of this company. An interesting feature observed by me during my inspection of the mine was the reduction in the temperature of the mine-aii-, due no doubt to the cooling of the rock-surfaces by the constantly maintained air-current. At the Waihi Grand Junction Mine the result of the year's operations constitutes a record both as regards bullion obtained and average value per ton of ore treated, which latter now slightly exceeds that of the adjoining Waihi Mine. Since my last annual report no development on the lodes at greater depth than the No. 6 or 1,082 ft. level has taken place, but the main shaft has been sunk to a depth of 85 ft. below that level. It is generally understood that development at deptli in this mine is controlled by the pumping operations at the Waihi Mine, for without such aid the pumping-installation at the Grand Junction Mine is incapable of dealing with the influx of water.

Name of Company. Quantity of Quartz treated. During 1913, 1913. Dividends paid. Total to j End of December, 1913. hh rH • ° I'S u 'Jp P ■So5 S 22 & 3 S 13 sz; S s t Value of Bullion. Average Value per Ton. Northern District — Waihi Gold-mining Company (Ltd.)* Waihi Grand Junction Gold-mining Company (Ltd.) New Zealand Crown Mines (Ltd.) Talisman Consolidated (Ltd.) Komata Keefs (Ltd.) .. :. New Sylvia Gold-mining Company (Ltd.) Waihi-Paeroa Gold-extraction Company (Ltd.) West Coast District— Blaekwater Mines (Ltd.) Progress Mines of New Zealand (Ltd.) Consolidated Goldfields of New Zealand (Ltd.) New Big River Gold-mining Company (Ltd.) Other quartz-mines throughout New Zealand Imperial j Tons. 164,971 87,842 £ 323,345f 180,020 £ s. d. 1 19 2 2 0 11 £ 99,181 19,219 £ 4,478,539 57,656 866 403 15,299 39,780 3,080 10,103 28,885 215,642 27,990 16,351 1 17 9 5 8 5 9 1 9 1 12 133,687 70,000 819,041 33,333 120 360 23 61 X 42,300 0 6 0| 6,226 12,476 65 45,053 34,996 82,207 37,042 1 16 5 1 1 2 12,500 99,996 326,562 175 156 23,661 37,105 1 11 4 106 4,970 28,022 5 12 9 14,400 81,600 65 34.753J 52,904 1 6 6 1,875 § 631 Totals, 1913 464,508 1,071,813 2 5 7 287,088 3,031

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PLAN OF the 1000 FT Level. THAMES. N.Z. 1913

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During the year development at the deepest level has not proved any feature of much interest, but the assay value of the ore exposed in the George, Royal, and Empire lodes has been satisfactory. No indication of leaching of the ore-body as seen in the Martha lode at the Waihi Mine has been here exposed. The milling-capacity of the mine has been supplemented by the addition of twenty heavy stamps, and the power plant by a new A.E.G. (German) turbo-generator of 2,680 horse-power. No other mining operations of importance have been carried out during the year. The Waihi Reefs Consolidated and Waihi Gigantic properties have been amalgamated, a new company having been formed with the object of deepening the present shaft from 735 ft. (the present depth) to 1,200 ft., and from thence crosscutting northward in exploration of the Waihi lode system. Karangahake Goldfield. —The Talisman Consolidated (Limited) has experienced a decrease in tonnage treated, and bullion obtained, but the amount of dividends distributed—viz., £133,687 — constituted a record for this mine. The decline in output may to a certain extent be attributed to the colliery strike, which rendered this mine idle during November and December. Development during 1913 has been somewhat disappointing; a crosscut eastward from No. 12 level south failed to intersect the Welcome lode, and the south drive and crosscuts at No. 13 level proved nothing of value in the Dubbo shoot; in No. 14 level, however, development was more satisfactory, a drive southward proved fair-grade ore in that shoot. The deepest development in the mine is by winze No. 12 in the Bonanza shoot, on the Maria lode, which is now down 135 ft. below the No. 14 level, and within 15 ft. of the random of No. 15 level. The lode, which carried high-grade ore from 110 ft. to 112 ft. down the winze and then showed a decline in value, still remains low grade, but a strong and well-defined ore-body, wider than the winze. It is proposed to carry three winzes to No. 15 level, and from thence drive north and south on the Bonanza shoot. To overcome the water difficulty, which was becoming acute, a horizontal pump of about 1,000 gallons per minute capacity has been installed in the Talisman inclined shaft, about 50 ft. below level No. 14; and the new Cornish pump, with an approximate capacity of 2,000 gallons per minute, raises water in the Woodstock shaft from below the random of level No. 14. The connection of the Woodstock main shaft with the Talisman Mine workings at level No. 14 is being rapidly advanced from both ends; less than 18 chains remain to be driven. In the connecting crosscut 81 ft. from the Woodstock shaft a lode 7 ft. wide of low value was intersected. When the connection is completed pumping and winding will be concentrated in the Woodstock shaft installations. The New Zealand Crown Mines have obtained small returns during the year. More capital is now being obtained, and it is proposed to confine future operations to the exploration of the property at greater depth. The AVaihi-Paeroa Gold-extraction Company have during 1913 re-treated 140,100 imperial tons of tailing for a return of £42,300, being an average extraction of 6s. per ton, a greater output but lower average return than formerly. As the operations advance downstream the average value of the tailing has declined. Thames, GoMfield. —On this goldfield interest has been centred upon.the crosscut to connect the Queen of Beauty and Kuranui-Caledonian Company's shaft at the 1,000 ft. level. The direct crosscut having during 1912 entered broken country in the vicinity of the Moanataiari downthrow fault when only 386 ft. from its termination, an influx of water and gas rendered further advance on that course inadvisable, and it was decided to make the connection with the Kuranui-Caledonian shaft in a direct line from the Waiotahi shaft to a point 50ft. west of the first-named shaft; thereby it was hoped to avoid the broken countiy. After 493 ft. of the 650 ft. required to connect had been driven —on 30th September, 1913—water and gas at great pressure burst through the floor of the deviation crosscut; the workmen were compelled to make a hurried exit, and all attempts to resume work have since failed. Unless the ventilation of this crosscut is much improved, owing to the danger from gas, it has been decided to suspend crosscutting until the Waiotahi shaft, now being sunk, connects with the I,oooft. level crosscut, a farther depth of 50ft. of sinking. Coromandel Goldfield. —Profitable mining on this goldfield has, with one exception, ceased, the only dividend-paying mine being that of the New Waitaia Gold-mining Company at Kuaotunu, which, from stoping operations in a lode varying in thickness from 6 in. to 2 ft., were enabled to distribute £1,875 as dividends. West Coast Inspection District. From a commercial standpoint, based upon the amount of profit to capital invested, operations on the West Coast quartz-mining fields during 1913 have been unprofitable, only two mining companies having distributed dividends, and in these cases the sum disbursed was not large. Inangahua Goldfield. —The New Big River Company has replaced its winding-engine by one of modern type, and, having installed compressed-air rock-drills, will now be able to extend its operations in depth. There has at this mine been a decline in tonnage milled and bullion produced below that of the previous year, but the average value per ton has increased from £4 Bs. 7d. to £5 12s. 9d., a very satisfactory feature. The deepest development in the mine— viz., the winze from the No. 10 or 1,575 ft. level—has exposed a strong and profitable quartz lode. This cotnpanv, whose paid-up capital only amounts to £600, has produced gold to the value of £174,244, and has distributed in dividends £81,600.

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At the mines of the Consolidated Goldfields of New Zealand and the Progress Mines of New Zealand operations have been unprofitable, the only interesting development being the intersection of a body of quartz in a prospecting-drive through the fault south of No. 10 or 1,269 ft. level. The value of this discovery has yet to be proved. In the Blackwater district the Blackwater Mines (Limited) have experienced a successful year, dividends amounting to £12,500 having been distributed. There still continues, however, to be a decline in the value per ton of ore treated, such value being—For 1910, £2 6s. 7d. ; for 1911, £2 Is. 10d.; for 1912, £2 6s. Id.; and for 1913, £1 16s. sd. The No. 6 or 915 ft. level still remains the deepest level in the-mine, but preparations are being made to continue sinking the main shaft. In the vicinity of this mine are situated the Millerton and Prohibition Mines. Upon the former shaft-sinking is in progress, and upon the latter similar work is proposed. Other quartz-mining operations, such as the Swastika Mine, on the Mokihinui River, are being carried out, but the amount of work done is insufficient to justify either eulogy or condemnation. Southern Inspection District. In the southern inspection district no gold-quartz mining is in operation, although from the gold-scheelite-quartz mines of Otago some gold is obtained in conjunction with scheelite. (2.) Dredge Mining. This branch of gold-raining is rapidly declining in importance, the number of productive dredges having decreased from 201 during 1902, when dredge mining was at its zenith, to seventyfour during 1913. On Iho west coast of the South Island ten dredges were in commission' — viz., two on Nelson Creek and one at each of the following places: Capleston, Cronadun, Antonio's Flat, Moonlight Creek, Waimea Creek, Blue Spur, Grey Valley, and North Beach, Cobden. In Otago and Southland the fleet of sixty-four dredges in commission was distributed as follows: Waikaia Valley, 15; at or near Alexandra (River Clufha), 9; Waikaia, 6; Miller's Flat, 5; at or above Cromwell, 4 ; M'anuherikia, 4; Nevis, 4; Glencoe, 3; Charlton Creek, 3; Cardrona, 2; and one at each of the following places—Lowburn Ferry, Kawarau River, Clutha Gorge, Roxburgh. Ettrick, Ida Valley, Kyeburn, Hogburn, and Waikaka Of the foregoing, the following dredges ceased operations during the year : Hessey Cameron (Capleston), totally wrecked; Stafford (Waimea Creek), North Beach (Cobden) —all on the West Coast. In Otago and Southland the following dredges ceased operations : Hartley and Riley (River Clutha), Sandy Point (Alexandra), Golden Beach No. 1 (Alexandra), Surprise (Manuherikia), Gem (Waikaia Valley), and Central Charlton (Charlton Creek). Only one new dredge has been commissioned —viz., that of the Red Jack's Gold-dredging Company on Red Jack's Creek. West Coast. In Central Otago old dredges have been started at Hogburn and Kyeburn, and at Mataura, in Southland The Worksop dredge operating at Antonio's Flat, near Reefton, again heads the list of productive dredges. This dredge has during the past three years produced gold to the value of £49,687, of which £29,100 was distributed as dividends. An additional area of 300 acres has been acquired by this company, and it is reported that drilling operations thereon have proved very satisfactory. The following table shows the result of dredge-mining operations in New Zealand during the past eight years: —

Year. Total Number of Dredges working. Value of Production. Average Production per Dredge. Dividend-paying Dredges owned by Registered Companies. Number of Persons Number. Dividends. employed. 1906 1907 1908 1909 1910 1911 1912 1913 167 128 123 111 104 93 87 74 £ 505,199 419,634 373,818 327,676 315,237 297,900 257,333 195,848 £ 3,025 3,278 3,039 2,952 3,031 3,203 2,958 2,646 66 65 47 37 35 31 28 11 £ 103,722 89,707 75,800 56,788 51,918 45,318 38,841 18,750 1,150 1,013 893 838 775 694 621 'Hie dividi 18,750 durini nds paid b • 1913; the j y eleven dredge,Drofits of private the property of registered companies amounted to .y owned dredges are unobtainable.

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The following is a statement regarding the most productive dredges owned by registered companies:— B J lc s lol,cxcu

* Unrecorded. M M he gr if ateS I t onf kl^° Ut ? Ut ] by * g° ld -. dred g e was attained by the "Lady Ranfurly," on the 4th November, 1904. This dredge, operating on the River Molyneux (Clutha), obtained 1,273 oz of gold in six consecutive days; it was owned by the Electric Gold-dredging Company, who at dttrTbutl^diSnt." gOW t0 Ule ValUe ° f £222 ' 15 ° * ***-** £13 °' 6 « wa! (3.) Alluvial Mining. The value of the gold-production from sluicing claims amounted approximately to £295 704 HieTlluvial miS m ° re *"* * Ab ° Ut P™. are engaged upon Although no developments of importance occurred in this branch of the gold-mining industry during 1913, with the addition of the new mines being laid down the future prospects ire favour able to an increased annual gold-production. 191sT— foll ° Wing iS a bri6f aCCOUnt ° f the most int evesting alluvial-mining operations during West Coast, South Island. The Lake Hochstetter Goldfields (Limited;, a new company, have been engaged upon the construction of a water-race to carry eighty sluice-heads from that lake to the company's claims at Riverview near Ahaura there to work alluvial terraces which are believed to contain a Tar *c quantity of low-grade wash. iai b e The evergreen Mont DOr Gold-mining Company at Ross still remains on the dividend-pavine list, although the sum distnbuted-£1,200-amounts only to one-half of that paid during 2l previous year. 'm 8 buy The Ross Goldfields (Reconstructed) (Limited) have experienced a somewhat eventful year During the early part of the year pumping was suspended during the installation of a Diesel engine of 250 horse-power as a stand-by in the event of stoppage of the electrical power by which pumping and winding at the mine is operated. A prospecting-drive was projected at No 6 Stb HP M neal ' a f aft l° a /° mt abOUt 2 ° ft - bel ° W the nearest and workings of the old Cassius Mine; and from this drive such old workings were, at the end of June, unwatered through vertical boreholes, after two months continuous pumping by one stationary and one unking three-stage Worthington turbine-pumps. The volume of water dealt with amounted to 2 000 gallons per minute. At times this quantity was exceeded. Upon subsequent inspection of the old Cassius Mine which had been inundated and inaccessible since 1872 it was found that the value of the wash m sight did not justify optimistic estimates. The only payable wash left m sight by Cassius was contained in a small block near to his shaft; he had picked his mine clean before the historical inundation took place. After unwatering the ground the Ross Company have pursued a vigorous and efficient noHrv in prospecting from the No. 6 level, but with the exception of one small patch of paTab c wa h nothing of importance has yet been developed. During the year the company obtained Tom low-grade wash gold to the value of £1,918, and employed, on an average fifty men That there remains profitable areas of wash within the Ross Company's ground there can be no reason to doubt, but the water difficulty, and the fact that the main bottom has never yet been reached in this mine, renders problematical the undertaking from a commercial point of

Name of Dredge. Production during 1913 of all Dredges. Dividends paid by Dredges owned by Registered Companies. During 1913. To 31st December, 1913. West Coast District— Hessey Cameron (Limited) Worksop Southern District— Olrig New Golden Bun Barnscleugh (3) Rising Sun ... ... ... Magnum Bonum Electric (2) ... Paterson's Freehold (2) ... ... Ngapara Willowbank ... 63 other working-dredges (registered or privately owned) £ 1,856 18,244 1,852 7,534 9,204 5,159 3,584 5,985 4,819 4,803 4,084 128,724 £ 225 11,400 300 400 550 800 1,000 1,300 600 975 1,200 35,700 4,473 400 26,400 19,200 11,875 130,643 21,100 1,500 3,600 * Totals - '" I 195,848 18,750

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Otago and Southland. During the early part of the year severe floods considerably retarded alluvial-mining operations. The Golden Crescent have opened up a cement face exceeding 120 ft. in height without reaching the rock bottom, which dips towards Weatherstone's Creek. Much of the most payable wash was blocked out in the early days, but the company is able to pay dividends from the ground remaining. Nine heads of water are used, under a pressure due to 700 ft. of fall. The Nokomai Sluicing Company again heads the list of dividend-paying alluvial mines, £6,600 being so distributed during 1913; the total dividends paid—viz., £40,284 —amount to six times the paid-up capital. Three claims are worked on the sluicing and elevating principle by this company, who employ fifty men. ■ The Havelock Sluicing Company, operating at Waitahuna, again appear on the list of dividend-paying. This company uses twelve sluice-heads of water, under a pressure due to 700 ft., for sluicing and elevating from a face ranging from 10 ft. to 70 ft. in height. Near Waikaia the Muddy Terrace Gold-mining Company has produced during the year gold to the value of £4,004, which is £3,500 less than during 1912. During March the company's timber dam, a badly built and unnecessary structure, which diverted the water from Dome Creek into the main race, was carried away by flood. The company then extended their main race 30 chains up the creek and now lift the water directly therefrom, which should have been done at the beginning. To the loss of time by this misfortune may be attributed the considerable reduction in gold-output. Three faces, varying in height between 10 ft. and 50 ft., are worked on the sluicing and elevating principle, about thirty men being constantly employed.

V. MINERALS OTHER THAN GOLD. SCHEELITE. The quantity of scheelite exported during the year amounted to 221 tons, valued at £22,933, as compared with 135 tons, valued at £13,347, in 1912. The following statement shows the quantity and value of scheelite exported since the year 1899 : —

In the following table is shown the quantity of quartz crushed, and scheelite (tungstic trioxide) concentrates, and gold obtained by the seventeen companies and parties of miners engaged in this industry, together with the value, during the year 1913 : —

* Also produced gold to the value of £5,428 ss. 3d. t Also produced gold to the value of £63. t Also produced gold to the value of £1,817 12s. lOd. § Also produced gold to the value of £361 ss. sd. It is improbable that the scheelite-mining industry in New Zealand will ever attain great importance, but the increased prosperity as shown above is very satisfactory.

Year. Quantity. Value. Year. Quantity. Value. 1899 1900 1901 1902 1.903 1904 1905 1906 1907 Tons. 32 54 2 39 42 17 28 55 137 £ 2.788 2,635 83 1,200 1,439 791 1,848 3.407 15,486 1908 .. 1909 .. 1910 .. 1911 .. 1912 .. 1913 .. Tons. 08 58 143 138 135 221 £ 6,055 4,263 15,070 11,853 13,347 22,933 Totals 1,169 103,198

Name of Mine or Company. ] Locality Scheelite Quartz (TungsticTrioxide) crushed. Concentrates obtained. Value. Dominion Consolidated Development Company Glenorchy Scheelite Syndicate j Nine parties of miners .. J Fraser and Smith Marlborough - Wakamarina Valley Tons. 8,180* Tons cwt. 60 0 £ s. d. 6,491 13 5 Lake County, Glenorchy 533 83 5 8,158 10 10 Waihemo County, Macrae's Ditto 40 230 5 6 Deep Dell Maritana Mining Company Stoneburn Berry Syndicate. . Golden Point Buckland and Ewart ,, 660 l,297f 12 0 6 6 10 17 0 16 28 15 1,220 0 0 506 3 2 1,017 0 0 57 5 8 2,191 4 2 100 0 0 ,, 14 4,428$ Taieri County, BareGold and Tungsten wood Maniototo County .. 2,377§ 8 10 784 4 6 Total scheelite Total gold 17,529 210 9 20,756 7,670 7 3 3 6 Grand total i 128,426 10 9

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Kauri-gum. The most satisfactory feature in connection with our mineral exports during 1913 is the considerable increase in the quantity and value of kauri-gum exported, which amounted to 8,780 tons, valued at £549,106, the highest both in tonnage and value during the past seven years. The total production actually amounted to 9,596 tons, the highest since 1904. The average value of the gum marketed during that year was, however, considerably greater than for 1913, this being due to the fact that there is now a steady sale for the grades known in the trade as " chips " and dust," which are therefore sent forward in large quantities, and are understood to go mostly to Germany for the manufacture of linoleums. The market price of gum varies greatly according to quality. The best-grade gum, which is very scarce, sells as high as £300 per ton' for single pieces of specimen gum but little larger than a man's fist, transparent, in colour varying from that of brandy to a light amber, collectors have paid as much as £25. A collection of transparent and highly polished specimen gum of varied shades of brown and yellow makes a very beautiful and valuable exhibit. The Mitchelson collection, recently presented to the Auckland Museum, was valued at over £2,000. The following are the grades of commercial gum as sold in the London market: Pale amberordinary three-quarter scraped; half scraped; brown; fair half and three-quarter scrapedfair half scraped; pickings; chips; and dust. A good market now being available for the low-grade gum, mechanical methods are now employed m obtaining it from swamps. In the Piako district gum is obtained by ground-sluicing and saved in sluice-boxes somewhat similar to the methods of pioneer alluvial-gold mining. A company with a capital of £30,000 has recently been formed for the purpose of dredging for gum on a swamp at Awanui, in the north of Auckland peninsula. A gold-dredge has been purchased in Otago, which it is proposed to alter to adapt it to gum-dredging. There are many thousands of acres of swamp in the gum-bearing areas of the north, and it is anticipated by the company that the dredge which is about to be placed in commission will be the forerunner of many others. Those who are experienced in gold-dredging know the difficulty in handling buried logs and in separating the gum from the roots, &c., which will be raised by the dredge" Ihe upkeep of a gold-dredge for fuel, wages, and repairs will average approximately £40 per week if working full time. F Iron. The past year has again been one of inactivity by the Parapara Iron Company. The holders of the Cadman lease have been exempted by the Warden from observance of the labour-conditions of such lease during the past eighteen months. Since the beginning of 1908 this lease has been totally exempted for two years and partially exempted for two years and a half, during which time unsuccessful attempts have been made to obtain capital from abroad to work the deposit The syndicate who own the Onakaka lease have been more industrious, employing about twenty men in trackmaking and clearing. J As the result of successful experiments in the treatment of Taranaki ironsand at the metallurgical works of the Waihi Gold-mining Company at Waikino, it is proposed to erect an experimental blast furnace near New Plymouth. The process to be adopted consists in the briquettmg of 60 per cent, ironsand with 40 per cent, small coal from the Liverpool State Colliery the coke from which contains only 025 per cent, sulphur. The briquettes will then be coked before introduction into the furnace. It is claimed by the patentees that by this process the titanic anhydride in the ironsand, amounting to from 8 to 9-2 per cent., is'eliminated in the furnace. If this process proves successful an extensive iron industry may be established on the shores of Taranaki. Petroleum. Drilling operations are still being vigorously carried out in the North Island, especially in the Provincial District of Taranaki; but the result of such operations during 1913 has not materially added to the known supply of petroleum. The most interesting development has been the tapping, by the Taranaki Oil Lands Company, of a productive well near Moturoa at a distance of about 12 or 13 chains east of the No. 5 or most productive well of the Taranaki Oil wells (Limited). In the new well, at a depth of 2,170 ft., the flow of oil commenced, and during January and February of the current year over 1,000 barrels are reported to have been produced- at 2,232 ft the well-drilling was temporarily suspended owing to influx of water. This well is lined with 10 in. casing to the bottom. The Taranaki Oil-wells (Limited) commenced operations at their new refinery during the year, but have experienced some difficulty in eliminating an aromatic substance from the kerosene The two prospecting-boreholes drilled by this company at Waitara failed to find oil and were discontinued at depths of 2,970 ft. and 3,821 ft. respectively. This company is now drilling by rotary plant a new hole at Moturoa; a depth of 2,513 ft. has already been attained. Drilling is also being carried on by the Bonithon Freehold Oil Company near New Plymouth the United Oil Company at Waitara, the Phoenix Oil Company at Moturoa, the Consolidated Oil' fields of Taranaki at Huiroa, and the Mangaone Oilfields (Limited) near Eketahuna

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The following is a list of oil-wells and prospecting-boreholes recently drilled, together with their depths and the results* attained : —

* The depths and results here given are from the best evidence obtainable by the Mines Department, but information in some cases is difficult to obtain, and the depths are not guaranteed as correct, t The rotary system of drilling is employed. } The Canadian-Galician percussion system of drilling is employed. For the better control of drilling operations, regulations based upon those in operation in other countries are now being prepared; by these provisions risks from influx of water into the oil-bearing beds will be avoided. Sulphur. At White Island, in area about 590 acres, situated in the Bay of Plenty, about thirty miles from Whakatane on the mainland and 190 miles by sea from Auckland, the recently formed New Zealand Sulphur Company has laid down a steaming plant and constructed a ditch from Crater Bay to drain the crater lake situated near the centre of the island. The island consists of the summit of a volcano projecting above the sea, and thereon thermal activity is unusually pronounced; from one large vent known as the "Blowhole" there is a remarkable display of solfataric and fumarolic action, unrivalled in New Zealand, so-called smoke and steam being ejected to a height of about 300 ft. Around the fumaroles there are conical mounds of almost pure sulphur, varying from 4 ft. to 6 ft. high, and the floors and sides of the crater are covered to an unknown depth with alternating layers of siliceous mud ash-beds, flowers of sulphur (averaging 7 ft. in thickness), and gypsum. By systematic prospecting a reserve of sulphur has been exposed, and a considerable quantity has been obtained and stacked for treatment. Previous attempts to profitably work the sulphur-deposits have been somewhat hindered by shortage of water-supply, but the present company have constructed a dam which they believe will be adequate to supply their boilers. The steaming plant consists of a retort-house, containing three retorts each of 4 tons capacity, to which steam for fusing the sulphur is supplied by a boiler. I regret to report that one of the retorts recently burst shortly after operations were commenced, and one of the employees was killed. Retorting is now suspended pending the installation of non-corrodible retorts. Since 1902 there has been no sulphur exported from New Zealand, but during the five years preceding 4,927 tons, value £13,239, were exported from White Island. Conditions of life in this weird island are not salubrious, nor in the opinion of the Inspector of Mines are they quite safe, the workmen's camp and steaming plant being placed in proximity to the " Blowhole." Phosphate Rook. The Ewing Phosphate Company, operating at Clarendon, Otago, produced 11,000 tons during 1913, a slight increase above that of the previous year. Recently made analyses of the highergrade rock show from 30 to 367 per cent, of phosphoric anhydride, equivalent to from 65 - 3 to 80 - 2 per cent, tricalcic phosphate. Oxides of iron and alumina together total from I' 4 to 9 per cent.

Name of Company. Name or Number of Well. Locality. Total Depth, in Feet, 31/7/14. Result, 20/6/14. Taranaki Oil-wells 1 2 3 4 5 6 (rotary) 1 2 Blenheim Moturoa 3,030 3,030 4,040 850 2,655 2,600+ 3,821 2,970 2,426} Drilling. Feebly productive. Unproductive. Productive. Drilling, feebly productive. Unproductive ; abandoned. Bell'Block, Waitara . . Taranaki Oil Lands, &c. Moturoa Productive at 2,171 ft. and 2,211ft. Drilling. Phoenix Oil Consolidated Oilfields of Taranaki Bonithon Freehold Oil.. United Oil .. Kotuku Oilfields Huiroa Near New Plymouth .. Tikorangi, Waitara River Near Lake Brunner Oparae, Hawke's Bay .. 2,203} 2,586} 2,505 700} 952 1,660 1,322 511 1,375 3,000} Drilling suspended. Drilling. Abandoned (in primary rock). Abandoned or suspended. ,, .. New Zealand Oilfields 1 2 1 2 1 Totangi, Gisborne Waihirere Mangaone Valley, near Eketahuna Near Eketahuna Mangaone Oilfields 5' ,, 2 114} Drilling.

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VI. STONE-QUARRIES. The following is a table showing for each inspection district the number of quarries nersons ordinarily employed thereat, also the number of certificated quarry-managersor foremen together with the nature of the material quarried during 1913:— anagers or toremen,

The following is a summary of persons killed or seriously injured durine 1913 at stone

Impaction District. Number of Quarries. as 1° Bh gi a © O >> -l <L> B ■Brti 11 fc /. cmSon Ihh. •J.3 *H o em ||1 agsa H H 03 fc M -a _hSS£ =3 '3 °> r-° ft rH H $,* -■ " . ft.. SiS s a§* I'asp EH ~ Material quarried, and PurpoM. Arthur's Pass Tunnel Hobson, Otamatea, Rodney, Waitemata Eden BuUer 2 38 196 228 4 47 12 106 Government railway-tunnel (greywacke). Scoria and basalt. 2 136 7 12 Rock, harbour-works and railway-con-struction. Scoria, basalt, and rubble. Mount Herbert, Akaroa, Malvern, Paparua, Heathcote, Halswell, Springs, Ellesmere' Waimairi, Selwyn, Wairewa CoUingwood, Waimea, Takaka Cook, Waiapu Grey Coromandel, Piako, Ohinemuri, Matamata' Patangata, Waipukurau, Waipawa, Hawke's Bay, East part East Taupo Hutt, Makara Inangahua, Murchison, Westland Marlborough, Kaikoura, Sounds.. Southern District (Ashburton to Stewart Island) Rotorua, East Taupo Tauranga Thames Waikohu Featherston, Wairarapa South, Masterton, Mauriceville, Eketahuna, Castlepoint Waimarino Waitotara Hawera, Waimate West, Patea, Eltham . '. Whangarei Woodville, Dannevirke, Weber .. . Mangonui, Bay of Islands, Whangaroa .. I Pahiatua, Akitio Whangamomona, Stratford .. .'. Waitotara Awakino North Oroua, Pohangina, Kiwitea, Rangitikei .. 6 3 2 4 8 10 12 2 2 33 2 1 8 2 2 62 25 31 33 63 85 28 5 28 486 5 21 21 27 11 2 3 17 3 3 1 39' 2 9 17 5 5 8 39 20 46 6 8 194 3 2 21 8 4 Road-metal. Limestone, blue and brown rock. Road-metal and ballast. Limestone. Bluestone. Road-metal and limestone. Rock. Limestone, phosphate, basalt, and schist. Road-metal. Stone. Road-metal. Sandstone. Limestone. i 2 8 65 5 12 2 4 20 11 12 Road-metal and papa cuttings. 2 4 5 7 8 176 38 30 1 8 4 Gravel. Limestone. Papa and limestone. Road-metal. Totals 165 1,808 158J 577

Number of Accidents. Number of Sufferers. Cause of Accident. Fatal. Serious. Seriously Injured. Killed. Explosives .. Falls of ground Machinery .. Haulage Miscellaneous 2 11 6 14 24 11 6 14 24 Totals 55 55

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VII. STATE AID TO MINING. (1.) Sudsidizbd Prospecting. During the year ended the 31st March, 1914, forty-two approved prospecting parties were granted subsidies amounting to £4,381 Bs., of which £756 10s. 9d. was expended during that year. In addition to which £3,439 14s. 2d., granted during previous years, was expended by thirty-two parties during the past financial year. The results obtained by subsidized prospectors is contained in the Reports of Inspectors of Mines (Annexure A hereto), but it is to be regretted that, as in former years, no discoveries of importance have been made, and the mining industry has not benefited. In a few cases small parties have found fair prospects in known goldfields. The principal grant was that made to the Hauraki Prospecting and Miners' Association of £1,000, on a basis of a £2 subsidy for every £3 expended in prospecting. Three parties have recently been equipped and sent respectively to the Mahikirau, Waihi-Whangamata, and ThamesTairua districts of the Hauraki Goldfields to prospect ground considered favourable by the officers of the Geological Surve}' of New Zealand. The following statement shows the total expenditure during the year ended 31st March, 1914, on authorities issued previous to that date, in subsidies to prospecting associations and parties of miners in the different counties : — Name of County, &c. Expenditure. Whangarei County ... ... ... ... 70 0 0 Coromandel County ... ... ... ... ... 193 16 0 Thames County ... ... ... ... ... ... 197 15 0 Ohinemuri County ... ... ... ... ... 420 14 4 Takaka County ... ... ... ... ... ... 14 0 0 Inangahua County ... ... ... ... ... 547 3 6 Murchison County ... ... ... ... .... 34 13 4 Grey County ... :.. ... ... ... ... 176 0 0 Westland County ... ... ... ... ... ... 1,684 16 1 Ross Borough ... ... ... ... ... ... 50 12 6 Southland County. . ... ... ... ... ... 29 9 9 Prospecting Associations, &c. ... ... ... ... 777 4 5 £4,196 4 11 (2.) Loans for the Development of Mining. Since 1905, when statutory provision was made for advances by way of loans for mining development, five companies have been assisted by grants of loans aggregating £32,725, of which £20,600 has been paid by the Government as the mining operations have proceeded and in accordance with the conditions upon which such loans were granted. A considerable proportion of the forty-six applications for loans have been refused on the grounds of inadequate prospects of success. It cannot be stated that there is any evidence that the mining industry has yet benefited by these loans, there may have been collateral benefits, but no company so assisted has paid a dividend. In two cases —initialled "D " and "E " in the statement hereunder—however, the developments for which the loan was granted are not yet completed, and it is premature to pronounce thereon; but in case "A" the company has failed to pay some interest due on the loan or the rent on its lease; in case "C" the loan was refunded without the venture proving successful; and in the remaining case " B," the company, having failed to pay some interest due on its loan, was fortunate in having the same capitalized and added to the original loan. The provision regarding mining loans is taken advantage of by mining promoters who are unable to obtain subscribers for their shares, to make up shortage of capital on the extremely favourable terms —viz., bearing interest of 4J per cent.—which the Government offers. It is perhaps unnecessary to state that such speculations, to which the investing public are not responsive, have frequently very remote prospects of success. The granting of mining loans in New South Wales and Victoria generally proved a failure.

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Statement regarding Mining Companies who have borrowed Money for Development of Mining under Part X of the Mining Act.

* Company in arrears for interest £348 9s. Id. and for rent. This company has experienced considerable ill luck I D° mpa J n ?, ? emg m , arrears £225 for interest were fortunate in having same capitalized; prospects indifferent t Keiunded loan, although property has not paid a dividend hitherto. § Plant and works being laid down, but cost considerably exceeds company's original estimate; prospects fair || Company are prospecting deep levels thoroughly with the money; results hitherto not encouraging, but the exploration is necessary from a national point of view. The loan in this case has not been included in the last column. (3.) Subsidized Roads on Goldfields , following schedule shows the amounts expended by subsidies and direct grants out of the Public Works Fund—vote, " Roads on Goldfields "—in the different counties, &c, durine the year ended 31st March, 1914 :— 6

In addition to the foregoing, the goldfields' local bodies were credited with goldfields revenue amounting to £17,139 7s. 7d., and gold duty amounting to £22,039 lis. sd. The total amount of State aid thus given to local bodies on behalf of the mining industry during the past financial year was therefore £63,322. (4.) Government Prospecting-drills. There still continues to be a demand for the Government Keystone and diamond drills for prospecting purposes, although not so pressing as during previous years. During the past year 112 holes, aggregating in depth 2,949 ft., were drilled by means of two Keystone drills in Westland and Otago in search for alluvial gold; and seven holes aggregating in depth 3,144 ft., were drilled on the west coast of the South Island in search of coal The use of these drills, which are lent free of charge, is strongly recommended to those who propose to finance mining operations, for by such means may the actual value of mineral deposits be most economically proved, and mining rendered less speculative. It may be safely stated that in scores of cases here in New Zealand many thousands of pounds would have been saved by preliminary boring at comparatively insignificant cost. To embark in a mining enterprise upon the unverified word of an interested person or optimistic expert is to court disaster The Govern ment, by providing these modern and cheaply run drills, have done much to protect the overenthusiastic speculator.

Initial to represent Name of Company. Amount of Loan granted. Amount of Loan paid, 20/5/14. Amount of Loan refunded to Government. Subscribed Capital. Amount of Capital actually Paid up. Value of Scrip given to Shareholders on on which no Cash paid. Total Expenditure since Registration. Total Amount of Dividends paid. Amount of Debts owing by Company. A B ;c D E £ 10,000 5,225 500 10,000 7,000 £ 10,000 5,225 500 6,491 3,385 £ 3,000 500 £ 14,400 172,289 6,000 30,000 70,000 £ 14,400 7,539 5,353 16,798 24,379 £ 5,550 164,750 5,000 10,000 43,750 £ 60,964 14,232 6,342 17,132 15,341 £ £ 15,850* 6,532f 675$ 7,250§ 208||

Subsidies. Direct Grant*. Thames County Thames Borough Coromandel County Ohinemuri County Pelorus Road Board CoUingwood County Takaka County Waimea County BuUer County Murchison County.. Inangahua County Grey County Westland County Ross Borough Brunner Borough Tuapeka County Vincent County Lake County Southland County Wallace County Public Works Department .. . >* £ s. d. 415 5 0 130 io 0 71 2 6 458 16 2 £ e. d. 2,810 17 0 50 0 0 1,622 4 10 1,756 6 0 205 17 0 376 8 3 81 15 6 90 0 0 4,284 13 8 90 11 11 2,702 6 11 2,529 1 5 1,316 12 8 100 0 0 100 0 0 160 0 0 512 13 0 50 0 0 387 14 0 350 0 0 574 15 1 2,915 11 1 ** £1,748 6 8 £22,394 15 4

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The following is a table showing the result of boring done by Government prospecting-drills during 1913 :—

Particulars of Boring by Government Prospecting-drills.

Type of Drill. Name of Superintendent. To whom lent. Minerals sought for. Number of Holes drilled. Approximate Depth drilled. Diameter of Hole. Character of Country penetrated. Average Cost per Foot, including Transport. Result of Drilling. Percussion cable W. H. Warburton Point Elizabeth State Colliery Nil 1 Ft. 400 In. 9 Mudstone, sandstone, shale s. d. 6 8J Hole drilled above mine for pump delivery column. No coal found. No coal proved. 17 ft. coal proved at 723 ft. Sullivan CN diamond Blackball Colliery (Roa Road) Blackball Colliery (Hughes' Track) Westport Harbour Board Coal 1 1 1 945 650 750 2i Mudstone, sandstone, shale, grit Mudstone, sandstone, shale 2 11* 2 Hi 4 10 Schram - Harker diamond Ditto Sullivan CN diamond T. F. Smith W. Carter Nelson Coalfields (Limited) (Stoke) Waikaia Gold-mining Company J. C. Ellis (Upper Nevis) Frosty Creek Prospecting Association (Rimu) A. Cederman (Rimu Flat) 1 1 1 79 80 239 10 8 6 Gravel, running sand, boulders River drift, clay, gravel, sand, boulders Gravel and sand * * Drill proved unsuitable; hole aban doned. Ditto. Holefailed to reach bed-rock, and was abandoned owing to high cost. Successfully tested the claim. 38 6 No. 1 Keystone T. McMath Alluvial gold 13 31 1 339 688 54 6 6 8 to 6 * No. 2 Keystone G. E.' D. Seale .. Cemented gravel * 15 0 Ground very poor. 5 200 6 Rough, tight, river-bed gravel 4 10 Very satisfactory ; ground averaged 2s. per yard. Fairly satisfactory, but pug and log! excessive. Very poor. Stafford Dredging Company (Stafford) G. Linklater, Auckland lead (Awatuna) Donnelly's Creek Prospecting Syndicate (Ross) Saltwater and Maori Creek Prospecting Association Murray and Tindale (Marsden) Golconda Prospecting Syndicate (Cameron's) Marsden Prospecting Syndicate 18 684 6 Pug and river-bed gravel 2 1 9 236 6 Sand and beach-gravel 3 10 5 164 6 Very rough river-bed gravel .. 8 2 12 158 6 Fairly rough river-bed gravel.. 8 0 5 7 110 156 6 6 Sand and gravel 3 8 6 3 Fairly satisfactory. Very poor. 6 160 6 Fairly rough river-bed gravel.. 5 8 * Private operations, cost not available.

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(5.) Government Water-races. • ,v The l r Waimea 7- K J . U^f ra w an l M ° Unt Ida Wat er-races, which render possible hydraulic mining in the Kumara district Westland, and the Naseby district, Central Otago, have supplkd 00 miners with water for sluicing during 1913, by which they obtained gold to the valueof about race S l l 0 L t ;nti^t r olt d Son he fi 31 Q t r l M t^ h • ""i*- f ° r Saks ° f "»*« from the races amounted to £3 305 6s. 9d., the expenditure in upkeep and supervision during the same ks^^ 1 9d " as compared with £2 5 88 os - Bd - and &™ »■• 3d - -p-^; New branch races have been constructed to serve miners in the Waimea-Stafford districts and a race-deviation ,s now being constructed from the Erin-go-bragh Water-race recently 2 chased by the Government, to Argus Terrace, near Maori Point, Westland where alluvill gold has been intermittently mined for many years. ' alluvial gold The Kumara Water-race extension, which carries by inverted siphon a large supply of water across the va ley of the River Taramakau to the northern terraces at Westbrook hasbeen very badly supported by the miners of the district, who strongly urged the Government to construct this costly extension and loudly proclaimed the richness and extent of the country which would be served. Independently o mining, this siphon is of considerable value for hydro-electri^ -power the water-supply being considerable and the pressure adequate. P ' In Central Otago the Mount Ida Race has been extended for nearly a mile towards its proposed terminus to enable new ground to be worked. towards its

VIII. SCHOOLS OF MINES. annum wltW Goy f rjm f it f aminations the following students won scholarships (value £50 per annum, with free class fees tenable for four years at the Otago University School of SKnea? viz., Messrs. L. Grange, of the Waihi School; and L. Stevenson, of the Thames School. ° f ** G ° VernmeDt ««*»*»• « ** -hools of

Upon comparison with the results obtained at the examination for the previous year it will be seen that the average number of marks per paper has decreased, but the number of student submitting themselves for examination has increased. T stuctentB

,-g Locality of Sohool of Mines, o Oh Average Number of : , T , . „ . Marks awarded JMumber of Students | Number of Papers per Paper submitted. examined. submitted. Total Marks awarded. I 1 2 3 4 5 6 Thames Waihi Karangahake Reefton Coromandel .. Westport Per Cent. 60-83 16 24 57-20 18 34 56-47 ii 30 49-66 14 27 39-23 7 13 38-43 12 23 1,459 1,945 1,694 1,341 510 884 Totals, 1913 „ 1912 51-87 62-00 78 66 151 123 7,833 7,629

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The following table shows the expenditure by the Government on schools of mines since their inception, exclusive of subsidies paid to the University of Otago towards the School of Mines in connection with that institution :—

I have, &c, Frank Reed, M.1.M.M., L.S., Inspecting Engineer of Mines.

Financial Years. Chemicals Subsidies towards and Apparatus, the Erection of also Mineralogical Schools of Mines, and Specimens Maintenance. supplied to Schools of Mines. Scholarships. Salaries of Teachers, and Travellingexpenses, &c. Total Sum paid by the Department towards the Schools of Mines. 1885-86 1886-87 1887-88 1888-89 1889-90 1890-91 1891-92 1892-93 1893-94 1894-95 1895-96 1896-97 1897-98 1898-99 1899-1900 1900-1901 1901-1902 1902-1903 1903-1904 1904-1905 1905-1906 1906-1907 1907-1908 1908-1909 1909-1910 1910-1911 1911-1912 1912-1913 1913-1914 £ s. d. £ s. d. 36 19 9 257 16 6 409 1 4 253 lo 9 253 14 1 42 10 0 6 12 9 142 2 0 181 14 10 217 6 6 54 8 0 181 14 0 312 3 4 197 0 5 390 0 0 45 10 10 820 0 0 352 14 11 58 18 6 1,089 18 6 29 19 9 740 15 2 32 19 7 990 3 4 24 3 8 866 10 11 56 3 4 1,155 12 3 63 5 1 1,379 15 6 134 18 8 1,575 15 3 88 18 8 1,401 2 11 17 3 0 1,806 19 5 87 2 1 1,836 6 6 11 15 8 2,428 19 3 94 6 2 2,738 11 1 328 9 3 1,882 2 6 692 2 8 2,813 0 10 44 5 8 1,852 19 11 38 9 9 1,769 6 10 182 18 4 1,909 14 7 70 4 2 £ 50 100 100 50 50 98 49 158 92 100 49 100 150 100 100 108 92 100 250 £ s. d. 1,223 9 10 2,716 9 3 1,714 9 6 1,139 4 1 716 3 10 620 9 9 689 5 9 670 1 0 858 19 4 773 17 8 849 3 0 834 12 8 780 19 0 729 10 11 52 16 3 77 7 10 69 16 4 111 0 0 109 15 10 362 19 6 440 9 4 388 18 5 345 15 11 642 9 4 587 3 2 1,130 7 3 1,138 6 7 1,227 2 2 1,267 17 10 £ s. d. 1,260 9 7 3,383 7 1 2,221 19 4 1,188 6 10 1,040 0 8 892 4 3 870 19 9 982 4 4 1,055 19 9 1,209 8 6 1,719 3 0 1,346 6 1 2,000 17 3 1,553 5 8 1,117 3 3 1,098 2 1 1,337 13 8 1,783 14 2 1,866 9 9 1,881 5 5 2,383 10 10 2,337 0 7 3,019 1 4 3,809 9 8 3,261 8 4 4,095 13 9 3,121 16 3 3,279 7 4 3,497 16 7 Totals... 31,404 18 2 3,044 5 7 1,896 22,269 1 4 58,614 5 1

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Auckland Exhibition, 1913-14.— A Portion of the Court of the Mines Department.

Face p. 3.5.]

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Auckland Exhibition, 1913-14. — The Court of the Mines Department, Recipient of the First Award.

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ANNEXUEE A.

EXTRACTS FROM THE REPORTS OF INSPECTORS OF MINES.

NORTHERN DISTRICT. Mr. Matthew Paul, Inspector op Mines, Waihi. Waihi Gold-mining Company fLimited).—No. 11 level (1,301 ft. from collar of No. 5 shaft)No. 5 shaft north crosscut—This level was started from No. 5 shaft at the beginning of August and was driven northward a total of 373 ft. At 26 ft. the Royal lode was met, and is 5A ft wide' At 70 ft., quartz 9m. wide; course, 92° (true), vertical. At 172 ft., quartz 3 in. wide; course' 60° (true), dip 1 in 6 south. At 215 ft., quartz 3 in. wide; course, 45° (true), dip 1 in 1 southwest. At 280 ft, three stringers of quartz, making a total width of 12 in.; course, 40° (true) dip 1 in 2| north-west. At 357 ft. the Dreadnought lode was met, and its width is about 10 ft • course, 33° (true), dip 1 in 3 north. ',' No. 10 level (1,151 ft. from collar of No. 5 shaft): The water was pumped down to this level at the end of February, and development was then resumed. Royal lode—East of No 5 shaft south crosscut the level has been extended from 186 ft. to 744 ft. From 300 ft. to 737 ft the lode averages 19$ ft. wide. West of No. 5 shaft south crosscut the level has been extended from 174 ft. to 735 ft., and varies greatly in width between 6$ ft. and 20 ft. Dreadnought lode—This payable lode was discovered when sinking No. 4 shaft in April at 88 ft. below No. 10 level. Since then a good deal of development has been done at No. 10 level. It was found that a 12 in. lode at 120 ft. south of No. 4 shaft in the No. 5 shaft crosscut (north) corresponded with the course and dip of the Dreadnought lode, which was driven on east and west. Eastward the level was driven a total of 730 ft. when the main branch of lode junctioned with Empire lode. At 526 ft east a south offshoot of the lode branched off, and has been followed 111 ft. At 737 ft. the level on the Empire lode was connected. The lode is pinched in very hard country, and further work was suspended. Bath south-east crosscut was started from Empire lode at Bath pass, and was driven a total of 645 ft, in a good class of country. Another 70 ft. will reach Royal lode. Empire lode—East of No. 5 shaft north crosscut the level was advanced from 395 ft to 552 ft' the lode varying in width between 8 ft. and 14 ft. West of No. 5 shaft north crosscut the level has been advanced to 791 ft. It is found the payable ore extends from the 350 ft west crosscut to 671 ft., a length of 321 ft., the lode varying from 10$ ft. to 18 ft. in width. At 444 ft. a crosscut was run north 13 ft., when north part of Empire lode was met 12 ft. wide. No. 2 shaft south-west crosscut was driven 56 ft. when Welcome lode was met. The level was then turned on course of Welcome lode, and followed to 240 ft. west from No. 2 shaft, where Welcome lode nominally junctions with Edward lode at Trout pass. Edward lode south— The level has been advanced from 240 ft. point to 435 ft. south of No. 2 shaft, which is a length of 195 ft. opened up on Edward lode; the lode here varies in width between 40 ft. to 75 ft Martha lode, south section, west of No. 5 shaft north crosscut—The level has been extended from 376 ft. to 584 ft. At 400 ft. the lode has been crosscut; the north and south sections together are 50 ft. wide, and are separated from the Regina section of lode by 5 ft. of country; the Regina section is 15 ft. wide. Regina section of Martha lode—This section starts at about 390 ft. west of No. 5 shaft north crosscut, and was followed to 481 ft. west of same. At 400 ft the lode is 15 ft. wide, and at 480 ft. the lode is 15 ft. wide. No. 9 level : Dreadnought lode—At 444 ft. east of No. 5 shaft north crosscut, along the course of Empire lode, a crosscut was run south-east 14 ft. when the main part of the Dreadnought lode was intersected. It is 6$ ft. wide. Westward, 213 ft. was driven. Eastward, 8 ft. was driven where the lode is mixed with country. In No. 5 shaft north crosscut, 54 ft. from the shaft west crosscut, a leader that would correspond with the Dreadnought lode is showing, and it was driven on eastward 106 ft, Prospecting crosscuts —Sole south-east crosscut was extended from 92 ft to 117 ft. from Edward lode. At 94 ft. the Royal lode, 3 ft. wide, was met. No. 8 level : Dreadnought lode—At 550 ft. east of No. 4 shaft north crosscut, along the Empire lode, there is a quartz vein 12 in. wide branching off the Empire lode with a course of 225° (true), dip 3 in 5 north. This is believed to be the Dreadnought lode. It has been driven on west 34 ft. Shafts: No. 2 shaft was sunk from 100 ft, below No. 9 level to 148 i ft., or a total of 1,227ift. from the surface. No. 4 shaft was-sunk from 66$ ft. below No. 10 level to 108$ ft or 1,25.6* ft. from the surface. No. 5 shaft—Sinking in this shaft was resumed in June at a point 117 ft. below No. 10 level, and sunk to 167$ ft. below same, or to a total depth of 1,319 ft No. 11 level was opened out at 1,301 ft. in a good class of country. General : No fatal accidents and only one that could be classed as serious occurred during the year. Two sets of Draeger's mine-rescue apparatus have been obtained, and the shift-bosses are being trained in their use. Waihi Grand Junction Gold-mining Company. —The Waihi miners' strike of 1912 retarded progress in this mine at least a year. A large number of the most competent miners left to obtain work in Australia and elsewhere. It was well into February before work was properly organized and the bottom level (No. 6) unwatered. The company was "fortunate in having ordered an Ingersoll Rand compressor (2,000 cubic feet per minute) prior to the strike. This was installed as rapidly as possible, and to a certain extent overcame the shortage of miners.

5—C. 2,

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The following is a summary of development-work done : Main and intermediate drives on lodes, 2,747 ft.; crosscutting lodes from drives, winzes, and rises, 511 ft.; rises on lodes and through country. 662 ft.; winzes on lodes and through country, 575 J ft.; driving and crosscutting through country, 1,3271 ft.; shaft-sinking, 86| ft. : total, 5,909| ft. No. 6 level: George lode—The drive west advanced to 263 ft. from the south-east crosscut, at which point the lode junctioned with the Royal lode. From south-east crosscut to 186 ft. west the assays averaged £1 15s. 2d. for an average width of 55f in. From 185 ft. to 200 ft. the lode is narrow, and mixed with country. From 200 ft. to 235 ft,, £1 3s. 6d. j width of lode, 44 in. From 235 ft. to 263 ft., 13s. 2d.; width of lode, 51 in. No. 1 rise (at 40ft. west of the south-east crosscut) was advanced 90 ft. and holed to No. 1 winze from No. 5 level, at which point the lode is 11 ft. wide, assaying 19s. The first 24 ft. of rise assayed £1 15s. 4d. for 47 in., only the hanging-wall being exposed. From 24ft. to 90ft. the value was £2 9s. lOd. for 51 in., the foot-wall not being exposed. No. 2 rise (at 160 ft. west of south-east crosscut) advanced 31 ft. The reef was 38 in. wide, and assayed £1 Is. 6d. The drive east was advanced to 182 ft. east of south-east crosscut. The first 22 ft. assayed £1 lis. 3d. for 76 in. (width of lode); from 22 ft. to 86 ft., £1 os. lid. for 72 in. (width of lode). At 50 ft. east the lode and country rock were disturbed by a fault striking north, and values became low. At 86 ft. east the lode was 24 in. wide. From 86 ft, to 184 ft. the lode became narrow and low grade. A crosscut was thrown out at 155 ft. east, and advanced through solid country 18 ft. to the north (hanging-wall side) and 30 ft. into the foot-wall country. No quartz was found. Royal lode —Driving on east drive from 29 ft. to 90 ft. the value was erratic, and averaged £3 9s. sd. for the width of drive. At No. 1 crosscut (at 90 ft. east) the lode consisted of quartz, calcite, and country rock 25 ft. wide, worth 4s. Bd. From 90 ft. to 182 ft. the drive followed a fissure filled with loose quartz and country of no value. No. 2 crosscut (at 170 ft. east) was projected to the south-east, and advanced 85 ft. through disturbed country. At 72 ft. in this crosscut 60 in. of quartz was passed through, which assayed £3 per ton. The main drive was then directed more to the east, and advanced through disturbed country to 300 ft., where a broken reef formation was cut, assaying 7s. lOd. per ton. Beyond 620 ft. the country rock became free from disturbance. At 750 ft. intersected 33 in. of quartz; value, 7s. sd. This was followed to 780 ft., at which point a cross-lode striking north was cut. This lode was followed 33 ft. north-west; it was 33 in. wide; value, 10s. sd. : also 33 ft. south-east for a width of 46 in.; value, 12s. sd. per ton. A main crosscut to the Empire lode was started at 780 ft. east, and advanced 177 ft. through solid country. In this crosscut the following lodes were intersected :At 70 ft. north-west a lode 60 in. wide, assaying £1 65.; at 105 ft. north-west a lode 18 in. wide,'assaying 10s. lid.; at 145 ft. north-west a lode 30 in. wide, assaying 3s. 2d. No. 9 rise was put up 54 ft., and holed into the crosscut at the bottom of No. 9 winze from No. 5 level. From No. 6 level to 45 ft. up, the rise passed through a mixture of stringers and country, the assay average being 12s. 3d. for the width of the rise. From 45 ft. up to the winze crosscut the rise was in ore assaying £3 35., the hanging-wall being exposed, but not the foot-wall. West drive—Advanced 640 ft.; total, 691 ft, From 50 ft. to 114 ft. the reef consisted of loose quartz and rubble, and assays averaged £1 4s. for width of 74 in. The walls were irregular. No. 2 crosscut, at 290 ft. west, exposed lode 12 ft. wide, assaying 2s. 6d.; No. 3 crosscut, at 370 ft. west, exposed lode 11 ft. wide, assaying 2s. 5d.; No. 4 crosscut, at 465 ft. west, exposed lode 13 ft. wide, assaying ss. 9d.; No. 5 crosscut, at 575 ft. west, exposed lode 26 ft. wide, assaying £1 12s. 6d.; No. 6 crosscut, at 630 ft. west, exposed lode 34 ft. wide, assaying £1 18s. 3d. No. 8 rise (at 30 ft. west of south-east crosscut) was sunk 60 ft. The lode was 36 in. wide, and the assays averaged £1 16s. At 60 ft. down the width of the lode was 45 in., assaying £1 7s. 3d. Empire foot-wall branch lode—The drive on the smaller branch of the foot-wall leader running into the south wall at 255 ft. west was advanced 175 ft., making total of 425 ft. Assays averaged— From 270 ft. to 293 ft., £7 Is. 5d.; width of lode, 35 in. : from 293 ft, to 364 ft.', £6 9s. Id.; width of lode, 44 in. At 345 ft. the lode again divided, another vein branching into the south wall. This vein for the first 10 ft. assayed £19 Is. 3d. for width of lode 37 in. After 17 ft. of driving the lode split into stringers, and died out. Driving on the north branch of the lode (west of the 345 ft. split) was continued. Values became low after 365 ft., being: 12s. 3d. for 25 in. of lode. At 420 ft. west a crosscut was thrown out 28 ft. to the south and 87 ft. to the north connecting with the Empire lode. This crosscut was in country rock, and did not disclose anything of value. A branch lode connecting the foot-wall lode and the main Empire lode was located 260 ft. west. This had a length of 50 ft., was 12 ft. wide, and assays averaged £13 12s. 6d. This branch consists of a network of country and rich veins of quartz. No. 6 rise (at 115 ft. west) advanced 25 ft.; total, 116 ft. Assays from 90 ft. to 110 ft. averaged £4 7s. 3d., for width of rise of 32 in. The rise holed into the Empire lode No. 6 winze from No. 5 level. No. 3 winze is down 67 ft.; assays averaging, from level to 15 ft. down, for a width of 48 in., £21 lis. per ton; from 15 ft. to 50 ft, down, for a width of 45 in., £10 lis. Id. per ton ; from 50 ft. to 67 ft. down, for a width of 38 in., £2 Is. 9d. per ton. A crosscut at 50 ft. down exposes both walls, the lode being 8 ft. wide; value averaged £3 13s. 9d. per ton. No. 4 winze is down 37 ft.: assays averaged—Up to 7 ft., for a width of 42 in., £2 15s. 6d. per ton; from 7 ft, to 12 ft., for a width of 46 in., £4 4s. per ton; from 12 ft. to 30 ft., for a width of 42 in., £5 2s. 4d. per ton; from 30 ft. to 37 ft., for a width of 45 in., £13 10s. sd. per ton : the walls are not exposed. No. 5 winze is down 26 ft.; assays averaged per ton—Up to 11 ft., for a width of 42 in., £4 9s. 6d.; from II ft. to 21 ft., for a width of 39 in., £3 9s. 9d.; from 21 ft. to 25 ft., for a width of 38 in., £2 Is. 4d. : walls not exposed. No. 7 winze is down 3 ft, Empire lode—East drive advanced to 973 ft. This drive is close to the foot-wall of the lode for the full distance. The following gives the values : From 244 ft. to 300 ft., £2 13s. od. per ton, for width of 62 in.; from 300 ft, to 414 ft.. £3 18s. 6d. per ton, for width of 59 in.; from 414 ft. to 506 ft., £2 6s. Bd. per ton, for width of 58 in.: from 506 ft. to 581 ft,, £1 18s. 6d. per ton, for width of 54 in.; from 581 ft. to 668 ft., £1 ss. 3d,

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per ton, for width of 56 in.; from 668 ft. to 740 ft., 10s. 3d. per ton for width of 60 in.: from (40 tt. to 7b4 ft., £5 9s. 4d. per ton, for a width of 55 in.; from 764 ft. to 786 ft., £6 5s 3d per ton for a width of 51 in. At 786 ft. the reef is cut off by the main fault, The following crosscuts exposed the lull width of the lode : No. 3 crosscut (at 280 ft. east of main crosscut), 22 ft wide ■ value, 10s. Id. : No. 4 crosscut (at 370 ft. east of main crosscut), 18 ft. wide; value 9s • No 5 crosscut at (470 ft. east of main crosscut), 15 ft. wide; value, £1 Bs. 9d. : No. 6 crosscut (at 565 ft east of main crosscut), ft. wide; value, lis. 6d. : No. 7 crosscut (at 680 ft. east of main crosscut), 21 It. wide; value, Is. Continuing the drive beyond the fault, the next 16 ft is broken country. From 802 ft. to 809 ft. is disturbed quartz, assaying £3 2s. Cd. From 809 ft to 856 it. is disturbed country; irom 856 it. to 866 it. is reei, assaying £1 15s. 9d.; irom 866 it' to 871 ft. is country rock; from 871 ft. to 874 ft. is reef, assaying £1 55.; from 874 ft to 880 ft' is country rock. Drives on the 856-866 vein and the 871-874 vein then advanced east to 920 it and also west until the fault was met. The two veins were broken out as one body a total n e t fn g l ? alol ' 6 aYel ' a S e width bein g 8 ft - and the average value £3 4s. 6d. per ton. From 920 ft. to 973 ft. east the mam lode is disturbed, and low grade. At 920 ft. east a main crosscut to the Grace lode was started and has advanced 165 ft. At 8 ft. cut 20 in. of quartz, assaying tKcifX if 15t 7 V, t 36 f m io ( i f *? UartZ ' J M _ aying £1 4S - 4d - llle CrOSSOUt 1S in disturbed country to 70ft, Prom 78 ft. to 124 ft. passed through a solid body of mixed quartz and country of low value. From 124 ft. to 165 ft. the country is disturbed. At 920 ft. east a main crosscut to tbe Koyal lode was started, and has advanced through solid country to 213 ft At 145 ft it passed through a 42 in. seam of quartz of low value. No. 8 rise advanced 37 ft., making total s'Vis a ß d * winze Irom No 5 level; the foot-wall was exposed, and the assays averaged tfi . _ I™" W V J" 186 /. _ N ?" 13 " Se WaS put U P B6 '*•» and holed t0 winze from No. 5 level; the first 34ft assayed 18s. lid. for 48 m. wide; the ore is narrow, and cuts out at 45 ft. above the level; foot-wall is exposed. No. 18 rise was put up 54 ft., and holed to winze from No. 5 level • i Wl *nf* m " Se l _ 4l^ ln -' a " d aSßays avera -°d 2s. Id. per ton. No. 8 winze was S 8 !!'//"? 8 averaged-From level to 14 ft., £1 175., for width of 45 in.; from 14 ft. to 2*nft V' W H °1 35 .? ,; tr 45 ft t0 50 ft ' £1 lls - for width of 66 in. A crosscut at 50 ft. down exposed both walls. The reef was 25 ft, wide, and assays averaged £2 13s Id Ino. 9 winze was sunk 37 ft.; assays averaged-From level to 26 ft., £2 Bs. fid.? for a width of 38 m ; from 26 ft. to 30 ft Bs. lid., for a width of 39 in. : only the foot-wall being exposed i At? T 6 w "° k 5 /l f V aSSayS averaged-From level to 17 ft, down, no value; from 17 ft a,l i d r n ' ™ 3S ' 4d - ir ° m Wldth 0f 48in - from 48ft ' to 56 ft. down, £3 3s. 8d from width of 40 in. The crosscut at 50 ft. down exposed lode of quartz, stringers, and country 10 ft ?rt~ S T^fn £2 ?' Pe l \° Q ; At the W6St dHve < west of crosscut) the main o '' T „_*"* boundai - at 441.ft.; assays averaged-From 313 ft to 365 ft., £2 7s 7d for 64 in. width; from 365 ft. to 441 ft., £1 10s. 7d., for 58 in. width No. 4 crosscut (at 345 tt. west) proved the lode to be lOf ft. wide, and assays averaged £1 2s lOd £2 6s° n 6d TW ""T* 42 .° f - JtV he lode pr ° Ved t0 be 9ft wide ' and --ys averaged fny urtler ouartz'° S AtlOft 26 $" . nto the country, but did not discfose any lurtner quartz. At 10 ft. west of No. 3 rise a crosscut was driven 21 ft. into the foot-wall No 5" Wl° q Ti a T dlSC ™ d - No , 4"f was put up 35*. ft., and holed to the winze from No. 5 level. The walls were not exposed, and assays averaged 6s. 6d. for 48 in width of rise No. 4 winze was sunk 15 ft. in low-grade quartz; the walls were not exposed No t win c was sunk 12 ft. cose to the foot-wall lode; from level to 7 ft. down assays averaged £2 kj tor 32 in.; and from 7 ft. to 12 ft., £1 18s. Bd. for 30 in. width. To effect a direct communication w_To7 tt iZ Tf T™* & f ** *$* "*"> 66 * ™ d ™™ a~the tot wall of the lode The average of assays along this drive was £1 is. sd. for a width of 77 in Republic lode-No. 1 winze (60 ft. east of the south-east crosscut) was sunk 4 ft JNo. 5 level : Royal lode—No. 1 winze was sunk 73 ft,; assays averae-ed—From W«i + n w tt£2 Is 6d., for 48 in. of width; from 32 ft, to 58 ft., 19 . Id.? or 47 _of widto from 58 ft' to 73 ft., 15s for 52 in of width: the walls are not exposed. No 8! winze t - assays averaged-From level to 21 ft., 9s„ for 32 in. of width; from 21ft to 65 ft 51 iL _. ' for 40 in. of width at 50 ft down the lode is 5 ft. wide, with both waUs' exposed '' flllVt ?;1 T, M aS 1 rted f /° m l t sh " nka g e sto Pe at 70 ft. above No. 5 level. After 66 ft of Hsin_ it holed to No 1 winze from No. 4 level. Assays averaged, from stope to 15 ft. up, £1 7s 6d fof "No Tw/ M 1 f ft 'n P ' f l 12S - 8d -' f ° r 42 in - ° f Width : the walls are'ntt exposed No 5 Lei lay^ wi TorY a ,. d C ° nneCted with No ' 1 "se from °' ° , ' f^.' lys averaged £2 lis., for 40m. of width: walls not exposed. No 1 shaft I'mainl was sunk 77|ft making total of 1,167 ft, below the surface, and 85* ft. below No 6 level to_r 2 s t below No 6 1 P T nP Sh f " a / eef f" king n ° rth - east > andllniost vertica.: Assays taken 25 ft. below No. 6 level gave Bs. per ton, for 66 in. width; at 52 ft. down 2ft on north west side, gave a value of 13s. 7d.; the next sft., 7s. 9d.; and next 6ft Tre valueless _ osft. down, 5 ft. on south-east side assayed 7s. 9d. per ton; at 68 ft down the rlef -TMn ft w!de, and assayed £1 12s. 6d. across the centre of shaft ™ 18, Iv reef was 10 ft. 73 ft. down the'reef is worth 14s. for 9 ft. of width and at 80 t 12s' oTT A * Milling results: 98,383 tons, of 2,0001b. each, toe fveTage '„t „wS_ waf/^' 7d per ton, gave a gross value of £204,765 2s. 5d Total valipe of KolHor . n . _ 8 0,019 19,. 9d. E_,io» of mill : Work io eo„„_n ™S to _L*S___J; s; e^sssT.—^oSroS

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Power plant: 6,588,708 units of power were generated, at a cost of slightly over Jd. per horse-power hour. The new A.E.G. (Allegemeine Elektricitats Gezellschaft, Berlin) 2,680 horsepower turbo-generator, with switchboards and new boilers of 600 horse-power each, were completed and put into commission; also a new Ingersoll Rand air-compressor of 2,000 cubic feet capacity, driven by a 400 horse-power synchronous motor, added to the air-compressing plant. Mine-rescue apparatus has been obtained, and the men are being trained in its use. Waihi Standard Gold-mining Company. —The only work done in this mine during the year was confined to cleaning up the debris which found its way into the main shaft from the old workings during the strike. Waihi Extended and Pride of Waihi. —Both these claims have been held under protection during the year. Waihi Beefs Consolidated. —A new company has taken up this claim. It is proposed to sink the shaft a farther 286 ft., with the object of exploration at a depth of 1,200 ft. level. Owharoa. Rising Sun Gold-mining Company. —The low level has been extended a total distance of 2,200 ft., and four lodes intersected, varying from 6 in. to 30 in. in width, all of which gave payable assay values. A rise has also been put up and a connection made with the winze from the upper level. Ventilation is now all that could be desired. W aikino-W aiomoko Syndicate. —This claim has been held under protection during the year. Waitekauri. Maoriland Gold-mining Company. —The principal work carried out in this mine during the year has been the extension of the low level, which is now in a total distance of 1,384 ft. The following lodes were passed : At 1,047 ft., a lode 2 ft. in width, assaying lis. per ton; at 1,137 ft., a large body of quartz of low grade; at 1,304 ft., a reef 2 ft. 6 in. in width. A trial parcel of 20 tons was put through the mill; assay value from lip of boxes, £1 ss. per ton. The results at this level are considered satisfactory, and it is anticipated that when the No. 4 lode (worked in the upper levels with good results) is found it will be satisfactory. 1,192 tons from the stopes above the intermediate level produced bullion to the value of £2,286 2s. 9d. Golden Cross Gold-mining Company. —At No. 1 level, the lowest available without pumping (865 ft. northward of the main crosscut), 121 ft. has been driven, and crosscuts put in at various points, exposing large bodies of low-grade ore. The drive is now in the payable zone, and several blocks have been located, which it is expected will be profitable. Recently an outcrop was located 110 ft. north of the main crosscut, and a trial crushing averaged £1 10s. per ton for a width of 8 ft. This appears to be a loop from the main lode, and as a considerable tonnage can be obtained at a low cost the discovery is important. May Bell Syndicate. —One man has been employed prospecting this claim, and has discovered several small lodes giving fair assay values. An attempt is now being made to raise capital to further develop this property. Karangahake. Talisman Consolidated (Limited). —During the year a crosscut driven eastward from No. 12 level south intersected the Welcome reef; the lode where intersected being low grade nothing further was done on same. The south drive at No. 13 level has been advanced considerably beyond the boundary of the Dubbo ore-shoot, without finding anything of value. From the south drive crosscuts were put out east and west in search of parallel ore-bodies, but without success. The south drive at No. 14 level has disclosed considerable fair-grade ore in the Dubbo section. No. 6 winze, No. 14 level, has been sunk 40ft., at which point water was reached; the width and value of the lode is well maintained. The Woodstock shaft was sunk to the random of No. 14 level (490 ft. from collar). The chamber for No. 14 level is cut, and crosscut for the Maria reef has been started. Talisman shaft (depth, 560 ft. below Waitawheta (or river) level): A large chamber was cut out and a horizontal pump 50,000 gallons per hour capacity has been installed. This pump is doing excellent work raising water to the river-level. Owing to the coal strike at Huntly this mine was closed from the 7th November until early in January, resulting in a reduction in the value of the bullion-production of £30,927. New Zealand Crown Mines (Limited). —Below is a summary of the mining and mine-develop-ment work done in this mine for the past year : Crown lode—Driving, 695 ft.; sinking, 111 ft.; rising, 157 ft.; tons mined, 878; total gross value, £1,640. Welcome lode—Driving, 640 ft.; croscutting, 286 ft.; sinking, 452 ft.; rising, 548 ft.; tons mined, 11,589; total gross value, £24,910. Maria lode —Driving, 542 ft.; crosscutting, 39 ft.; sinking, 54 ft.; rising, 234 ft. , tons mined, 2,832; total gross value, £5,952. Ore treated: Number of imperial tons treated, 15,299; ounces of gold recovered, 6,625; ounces of silver recovered, 10,600; value of bullion recovered, £28,884 16s. 4d.; average value recovered per ton of ore, £1 17s. 9d.; gross value of ore treated, £31,662; average value per ton (gross), £2 Is. 5d.; average cost per ton (exclusive of development), 34285. During the past year the following improvements have been carried out: Nos. 4 and 7 levels on the Maria lode have been connected by aerial tram-line, with hoppers erected at both ends. In the Crown section the change-house has been improved, and considerable additions made to the rock-drilling plant. A high-pressure pump has been installed for supplying water to rock-drills above the main adit level, and air and water services have been extended in that direction. Five slime-vats have been equipped with mechanical agitators, and conse-

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quently a considerable improvement has been effected in the percentage of bullion-recovery. Towards the end of the year the company was reconstructed, and with the capital now available it is expected that a vigorous policy of development will be pursued. Dominion Gold-mining Company. —During the year work has been confined to the extension of the eastern low level, which has been somewhat retarded by a heavy flow of water and the disturbed nature of the ground. A good class of country is now being penetrated, and, according to the mine-plan, No. 1 reef should be intersected shortly. Paeroa. Waihi-Paeroa Gold-extraction Company. —Owing to a protracted drought causing an exceptionally low river to the end of May, great difficulty was experienced in obtaining sufficient tailing to keep the works employed. To prevent a recurrence in any similar dry season, a permanent bridge has been constructed across the river in front of the works, and a high flume erected to convey the treated sands to a point nearly a mile downstream from the works. A good deal of trouble has been caused by buried logs, for the removal of which a Priestman dredge has since been employed. A tramway has been constructed for transport of coal and supplies from the railway-station. During the year 140,100 tons of sand treated produced bullion valued at £42,300. Komata. Komata Beefs Gold-mining Company. —Early in the year the drive south on Lavington's lode in the old Komata reefs section of the property was retimbered, and driving south resumed. The lode pinched from 4 ft. in width at the face to a few inches at 472 ft. therefrom. Towards ' the end of the year some work was done (D reef) in a crosscut on Smithy, or No. 1, level, Te Ao Marama section. After driving 38$ ft. north and 40 ft. south work was stopped, and protection has been granted. No work is being done in the mine. During the year 3,080 tons of ore was crushed and treated at the battery, for a return of bullion valued at £6,964 lis. 10d., in addition to which £21,024 18s. Bd. was obtained by a general final cleaning-up of the whole plant. During 1913 an average of twenty-two men were employed. Mara to to. Silver Stream Mines (Limited). —Operations in this mine have been chiefly confined to stoping on the Julia and Queen reefs above the low level. Thirty-one tons of selected ore shipped to Australia for treatment produced bullion valued at £1,115. Tellnrides Proprietary (Limited). —Owing to the extremely dry weather which prevailed during the year it was found necessary to construct another water-race. Work in the mine is still confined to extending the Gordon low level to 250 ft, to intersect the Julia, and 280 ft. to intersect the Queen lodes. Te Aroha. Hardy's Mines. —This property has been under protection during the year. The company, however, erected on the flat a small but complete cyanide plant to treat about 3,000 tons of tailing accumulated in the early days. Waitawheta Gold-prospecting Syndicate. —A new ten-stamp mill, with cyanide plant, has been erected on the site of the old mill, which was burnt down early in January, 1912. No mining was carried out. Coromandel. Four-in-Hand. —Work has been confined during the year to prospecting; 1201b. of picked ore treated produced gold valued at £83 6s. 6d. Boyal Oak Gold-mining Company. —This mine has been let on tribute. Four men obtained gold valued at £655 from the surface. Venture Claim. —Owned and worked by Regan Bros., who received a Government subsidy to assist them in putting in a low level. Several small leaders were intersected, and 3 tons treated produced bullion valued at £43 10s. Mount Welcome Gold-mining Company. —Work in this mine has been confined to driving a low level to intersect lodes satisfactorily worked in the upper levels, but which could not be followed down on account of the great amount of water. A Government subsidy of ss. per foot was authorized for 600 ft. After driving 415 ft. a small lode was intersected, the ore showing gold freely, and 161b. of fair picked stone was selected. The lode is now being driven upon. Exault and Bingleader Syndicate. —Prospecting operations were carried out upon different lodes outcropping on the surface. About 50 tons of ore have been selected for treatment. Gallant Syndicate. —During the year a new shaft was sunk to a depth of 50 ft. and crosscuts started east and west from the bottom to intersect Scotty's and the Kapanga lodes immediately under where it is reported rich ore was obtained in the early days. Old Hauraki Gold-mining Company. —This mine was worked by wages-men up to the end of August. The lodes, however, became poor, and owing to financial difficulties protection was applied for and granted, subject to the mine being let on tribute. During the year this mine produced bullion in value £2,158 3s. 10d., of which £1,112 was obtained by tributers. Hauraki Beefs Gold-mining Company. —Operations have been principally confined to the Golconda reef at No. 1 level. Several stoping-blocks were opened up, gold being' freely distributed through the ore. This work was carried on uninterruptedly until the adjoining Old Hauraki Mine ceased pumping, when this company was faced with the question of dealing with the water formerly raised by the Old Hauraki pumping plant. To deal with this water new pumping machinery was erected on the Hauraki north shaft 1,000 ft. nearer the present working-faces, and a solid concrete dam built in the main crosscut.

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Armstrong Dredging Company. —At the beginning of the year the disintegrator mentioned in my last report was erected, but, owing to the low grade of the deposit and the difficulties experienced in dealing with it, operations were suspended, and the dredge and beach claim sold to Mr. H. H. Adams. Bremner's Freehold Gold-mining Company. —Four men have been constantly employed at No. 1 and low level on Bremner's lode, which varies from 3 in. to 3 ft. in width. Four tons of general ore and 2501b. of picked stone treated produced bullion in value £216 10s. New Waitaia Gold-mining Company. —A stoping-blook 300 ft. in length is now in progress over the back of the low level (No. 6). The lode varies in width from 6 in. to 3 ft. of ore. To the northward the value improves. Rises are being put up to secure better ventilation. Mountain King Gold-mining Company. —The development-work carried out in this mine during the year consisted of driving north at No. 5 level for 225 ft., and crosscutting for several known reefs. The country proved unfavourable. Funds becoming exhausted, protection was applied for and granted. Gold valued at £1,726 7s. 2d. was obtained from small blocks left in the upper levels. Handsworth United Gold-mining Company. —This mine was abandoned and sold to Mr. W. J. McLean in September, and is now under protection. 36 tons treated produced gold valued at £388 12s. 9d. Barrier Beefs, Great Barrier Island. —This mine is owned by Mr. H. Brett. Operations are still confined to driving the low level. Very hard country is being penetrated, consequently progress has been somewhat slow. petroleum. New Zealand Oil-wells (Limited), Taranaki. —The refinery, was completed and commencedoperations early in August. During the year it is stated that 179,750 gallons of crude oil has been obtained. The boreholes at Bell Block reached a depth of 3,710 ft. and 2,820 ft. respectively, without success. At Moturoa Nos. 3 and 5 -wells were still flowing, and a rotary drilling plant-has been erected and operations commenced to drill a new well about 6 chains from No. 2, which at the end of the year had attained a depth of 2,210 ft. The average number of men employed at the refinery and boreholes was seventy-one. Taranaki Oil Lands Acquisition and Development Company (Limited). —This company started operations in the Moturoa district on a section of the Whitely Township in March. The plant installed is of Canadian Galician type. Boring was commenced on the 19th April with 17 ft. sheet-iron piping. The superficial water has been cut off by 12 in. casing at a depth of 973 ft. with cement. In the early part of November 10 in. casing was set in cement at a depth of over 2,000 ft., in order to isolate the salt-water flowing from the stratum situated between 1,700 ft. and 1,895 ft. On the 31st December an oil-flow was obtained which was reported to average fifty barrels a day. This company employs about fifteen persons. It is claimed that this well is the first in the district to reach a depth of 2,000 ft. with 10 in. casing and the oilstrata with 9 in. casing. Phoenix Oil Company (Limited). —This company commenced drilling on a section marked (E) on the South Road in the Moturoa district last May. On the 22nd July, after the extraction of the 12 in. casing, which was carried down 1,723 ft,, the well on the 31st December had reached a depth of 1,836 ft., with 10 in. casing in movement. The work of drilling has proceeded regularly, and it is anticipated that the oil-strata will be reached in a few months. Ten persons are employed. The plant is identical with that installed at the Taranaki Oil Lands Acquisition and Development Company (Limited). Consolidated Oilfields of Taranaki (Limited). —A start was made to erect a plant at Huiroa on Section 4, Block XII, in May. Boring was commenced on the 23rd July; 12 in. casing has been lowered to a depth of 885 ft., and there cemented in. On the 31st December this bore had reached a depth of 1,170 ft., with 10 in. casing in movement. Thirteen persons are employed. Plant similar to that already described. United Oil Company (Limited). —This bore was the last to start on a site chosen on Section 29, Tikorangi district, on the bank of the Waitara River. Drilling was commenced on the 11th December, but, owing to the difficult nature of the surface country, only a depth of 31 ft. had been reached at the end of the year. This plant is in type similar to the foregoing, with the exception of the derrick, which is of iron. Twelve persons are employed. The two lastmentioned bores are for exploration, being started in unproven districts. Bonithon Freehold Oil Company (Limited). —During the year a borehole was put down to a depth of 2,505 ft. Traces of gas and oil are said to have been encountered, but, unfortunately, some of the boring-tools were lost just before Christmas. Every effort was made to recover them, without success, casing now being withdrawn. accidents and fatalities. Fatal. Talisman Consolidated Gold-mining Com,pany, Karangahake. —On the 28th March, 1913, William Hyde and Thomas Mcßride were killed by falling down the Talisman shaft, due to the winding-rope breaking while these men were illegally riding on the skip. Action was taken against the mine-manager, Mr. Rickard, under section 254, subsection (24), and also under section 261 of the Mining Act, 1908. He pleaded guilty, and was fined £10 and costs on each charge. New Zealand Crown Mines, Karangahake. —On the 11th December, 1913, Alexander Woods was killed by a fall of quartz in a leading stope above No. 6 level, Hauraki section, caused by a stull in the level below carrying away.

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Non-fatal. Waihi Mine.—On the 2nd September, 1913, blasting accident. Robert Glasgow received serious injuries to his skull and spine, but is now almost recovered. Waihi Company's Electrical-power Station, Horahora. —On the 10th October, 1913, F. C. Smale was severely burnt on both legs and hand by coming in contact with live wire, There have been numerous minor accidents, but those quoted are the most serious. Mr. Boyd Bennie, Inspector op Mines, Thames. May Queen Mine.—The year's work has been confined to the No. 10 (1,000 ft.) level. On the Exchange reef, east and west of the main crosscut, about 300 ft. has been driven. A crosscut has also been advanced a distance of 270 ft. to intersect the Vanguard reef, which should be met with after another 30 ft. of driving. As the main crosscut at the 1,000 ft. level encountered the Moanataiari Slide, and a shortage of coal occurred owing to the strike, the Thames-Hauraki pump stopped and the mine was flooded. On several occasions during the year I inspected the mine, and always found it in good order. No ore was crushed. An average of ten men has been employed. _ Thames Deep Levels.—The Victoria crosscut has been extended a further 70 ft. to a total length of 500 ft. seaward from the main crosscut. It having been found that the main crosscut face was dangerously near to the Moanataiari main slide it was agreed that a deviation should be driven, the point of commencement to be at the point where the Waiotahi shaft would meet the main crosscut at the 1,000 ft. level. At the time it was considered that the drive would be sufficiently distant from the slide to avoid all danger, but unfortunately this did not prove correct. On the 30th September last, the deviation being advanced a distance of 493 ft., water and gas at great pressure burst through the floor of the deviation crosscut at a distance of about 25 ft. from the face. So great was the inflow that the workmen were compelled to make a hurried exit, and all attempts to resume work have since failed. According to the known position of the slide it is safe to assume that the water forced its way through 100 ft. to 120 ft. of country. It is most unfortunate that the present delay has occurred, for a further 157 ft. of driving would have completed the connection with the Kuranui-Caledonian shaft which the Deep Levels Mining Board was formed to accomplish. The quartz veins met with during the year have been very few and small, varying in width from 2 in. to 4 in., containing mostly crystallized limestone and calcite. During the year I inspected the mine on several occasions, and found it in good order. The ventilation, which has been well maintained, was always much above the standard required by the Act. An average of ten men has been employed throughout the year. Thames-Hauraki Pump. —The year just closed has been full of incident as far as pumping operations have been concerned, but with the exception of two accidents to the draw-lifts the plant has run remarkably well. On the sth January, 1913, the pump stopped for about eight days to allow of the annual overhaul, the most important piece of work being the fitting of a new pinion-wheel, imported from England, on the crank-shaft of the pumping-°engine to replace the old one, which had several broken teeth. In the shaft the new steel girders carrying the bottom plungers were stiffened and supported by heavy timbers. A staging was constructed at No. 5 level to facilitate the operation of bucket-changing. The stoppage caused the water to rise 140 ft. in the shaft, but on the 13th January the pumps were again in commission, and on the 24th of'the same month the shaft was clear of water. On the 15th February, water having been again tapped at the 100 ft. level, the pumps were taxed to their utmost; but on the 19th February the borehole was closed, and the speed of the pumping-engine was reduced to normal. On the 21st February a hoop on one of the draw-lift buckets burst, and not only caused the bucket to become jammed:, but bent three and broke one of the draw-lift rods. Both steel and wrought iron have been tried in the construction of these rods, but with the same result, In order to prevent a recurrence of such an accident a hoop of a different construction was successfully introduced and the bucket altered to suit, On the 7th June, without warning, the two prongs at the fork at the top end of one set of draw-lift rods broke clean off, and allowed the draw-lift rods to fall away and jam the bucket working-barrel. Considerable difficulty was experienced in effecting repairs. On the 30th September a large flow of water, accompanied with much gas, was met with at the 1,000 ft. level deviation crosscut. This necessitated the speed of the pumps being increased from seven to seventeen revolutions per minute to cope with it. Since that date and up to the 13th December last, when the pump stopped for the annual overhaul, the speed of the engine has been gradually decreasing, en which date the number of revolutions per minute was seventeen. The air-compressor and Roots blower gave entire satisfaction throughout the year but on the 24th October, owing to the scarcity of fuel on account of industrial troubles, the former was stopped and the latter was run at a reduced speed, it being necessary to ventilate the shaft to permit of the pumps being attended to. I examined the plant on several occasions during the year, and found it in good order. Saxon Mine.—The north crosscut at the No. 7 (552 ft.) level was extended a total distance of 135 ft., when the No. 3 reef was intersected, but owing to an influx of gas (CO ) and the inadequate means of ventilation work was suspended. In June last the Sirocco single inlet fan of 55 in. diameter, driven by a Pelton water-wheel, was installed, thus allowing work: to be resumed at the No. 7 level. A crosscut has now been driven about 500 ft., with the object of cutting the Cardigan Nos. 1 and 2 reefs, which should be intersected after another 50 ft, of driving. The mine was inspected on several occasions during the year, and found to be in good order. Nine men have been employed. No crushings were made. Waiotahi Mine.—During the early part of the year work was confined to driving east on the main reef and stoping on the new and cross reefs at the No. 7 (528 ft.) level. On the 3rd March

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this work was suspended, and a start made to put down a borehole from the bottom of the shaft, which is 602 ft, from the surface, to the 1,000 ft. level. The object of this was to drain the water and permit of the shaft-sinking being proceeded with, but unfortunately, after boring 320 ft., the boring-rods broke off at the core-barrel. All attempts to recover the core-barrel and the diamond-crown failed, but the attempt to drain the shaft was successful. Sinking was resumed, and a further 134 ft, has been sunk. From the 1,000 ft. level an uprise has been constructed for a height of 93 ft. During the year 536 ft. has been driven at the 1,000 ft. level in the Waiotahi ground. I inspected the mine during the year, and found it in good order. 62 tons of ore was crushed, for a yield of 41 oz. 7 dwt. of gold, valued at £114 4s. 6d. Moanataiari Mine. —Work at this mine was at a standstill during the year up till May, since when an average of six men have been employed. A drive has been constructed through the main slide at the No. 3 (300 ft.) level, with a view r to picking up the lost portions of the Caledonian reefs Nos. 1 and 2, and also the Moanataiari No. 4 reef, hillward (south-east) of the slide. In the early days of mining on the field these reefs were very productive, and the recovery of them may extend the life of this mine. In driving through the slide a small quantity of what appeared to be carburetted hydrogen-gas was found, but it soon w r as cleared away I examined the mine during the year, and found ventilation dull. No ore was crushed. Kuranui-Caledonian Mine. —Owing to the delay in completing the Deep Levels crosscut this company has done very little development during the year, and as their capital was practically exhausted it was found necessary to reconstruct the company. This mine was under protection up till June last, since when two men have been employed. Upon inspection. I found the mine in good order. Kuranui Mine. —Operations have been principally of a prospecting nature. At the Battery level, Section 2, short drives failed to intersect profitable quartz leaders. The Magazine level was extended a further distance of 460 ft., making its length a total of 890 ft., and during its later extension several quartz leaders varying from 2 in. to 30 in. in width were cut through, and a few pounds of picked stone secured from one of them. This low level is through previously unexplored country. This claim was one of the first gold-producers of the early days. I examined the mine on several occasions during the year, and found the conditions fair. Five men have been employed. Waitangi Mine. —During the year the following amount of development has been carried out: Driving, 300 ft.; crosscutting, 56ft.; rising, 86ft.; sinking, 41ft.; stoping, 120 ft. The intermediate drive, east of the winze sunk from No. 3 level, has been extended a further distance of 29 ft., making a total distance of 49 ft. from the winze. About 5 ft. of the hanging-wall portion of the reef was broken out and 60 tons of this ore saved for treatment. A crosscut was advanced a distance of 30 ft. through the foot-wall of the main reef to intersect No. 1 and No. 2 leaders, the latter being driven on for a distance of 45 ft., where the leaders functioned with the Siam reef. The leader was stoped out for a height of 25 ft. above the drive, and 60 tons of ore and 80 lb. of picked stone saved for treatment. No. 1 leader was driven on for a distance of 51 ft., and a drive put up for a height of 24 ft. to intersect the No. 1 winze which was sunk in No. 3 level. 6 tons of ore and 201b. of picked stone were selected from this leader for treatment!. A drive was put in from No. 4 Beach level to drive south on a. 2 ft. 6 in. reef, which was cut through in the main level, but after driving a distance of 77 ft, there was very little encouragement, and the work was stopped. A No. 2 intermediate level was put in east of the rise and 50 ft. below No. 1 intermediate level. A total distance of 39 ft. was driven on the reef, but no gold was seen. A crosscut has extended 15 ft. through the foot-wall of the reef to pick up Nos. 1 and 2 leaders. Rising in the low level east of the fault has been in progress and a height of 62 ft. reached. A drive was also started in the No. 4 level on the main reef west from the north crosscut, and is now in a total distance of 59 ft. About 2 ft. of the foot-wall portion of the reef was broken out, and assayed £2 Is. per ton. I examined the mine during the year, and found conditions very satisfactory. An average of seven men has been employed. Watchman Mine. —For a short period at the beginning of the year attention was directed to the development and opening-up of the several ore-bodies, from which assay samples gave satisfactory results. As a practical test of the ore, a bulk sample of 750 tons was treated at a local milling plant for a, return of £2,241 16s. 9d. The company subsequently decided to purchase the milling plant of the New Day Dawn and Norfolk Company, and also that company's property. Pending the reconstruction of the milling plant, and also the erecting of an aerial tram-line which connects the mine with the mill, all underground development has been suspended. At No. 1 level (Middle Parallel reef) a connection has been made with No. 4 rise—distance driven 220 ft, on an ore-body 3 ft. to 9 ft. wide. A crosscut 26 ft. in length has connected the Parallel and Middle Parallel reefs, No. 5 rise on the Middle Parallel reef was risen to a height of 100 ft. on an ore-body 4 ft. wide. No. 6 rise, 365 ft. south of No. 1 rise, was put up to a height of 62 ft., and crosscutted at various points, proving the reef to be about 10 ft. wide. No. 4 rise was risen to a height of 100 ft., the values being encouraging. With a view to improving the Sunbeam Creek tunnel for horse-haulage and to providing a more direct connection with the mineworking on the reefs, a deviation crosscut 300 ft. in length was constructed, and the tram-line relaid. The mine was examined during the year, and found to be in a satisfactory condition. Ventilation good. An average of fifteen men has been employed. Dixon's Consolidated Mine. —ln the early part of the year a little prospecting was done on the reef outcrop, but owing to the discouraging value of the ore, work was suspended, and later the company went into liquidation. New Sylvia Mine. —This mine has again proved the most productive mine in the Thames district, 10,103 tons of ore was crushed, for a return of £16,351 4s. The principal development

a—2

was as follows: The reef of the No. 2 level was driven on for a distance of 120 ft , where a break was met with arid the reef cut off. A drive was advanced in the No. 3 level on the reef which was composed of fair ore. At present a block is being stoped out for a distance of 300 ft in length. In the intermediate level a drive was constructed south for a distance of 242 ft on a reef 4 ft. wide. On the No. I reef, a heavily mineralized ore-body, stoping is being carried out tor a distance of 100 ft, The Battery level drive was extended a further distance of 220 ft the reef maintaining its size. Here a block of ore 110 ft. long is being stoped. In the low level the crosscut was extended a further distance of 878 ft., and when in a total distance of 2 645 ft the No. 2 reef was cut, and proved to be 9 ft. wide. Here in July last, a big flow of water having been struck, the water from the Battery level was drained. On the surface a new lode was located and the ground pegged off and applied for. Owing to the heavy swelling nature of the country repairs are constantly being carried out. I examined the mine during the year, and found it in good order An average of sixty-one men has been employed. I regret to state that on the 11th January, 1913, two men were killed by a fall of earth and rock in the stopes. Worksop Claim.— -This claim was formerly known as the Tararu Mines (Limited) The present owners are cleaning up and timbering an old drive, with a view to working a branch reef from which the former company procured some highly payable ore. There are two men employed' Monowai Mine.—The principal work in this mine was carried out at No 1 level where a large reef was intersected and driven on right and left for some distance, and subsequently stoped On the outcrop of the reef a landslip occurred, carrying portion of the reef matter with it From this slip a quantity of rich ore was picked. Later in the year work, was recommenced at No. 3 level, and the reef cut into at a point not previously tested. At this level, an air-compressor was installed for rock-drills I examined the y6ar ' and f ° Und [t in good order - From i' l22 tons of ore gold to the value ot os 4d. was won. An average of twelve men has been employed throughout the year Portia Special Quartz Claim.— Operations consisted chiefly of stoping on a small quartz leader about 3 in. wide, from which 11 tons of general ore was obtained, and returned £362 10s As further mining would necessitate the driving of a new low level, the claim was abandoned and the lease surrendered. During the early part of the year two men were employed. I examined the mine during the year, and found it in fair condition. Nonpariel Mine.— For the year the chief work has been stoping, rising, and sinking On the Wade reef a small block of ore was stoped out, stoping and rising were carried out on the Branch l ng , ° n th ? Liver P° ol B °y' s reef - 2 0 tons of ore was treated, for a return of £1,131 195., which may be considered as very satisfactory considering that only four men have been employed. I examined the mine during the year, and found it safe. Ventilation dull Ballarat Claim.— This claim, 1 acre in extent, which has been worked by the present manager i / s ? nle 7 ears > stlll continues to yield highly payable ore. For the year, 6 tons of ore and 80 lb. of picked stone was crushed, for a return of £382. For a short period of the year two men were ernp oyed. It is the intention of the owner to drive into a small quartz leader known as McCurdie's, from which he expects payable ore. Golden Drop'Mine.- -The owner alone works this claim, and has done a little prospecting during the year, but failed to locate anything of importance. No ore was crushed Gladstone Claim.— This claim is a small one of 3 acres, and was part of an area held by a mining company who put in several drives and located and worked a reef formation with varying results. The present owner and manager has cleaned up one of those old drives and a ext( f , g 1* a Sh ° rt dlstance > located an ore-body from which 23 tons of general ore with rj; ° f , pl ,«¥ d * m ?™ sel f ted and treated > returning 537 oz. 7 dwt. of bullion, in value £1 344 13s. 6d. Considering the results, and that only two men are employed, more vigorous methods of mining might be employed. 5 Little Nell Mine.—The present owner and manager has recently taken up this claim which has an area of 5 acres, and which was formerly part of a claim worked by a mining company some years ago, when several levels were driven on the then known line of reefs The present owner opened up one of those old drives, and has located a reef of about 2ft in thickness ' To transport the ore from the mine to the county road a wire tram (or flying-fox) has been erected and with a short tram-line easy access is established to and from the mine. During the year mS°L g6neral ° re and 18 ° lb ' ° f Pi ° ked St ° ne WaS treated ' for a ield of bullion in val "e Karaka Mine (Limited).— This company has gone into liquidation, and the fine windingengines air-compressor, and milling plant, &c, are being offered for sale. It is very regrettable to think that of a capital of £20,000 so much should have been spent on mining machinery and less than one-fifth of the amount on mine-development. This property still remains unproven fJV T\ resources. During the two years the company has driven 1,600 ft. and sunk 230 ft and cleared and retimbered 200 ft. of old drives. Several small leaders have been located from which some stone showing free gold has been secured. However, nothing of a payable nature was located. I examined the mine during the year, and found it in good order An average of twenty men was employed. h Occidental Mine.— At No. 4 (adit) level a crosscut was driven eastward from the old workings for a distance of 130 ft. to intersect the No. 2 reef. The drive was then continued northward on the line of reef for a distance of 50 ft. At the intersection of the reef and the crosscut a chamber has been excavated and a main shaft is being sunk, and has now reached a n denth of !20 ft " \ f" h ° ist at N °- 4 leVe1 ' and sink the *aft to ,i depth of 120 ft and drive on that level. Stoping, with satisfactory results, has been carried on between Nos. 4 and 5 levels on the No, 2 reef. On No. 2 reef a winze was sunk to a depth of

6—C. 2.

a—2

50 ft. at the No. 5 level, and a drive was extended northward on the reef for a distance of 50 ft. A little stoping was done over this drive, with fairly satisfactory results. At.the present time work is confined to stoping on the No. 5 level and sinking the shaft. I examined the mine during the year, and found conditions fair. 100 tons of ore and 590 lb. of picked stone was crushed, for a return of £2,710 2s. Bd., and an average of eleven men was employed. New Cambria. Mine. —To develop the property the owner has been endeavouring to raise capital. The principal work was done by tributers, who located nothing of payable value. 18 tons of ore was treated, for a return of £44 15s. I visited the mine during the year, and found it safe. Golden Belt Mine.— Work has been confined principally to the low level, where the reef has been driven on for some distance from an intermediate level of the main (No. 2) rise. The ore is of fair quality. At the No. 1 (adit) level a reef has been located and driven on for some length, and the ore averaged £3 ss. per ton. Since October 215 tons of ore was treated, for a return of £665 17s. 3d., and as this ore came from three different levels in the mine, the future prospects of the Golden Belt are promising. I examined the mine during the year, and found it in good order. Ventilation fair. Tairua Golden Hills Mine. —Operations have been confined to stoping over the No. 3 level, and 600 tons of general ore was treated during the year, for a return of £920 16s. sd. Eight men have been employed. Tairua Mimes—Early in the year this claim was purchased by Mr. H. H. Adams, who is now making preparations to work the property, especially a section which is believed to be capable of giving satisfactory returns. As mining in the Tairua district is dormant it is hoped that something payable will be located. Two men have been employed. Daisy Claim. —The owner drove an adit for a distance of about 60 ft., when a small reef was cut into,' and the drive was then continued for a distance of 20 ft. During the year 40 tons of ore was mined, for a return of £162 195., a very satisfactory return. I examined the mine during the year, and found it safe. One man has been employed. West Coast Claim. —Operations on this claim during the past year have been carried on bytwo men, who have been solely engaged in prospecting. I regret to state that, owing to nothing of payable quality having been discovered, the owner has sought protection. A ton of ore was crushed, and yielded gold to the value of £9 2s. Thames Foreshore Dredging-works. —The dredge has been working only at intervals during the year. As the alluvial deposit at times contained stiff clay, alterations in the mode of treatment were necessary, and a Huntington mill was consequently installed on the dredge. The value of gold obtained during the year was £290 ss. 5d., a sum which would hardly pay workingexpenses. AID TO PROSPECTING. Whenuroroa Prospecting Association. —This association received aid to prospecting from the Mines Department, in order to prospect on the Puhipuhi Goldfield for cinnabar. A drive of 200 ft, was constructed, but no lode was met with, although the surface of the drive was covered with cinnabar. An effort is now being made to raise capital to develop the property. I examined the drive during the year, and "found it safe. Two men were employed. Waiparera. Gold-mining Syndicate. —This syndicate received £20 from the Mines Department for the purpose of prospecting for gold at Puhipuhi. Two winzes were sunk on a large lode formation, and were connected by a drive 70 ft. in length. I regret to report that the results of several assays of the ore were very discouraging. Whangarei Cinnabar Company. —A number of prospecting- shafts were sunk to depths varying from 40 ft. to 60 ft., and a surface tram-line connecting one of the shafts with a smelter recently erected was constructed. As this company has spent a considerable sum in the development of their property it is to be hoped that the quality of the cinnabar (of which some assays have been made) will be maintained. Tui Special Quartz Claim. —William Hollis, owner of this claim, received £75 assistance in the driving of a low level to cut a lode which is reported to contain payable ore. This level has now been put in to a distance of 300 ft,, and after another 50 ft. of driving it is stated that the lode should be intersected. General Prospecting. —Hughes and Conole, Lee and O'Brien, and Bentham and George received aid to prospect in the Thames County, but the results were most disappointing, nothing being located. protection. The following mines have been protected during the year : Victoria, Reliance, Thames, Alburnia, Bonanza, Dixon's Consolidated, Kapowai, Good Hope, New Magnet, Lord Nelson, Otanui-Mascotte, Champion, and Tairua Monarch. ACCIDENTS AND FATALITIES. Fatal. An accident resulting in the loss of two lives occurred on the 11th January, 1913, at the New Sylvia Mine, David Christie and Joseph Senior being killed by a fall of rock and earth in the stope in which they were working. Non-fatal. Several minor accidents occurred during the year, but none were of a serious nature.

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West coast inspection district. Mr. T. 0. Bishop, Inspector of Mines. QUARTZ-MINING. Marlborough. Dominion Consolidated Developing Company. — Operations were carried on continuously during the year, and developments in the mine have been satisfactory. The yield of scheelite for the year was 59 tons 19cwt., value £6,491 13s. 5d.; and of gold, 1,421 oz. 6 dwt., value £5,428 ss. 3d. Jubilee Top Valley Mine. —Work was entirely suspended for a time, but has been resumed, and two men are again employed in driving, in the hope of striking a reef in the low level. There is nothing new to report. No other quartz-mining is being carried on in Marlborough. Nelson. Golden Blocks Mine. —This mine was closed down, at the end of June, all the developed orebodies having become exhausted. I am informed that further development-work will be undertaken in the coming year. The Johnstone's United Mine. —No work has been carried on during the year, but there has been an attempt made to obtain capital for further development-work in this property, but so far it has not been successful. During the years 1893, 1894, 1895 this mine treated some 12,000 tons of ore, the yield of gold being a little under 4 dwt. per ton, and the Inspector's reports for those years are not at all encouraging for future work. Mount Arthur. —No further prospecting for reefs has been carried on during the year, and nothing of value has been discovered. Murchison. The Murchison County Council had some prospectors out in the Maruia and Matakitaki Valleys searching for reefs, but nothing of any value was discovered. Lyell. New Alpine Mine. —No work has been carried on during the year, and it appears that this mine will now be finally abandoned. Victory Mine. —Nothing has been done during the year. Westport. Swastika Mines. —Development has been carried on throughout the year, six men being employed. 22 tons of quartz from this work yielded 7 oz. 19 dwt. of gold, valued at £31 2s. 6d. A company has now been floated to develop the mine more fully. No other quartz-mining has been carried on during the year. Capieston. Just-in-Time Mine. —Prospecting by driving on the line of reef has been carried on during the whole year, but without any profitable result. It is probable that work will cease early in the new year. Welcome and Fiery Cross Mines. —This property is still idle, and occasionally forms the subject of a suit in the Warden's Court. It does not appear likely that any work will be undertaken on the property at present. Victoria Bange Syndicate. —This party is still pushing on the low-level crosscut, which has now been driven 1,400 ft. in solid country. The present intention is to drive it 3,000 ft., and thoroughly prospect the country beneath the old Kirwan's Reward workings. ' Big River. New Big River Mine. —The new winding-plant and air-compressor have been completed, and this is the most modern, plant on the field. The boiler is a Babcock and Wilcox of ample horsepower. The winding-engine by Robey is capable of winding from a depth of 3,000 ft., and is fitted with modern automatic overwind-prevention gear, and the air-compressor is capable of more than will be required of it in the present stage of development of the mine. Ore has been mined from the stopes above No. 10 (or 1,575 ft.) level during the whole year, and the 4,970 tons crushed have yielded at the very satisfactory rate of £5 12s. per ton. The winze below No. 10 level has been sunk 70 ft, in a strong reef all the way, and gold is freely showing in the stone. A new block of ore has also been struck in No. 10 level north, and is opening up well; so that ore-development is being kept well in advance of requirements. The working-conditions of the mine have been improved by the installation of compressed air, and water-sprays and a roomy and well-designed change-house have been provided for the workers. Beef ton District. St. George Gold-mining Company. —Development-work was carried on till the end of April, and then discontinued, the drive having reached the point where it was expected to strike a reef. It is proposed to carry on further work early in 1914.

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Cumberland Group of Mines, Merrijigs.—The Consolidated Goldfields Company is carrying on some further prospecting in the old Scotia and Cumberland Mines, and have bailed out and repaired the Scotia shaft, with the object of driving at the 300 ft. level. The Merrijigs reefs have been rich on the surface, but have never been mined to any depth, and the present operations should therefore give some valuable information about this portion of the field. Progress Mines. —Work has been carried on continuously throughout the year, but the ore mined has been of very low grade. The surface deposit of conglomerate referred to in last year's report proved on trial to be of very low average value, although in places it gave very good prospects. Early in December a prospecting-drive in the main south fault of No. 10 level struck a body of ore of good value, and, although it is yet too early to say much about this find, it appears at present to be a very solid body of ore. Should this prove to be the case it will give a fresh lease of life to a mine which for some years now has been steadily declining. Bonanza Claim. —No work has been done during the year. New Discovery. —No further development-work has been done. A small crushing of 20 tons gave 2 oz. 4 dwt. of gold. Work has now been abandoned. Keep-it-Dark Mines. —Mining and treatment of very low-grade ore has been carried on throughout the year. The main shaft has been sunk for a further distance of 150 ft., making the total depth 1,385 ft. The reef has been struck in the No. 9 level, and an uprise connected from No. 9to No. 8. Between these levels there is a strong body of ore, and so far is of good average value. Wealth of Nations Mine. —Mining operations have been continuous throughout the year, 23,661 tons having been treated. A small mullocky reef was struck in a crosscut west at No. 9 level, and was driven on both north and south. No further development-work has been started from the bottom of the shaft, and nothing of great importance has been added to the ore-reserves. Golden Fleece Mine (Consolidated Goldfields). —No work has been done during the year, but a drive has been started from the Wealth of Nations to connect the two properties. Bolitho Bros. —This party has been working steadily during the year, and has treated 868 tons of cement, with payable results. Murray Greek Mines. —The development-work in this mine resulted in the discovery of a fine body of ore, but this was found to be right on the boundary of the Golden Fleece Claim. Negotiations with the Consolidated Goldfields Company have been in progress for some months, and in the meantime work at the mine has been suspended. The battery has been put into repair, and is now ready for crushing. Anderson's Beef. —An option on this reef was taken by the Consolidated Goldfields Company, who have employed four men in driving and crosscutting during the ye&r. Some quartz has been obtained, but so far no solid reef has been struck. New Ulster. —No work has been done for the year. Pride of Beefton. —This is the old Sir Charles Russell line of reef under a new name. One of the drives put in many years ago has been reopened and cleaned out and the reef tested at various places. Although good values were obtained at one or two points, I am informed that the average was very poor, and work has been suspended for the present, while an attempt is being made to raise capital for further work. Blackwater District. Blackwater Mines. —This company have had a fairly successful year's work, having produced £82,224 worth of gold from 45,053 tons of ore. One dividend, absorbing £12,499 125., was paid during the year. Nos. 5 and 6 levels are now being driven north and south, and in both the reef is being followed, but is of.small average width. Preparations are being made to continue sinking the main shaft. Millerton Mine. —Development of this property is in progress, and during the year the shaft has been sunk 70ft., and plant has been installed for sinking a further 250 ft. A good deal of necessary surface work has been completed, and the opening-up of the mine should now proceed more rapidly. Nothing more is known as to the value of the reef than was known a year ago, the future of the mine depending entirely on the result of the present sinking operations. Prohibition Mine. —This property adjoins the Blackwater Mines to the north, and that company had it under option for a time and did considerable prospecting-work upon it, both from the surface and from the No. 2 level of their own mine. This option lapsed, and a new company has been formed to work the mine. Preparations are being made to sink a main shaft 2,000 ft. to catch the northerly pitch of the Blackwater reef. Blackwater South (Absolom and party). —This claim adjoins the Blackwater Mines on the south. It was supposed that the Blackwater reef would run through it, and considerable work was done on a track which appeared to be about in the line of that reef. In driving on this track a few boulders of quartz were met with, but nothing encouraging, and it is most probable that this is only a fault-line carrying a little dragged stone. There are two other small outcrops on the lease, but not enough work has been done to enable them to be judged. About the best that can be said of this claim is that it is worth prospecting on account of its location, but that the work done so far has given very disappointing results. Several other areas have been prospected in the Blackwater district during the year, and numerous reefs are known to exist, but no discoveries of any value have been made," and the number of men engaged in prospecting is steadily diminishing.

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Paparoa Ban yes. M PaS r? i V mCe " Promisin f ( i uartz - field has been almost entirely neglected during the year but carried on by means of a winze 7 IICI l Jlo «P eotln g « now being Wilberforce Beefs.-No work has been done during the year. Boss. QUARTZ REEFS CONTAINING MINERALS OTHER THAN GOLD. Wangapeka. of Christchurch, still continues desultory further knowledge has been gainedl as the lesut lit 7 ' 7*? f™ l™ B™**8 ™** is made > and ™ wmmmmmm would involve a heavy expenditure anTInZJ nUmer ° u \ .To thoroughly test these reefs doubtful whether this w'orkTillever be undeTtlken **"**" th « ° Utset !t is but prospecting in this locality, Mount Owen District. Mount Owen Rising Sun Mineral Gnmivi,,,,, r vu;„ Silverstream Syndicate onT ™ to C IE" i^snial! "TV -Eg large tonnage could be wTld b Tl "f" ' as the New Anaconda, is now being tested by means of dvivi Wl ii • geSt b ° dy ' known show than any of the others but in a low m Ztl ' &1 ? a PP ears to be a better country as this is the available tonnL l,f 1 ■ *?", Proposition situated in such difficult tonnage has yet to be proved g *° be eno ™ s > a » d the existence of such Parapara Iron Leases making tracks. yuycu m wearing tne surface and in Scheelite. This mineral is found with gold in the Dominion Mine, Wakamarina About fin ♦ obtained during the year; value, £6,491. ™" nna ' About oO tons was ALLUVIAL-GOLD MINING. Marlborough g l ,^^^"t.;"^s^:rsrt i "£ sat,sv s?been obtained. J ' ™v **0 worth of gold has JsffdSlS2SS£? 8 si ' en oonsi< " a "" ,le lro '" ,le thro " Bh Beardon and party have taken up a claim adioinino- th P K; r „ a i side. They have also started pumping, but have nothing Zto report. ' °" ** " PStreUW

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CoUingwood District. Parapara Hydraulic Sluicing and Elevating Company. —Work, has been carried on continuously during the year, with about the usual average results. There is nothing fresh to report. Aorere Hydraulic Sluicing Company, Slate Biver. —Very little work has been done during the year, three men having been employed portion of the time, for a return of 80 oz. Maruia District. Walker's Maruia Sluicing Company. —The water-race has been completed and sluicing operations commenced, but the race has given considerable trouble, and the gold-return for the year is given as nil. The history of alluvial-mining companies in the Murchison County can so far be written in the one word " failure," and it now appears the Thompson Maruia Claim is not going to prove an exception. Matakitaki. Bichardson and party continue to make a success of the Horse Terrace Claim, and this is a further example of the fact that a claim which is no good to a company is often a good thing for a working party of miners. Hunter's Claim, Horse Terrace, formerly leased by Chinamen, has now been resumed by the owners, and is now being equipped on a bigger scale. Mammoth Claim. —A little prospecting-work has been done during the year, but this company does not seem inclined to again attempt sluicing operations. BuUer Valley. One or two small claims still exist along the Buller Valley, but nothing worthy of note is being done. Fair down. Carthage Gold-mining Company. —This company is still carrying on work on the black-sand deposit at Fairdown, but, according to the returns furnished, can only be paying workingexpenses. Addison's Flat. Shamrock Claim (Westland Gold-mining Syndicate). —Having completed the plant, this company has now commenced actual mining, but the results so far must have proved very disappointing. Milliken and party during the year suspended their cement-crushing operations and began sluicing on another portion of the claim, with fair results. Carmody and party have sold out to a syndicate, and a new water-race is being constructed, and more extensive plant installed, to work the ground on a bigger scale. Other claims at Addison's have continued working as during the previous year, there being no interesting developments to report. Grey Valley. Lake Hochstetter Goldfields Company (Limited) has stalled operations during the year, and is now engaged in constructing a water-race from Lake Hochstetter down the south side of the A.haura River along the route surveyed many years ago for the Mines Department by the late Mr. John Gow. This work will take about twelve months yet to complete, so that sluicing operations will not commence till some time early in 1915. There is a very large area of alluvial terraces commanded by this water-supply, and they are very favourably situated for mining as regards fall, and also in the character of the wash, which does not contain very heavy stones. It is the present intention of the management to employ the whole of the water-supply, eighty sluice-heads, in working the company's own claims, so that it should soon be proved whether there is truth in the opinion held by many who know the West Coast—that the large low-grade alluvial deposits can be made profitable if only worked on a sufficiently large scale. The various tributary gullies along the Grey Valley—viz., Blackwater, Noble's, Duffer's Creek, Callaghan's, Nelson Creek, Notown, Moonlight, and Blackball —still continue to support a few small parties of Europeans and Chinamen, but these are becoming fewer every year, and there is now no work going on which calls for any comment in this report. DREDGING. llessey, Cameron, Tacon Dredge, Gapleston. —This machine, 'after paying very well for several years, was sunk and became a total wreck in June, and the attempts made to refloat her having failed, all work on the claim is suspended pending the building of a new machine. Cameron Hessey's No. 7 Dredge, Frying-pan Gully. —This machine has been worked continuously during the v ? ear, and kept in good repair. Returns, though not large, have been payable. Slab Hut Creek. —For a few months this claim was worked by Butler and party on tribute, but proved unpayable, and all work has now ceased. Worksop Gold-dredging Company. —This claim has had another very successful 3 ? ear, and will again head the list as the most productive in New Zealand for the twelve months. A fresh area, 300 acres, has been acquired by the company, and, I. am informed by the manager, has given very good prospects by boring, so that the future of the claim seems to be assured for some years to come.

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Blackwater Bluer Gold-dredging Company. —This dredge ceased operations during the year, owing to the ground having become unpayable. I am informed that a new start will be made in 1914, and it is expected that better results will be obtained from ground a short distance ahead. Nelson Creek. Pactolus Gold Dredge has worked steadily and made a small profit during the year, but the claim has become very nearly worked out. New Trafalgar Dredge. —The company is in liquidation, but dredging has been carried out by a party of tributers, with poor results. Notown Greek. —This company has gone into liquidation. Bed, Jack's Gold-dredging Company. —This company has built a new machine, and commenced dredging in Bed Jack's Creek. It is expected to prove profitable when the claim is properly opened out. Tlie Stafford Dredge was worked for a portion of the year by a small syndicate, but has now ceased operations, though whether finally or temporarily I do not know. The Success Dredge has worked continuously throughout the year, and has obtained a fair average return of between 20 oz. and 30 oz. per week. No dividends have been paid to shareholders. The North Beach Dredge, after yielding payable returns for many years, has now exhausted the claim, and has ceased work. South Westland. In this district there are still a few men working on the beaches, and at Oemoeroa there are two men engaged in terrace-sluicing. Okarito. It is reported that a dredge is now being built in Greymouth to be used in working the five-mile beaches. Apart from this, there is no mining activity of any kind in the district. Boss. The Mont DOr Gold-mining Company has continued work during the year, but some delay in actual sluicing was caused by the removal of the plant to a new face. Dividends amounting to £1,200 were paid during the year. Boss Goldfields (Limited). —The Cassius workings were successfully reopened and prospected, and it was found that the only payable wash left by the former owners was a small block close to the shaft. This was taken out in conjunction with wash from No. 6 level, and while it lasted the returns were fairly good. It was, however, soon exhausted, and efforts are now being made by driving and sinking at No. 6 level to open up a new layer of wash. The mine at present can only bo regarded as a prospecting proposition, and the future depends entirely upon the discovery of payable ground outside the boundaries of the present workings. Great credit is due to the management for the care taken in reopening the old workings, which contained a large volume of water under a pressure of nearly 90 lb. per square inch. This was tapped by boreholes, and slowly drained off to the pumps, the whole work being accomplished without risk to those employed. No other mining is being carried out at Ross, although two parties are engaged in prospecting. Birnu, Seddon's Terrace, and Back Creek. This is perhaps the most profitable alluvial district in Westland, and still finds employment for about 100 men. No sensational returns are reported, but the average earnings of the miners employed amounts to more than wages, and there is a large extent of ground yet unworked. Shortage of water for sluicing is the great drawback to this field. Kanieri. A company has been formed to work a portion of Tucker Flat by means of a Kershaw pump, and results will be watched with great interest, as this method of handling tailings has never yet been properly demonstrated in Westland. A few private parties are still at work, but no good results are reported. Hokitika. The Montezuma Claim, is being given a still further trial by a reconstructed company. The ground is reported to have given satisfactory results on a trial run, and a Kershaw pump is now being fitted on a floating pontoon to work the claim. This experiment is also being watched with interest, as it is generally supposed that many of the West Coast beaches would be payable if they could be cheaply worked on a large scale. Blue Spur, Hauhau, and Humphrey's Gully. These districts still employ a few miners, but the output of gold is small. Stafford and Waimea. In this district mining is fairly active still, and some good returns are reported. Kumara District. Callaghan's, Dillman's, Cape Terrace, and Westbrook find employment for about sixty men, but the average returns are very small, and it is evident that mining is declining fast throughout this field.

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Barry town. McKay and party continue working, with profitable results. No other work of any magnitude is being done. GENERAL REMARKS. Quartz-mining. The quartz-mining industry has been carried on under much the same conditions and with about the same results as last year. In the CoUingwood district the output from the Golden Blocks Mine has ceased, while in Marlborough an improved return lias been obtained from the Dominion Consolidated. In Lyell and Buller districts there is no activity except some prospecting-work at the old Red Queen Mine, Mohikinui, now known as the Swastika. Boatman's field is practically dead, and in the Reefton and Blackwater districts the number of miners employed is about 100 less than in 1911. The year 1912 cannot be taken for purposes of comparison, as the mines were idle for eight months on account of labour disputes. Accidents. Fatal. —On the 2nd January, P. McMamone was killed at the Dominion Consolidated Mine while helping to build a trestle bridge, through a stringer falling upon him. Gold-miners' Belief Fund. One hundred and eight applications in respect of accidents were dealt with, and the sum of £305 6s. 4d. was paid out, while nine claims for total incapacity from miners' complaint were recognized, and a payment of £50 made in each case. Alluvial and Dredging. The returns from alluvial and dredge mining have fallen off slightly during the year, but the number of men employed remains practically the same. A large sluicing proposition is being developed in the Ahaura district —viz., the Lake Hochstetter Goldfields Company's property —and if it proves successful it will no doubt lead to other equally large undertakings being commenced in other parts of the West Coast. The fate of the deep-level mining at Ross is hanging in the balance, and on the result, no doubt, depends the opening or otherwise of other similar claims. Accidents in Alluvial Mines. Fatal. —F. Carmini, fractured skull, owing to fall of gravel at his Coronation Claim, Goldsborough, on the 2nd July, 1913. Non-fatal Accidents in the Inspection District. 4/4/13. —G. Stott, Progress Mine : Right leg broken by fall of quartz. 24/4/13. —F. Griffon, Progress Mine : Left hand blown off by explosion of detonators. 27/5/13. —J. McCarthy, Blackwater Mine: Broken leg, through fall of stone. 10/7/13. —A. Hepburn, Progress Mine : Right ankle broken by fall of timber. 14/8/13. —J. Douglas, Shamrock Claim : Broken ribs, through fall of stone. 22/8/13. —W. Beckman, Blackwater Mine: Broken leg, through fall of timber. 2/9/13. —W. Morgan, Progress Mine : Leg broken by timber falling out of cage. 31/10/13. —J. W. Butler, own claim: Fractured ribs, through fall of gravel. 25/11/13. —C. Cooke, Progress Mine: Left leg broken. W. Sullivan, Progress Mine: Wounds on head and neck. W. Thorns, Progress Mine: Severe shock. Above three men injured through being thrown out of cage in overwinding accident. 3/12/13. —T. Robbins, Energetic Mine : Crushed and bruised by fall of stone.

SOUTHERN INSPECTION DISTRICT. Mr. T. Thomson, Inspector op Mines. QUARTZ-MINES. A. G. Buckland and Ewart, Barewood. —A level 100 ft. below the outcrop was driven in at an angle, and picked up the reef. Driving was continued some distance along the strike, but prospects were not sufficiently encouraging to work being continued. Mount Highlay Gold and Scheelite Mining Company, Hyde. —Several months' prospectingwork was done on this property during the year. A large amount of driving and rising was done, the quartz being stacked at the surface. A trial crushing was made of this ore, and it is understood that the company propose removing the mill, which is three miles distant from the mine, up to the original battery-site close to the mine. Highlay Tungsten Mine, Mount Highlay (the Gold and Scheelite Proprietary Company, Limited, owners). —All work has been stopped on this property. During the greater part of the year the mine was worked by a tribute party. This party worked on what is known as Gilmour's reef. Results were payable while operating on the surface stone, but as the cost became greater the tribute was abandoned,

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Macrae's. the yif'rum;d7usMnr^ ( f° ld T* battor * after 80me alterati <™ ""ly in valuL The o™ \avS to g h T undoub tedly made in the recovery of the scheelite 0 the scheelite conten S g V finel f. °™ sh ; ed to save *c gold values, sets up considerable sliming No 3 levels TW SOm ?, tim f the battei 7 ™s obtained from slopes in No. 1 and admin nlthe Deen un P ayable ' and Mention is being directed to the ground adjoining the Deep Dell property. Several small leaders exist in this aria and the o-ride frnrn - a scheelite point of view, is high in some of them. Eleven men are employed.' g ' owneS Th P °rtt ?Tl C (the G ° ld and Scheelite Proprietary Company, Limited 7at thlS mmc haS under g° n e a complete overhaul. A new frame ™S IK% l l°u yentllatln g Purposes. The depth from the surface at this is 60 ft No ore-body has yet been met with. Work has been temporarily suspended. P ° it Jt7eo":J:i:^z~ This mine has been oio - d d °-> ■»* *» ?«****. are ** TheSKnotTetKS! 6 ""* P-pecting-drive has been driven 220 ft. Forbes Mining Syndicate. -Prospecting-work is still being carried on by this syndicate. Nenthorn. saZd #*'# /7a*. water-power when available is continued. J disclosed. Surface-prospecting with Symes and Party.-A syndicate has been formed to test Grey's reef from which . M amount of gold was obtained from comparatively shallow wSh I?£ considerable continuation of this reef into the slip co/ntry, and" sluicing iTtheSioc! to hi " P *" Bannockburn. quantity from the Royal Standard suSm wf S. I , ntermdl.te lord, and a small difierei periods. Thl level ft£ Hd'SX * a of a -ff season to keep the five-stamp battery going was obtained frl an fpencut on h tEVf "*" fcms «««* Ledmgham's Quartz-mine .—A considerable r • P } Te ? L the winter by this party. The mine is now closed down VlRg d ° ne duHn S CromweZZ. 4Zfo Mining Syndicate.—This syndicate holds the mineral nVhts n f +h ■■, *, *-, pany, and also that of the old Come-in-Time Comnanv v original Alta Cornis commenced on the outcrop of th CSn Tme eof l m 7 a \ bMn , refitted ' and work the Alta section, and a trial crushing of stone was taken out. P ros P ectln £ »»• been done on Macetown. Tbe block of stone in the down several feet in the hope of the stone t°Z f* A Wlnze Was continued shoots at irregular intervals" and also mTdtffi'Jik P C™ V V* 8 mine in Garibaldi section : This section was not worked during the ylar Tl nTT dlBa PP ointin gquantity of stone was mined on this reef nT ,rl „„ M ** I V " Natl °ns section: A where ii is carted a mile to the battSv.' The onl°v *" from months. carting can only be earned out in the summer

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Glenorchy. Glenorchy Scheelite-mining Company (Limited). —The main levels have been advanced during the year, and various blocks of stone extracted. This company have reconstructed the treatment plant of the Bonnie Jean Mine, and active operations are being carried on in this property. All ore brought in from the Mount Alaska and Larkin Ranges by private parties is treated at these works. The various parties operating on Mount Mcintosh have continued as usual with their surface work. The long winter and heavy snowfall prevented them getting to the high tops as early this season as has been possible for some years previously. Preservation Inlet. Morning Star Gold-mining Company. —The low-level tunnel was continued for 150 ft. The mine is to be sold. HYDRAULIC SLUICING AND ELEVATING. Owing to the disastrous floods in the early part of the year this branch of mining has lost a considerable part of the available sluicing period. Almost every plant in the district was disorganized by slips or breaks in the races. The companies and private parties managed, however, to survive their difficulties, and got into full operations again. The following brief reports are of the most extensive mines :— Tuapeka. Blue Spur and Gabriel's Gully Sluicing Company. —Work was carried on for a time in the cement face operated on by the late Blue Spur Company, but was discontinued, and operations directed to the large deposits of tailings—accumulations of many years' work—lying on the property. Two elevators are worked, and discharge into the old cement paddock. These tailings are upwards of 70 ft. deep, and cover several acres of ground. Twenty-one men are employed. This company also works a claim in the main gully. Three men are employed, and the face is 20 ft. deep. The ground has all previously been worked by means of low-level tail-races. Golden Bis-e Sluicing Company, Weatherstones. —Ground-sluicing is continued on this property, the auriferous wash being worked to the cement bottom. The large overburden of clay immediately over the wash makes the claim difficult to work. Golden Crescent Sluicing Company, Weatherstones. —This company's operations are now assuming large dimensions. Work ;is confined to the west wall of the cement-deposit, a depth having been attained of upwards of 120 ft. without reaching the gutter-bottom. A large amount of old mining timbers have to be dealt with. This timber was used in the old days, when the rich layers of cement were driven out. Seven men are employed. Kitto and Party. —This party's claim adjoins the Gabriel's Gully Sluicing Company's property, and operations are carried on in the east wall of the cement. The face is 70 ft. deep, and the cement is very hard. Progress is slow, as the available water-pressure is low, and the material requires blasting before it can be removed. Waipori. Bakery Flat Gold-mining Company. —Operations have been carried out at the lower end of the claim. All necessary additions to plant were made to enable work to be done at this point. The ground has been bottomed, and proved to be shallower than was expected. The depth was about 90 ft. An adequate water-supply has enabled the mine to work good average sluicing time. Men employed, ten. Lammerlaw Flat Hydraulic Mining Company. —This company still work their claim on the Waipori Flat. The ground is about 20 ft. deep, and the gold is obtained from a false bottom. A fair area being treated annually, the claim is rapidly becoming exhausted. Post-office Creek, Waipori. —Eleven men find employment in this branch of the Waipori River. Elevating and ground-sluicing are both employed, and the faces average from 15 ft. to 100 ft. deep. The most extensive operations are carried on by Munro and George. This claim is worked to the rock bottom, a depth at this point of 100 ft. 310 ft. of water-pressure is available. Waitahuna. Five sluicing and elevating plants are at work in this district, and employ twenty-one men. Three plants are sluicing in the gravel terraces, and the other two are operating on the cementdeposit. The Norwegian Sluicing party are working on the west wall of the deposit, and the Sailor's Gully Company's workings are on the eastern wall. The Sailor's Gully Claim is located about a mile south of the Norwegian Claim. The horizontal width of the cement at the surface appears to be considerable, and a depth upwards of 300 ft. or 400 ft. will have to be reached before the gutter-bottom will be to hand. Island Block. Island Block Dredging and Sluicing Company. —Sluicing operations have been at a standstill during the year, and the whole of the company's plant is used by the New Golden Run Dredging Company for pumping purposes, and elevating the soil and clay deposit into a race discharged into the Molyneux River. The New Golden Run Company work the ground on a royalty-basis agreement with the Island Block Company.

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Roxburgh. Work, as usual, has been carried on by the Roxburgh Amalgamated, Ladysmith, and Commissioners' Flat Gold-mining Companies. The Roxburgh Amalgamated has suffered a considerable loss of time by breaks in the water-race, and also the Commissioners' Flat party by the continued high state of the river throughout the winter. Teviot Molyneux Gold-mining Company.— Race-construction has "been carried on during the year, and 2 miles 18 chains of ditching completed. There being 2 miles 10 chains of piping (siphons) the earthwork is therefore completed to the 4-mile 28-chain peg, and within 23 chains of the penstock to operate White's Flat Claim, and 1 mile 23 chains from the terminal point The dimensions of the race are 7 ft. bottom and 10 ft. top, 3 ft. deep, with a fall of 16 ft. to the mile, and the carrying-capacity is sixty-five heads. The diameter of the siphon-pipes is 3ft Several short flood-water races have been completed to carry the by-wash water into gullies where it cannot do any damage to property and roads on the flat below. .. i,txandra. Doctor's Point Sluicing Company.—This party was formed to test a high level run of gold at Doctor's Point, about nine miles down the gorge below Alexandra. The prospects are good but the ground is rough and difficult to work. Machinery to deal with the huge rocks will have to be erected. The claim is located on a level probably 600 ft. above the present level of the Molyneux River. Should satisfactory results be obtained, other parties may turn their attention to these higher levels along the bank of the Molyneux. Cromwell. Ballingall and Patton.—k claim situated in the bed of the Roaring Meg Creek at Plank Creek Junction is being developed by this party. A water-race, three miles in length, consisting of surface ditching 2 ft. by LJft., with a fall of 13 ft. to the mile, a siphon 2,000 ft. long of 13 in pipes, 250 ft. of iron fluming, and \\ chains of tunnelling, is in course of construction to bring water on to the claim. Ihe available pressure at the point of delivery will be 320 ft and the anticipated depth of ground 35 ft. The capital involved in the undertaking is about £2,000. Lug gate. The Galtee More Mining Syndicate still carry on operations, employing six men. Arrow River. .i u7° e S ! lmc J n 9 Company. -This company operated for the most part of the year in the bed of the Soho Creek, a tributary of the Arrow River. Results have been disappointing and work in the meantime discontinued. re ' Shamrock Sluicing Company.—A bad run has been experienced by the company this season shortl suspended. .It is, however, probable that a tribute party will recommence Shotover. The various claims in the banks and bed of the river have been carried on as usual • T\ d T?i° P aw th |. commencem ent made by the Staircase Sluicing Syndicate to operate m the bed of the Shotover River at the junction of Staircase Creek. Plant has been installed and the ground opened up. Mlu:u The Sandhills Syndicate in the Upper Shotover, is carrying out a large scheme to divert a portion of the river from its present bed. The deviation, if successful, will enable the com pany to work several chains of the present river-bed. enaoie me comthis ing " W ° rk g enerall y has been much impeded by the series of floods that have occurred Cardrpna. Criffel Lead Sluicing Company. are still made to work this ground, but owine to the shpping-m of the back reef country the task is difficult. g Matakanui. Undaunted Gold-mining Company (Limited).—Over the greater portion of the claim th* shallow ground to the false bottom has been worked, and attention will have to be directed to the deeper ground commencing at the foot-hills on the back reef. Seven men are employed Tinkers Gold-mining Company (Limited).—Progress on this property is slow due to the slippy nature of the back reef and great overburden. Great care has to hi taken In work ng to avoid accident. Eight men are employed. worsmg to Mount Morgan Sluicing Company.—Men, three. Depth, 20 ft. Sluicing and elevating. St. Bathan's. Scandinavian Water-race Company (Limited). -Overburden has been extensively removed on this property, permitting the main Kildare lead to be worked Safety 2r improved. The Surprise Hill section of the property has also beenwork S " TMstZ iTI ground-sluicing proposition. Fifteen men are employed. 8 a United Mining and Elevating Water-race Company (Limited) —Work hnc W„ a the deep levels during a portion of the year. The early part of the year was devoted to " abortion of the claim with a free outflow into the clTanmel, LpenSg willing toftTal

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Golden Terrace Gold-mining Company (Limited).—This property has been tested in several places, and work is still being continued. Livingstone. Three claims, employing eight men, are working in this district. They are all groundsluicing propositions, and the faces vary from 10 ft. to 40 ft. in height. Maerewhenua. Mining in this district shows no expansion, ten parties being at work. Thirty-three men are engaged in the various mines, the faces varying from 20 ft. to 40 ft. in height. They are all ground-sluicing. A large area of auriferous drift yet remains to be worked, and this number of men will find employment for many years. The grade of the material treated is low but very uniform. Naseby: There are no new developments in this district. About forty men still find profitable employment in the claims. The average number employed in each claim is two, and the depth worked to averages 30 ft. Hamilton's. Hamilton's Sluicing Company.—The nature of the ground will not permit of a rapid treatment of the bottom auriferous wash. The face is 100 ft. in'height, and the large slip from the back wall makes the work slow and expensive. Pat ear oa. Seven miners work here in three claims, and there are no apparent prospects of any new developments. ' Nevis. The past winter has been more severe than the former one, inasmuch as there has been an increased fall of snow, consequently the miners were later in getting to work. The claims are consistent yielders, and most of them have considerable lives. Elevating is carried on to a depth of 40 ft., and terraces of a considerable height are operated on. Waikaia. Muddy Terrace Gold-mining Company (Limited).— The disastrous flood of March last completely washed away the dam in Dome Creek, at the head of the race. Instead of reconstructing it, the race was carried another 30 chains up creek to lift the water directly therefrom Owing to the water not being on the claim for the greater part of the year, the return from this company's operations will be considerably below that of the previous one. Sluicing has now been commenced on the Freshford side of the terraces. Thirty-five men have been employed. Argyle Sluicing Company.— Operations have been conducted in the shallower portions of the claim nearer the Waikaia River. Winding Creek Claim (Round Hill Mining Company, owners).—Three men only have been employed, and a paddock sunk to the bottom in the top corner of the stripped ground has been the principal work. The company propose to prospect the remaining ground by sinking several Nokomai. Nokomai Sluicing Company (Limited).—The two upper claims were worked as usual, but the lower No. 3 plant was removed a considerable distance down the creek, having broken into the old ground worked by the No. 2 claim. Chasland's. Long Beach Gold-mining Company.—Results have been disappointing to the owners mainly due to a difficulty to save the gold, which is supposed to be present in the sand in payable quantities. An amalgamating-machine is installed, from which much is expected. Wallace Beach. —This company's operations have been suspended. DREDGING. This branch of the mining industry is declining. During the year eleven dredges have ceased operations, and several others have changed owners. c The dredge on the Mataura has been restarted again by Cook and Excell. A bucket-belt arrangement has been adopted, which enables a greater number of buckets to be put on and the output dealt with increased. A dredge on the Hogburn has been started, and also one on the Kyeburn. The Rise and Shine No. 2 dredge has commenced dredging. The dredge on Adam's Flat, in the Glenore district, has not yet been completed. Continual rises in the Molyneux River have prevented the gorge dredges below Alexandra from making a start at all this year. The " 1911 " dredge broke loose from her moorings and sank during the flood in March last and is a total wreck.

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Earnscleugh No. 3 dredge sank in the paddock, due to suddenly springing a leak from some cause not so far known. The machinery was removed from the sunken pontoons, and they were refloated, docked, and repaired. Machinery is now being placed in position, and the dredge will soon be in commission again. The industry has been free from serious accident, the regulations being reasonably complied with. MINERALS OTHER THAN GOLD. Scheelite. Prospecting for this mineral is as keen as ever, although the industry shows no marked advance in Otago. Operations are mainly carried on in the Glenorchy and Macrae's districts. Copper. No activity has been shown in developing the lode on which some work was done last year in Wet Jacket Arm, Dusky Sound. Tin. The Stewart Island Tin and Wolfram Company, incorporated last year, have pushed on work with the tramway leading from Pegasus Harbour to the mine. A jetty has been built, and about two miles of the three miles of tramway required completed. The company intend to work the alluvial flats and also the lode formation. Limestone. The Milburn Lime and Cement Company produced 39,137 tons of limestone from the works at Milburn and Dunback. Marl. The output of marl from the Milburn Lime and Cement Company's pits at Burnside amounted to 7,843 tons. Phosphates. The Ewing Phosphate Company treated 11,000 tons during the year. ACCIDENTS. Hydraulic Sluicing. Fatal. 10/5/13.—A Chinaman named Wong Hong, working in the Nokomai Sluicing Claim, got his foot caught in the suction of the elevator. The man died six days after from blood-poisoning. 26/11/13.—Charles Adams, employed on Adams and Weir's Claim, Maerewhenua, was killed by a stone rolling away from the working-face. Serious. 17/5/13. —S. B. Carpenter broke his leg, caused by slipping when carrying a casting in the claim.

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ANNEXURE B.

REPORTS OF WARDENS.

Mr. Warden Dyer, Tauranga, to the Under-Secretary op Mines, Wellington. Sir, — Warden's Office, Tauranga, 31st January, 1914. I have the honour to report that there has been very little mining activity in this district during the year ended 31st December, 1913. Some prospecting for gold has been carried on at the eastern extremity of the Bay of Plenty, between Cape Runaway and Port Awanui, but nothing of any importance has been discovered. Seven miners' rights have been issued to prospectors in that locality. Nothing has been done at the Te Puke reefs, but five miners' rights have been issued to miners there. I have, &c, J. W. Dyer, Warden.

Mr. Warden Page, Whangarei, to the Under-Secretary op Mines, Wellington. Sir,— Warden's Court, Whangarei, 6th April, 1914. I have the honour to present my annual report on the Puhipuhi Mining District for the year ended the 31st December, 1913. During the year in question some development-work has been carried out at Puhipuhi, and the extent of the cinnabar-deposits has been proved over an area of about 1,500 acres. A six-retort furnace for treating and testing the cinnabar-ore has been completed by the Whangarei Cinnabar Company (Limited), and out of the first charge of ore, about 15 cwt., between 35 lb. and 40 lb. of metallic mercury was obtained. The ore treated had been exposed to the atmosphere for at least eighteen months, and was of much lower grade than that in sight in the drive at the present time. Mitchell and party have continued prospecting with a view to further testing the value of the large ore-deposit on their claim. Mr. Robert M. Green, metallurgist, was engaged to examine and report on the cinnabar-deposits. Mr. Green has given a lengthy and interesting report under date the Bth November, 1913. It is reported that towards the north-east of the cinnabar-deposits a good-looking goldbearing reef has been discovered, and prospecting-work on this reef has been carried out, but nothing is known to me as to the value or extent of the reef. The deposits of silver-ore in the same locality have received some attention during the year, and an attempt was being made in Australia to float a company for the purpose of erecting machinery to extract the silver from the ore. The holders of the claims, covering some 300 acres, have been granted six months' protection to enable them to obtain the necessary capital to profitably work the claims. Coalmining has been actively carried on at Hikurangi by the Northern and Hikurangi Coal Companies. During the year ended the 31st December, 1913, there has been a considerable increase in the business in the Warden's Court for the district, fifty-five applications being received for mining privileges (as against fifteen applications in 1912), and licenses were granted covering an area of 1,517 acres. Applications covering 960 acres were adjourned, at the request of the Commissioner of Crown Lands, Auckland, to enable surveys of the locality to be completed. I have, &c, E. Page, Warden.

Mr. Warden Burgess, Thames, to the Under-Secretary op Mines, Wellington. Sib — Warden's Office, Thames, 20th April, 1914. I beg to forward herewith my report on the Hauraki Mining District for period ended 31st December, 1913. On the whole, the mining industry cannot be said to have progressed in this district. No fresh developments have taken place tending to its extension. The gold produced during the past twelve months has been obtained from mines in operation for some years. Except for the work carried on by the owners of these claims, mining has ceased—only temporarily I hope—to be prosecutedwith any vigour throughout the district. Many of the smaller claims in which work of a prospecting nature has been carried on for some years have had to suspend operations and obtain protection from the Court, because it has been found impossible to induce the shareholders to continue their contributions. Calls made by many of the companies have resulted in large numbers of shares being forfeited. Some of these claims appeared to promise success if operations could have been continued, but unless public interest is soon revived in the gold-mining industry most of these claims will be abandoned by their owners. Mining in this district began to show a decided decline soon after the falling-off in the Waihi Company's returns. The strike that occurred not long afterwards had a very depressing influence

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and the industrial disturbance of last year happened at a time when confidence in the goldfield was being slowly re-established. Several promising ventures in different parts of the district had been taken in hand, and seemed likely to result in mining operations being resumed on these properties; but on the occurrence of the general strike at the end of last year all promises of support were withdrawn, and in most cases the project lapsed. The continued absence of any success in the Thames Low Levels crosscut has had a depressing effect upon mining at Thames generally. Some little prospecting is being done in the Thames and Coromandel districts, but nothing of any importance has been discovered. The total yield of gold for the whole of the district during the past year (compiled from official returns) amounts to £865,617. There has been an increase over last year's production in the following places • Waihi Borough, £111,971; Piako County (Te Aroha), £54; Coromandel County, £2,437: and a decrease at Thames of £5,821, and at Ohinemuri County of £24,739. The decrease in the Ohinemuri County is accounted for by the fact that the Talisman Company was compelled to suspend operations for two months owing to the strike at the Huntly coal-mines. These figures give in the aggregate an increase of £73,902 in the value of gold and bullion produced m the whole, district as compared with last year; but it must be borne in mind that for several months during the strike of 1912 work in the Waihi mines was suspended, and the returns for that year consequently decreased much below the average. The following companies have paid dividends to their shareholders during the year • Waihi Company, £99,181; Waihi Grand Junction Company, £19,219; Talisman Consolidated Company, £133,687; Waihi-Paeroa Extraction Company, £6,226; New Waitaia Company, £1,875: total, £260,188. The Waihi Company's mine still retains its position as the premier mine in New Zealand 164,971 tons of ore was treated, for the return of £323,345 worth of bullion. This exceeds last year's return by £6,622. There are no fresh developments to record in the mine. Work is being carried on to a depth of 1,300 ft., and a large output of payable ore is still being obtained Prospecting-work is being carried on by means of the Scorpion south-east crosscut, the Sole a south-east crosscut from the Edward lode, and by the Reptile drive, which is being driven 'by the diamond drill working horizontally. Profitable work has been carried on in the Waihi Grand Junction Company's mine adjoining The company treated 87,842 tons of ore, for a total yield of £180,020 worth of bullion. Highgrade ore has been obtained from the Empire reef east. Additional stamps are being added to the battery to cope with the increasedx)utput of ore from the mine. The Waihi Extended Company have suspended operations owing to shortness of capital. The Pride of Waihi are in the same position. The Waihi Reefs Consolidated has been taken over by a new company floated in the Dominion, and active operations are being made to resume work in the mine. "The intention is to sink the shaft, which is now down 900 ft., to a further depth of 1,250 ft. or 1,300 ft. Work at Owharoa is confined to the Rising Sun Claim, the owners of which during the past year have been driving a low-level tunnel. At Waitekauri the Maoriland Company are carrying in an extension of their low-level tunnel which is now in a distance of 1,384 ft. The prospects met with are encouraging. £2,286 worth of gold was obtained for the year. The Golden Cross Company has kept steadily at work driving the mam tunnel, and putting in crosscuts therefrom. Large bodies of low-grade ore have been met with, and present developments point to profitable operations during the coming year. Talisman Mine.— This well-known mine still maintains its reputation as a steady goldproducer. Last year, however, the returns were unfortunately somewhat reduced owing to the company being compelled to suspend operations in consequence of the strike in the coal-mines at Huntly. The gold produced for the year suffered a reduction of £30,927 compared with the previous year's return. During the year the Woodstock shaft was sunk to the random of the 14th level, and active development-work has been carried out in No. 14 level. The south drive on this level proved the existence of a fair-grade ore in the Dubbo section. The south drive m No. 13 level showed no payable ore, but the south drive in No. 14 revealed payable ore under the section of No. 13 where only low values were obtained. The results of lower developments in the mine show that, the high-grade ore is going down, and is becoming more extensive in the deeper level. New Zealand Crown Mine.— During the year considerable improvements have been effected by the erection of a tram-line from No. 4 to No. 7 levels, by the erection of hoppers and by the alterations to machinery and plant, No great amount of 'development-work has been carried out but the company having been reconstructed, more capital is now available for expenditure in the mine, and, as a consequence, development of the lower levels of the mine will be undertaken There are several small claims at work in and near to Karangahake, but none of them have progressed beyond the prospecting stage. Waihi-Paeroa Extraction Company's Works, Ohinemuri Biver.— The work of the company has during the past year been much hampered by the low river making it difficult for the treated material to be carried away. A bridge has now been erected over the river and a flume con structed to carry away the treated tailings nearly a mile farther down the river A Priestman dredge has been obtained, and has proved most useful in removing old timber from the river-bed the works have now been connected with the Government railway by a steel tramway by which all coal and goods are taken to the mill at a greatly reduced expense. ' At Komata no work is at present in progress. The Komata Company's claim is at present under protection, having decided to suspend operations owing to the falling-off in the value

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of the returns, the reefs being apparently worked out. £6,964 worth of gold was obtained during the year. In cleaning up the battery and scaling the amalgamating-plates £21,024 worth of gold was obtained. In the Maratoto district only two companies are at work—viz., the Silver Stream and the Tellurides. In the former claim the chief work has been stoping in the Julia and Queen reefs. The ore is occasionally very rich, but is of a refractory nature (chiefly sulphides), and cannot be treated by any process in operation in this district. 31 tons of ore was sent to Australia for treatment, and yielded £1,115 worth of bullion. In the Tellurides claims the chief work has been driving a low-level tunnel to cut the Julia and the Queen lodes now being worked in the Silver Stream. No returns have been obtained. At the Te Aroha end of the district very little mining has been done throughout the year. Work in the Hardy Mines has been suspended owing to want of capital to carry out the scheme of development decided on. The claims are at present protected, pending the raising of the necessary capital to continue operations. In the meantime the company has erected a small cyanide plant on the flat for the purpose of treating the deposit of tailings which have been accumulating for many years. Waitawheta Syndicate's Claim. —About two years ago, just when the mine appeared to be on the road to success, the whole of the crushing machinery and plant was destroyed by a fire which burnt down the battery-house. Operations in the mine were suspended beyond what was necessary to keep the drives and working-ways of the mine in order. The owners have since been employing a number of men in the erection of a new ten-stamp mill and cyanide plant, which is now completed, and the compan}' will soon be in a position to resume active work in the mine. Deep Levels Crosscut. —This work is still in hand, though recent progress has been slow. To avoid the danger of contact with the Moanataiari main slide, which was being approached, a deviation was decided on from a point under the Waiotahi shaft. This it was expected would avoid all danger, but at a distance of 490 ft. a strong volume of water burst through the floor of the drive, and the men at work were compelled by the water and gas to cease operations and hurriedly leave their work. At the end of the year operations had not been resumed. So far no veins or lodes have been met with. The crosscut will, however, assist the operations of such mines as the Saxon, Waiotahi, and Victoria, as it will now be possible to work these mines to a depth of 1,000 ft., with good ventilation and freedom from water. In the Saxon Mine a crosscut has been driven 500 ft. from No. 7 level, with the object of intersecting the Cardigan reefs. Progress was somewhat delayed by a hard bar unexpectedly met with at this level. The crosscut is now in 500 ft., and the work is progressing favourably. The Waiotahi Company has been employed in driving and crosscutting, and the shaft is being sunk to meet the crosscut driven from the main Deep Levels crosscut, from which an uprise to a height of 92 ft. has been constructed from the 1,000 ft. level. In furtherance of the project for sinking the shaft to the main crosscut at the 1,000 ft. level, boring with a Government diamond drill was started from the bottom of the shaft for the purpose of draining off the water. When the bore had gone down 320 ft. the boring-rods broke off, and it was found impossible to recover the lost parts. The water was, however, drained off, and the shaft has been sunk about 740 ft. from the surface. In the Moanataiari Claim a drive has been constructed through the main slide at 300 ft. level, with the object of prospecting on the hillward side for a continuation of the old Caledonian and Moanataiari No. 4 reefs, which on the seaward side were remarkable for their rich yields. Kuranui-Caledonian Claim. —No work of any importance has been done in this mine, operations being suspended until the work in the Deep Levels crosscut has advanced sufficiently to enable the company to take advantage of the opportunity to prospect their mine at a deeper level. Kuranui Claim. —The principal work for the year has been the continuation of the Magazine tunnel, which passes practically through previously untried country. The tunnel is now in a distance of 890 ft. Victoria Claim,. —No work is at present being carried on upon this claim. The owners are acting in conjunction with the Waiotahi Company in sinking the latter company's shaft, from which it is intended eventually to work both mines. May Queen Claim. —During the earlier part of the year operations were carried on at the 1,000 ft. level, but the eruption of water and gas which followed the cutting of the main slide in the main crosscut made it impossible for men to continue longer to work there. Waitangi Claim— Development-work is being energetically carried on in this mine, and a large amount of driving, stoping, and rising has been done, and a quantity of ore broken out. The directors have in contemplation the purchase of a battery for the treatment of their quartz! Watchman Claim. —The company owning this claim is conspicuous for the energy it has displayed in the development of the mine, and in procuring and erecting plant and machinery. A trial parcel of quartz of 750 tons gave a return of £2,241. Encouraged by the proved value of the ore, the company purchased the battery and plant of an English company known as the New Day Dawn and Norfolk Company, situated at Tararu Creek, together with the water rights and races. The battery has been renovated, and more modern appliances erected, and will shortly be in a condition to commence operations. A ground and aerial tram-line has been constructed to connect the mine with the battery. The mine is well opened up, and as soon as the battery is in working-order there will be an adequate supply of ore to keep the battery constantly employed" New Sylvia. —Work has been maintained throughout the year with a staff of about sixty men. 10,103 tons of ore was treated, for a yield of £16,351.' A large amount of work of a developmental and prospecting nature has been done. The ore from the mine is treated at the company's own battery, situated near the claim.

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Karaka Mines. —This claim, situated at the head of the Karaka Creek, was taken up by an English company. Over £20,000 was spent in plant and machinery. Very little work in proportion was done underground. No reef of any importance was met with, and the proprietors being dissatisfied with the prospects have closed down the mine, and are disposing of the plant and machinery. Occidental. —Work has been continuously carried on upon this mine. 100 tons of ore and 5901b. of picked stone was crushed during the year, and yielded £2,710 2s. Bd. A main shaft is being sunk to a depth of 120 ft., and it is proposed to drive from that level. _At Neavesville (Tairua) the only mine at work is the Golden Belt. Work has been carried on in this claim for several years without any remunerative results. Recent developments have proved more encouraging. 215 tons of ore was a short time ago crushed, for a return of bullion worth £665 17s. 3d., and the shareholders, after patient waiting, are looking forward to a prosperous future. The Tairua Mines, better known as the Broken Hills Claim, is not at present at work. After several ineffectual attempts to restore the claim to its former position as a dividend-paying mine, the company went into liquidation and sold the property. This was purchased by Mr. H. H. Adams, of Auckland, whose intention is to resume work under a new scheme of operations which he anticipates will enable the claim to be profitably worked. There is a complete crushing battery and all necessary plant on the ground. The Tairua Golden Hill Claim, which a few years ago was regarded as one of the most promising mines m the Hauraki District, has proved a great disappointment. The company has gone into liquidation, and most of the machinery has been sold for removal off the ground The claini has been purchased by Mr. Agnew, of Thames, who has been engaged for some months in cleaning up the drives and testing the reefs in the claim. The work done has convinced him that the property is worth another trial, and he is now making arrangements to raise sufficient capital to enable him to recommence operations on a moderate scale. Waiomio.— The only claim at work in this locality is the Monowai. A large amount of work has been done in driving and stoping. 1,123 tons of ore was treated, for a return of £2,134 worth of bullion. The company owns a complete crushing battery and plant, and has done a large amount of work in the construction of tramways and water-races. Tapu Creek.— Very little mining of any kind is being done at Tapu. The Portia Claim, owned by Moorcraft and party, carried on operations during the greater part of the year A small quartz leader was worked for a total return of £362. The claim has since been abandoned Mining operations m this portion of the Hauraki District have fallen off very considerablemore particularly towards the end of the year. The old Hauraki Mine suspended 'operations in August, The ore becoming poorer, the returns fell off, and the company, finding it impossible to raise money by calls on the shareholders, ceased operations. The cost of pumping the water from the "shaft adds very largely to the cost of working the mine. Contemplated arrangements between this company and the Hauraki Reefs Company, holding the adjoining property, for sharing the cost of pumping both mines unfortunately fell through owing to a disagreement as to terms. _ Operations in the Hauraki Reefs Mine were continued, and profitable returns appeared to be m view, when the company was compelled to cease working owing to the influx of water consequent upon the cessation of pumping on the adjoining claim. Work of a more or less intermittent character has been carried on in the Four-in-Hand Royal Oak Venture, and Exalt Claims, but the returns have been small. The largest yield was £655 worth of gold, being obtained from the Royal Oak Claim. _ In the_ Mount Welcome the principal work has been driving the low-level tunnel which is being put m to cut at a lower depth the lode which was profitably worked in the upper levels but which could not be sunk upon owing to the large quantity of water met with Gallant Claim.—A syndicate has lately -been formed for the purpose of working this claim A shalt has been sunk and crosscuts driven to intersect at a greater depth the Scottv's and Kapanga lodes, which in former years are said to have produced rich ores v * O n bremner's Freehold work on the claim has been carried on with a small number of men but the total returns have only amounted to less than £300. , T I L tbis . the only claim to maintain continuous work throughout the year has been the JNew Waitaia ; the lodes worked on have proved payable. Gold to the value of £5 955 was obtained during the past twelve months. There is every indication of increased returns being obtained during the ensuing year. g The Mountain King Company worked their claim during a portion of the year, and obtained gold to the value of £1,730 but failing to obtain any fresh payable ore, operations were sus pended for want of funds, and the claim is now under protection no Ba 7 ier lBland COn !! inUe t0 employ a few men < but there are Practically no returns of gold the work m progress being mostly of a prospecting nature. 5 tons of ore from the White Cliffs Claim sent to Cockles Creek, New South Wales, for treatment gave a return Dominio Per " refraotory 1D character, and cannot be profitably treated in this T have, &,c. , Fred. J. Burgess, Warden.

Mr. Warden Loughnan, Blenheim, to the Under-Secretary op Mines, Wellington. SlR '~ T . ~ , Warden's Office, Blenheim, Ist May, 1914 Mining District for iTIT * "" & * industl 7 in

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Wakamarina Biver, Deep Creek. —The principal mining-work in the district is being done by the Dominion Consolidated Gold-mining Company, which employs an average of eighty-five men at their gold-scheelite mine. A battery of twenty-five stamps is at work. Wakamarina Biver, near Mountain Gamp Creek.—The Darkies Terrace Hydraulic Sluicing Company is prospecting and repairing their water-race. One wash-up only took place in the last twelve mouths. Two further areas of 4 and 6 acres respectively—special claims —have been taken up by P. J. McLean and the Wakamarina Darkies Terrace Hydraulic Sluicing Company, but only prospecting-work has been done. Mahakipawa.— -Two claims are working at Cullen's Creek : the Redwing Gold-mining Company and the New King Solomon's Gold-mining Syndicate. Both have experienced difficulty with water. Prospecting and installing pumping machinery is being carried out. Wairau Valley.— -The Wairau Gold-mining Company is the only company at work. Its operations consist of development only. There are also a few parties prospecting. I have, &c, F. OB. Loughnan, Warden.

Mr. Warden Evans, Nelson, to the Under-Secretary op Mines, Wellington. g IE> The Warden's Office, Nelson, Ist June, 1914. I have the honour to report on the mining industry in the Nelson-Collingwood portion Of the Karamea Mining District for the year 1913. Mining, on the whole, in this district is not in a very flourishing state. Nelson. Periodical sittings of the Warden's Court are held at Nelson as occasion requires, and practically all the grants applied for or made are for prospecting licenses for metals and minerals in and about Wangapeka. Messrs. A. A. Grace, Van Bell, and Baiting have reported to me from time to time on the results of their prospecting as required by the Mining Act, including a report from Mr. Leslie H. Reynolds, Civil Engineer. From these reports it appears that galenabearing lodes have been found in the prospecting-areas of sufficient value to warrant further expenditure. . ' Prospecting-work is being carried on, but the prospectmg-areas have not been converted into special claims. The prospect of a revival of mining in this locality appears to be fairly good. MOTUEKA. Practically no grants have been made in this Court, and there does not appear to be any mining carried on in this part of the district. Takaka. This part of the district is in the same condition as Motueka. Collingwood. The established claims in this part of the district are still working, and one old abandoned claim, known as " Johnston's," has recently been taken up, but nothing of any importance has been done. ... . , , ~ , The Parapara Iron Company are in the same position as last year. A large amount of capital is required to develop this industry, and up to the present this has not been forthcoming. The property is still under protection" but the company has now reached the limit of protection allowable under the Act. . The Onekaka Iron Company (Turnbull's) has taken up special claims over its prospectingaiea, and is now endeavouring to raise the necessary capital to develop the property. These rights are also under protection. • • -,• On the whole, the mining industry in the part of the Karamea district under my jurisdiction is not in a flourishing condition. I have, &c, J. S. Evans, Warden. Mr. Warden Wilson, Westport, to the Under-Secretary of Mines, Wellington. Slß __ Warden's Court, Westport, 20th April, 1914. I have the honour to report to you upon the mining industry in the Westport District during the year ended on the 31st December last. Westport. The gradual decrease in mining which has been taking place steadily during the last few years has continued throughout 1913, with the result that almost all the returns of business done in the Warden's Court show a shrinkage. During the past year eight beach claims and three special claims were granted. There has been a corresponding decrease in the subsidiary rights granted for water, &c. The only active operations being engaged in are sluicing at Fairdown and Addison's and beach-combing on the North Beach, and they are in much the same state as during the preceding year.

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Charleston. Messrs. Powell are still working at Rahui Beach, and, I. understand, with payable result. has h^ P tl ' y t °f y mm \ ng m . diBtrict - The onl y busineBS transacted in the Court lias been the acceptance of surrenders of old rights. Seddonville. emnWH S ™f k » Com P all y' continues to develop its property, and has a fair number of men employed there. One special claim has been granted at the Rough and Tumble during the year. Karamea. Four prospecting licenses at Anaconda have been converted into special claims. A few men Radi "" t H ° pe " " c M " L « - '"*• ™'» - £ Murchison. There was little change in the state of the mining industry around Murchison during 1913 The diminution in business of the Warden's Court noted by me during 1912 has continued Alluvia sluicing is still carried on at Rappahannock, Maruia, Upper Mataki L an™ Son Mat, but not more than from thirty to forty men in the whole district have at an time during the year been engaged in the industry. The Mount Owen Rising Sun Mineral Company "m ceased prospecting operations at Mount Owen, and is now in course of being wound 7 A few prospecting rights were taken up at Lyell Creek, but no bona fide prospecting 8 was undertaken Throughout this district a change appears to be gradually taking place. The community is paying each year less and less attention to mining, and concentrating its energy on the mo -c rdTar^lfrtriS. 1^16 £' L «« *** MuihSS Wyvern Wilson, Warden.

Mr. Warden Hewitt, Greymouth, to the Under-Secretary op Mines Wellington. t w. + , Greymouth, 26th May, 1914. for the year 1913. P & " eP ° rt ° n lhe mining industr y in Westland «id subdistricts Greymouth Subdistrict. The only mining on an extensive scale in this district is the elevated hydraulic and sluicing claim at Barry town worked by Mrs. McKay. This claim has been in exktence for seventeen years, and is still paying its way. Seventeen men have been employed on an averlge during he year. A new set of tables has been erected, and the usual hydraulic connections mfdeThf fcgehjpjd ground has been practically worked out, and the leasehold area, containing about 150 acres, is now being taken in hand. g aooui Stafford Subdistrict. Most of the alluvial claims are worked by hydraulic sluicing, and appear to be making . P rofit - A Q few " llne rs working single-handed seem to make a fair wage. ?P g & lie Stafford dredge has now ceased operations after having been in use for six months The claims taken up in 1912 on the higher levels have not yet begun working. Hokitika Subdistrict. There is little to report in connection with this subdistrict. At the time of mv last rennrr hopes were entertained that the necessary capital to bring sufficient water TWha River to work the extensive Rimu Flat on a large scale would be forthcoming. These hopes have, however not been realized, and many of the rights to ground on the flat have ten rendered or allowed to lapse Mining operations have proceeded steadily at Seddol's Terrace where several rich claims are being worked. J reiracc, The Golden Flat Gold-mining Company (Limited) has acquired a large area of ground at Kanieri, and machinery to be put on their claims is now being'constructed. The ground he d by the company is very deep, and the surface workings carried on years ago pro fitable Prospecting operations to a considerable depth, by means of'shafts and the keystone Aril showed encouraging results, and upon completion and erection of the machinery the comDanv's mining operations will be watched with interest. } company s Some attention has been turned to the sea-beach depos.ts. Prospecting operations have been carried on over several miles of the beach south of Hokitika, and I expect to see much of the ground taken up under claim license as a result of these operations. Ross Subdistrict. A considerable amount of development-work has been done by the Ross <\,lrlfi,>lr> o R structed (Limited) at their deep mme 1 at Ross. The old Cassiu" to be so rich at the time of their abandonment years ago owing to the incapacity of tie maehLerv to deal with the large volume of water met with in the mine were driven into- IS, t I J rom that portion of the mine have proved disappointing. i 511' tiT carried on m the mine, and a number of men are engaged in sinking a winze from the No. 6

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Tiie Mont DOr Gold-mining Company has proceeded steadily with sluicing operations, and the results have again proved satisfactory to the shareholders. A new face has been opened out, and the results therefrom have been good. Information received by me indicates that the miners engaged at Donoghue's, Squatter's Terrace, and Redman's Gully are obtaining satisfactory results from their respective claims. The reefs in the vicinity of Cedar Creek and Mount Greenland have received some attention A quantity of quartz has been treated, and the results have led to the formation of a company. Operations in the future will be watched with keen interest. Okarito Subdistrict. Mining operations in this district have been practically at a standstill. Prospecting operations have been continued at the One-mile and Five-mile Beaches, and efforts are now being made to provide the necessary capital to work the existing claims. Reefton Subdistrict. During the year 1912 mining in this district was set back considerably owing to labour troubles, ,and, though during the past year conditions have greatly improved, it cannot be said that the industry has as yet regained its normal state. In the Wealth of Nations Mine developments have been considerably restricted owing to the limited supply of labour, which is totally inadequate and for the most part of inefficient quality. Stoping has been carried out on all levels from Nos. 7 to 11 inclusive. In the Blackwater Mines developments have been carried out on Nos. 4 to 6 levels, and stoping has been carried out on Nos. 1 to 5 levels. A dividend of Is. per share was declared, payable on 31st December, 1913. With regard to the Progress Mines of New Zealand (Limited), the labour shortage has been very pronounced during the past year, and necessitated the hanging-up of twenty-five stamps throughout the year. A reef in No. 35 east crosscut, No. 10 level, was struck during the latter part of the year, showing good value, but its full extent and nature will not be known until further development is carried out. The New Big River Company has had another prosperous year, and the payment of monthly dividends has been maintained. A large sum was spent during the year on new winding plant, compressed-air hoists, and rock drills, and also in providing some thousands of feet of piping for conveying compressed air from the surface to all parts of the underground workings. The Keep-it-Dark Mine employed about sixty men during the year. The shaft was sunk 150 ft., and an intermediate is now being opened up for the block of stone the shaft was sunk for. The quartz opened up is 26 ft. wide, but the length is unknown. The operations of the Murray Creek Gold-mining Company have been held up owing to the reef being located on the boundary of the claim and dipping away into the adjoining Golden Fleece Claim held by the Consolidated Goldfields of New Zealand (Limited). The Millerton Gold-mining Company had fourteen men employed during the year, and much useful work was done. Perotti Bros, have finished sinking their shaft at Golden Point, and have completed a drive of about 500 ft. to the west. An alteration in their plans has been necessary owing to an abrupt change in the nature of the ground. They are now opening up old workings with a view to having a survey made to ascertain the best course to take to pick up the reef. Other parties operating are the Just-in-Time Gold-mining Company at Capleston, St. George Gold-mining Company at Big River, Pettigrew and party and the Luck-at-Last Syndicate at Victoria Range, Bolitho Bros, at Lankey's Creek, Bierwirth and party at Maori Gully, Saraty's Syndicate at Blackwater, D. Absalom and McEwin and party at Waiutu, L. and F. S. Willis at Black's Point, and Kenning and Knight at Reefton. The Blackwater Extended Gold-mining Company has been carrying on operations during the year on its claim situate to the north of the properties held by the Blackwater Mines (Limited). A. main-shaft site has been selected and surveyed, and water is now being brought on to this site. A dray-road and incline tram are being laid off to give access from Waiuta. It is estimated that the main shaft will require to be sunk from 1,500 ft. to 2,000 ft. in order to cut the Blackwater line of reef. One new find is that of Avery and party in the Painkiller district, and a syndicate has been formed to work the ground. Many prospecting licenses were granted during the year, and in a number of cases vigorous prospecting has been carried on. The Consolidated Goldfields are pursuing prospecting operations at the old Scotia Mine, and intend this year to sink the shaft 300 ft., and cut two chambers. The same company has also been prospecting at the Anderson's Tunnel and Perseverance properties. Very little alluvial mining has been carried on in the district, although a few new claims were granted during the year. The prospects for the coming year are much better, however, as it is intended to carry out sluicing operations on a large scale at AVaitahu. The only dredge now successfully operating in the district is that of the Worksop Company at Hinau. This dredge continues to win remarkably good returns. Messrs. Hessey and Cameron's dredge at Capleston was working during the early part of the year, but sank' later. The Blackwater dredge has sunk, but attempts are about to be made to raise it. The Slab Hut Creek dredge at Tawhai was worked for a while without result, and has now ceased operations. The Frying-pan dredge at Cronadun was working during the year, but the returns were not sufficiently satisfactory, and it also has ceased operations.

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During the year 145 applications were lodged, a third of which were for prospecting licenses. This shows a decrease of twenty-eight on the previous year's total. The sum of £1,427 4s. 6d. was collected in revenue, an increase of £95 6s. Bd. on the previous year. To sum up, the prospects of the quartz-mining field are excellent, the chief difficulty being the shortness of labour. Ahaura Subdistrict. The chief interest in this district has centred round the operations of the Lake Hochstetter Gold-mining Company. The construction of the water-race has given a great deal of employment during the year, and fair progress has been made. It is anticipated that the construction of the race will be completed towards the end of the present year, when everything will be in readiness to commence active mining operations. A large number of men will be employed in connection with this company's claim. At Half-ounce and Noble's district there has been nothing new opened during the past year; the higher levels could be worked were water available. The population is stationary. At Orwell Creek the population has dwindled down to a few. There have been no new discoveries. Recently a water-race from Clark River was projected in order to carry water for working Napoleon Hill, Red Hill, and Specs Terrace. Should this mature and sufficient water be obtained the district would have a new life. Moonlight District. —This will at some time be a very important one. There is no doubt the northern parts of Brunnerton Riding, covering Moonlight, Baxter's, Caledonia, and Shellback Creeks, carry a large number of reefs which in time will be developed. Messrs. Hargreaves, Mitchell, and party are still prospecting for quartz at right-hand branch of Moonlight Creek, and are in hopes of making a find during the present year. The population is stationary. Nelson Greek. —There is still a fairly large number of miners in this district, mostly employed in sluicing. There has been nothing new done during the past year. Notown. —There is very few miners in this district. Like many other places, water to work the higher levels on the terraces is all that is required to give new life to the district. During the year 202 mining applications were received and dealt with in the Warden's Court. Kumara Subdistrict. Alluvial Mining. There was quite a revival in this class of mining during the year, which is the principal in. this district, so much so that no less than 142 applications were dealt with, the greatest number since the dredging-boom days, which was in the year 1900, and the amount of £1,304 18s. 4d. was collected, as against £799 os. lOd. for the year 1912; while 183 miners' rights were issued and 296 general registrations were recorded, this increase of business transacted being chiefly due to a new goldfield being discovered, about the middle of the year, at Argus Terrace, Greenstone, quite a small rush taking place, resulting in a number of both special and extended claims being taken up j but, owing to the shortage of water, the only operations carried on up to the present has.been in the nature of prospecting and preparing tail-races for which a number of licenses have been granted, awaiting a water-supply which is being brought in by the Government by means of a branch race, a distance of one mile and a quarter from the Government dam at the head of the old Erin-go-bragh Water-race, also known as the Long Drive Water-race. The construction of this branch race was taken in hand by the Government several months ago, and is now nearly completed. There is, I am informed, a considerable quantity of unworked ground in the same locality of a somewhat low grade, but with a copious water-supply could be worked by m«ans of hydraulic sluicing. All parties concerned are confident of success. One of the claim-holders, Kean and party, who have done the most prospecting, found a nugget a few months ago, which upon being weighed proved to be only 7 dwt. short of an ounce. Mining operations have been carried on steadily during the year at other alluvial claims, which have been working for years past, both at Cape Terrace and Westbrook portion of this district, and have obtained fair results, more so to advantage at the latter place since the completion of the Westbrook-Greenstone Road deviation, which now gives claim-holders ample deposit-room for tailings on; and across the old road claim-holders in this part of the district have also been greatly hampered toy the Erin-go-bragh water-race being in their way. This trouble is also relieved, the Government having purchased the race from Mrs. Dixon (the licensee) in the month of June last for the large sum of £2,000, £1,800 being paid by the Government and the balance (£200) by the claim-holders in the district. Four Chinese parties are still working extended and special claims in this part of the district. Operations at Dillmanstown and Kumara portion of the district : The Kumara Long Tunnel Company ceased operations over a year ago, owing to the very heavy expenditure involved in maintaining the No. 3 channel, there being no other party at that time sluicing into it but the company, but Shannon and party have now finished the boxing and blocking of their tail-race and are now ready to commence sluicing. The Long Tunnel Company may now give their ground another trial, as the maintenance of the channel will not be so heavy, divided between the two parties. McGrath and party commenced sluicing in their special claim at Larrikins, but was compelled to cease operations to put in a new low-level tail-race to enable the ground to be worked, the wash having dipped below the level of their top race, which took years to construct, at a cost of about £3,000. The low-level race is now nearly completed, and the party expect to commence sluicing operations very shortly. Tomasi and party, known as Garner's Claim, at Dillman's : Very little work has been carried on at this special claim during the year, chiefly owing to the scarcity of miners in the district. This party also hold a special claim at Cape Terrace, and the most of the miners obtainable were employed at that claim.

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Dredging. The only dredge in this district, and which is privately owned, has been working in the bed ot , the „ Greenstone Creek during the year in a special claim of 20 acres, but the licensee at the end of the year surrendered that claim, and the dredge is now being worked on tribute in an ordinary claim of 1 acre. Eastern llohonu Water-race Company. I am advised that this company now propose to develop and utilize the Eastern Hohonu water-supply for mining puiposes on both the New River and Greenstone watersheds. The survey of the Hohonu - Diamond Terrace branch race-, to carry forty heads is completed, at a cost of about £300, and the company are now raising the necessary capital to carry on the construction-work, at an estimated cost of about £7,000 for the delivery of the forty heads, at a pressure of over 200 ft., on the 100 acres recently taken up between Irishman s Gully and Big Fuchsia Creek. At first the race referred to will take water direct from the Eastern Hohonu, but later, when the high-level race to the New River district is constructed, the low-level race to Diamond Terrace will be supplied by an extensive system of storage dams, into which the surplus water in wet weather will be diverted. It is the company's intention to start mining operations first on the Greenstone Terraces, and develop the high-level supply to the New River Terraces as rapidly as the company's resources will permit. Ordinary Prospecting. A considerable amount of interest has been taken in prospecting in this subdistrict during the year no less than twelve applicants being dealt with, comprising an area of 979 acres nearly all of which were in the vicinity of the Taipo and Kelly's Range, where prospecting operations have been vigorously carried on during the year with highly encouraging results, so much so that Messrs. Hopkins and party anticipate that they will, by the time their prospecting licenses (four) expire have sufficient inducement to warrant them turning some of their areas (380 acres) into special claims. One tunnel has been advanced through schist country, containing some nice gold-bearing leaders, a distance of 200 ft. At this point rock exceptionally hard was met with Ihe quartz found has so far been of a very friable nature, but, still, some nice prospects of free gold of a ragged unworn character was found. The most of the stone is highly mineralized and very rusty. ° J s follow t^ ference t0 the New Zealand Greenstone Company (Limited), the manager reports The company was floated in April, 1912, with a capital of £60,000, of which £32 000 in fully paid shares went to the vendors and underwriters, and of the balance £21 000 has been called up as working capital. During the period under review the work of development lias been actively prosecuted and the road from its intersection with the Hokitika-Christchurch Road to the machinery-site of the property a distance of one mile and three-quarters, has been constructed, and a ferro-concrete bridge has been thrown across Lynch's Creek, enabling all the material and machinery to be carted from Kumara Junction to the foot of the aerial by the two company's steam-tractors which have been m commission since May last. A tractor-shed and hut for the tractor staff has been erected at Kumara Junction, where a site is leased from the Railway Department An engineer s house, workshop, stores-shed, five huts, and stable have been erected on the company's property at the foot of the aerial, and another hut has been constructed on the summit of Griffen Range, the whole of the material for which had to be packed up on the men's backs The heavy cuttings, some five in number, on the line of aerial as well as excavations at machinery-site, have been completed, and the sites for the trestles and breakhead nave been levelled. Ihe trestles for the temporary aerial line are almost finished, and the rope is ahoux to be hauled m position, five winches for this work having been carried up piecemeal to the various sites. A heavy retaining-sill has been constructed at the machinery-site to shore up the deep cutting and keep the formation for the line of rails to the stores-shed in place. A Babcock and Wilcox boiler to supply the necessary power is now in course of erection and almost completed Contracts have beet let for the erection of the power-house, and so soon as this is finished the Lmdley-Browett engine, which is assembled on the site, will be erected During the year the vast deposits of nephrite and serpentine on the McArthur's Craggs property have been thoroughly prospected and proved to be of greater mass than originally estimated _ _ A telephone from the property, to be connected up with Government lines at Wainihinihi' is in course of erection, and should be shortly complete. One of the difficulties to be faced has been the necessity of erecting a temporary ropeway to haul the larger ironwork to the trestle-stations for the permanent ropeway. Owing to the rushed precipitous nature of the country it was not possible, in view of the stability of "the permanent trestles, to carry this up by man-power, as originally designed, nor was it practicable without enormous cost to make a track to the several scarps whereon the trestles are to be erected This has delayed the work considerably, but now that the initial difficulties have been surmounted order 6 " " 7 & * '** m ° nths bef ° re the main a€rial wiU b e in running «n tw l th t e v mater . i . a \! 01 ; the permanent roadway is either on the property or at Kumara Junction so that nothing will hinder the rapid completion of all contemplated work. ™ ' I have, &c, J. G. L. Hewitt, Warden

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Mr. Warden Bartholomew, Dunedin, to the Under-Secretary of Mines, Wellington. Sir, — Warden's Office, Dunedin, 2nd March, 1914. I have the honour to present my report for the year ended the 31st December, 1913, for the mining district under my charge. Lawrence, Waipori, Waitahuna. At the Warden's Court, Lawrence, the following business was transacted during the year : Miners' rights issued, 133; applications received, 65; registrations effected, 91; suits entered, 6. During the year eighteen claims were surrendered and sixteen new claims granted, but no new localities were included in the latter. In this subdistrict there are but three dredges working —two at Glenore, and one at Adams Flat—on ground which has been wholly or partly worked for many years. The water-supply for sluicing has been plentiful, and in April some damage was done by flood, especially at Waipori. At this place a claim of 400 acres of worked ground was applied for on the flat, to be worked by a new type of dredge driven by power from the Dunedin City Corporation electrical works at Waipori Falls. There were local objections to the large area applied for, as it would monopolize ground commanded by present water rights, and, after an inspection had been made by the Warden, an area of 100 acres was recommended to be granted to the applicants. Roxburgh. During the year mining in this subdistrict shared in the general decline of the industry in Otago. The dredges still working were hampered to an unusual extent during the twelve months by the flooded state of the Molyneux. The dredges are now almost all held by private parties, who alone can make things pay where the ground has been worked before. The sluicing claims have had a fair year, but were also hampered by the floods. No new areas have been taken up, and all workings are confined to the Molyneux River and the neighbourhood of the river itself. The great development of the fruit industry is diverting attention from mining, and the great success which the widespread orchard-planting has met with shows up in still greater degree the barren waste of good lands caused in many instances by unrestricted mining operations in the past. The destruction of valuable land by mining operations is still proceeding in a most marked manner at Island Block. This is a fine area of flat land which grows splendid crops, and the huge heaps of tailings adjacent thereto —the barren corpse of mining—form an arresting spectacle of the destruction caused by the present methods of mining. Attention may be directed to the manner Victoria deals with the problem. There the rich agricultural overburden is removed and is replaced on the gravel—the tailings—after the same is levelled. This is, no doubt, a matter of increased cost to the miner; but might it not be laid down as a sound maxim that if the land is not sufficiently rich in auriferous deposits to bear the increased cost of the more expensive method of mining, it should not be mined at all. I should add, however, that I have recently read that the Victorian regulations have not proved effective to achieve their object. The land above referred to is freehold, which presents difficulties. But are these insuperable if, as a matter of policy, interference is deemed desirable? Tlie law is stated in Aitken v. Swindley (15 N.Z. L.R. 517) : " A Crown grant of land does not of itself convey to the grantee the royal metals in the land, or prevent the Crown from working or authorizing others to work them. Yet the effect of the mining legislation of the colony is that the Crown has given up the prerogative right to mine for gold on Crown-granted land." So far as I am aware, the Crown has not hitherto interfered with mining on private lands. It has been my desire in the above report, without exceeding my functions as Warden, to direct attention to a particular aspect of mining. I have, &c, J. R. Bartholomew, Warden.

Mr. Warden Young, Gore, to the Under-Secretary op Mines, Wellington. Sir,— Warden's Office, Gore, 28th March, 1914. I have the honour to present my report for the year ended the 31st December, 1913, on that portion of the Otago Mining District under my charge. QUEENSTOWN, ArROWTOWN, CarDRONA. The mining industry in this portion of the district is in very much the same condition as it was at the end of last year. Most of the privileges granted were to be used in connection with existing claims. Prospecting and development work in connection with the scheelite lodes at the head of Lake Wakatipu continues to be carried on actively, and seven new mineral licenses and twelve prospecting licenses were granted. The Melbourne syndicate that acquired several privileges with the intention of working the old Invincible Quartz-mines, in the Richardson Range, went into liquidation before undertaking any development-work, but others have since applied for the ground.

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A syndicate has acquired and registered options over several claims and water rights in the Shotover River district. The intention is to use existing races for the purpose of generating electricity, which will be conveyed by wires laid on the ground to different parts of the river. The wash will be raised by means of large suction pumps, electrically driven. The plant necessary to give the system a trial has been ordered. Those interested have had considerable mining experience, and they arc confident that their proposed system of working will revolutionize mining on the Shotover. It is likely that an amendment in the Mining Act will be asked for giving the right to lay wires and prevent interference with them. Waikaia. One dredge ceased operations during the year, leaving five still at work. No new dredging claims were taken up. There has been a decrease in the number of sluicing claims worked. The Nokomai Hydraulic Sluicing Company and the Muddy Terrace Company continue to carry on operations on a large scale, and pay between them about £8,000 a year in wages. Considerable damage was done to mining properties by the unprecedented flood in the early part of the year, the Muddy Terrace Company especially having lost heavily through this cause. Gore. Dredging continues to be the only form of mining carried on in this portion of the district. There has been no development worthy of note during the year. Two dredges are at work in the Charlton Valley, being one less than last year. Tliere are still thirteen at work in the Waikaka Valley. I have, &c, H. A. Young, Warden.

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ANNBXURE C.

EXTRACTS FROM THE REPORTS OF GOVERNMENT WATER-RACE MANAGERS.

Waimea-Kumara Water-races.—Mr. James Rochford, Manager. Waimea Bace. The cash received for sales of water from this race for the year ended 31st March, 1914 IT fa, «no"in ijthe expenditure on management, gauging, maintenance, and repairs amounted to £609 10s. 4d., showing a credit balance of £263 15s. on the year's transactions llie average number of miners supplied with water during the year was 285, a decrease ? so* °l • P r€v \ ous ff; and the approximate quantity of gold obtained by them was 1,625 oz., having a value of £6,337 10s. The sales of water amounted to £843 18s. 9d., an increase of £77 17s. 2d. on the previous year. Ihe sales of water would have shown a much larger increase but for the repairs being carried out to the flummgs and tunnels on the race. 8 The cash received for sales of water showed an improvement of £125 19s lOd and the expenditure an increase of £18 16s. 3d., as compared with the previous year. The approximate quantity of gold obtained by the miners was 22 oz. greater than during the previous year, representing an increase in value of £85 16s. J ' P During the last seven months of the year there were only four parties using water at Tunnel terrace, but their returns were quite up to former years, and there is still a large area of payable ground in the locality, and no, indication of a falling-off in the demand for water th. Jil reP t air An°o ? G Vi, aim !?; Water - race were completed to Tunnel Terrace in June, and, as the work cost; £300 less than the original estimate, I recommended the Department to grant an additional £300 and carry out the repairs to Ballarat Hill. This work was completed early in November, and the sales of water from the Stafford section during the last five months of the year showed an increase of over £28 per month. The whole of the Waimea Water-race from the outlet end of the Waimea siphon to the terminus at Ballarat Hill, including Branch B, a total length of about Welve milef,i s now in excellent order, and the cost of maintaining this section, bar accidents, should be small for years to come. Lmklater and-Morgan have started the formation of their pipe-line from the old original terminus of Branch B across the Waimea Creek to Scandinavian Hill. The siphon will be 73 chains in length, and composed of wrought-iron pipes 22 in. and 18 in. in diameter The contract for making the pipes has been let to Mr. James Brayshaw, and the whole work should be completed in four months. Authorized free water to the value of £32 16s. 3d. was supplied from this race during the The following is a summary of the revenue and expenditure of the Waimea Race for the year ended 31st March, 1914: Sales, of water, £843 18s. 9d.; cash received ,£m 5 4d expenditure, £609 10s. 4d.; approximate quantity of gold obtained, £6,337 10s.; average number of miners employed, 28-5. ' dve iage Branch Bace to Callaghan's and Middle Branch Flat. The cash received for sales of water from this race for the year ended 31st March, 1914 was S(?in w expenditure on management, gauging, maintenance, and repairs amounted to £500 10s., showing a credit balance of £34 12s. on the year's transactions amounted The average number of miners supplied with water from this race during the year was 17-83 an increase of 4-25 on the previous year; and the approximate quantity of gold obUined by them was 1,098 oz., having a value of £4,282 4s. 8 ooiamea oy The sales of water amounted to £550, an increase of £115 15s. lOd. on the previous year • and the approximate quantity of gold obtained by the miners was 79 oz. less repTesentinl a decrease in value of £308 2s. ' a After the repairs to the Waimea Water-race were completed it was found that a number of the flumings on the Callaghan's Race were in a most dangerous condition, and Mr McConnon and a small staff of men have been engaged for some months past in effecting urgent repair^ Three parties were engaged sluicing into the Waimea Main Tail-race during the Tear the ground operated on being that auriferous area at Middle Branch Flat which Jf a +i? J SMIt dCTi "'™ of the H ™- K — £*JI2S2 s Authorized free water to the value of £10 was supplied from this race d„ri,,» rt Eree7clSe antity °' "" * th^wfimt Taii-rTce slle^X,^^enditurf SSfiS?' *" * * value of gold obtained, £4,282 45.; average number of L 7 SaP a PP roxlmate

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Kumar a Race. The cash received for sales of water from this race for the year ended 31st March, 1914, was £17 14s. 4d.; and the expenditure on management, gauging, maintenance, and repairs amounted to £260 12s. 6d., showing a debit balance of £242 18s. 2d. on the year's transactions. The average number of miners supplied with water was 458, a decrease of I'B3 on the previous year; and the approximate quantity of gold obtained by them was 253 oz., of the value of £986 14s. The sales of water amounted to £23 Bs. Id., a decrease of £155 19s. sd. on the previous year; and the cash received shows a decrease of £104 18s. lOd. The expenditure was £140 19s. lOd. less than during the previous year, and the main and branch races and siphons are in good repair. The head-race tunnel, which is the only supply race from the Kapitea watershed, and consequently the key of the Kumara and Kumara-Taramakau water-system, is in fair order, but requires constant supervision, so that new intermediate sets and lathing and lining may be immediately placed in position wherever indications of excessive weight are found on the old timbers, as the ground is very difficult and expensive to pick up once a break occurs. Authorized free water to the value of £159 16s. lOd. was supplied from this race during the year. The usual quantity of flushing-water was supplied when the No. 3 deviation was working, and water was also supplied to the Borough of Kumara for fire-brigade and other purposes free of charge. The following is a summary showing the revenue and expenditure of the Kumara Race for the year ended 31st March, 1914: Sales of water, £23 Bs. Id.; cash received, £17 14s. 4d.; expenditure, £260 12s. 6d.; approximate value of gold obtained, £986 145.; average number of miners employed, 458. Kumara-Taramakau Race. The cash received for sales of water from this race for the year ended 31st March, 1914, was £428 12s. 3d., and the expenditure on management, gauging, and maintenance was £211 15s. 3d., showing a credit balance of £216 17s. The average number of miners supplied with water was 1091, and the approximate quantity of gold obtained by them was 982 oz., of the value of £3,829 16s. The total sales of water amounted to £473 Bs. 3d., an increase of £347 15s. on the previous year; and the cash received shows an increase of £307 Bs. 3d. The water was turned off and the miners were idle for nine weeeks during the year, owing to two breaks which took place in the old cast-iron pipes at McGrath's deviation, on the KumaraTaramakau siphon. These breaks, of course, materially reduced the revenue of the KumaraTaramakau Race, but, even after making due allowance for these adverse conditions, the sales were disappointing, and the ensuing year should show a decided improvement. Authorized free water to the value of £119 Bs. 6d. was supplied from this race during the year to parties opening out new claims. The following is a summary showing the revenue and expenditure of the Kumara-Taramakau Race for the year ended 31st March, 1914: Sales of water, £473 Bs. 3d,; cash received, £428 12s. 3d.; expenditure, £211 15s. 3d.; approximate value of gold obtained, £3,829 165.; average number of miners employed, 1091. Erin-go-Bragh Race. This property was purchased by the Government from Mrs. Sarah Dixon, of Hokitika, on the 24th June, and since that time until the 31st March, 1914, the sales of water amounted to £211 10s. 6d. The cash received for sales of water was £202 16s. 6d., and the expenditure on management, gauging, and repairs amounted to £220 19s. 3d., showing a debit balance of £18 2s. 9d. The average number of miners supplied with water was IP 16, and the approximate quantity of gold obtained by them was 421 oz., of a value of £1,641 18s. The expenditure for the nine months was slightly in excess of the revenue, but this was due to certain works that had to be carried out in order to meet the altered conditions of working the Kumara-Taramakau and Erin-go-Bragh water-races under one management, and by a rather serious break which took place in the tunnel near the head of the Long Drive Race. The maintenance of this tunnel is of the utmost importance, because it is the key to the high-level supply which, although limited, is the only water available that commands the auriferous terraces in the vicinity of the Greenstone. During the year several claims were pegged out on these terraces, and a deviation of the Long Drive Race was constructed from the reservoir at Maori Point to Argus Terrace to convey water to work the ground. The parties holding these claims applied for more water than is at present available from the Long Drive Race, and, as there is every possibility of an extensive sluicing field being opened up, the deviation was cut with the object of selling the whole of the water in this locality, and provision has already been made to supply the parties taking water from the lower end of the Erin-go-Bragh Race near Westbrook from the Kumara-Taramakau Race. This arrangement, besides creating a market for all available water at Argus Terrace, obviates the necessity of repairing and maintaining the Erin-go-Bragh Race from the Greenstone to Westbrook, which would be very expensive, as it includes a number of tunnels that are liable to collapse at any moment.

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The following is a summary of the revenue and expenditure of the Erin-go-Bragh Race for the year ended 31st March, 1914: Sales of water, £211 10s. 6d.; cash received, £202 16s. 6d.; expenditure, £220 19s. 3d.; approximate value of gold obtained, £1,641 18s.; average number of men employed, ILI6. Wainihinihi Water-race. TTiere was an excellent supply of water from this race, and, together with the Kawhaka snpP l /. the Waimea siphon was kept practically full all the year. No breaks occurred, and the race is now in good order. Waimea—Kumara Water-races. The following is a summary of the revenue and expenditure of these races for the financial year ended 31st March, 1914: Sales of water, £2,102 ss. 7d.; cash received, £2,057 10s. 5d.; expenditure, £1,803 7s. 4d.; approximate value of gold obtained, £17,078 25.; average number of miners employed, 73. It will be seen by the above summary that the value of the sales of water from the combined races was £2,102 ss. 7d., as against £1,505 6s. 6d. for the previous year, thus showing an increase of £596 19s. ld ; In addition to the above sales, authorized free water to the value of £322 Is. 7d. was supplied to parties opening up new claims. The total expenditure was £1,803 7s. 4d., as against £1,446 19s. 6d. for the previous year, an increase in the cost of maintenance of £356 7s. 10d., which was mainly caused by the upkeep of the Erin-go-Bragh Race for the last nine months of the year. The cash received was £2,057 10s. 5d., as against £1,440 Is. sd. for the previous year, showing an increase of revenue of £617 9s. Comparing the sales of water with the expenditure, the combined races show a profit of £298 18s. 3d., and the ensuing year should show a very considerable increase on this amount.

1 ,>>—. Mount Ida Water-race, Central Otago.—Mr. J. C. Buchanan, Manager. The total sales of water from the Mount Ida Water-race during the year amounted to £1,247 16s. 4d., an increase on that of last year of £160 4s. lid. The expenditure on maintenance and repairs for the same period amounted to £1,411 12s. 5d., an increase on that of last year of £26 7s. 9d. The total cash received was £1,247 16s. 4d. On account of payment in advance, free water was supplied to the value of £24 18s. Id., and free water for washing up was supplied to the value of £89 7s. Bd. The total value of water supplied from this race amounted to £1,362 2s. Id., an increase on that of last year of £189 4s. The approximate quantity of gold obtained by parties using water from this race during the year was 1,597 oz., valued at £6,148 95., an increase on that of last year of £192 10s. The average number of men employed was 2625. From the Ist April until hard frost set in at the beginning of July there was a full supply of water; from the Ist to the 18th July, owing to the severity of the frost, most of the claims were closed down. A thaw set in, and the water was on again on the 20th. From then until the 13th September, when the water was turned out for cleaning and repairs, there was a full supply of water. The season has been a good one for water-supply. From the end of October until the sth February the season was an exceptionally wet one; from then until the end of year it was fairly dry, but there was plenty of water in the reservoir to keep up a full supply. Owing,, no doubt, to the excessive wet season there occurred numerous large slips of clay along the line of main race, which meant considerable expense in repairing the damage caused by them coming into the race or carrying the outer embankment of race away, the worst places being Wedderburn, West Eweburn, and Coal-pit Gully. There were also several breaks during the year, most of them no doubt caused through the ground becoming so saturated with the continuous rains. During the year, to enable two parties to start hydraulic elevating in Spec Gully, I had to clean out 70 chains of race that had not been in use for many years, also construct '68 chains of new race to connect Finger-post dam with the branch race leading to Lower Spec Gully In this locality, no doubt, lies a large belt of payable ground, and I consider ere long much improvements will be necessary to supply all parties requiring water at this point, which is the terminus of the race. During the year, to cope with the shingle at creek-crossings, I have placed in position at ldaburn and Hills Creek boxes to carry the shingle over the race. I have also material on the ground to do likewise to East Marionburn and Ten-chain Creeks, and will have same in position when the creeks become sufficiently low to enable the work to be carried out. At Pearce's Gorge I have also placed in position -a shoot to carry debris across the race, which otherwise at time of heavy ram or thunderstorms, filled in the race, and also caused a break which meant much expense to repair.

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ANNEXURB D.

REPORTS OF DIRECTORS OF SCHOOLS OF MINES.

Professor James Park, M.I.M.M.E. (London), F.G.S., Director of Otago University School of Mines, to Under-Secretary, Mines Department, Wellington. Sir, — Dunedin, 15th April, 1914. I have the honour to present my report on the work done at the Otago School of Mines during the year ended 31st December, 1913. The School of Mines for the session of 1913 showed an attendance of eighteen registered students, of whom sixteen were entered for the full associate courses, one for surveying, and one for applied mechanics. Altogether there was an accession of nine new students for the full course. The current session (1914) started with the satisfactory registration of eleven new students, and we now have twenty-eight students taking the full associate course, exclusive of those attending lectures in geology and dental metallurgy. This is the largest attendance since the year 1901. Of these, twenty have entered for the associate course in mining engineering, five for the associate course in geology, and three for the course in land and mine surveying. The results of the annual examinations in October, 1913, were as high as in previous years, only three failures being recorded —namely, one in mathematics, one in mechanics, and one in practical chemistry. In September, 1913, Mr. John Mackay, A.0.5.M., passed the examinations of the New Zealand Board of Examiners, and obtained his diploma as a licensed surveyor. In the same year E. Fletcher Roberts and R. S. Thompson succeeded in passing the examinations of the Institution of Civil Engineers, entitling them to the associateship (A.M.1.C.E.) of that institution. The first named was bracketed with another Otago University student as taking the first place among all the candidates from Great Britain and the oversea dominions, and both received honourable mention from the Council in London. Our old students continue to secure a good share of the lucrative appointments that fall to the lot of mining engineers, both at Home and abroad. Among the more important places obtained by them in 1913 are the following : — (1.) D. M. Tomlinson, 8.E., A.0.5.M., General Manager, Kapsan Mines (Limited), Korea. (2.) E. Fletcher Roberts, Assistant Engineer, London Port Authority, London. . (3.) Alex. Fyfe, Chief Metallurgist, Ventanas Mining Company, Mexico. (4.) F. W. Thomas, A.0.5.M., Assistant Manager, Bomba Tin-mines, Northern Nigeria. (5.) Herbert Black, A.0.5.M., Chief Metallurgist, Aaquah Gold-mining Company (Limited), Gold Coast, West Africa. (6.) Philip MacDouall, 8.E., A.0.5.M., Assistant Manager, Bombassie Gold-mines, West Africa. (7.) A. R. Andrew, D.Sc, A.0.5.M., Chief Mining Geologist, the Anglo-Saxon Petroleum Company, Sarawak. (8.) Gerhardt Ulrich, 8.E., A.0.5.M., Mining Captain, Prestea Block A Mining Company, Gold Coast, West Africa. (9.) H. C. Boydell, A.0.5.M., Assistant Manager, Kapsan Mines, Korea. Revision of Class-work. —The lectures and class-work in mathematics, mechanics, chemistry, and physics for the associateship of the School of Mines are at present the same as for the B.A. degree. The B.A. courses of study as defined for mathematics and chemistry cover, the requirements of a professional mining or metallurgical course satisfactorily; but the B.A. courses in mechanics and physics contain much matter that has little or no bearing on the subsequent professional work of our graduates. Radical amendment is required, especially in respect of the course in mechanics. The brilliant scholar has doubtless no difficulty with mechanics as at present prescribed. He is a peculiar type of brain—finer, softer, and more receptive than that of the average professional student, whose reasoning is always associated with the doing of things rather than abstract ideas. The doer is the man who builds our harbours, railways, ships, and bridges, and who produces the coal and metals required for our great industrial activities. He is rarelybrilliant, but has, nevertheless, succeeded in supplying us with all the conveniences of our complex modern civilization. To produce an annual output of 1,000 tons of copper is as worthy as teaching men for the mathematical tripos. In all our work we should aim at making the course of study fit the object in view. A Forward Move. —The days of the small mine are nearly past. In the last two decades the mineral industry has made prodigious strides, and mining operations are now conducted on a scale of magnitude undreamt of thirty years ago. The mining and metallurgical plant and accessories at many mines represent a value of many hundreds of thousands of pounds; and every day mining engineering is becoming more and more allied to civil engineering. The mining engineer is now required to construct roads, tramways, and railways; design and erect dams, bridges, and complicated metallurgical plant; harness riyers for the generation of hydraulic and electrical power. In order to meet the demand for more specialized knowledge in structural engineering it will be necessary for us, if we mean to keep in the front rank of

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engineering-schools,, to extend the scope of our instruction, more especially in the departments of applied mechanics, practical electricity, and surveying. This advance will necessitate the appointment of two instructors and the better equipment of our laboratories It has. been stated by some that many of our graduates go abroad to find profitable employment. This is doubtless true, nor do we regret it. We do not pledge our medical graduates to practice m New Zealand. Why exact more from mining graduates? We must learn to view Higher education from a broader outlook than the parochial or provincial. For many generations the universities of Britain have been proud to send their alumni to all parts of the Empire bhould we not reciprocate? Mining engineering is not one of the softer professions, but it offers a splendid field for men of grit and enterprise, and we must see to it that their equipment is the right kind before we send them out. The mining-school is the only faculty of the University of Otago representing a wealth-producing industry, and therefore deserves the most sympathetic assistance that can be given it. The Mineral Industry.- -The two basal wealth-producing industries are mining and agriculZ\T*\ v T ni ?fio 8 . th 6 m ° St im P° rtan t. From the mineral statistics of the British Empire for 1912 just published, we find that the value of the mineral production tor that year, including coal, gold, copper, tin, gems, «xc, amounted to £237.000 000 In the same year the value of agricultural products, including wheat and all cereals, cotton, butter, cheese, &c, amounted to £149,000,000. Institution of Mining and Metallurgy, London.- -This is the supreme body governing mining procedure and standardizing technological methods throughout the Empire. It is gratifying to say that the associate membership of this institution is now open to our graduates without examination or further academic qualification. h»,J t° r Z\°A y ~? U Z™h 1913 aSSayS W6re made at 80hedule rates > moßt of the determinations being for gold and scheelite. T navfl) &„ James Park, Director.

Mr. W. H. Baker, B.Sc, Director of the Thames School of Mines, to the Under-Secretary op Mines, Wellington. SlR '~ T , ~ . Thames, 27th May, 1914. a ■ J ,n\o ° Ur ° pre Bent my r6port on the work done at the Thames School of Mines during the year 1913. Attendance.— The average number of individual students was seventy-five, of whom twentvseven were registered students, with a class attendance of forty-four, thirty-five elementary science students, and thirteen members of the teachers' science class y science Examinations. -Twenty students presented themselves for the Government -annual examination, and obtained six first-class, twelve second-class, and seven third-class certificates L Steven son with an average of 668 per cent in seven subjects, gained a Government School of Mines Scholarship, and will continue his studies at the University of Otago. This student also eained the presidents medal,. presented by G. Warne, Esq. In toe Saturday science class F ZTgg won the school prize, with 73 per cent marks. In this class the students W. Warne, R. Keoghan R. Judd. S. Judd, R Wyhe, L. Hague Smith, W. Donnelly, T. Cartwright, A and a F ssa?e r rf ce W rtincate arded *" "**" attendanCe '?' *<" *» bullion' Battery and Experimental Plant.—During the year eleven parcels have been treated by amalgamation, concentration, and cyamdation, and useful information foi future treatment of the various ores has been obtained. ■ *™^' - 7 ar *°« Sam i haV6 been added t0 the museum, whose value is gradually enhancing. The thanks of the school are due to Messrs. Kingsford, S. G. Baker, J g T Casley and others for donations of exhibits. ana Library.-The lending library instituted by the Mines Department is of very great benefit to the* school ' "" § *" Standard W ° rks ' this Hbrar y is a Suable asset In conclusion I wish to express my appreciation of the work of the staff and of the interest taken by the president and Council m .progress of the school. w esl I have, &c, W. H. Baker, Director.

Mr. J. F. McPadden, A.0.5.M., Director of the Reefton School of Mines, to the Under-Secretary of Mines, Wellington. IR ' t i *v i Reefton, 26th May, 1914 f «. a a%i T£ UV t pr fofo my rep ° rt ° n the work of the Reef ton School of Mines for the year ended 31st December, 1913. mines Attendance— -First term, 21 students; second term, 21; third term, 22; fourth term 18 Waiuta School.— Attendance at this school averaged seven for the year Examinations.-At the examination for Government certificates under the Mining Act held m March, four students presented themselves, one gaining a first-class mine-manager's^ertificate while two gained a complete pass and one a partial pass as battery superintendents ellmcat «> I have to acknowledge with thanks the. receipt of mineral specimens from various gentlemen and also desire to place on record the lively interest taken in the school by the Council. ermemen ' I have, &c, J. F. McPadden, Director.

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Mr. U. B. Inglis, A.0.5.M., Director of the Coromandel School of Mines, to the Under-Secretary of Mines, Wellington. Sir, — Coromandel, 19th March, 1914. I have the honour to present my report on the work done at the Coromandel School of Mines during the year 1913. Attendance. —Although mining has been very quiet in Coromandel since the early part of 1913, the number of students attending the school was the largest for some years past, and included men who came from places fourteen miles distant once or twice a week. The actual numbers attending were: First term, 34; second term, 30; third term, 22, the decrease towards the end of the year being almost entirely due to departures from the district, which cost the school some of its most promising students. The number of class-subjects taken was fourteen, including commercial book-keeping, shorthand, and agricultural chemistry, which were added to the regular syllabus by the Council to meet a strong local demand. Annual Examinations. —At the annual written examinations thirteen students presented themselves for the regular Government papers, eight other students for the extra subjects taught at the school, and seven did the practical examinations. Nineteen pass certificates were secured by eighteen students, there being nine first-, six second-, and four third-class certificates awarded. Five students passed the practical examinations. Several teachers from the local and surrounding public schools availed themselves of the classes in chemistry, geology, and other subjects in order to sit for the Education Department's B and C certificate examinations held in January, at which some were successful. Museum. —The mineralogical collection in the school has been augmented by the presentation of a set of New Zealand fossils from the Geological Survey Branch of your Department, and by twenty-five specimens of different rocks from the Antarctic regions collected by Mr. R. E. Priestley, Geologist to the Shackleton and Scott Expeditions, and sent to me by him; also a number of mineral and other specimens have been received from various persons, to whom the thanks of the school are due. Library. —l have to thank the Department and Mr. T. W. Rhodes, M.P., for forwarding books and copies of Acts affecting mining, agriculture, he, and for the Geological Survey Bulletins and pamphlets. The school now subscribes to two valuable and instructive magazines—the Engineering and Mining Journal and Popular Mechanics —which are eagerly read and borrowed by the students. In conclusion, I wish to express my hearty appreciation of the interest taken in the school by the members of the Council and others, as showing that it is valued as an asset by the community of Coromandel. I have, &c, Urquhart B. Inglis, Director.

Mr. A. H. V. Morgan, M.A., Director of the Waihi School of Mines, to the Under-Secretary of Mines, Wellington. Sir,— Waihi, 16th March, 1914. I have the honour to present my annual report upon the work done at the Waihi School of Mines during 1913. The average attendance of students during the year was forty-eight, with an average class attendance of 101. These figures are almost the same as for the previous year, and seem to indicate that the attendance at the school tends to bear a fixed proportion to the population of the town. Examinations. —Twenty-two candidates presented themselves for the written examinations, and seven for the practical examinations, with the result that twelve first-class, eleven second-class, and eight third-class certificates were secured, and six passes were obtained in the practical tests. I have much pleasure in stating that again one of our students has been successful in gaining a Government scholarship, of the annual value of £50, tenable for three years at the Otago University, this distinction having been won by Leslie Grange. Another student, H. A. Ellis, has passed the first section of the same examination in three subjects. The gold medal (value £2 25.) presented by the president (Mr. Thomas Gilmour) for the highest aggregate in any four subjects has this year been won by H. A. Ellis, with an average of over 76 per cent. Mr. Haszard's gold medal for surveying (value £2 25.) was won by L. Grange with 76 marks. Government Certificates. —At the 1913 examination for Government certificates two candidates from this school sat, and both were successful, Mr. A. J. Walker securing a first-class metalmine manager's certificate, and Mr. E. J. Scoble a first-class coal-mine manager's certificate. These were the only successful candidates from the North Island. Altogether thirty-four students of. this school have obtained certificates as first-class metal-mine managers, three as first-class coalmine managers, forty-two as battery superintendents, and twenty-three as assayers of bullion under the Customs Act. In conclusion, I have again much pleasure in acknowledging the zeal and ability with which the members of the staff carried out their duties, and also the co-operation and assistance of the Council. In particular I wish to place on record my appreciation of the valuable services rendered by the secretary (Mr. C. F. Sims), who has been untiring in his efforts to forward the interests of the school, and has, during the year, dealt with a large amount of correspondence entailed by conferences and various other matters, in a most able manner. I have, &c, A. H. V. Morgan, Director.

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Mr. W. Gibson, 8.E., A.0.5.M., Director of the Karangahake School of Mines, to the UnderSecretary of Mines, Wellington. SlB ' — " Karangahake, 12th March, 1914. I have the honour to present my report of work done at Karangahake School of Mines during the year 1913. The average number of students for each term was thirty-four, and the class attendance was sixty-eight. The Waikino branch did not show any increase, and as prospects are not in any way improved the expense, of maintaining the school does not warrant the retaining of the Assistant Director's services on full time. Examinations.— At the annual December examinations thirteen students presented themselves, and sent in thirty-four papers in the written work, obtaining eleven first-class passes, eight secondclass passes, and six third-class, a very satisfactory result considering the broken attendance occasioned by the Huntly strike during the third term. One student, F. E. Smale, qualified for four subjects of the scholarship, and E. D. White, another student, is now entitled to the bullionassayer's certificate issued by the Department of Trade and Customs. In the practical examinations, there was only one failure, and passes were three in' senior chemistry, one in junior chemistry, one in senior wet assaying, and one in junior dry assaying. The president's medal was won by F. E. Smale, and the Council's prizes by E. D. White for chemistry, J. C II McDonald for mathematics and drawing, and S. Shore for junior subjects. All the candidates presented tor the winder's electrical examination were successful. Equipment.— Early in the year the electrical laboratory was enlarged and new apparatus added. These changes have been much appreciated by the lecturer and students, the latter having now increased room and apparatus for carrying on their practical work. More apparatus is on order, and should be to hand at any time. . Conference.— ln September, by the courtesy of the Hon. the Minister of Mines, a conference with the Board of Examiners was held at Wellington. The proposals by which it was hoped the status of schools of mines would be raised were, unfortunately, not agreed to by the maioritv of the delegates. J J Library.— The thanks of the staff and the students are due to the Mines Department for the further provision to the lending library of up-to-date works in mining subjects. Additions have also been kindly made by the Council. I have to acknowledge with thanks the receipt of twenty typical New Zealand fossils from the Geological Survey, and also some splendid representative specimens of Broken Hill district from Mr. H. Marshall, of Karangahake. I wish to express also my hearty appreciation of the zeal and. enthusiasm displayed by the members of the staff, and also of the co-operation of the Council in all matters pertaining to the progress of the school. I have, &c, Wm. Gibson, Director.

Mr. W. F. Worley, Director of the Nelson School of Mines, to the Under-Secretary of Mines Wellington. SlB ' — T , x , , Nelson, 17th February, 1914. o, x L UVe , „?„ onour t0 P resent my report on the Nelson School of Mines for the year ended 31st December, 1913. " a •w b l l ,T l pip , e l . a^ a ' lyßis , class m f , or b °y s attending the State school was in session from the 24th April till the 4th December. There were thirteen boys in this class, and the average attendance was ten With one exception all were quite new to the work; but, nevertheless, good progress was made before the end of the year. Several of these boys are anxious to join the class again this year and by its close will probably be ready for the examination which is held for those who have been through a two-years course. Though only a few of the boys who have passed through this class in past years have ultimately taken up mining as a profession very many of them have become teachers of science Dr. Worley, who was. recently made Professor of Chemistry at the Auckland University received his first lessons m science, in the blowpipe analysis class. Many of the boys, too, acquire a love for collecting rocks and minerals. Clifford Knapp, who belonged to this class during 1912 carried of rocks and m°nera S ls. year & Bubstantial P rize f or the best collection Though the work of teaching this class is done gratuitously, the enthusiasm for the work shown by the lads, and the good progress which most of them make, are sufficient inducements to warrant a continuance of the work. tuuucemenrs During the winter months three lantern lectures on geological subjects were eiven to th» Sixth Standard pupils of the Nelson Boys' School. 3 g t0 tfle Geology.-In Bulletin No. 12 frequent mention is made of fault scarps in the rocks near Richmond. Having examined these with some care I fail to see that these scarps are of them selves evidence of faulting. The rock which forms the scarp is an igneous rock, and when v ewTd m thin sections under the microscope appears to be either a tuff or a lava with fragmental matter embedded in it. This, much harder than the rocks by which it is flanked; Tis alTo less susceptible to weathering than they are, and consequently, as the result of unequa weathering stands out as a conspicuous ridge In some places the rock lying to the eastward ofTt is a so tt sandstone belonging probably to the Jenkin's Hill beds. This rock has weathered much mor

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rapidly than the igneous one, and, as the rocks there dip at high angles to the eastward, the igneous rock stands up almost like a wall. This condition is best seen in Hodgson Creek. It would be hard to prove that no differential movement has taken place here along the planes of stratification; but neither is it necessary to assume the existence of a fault to explain the rock scarp, which in all probability has been produced by ordinary weathering processes. While engaged in studying these supposed fault scarps a rock was discovered which hitherto has not been described. An outcrop of it occurs in one of the small tributaries of the Reservoir Creek. The rock itself is an igneous one; it is of a very dark colour, and when fairly fresh clear crystals of feldspar and distinct crystals of augite may be easily seen in hand specimens. When viewed in thin section under the microscope this rock becomes.an intensely interesting one, as it is so unlike anything hitherto seen in this district. The feldspar crystals are remarkably fresh, showing scarcely a trace of decomposition, and under crossed nicols are easily recognized as plagioclase of rather basic composition. The groundmass consists chiefly of densely felted, very minute, crystal laths. Here and there a few large crystal laths may be seen, some magnetite, some augite, and probably some glass. Some fragments of the groundmass are enclosed in the clear feldspar phrenocrysts. Some augite crystals larger than those seen in the groundmass have crystallized in contact with the feldspar, but they are not a conspicuous feature of the rock. Until a more exhaustive analysis of the rock has been made it may reasonably be classed as an andesite. The Brook Street igneous rocks are being systematically studied, but the work has not yet proceeded far enough for a report thereon. I have, &c, W. F. Worley Director.

Mr. H. Lovell, Director of the Westport School of Mines, to the Under-Secretary of Mines, Wellington. Sir,— Westport, 31st March, 1914. I have the honour to present my report upon the work of the Westport School of Mines and the branch schools at Ngakawau, Millerton, and Denniston for the year ended 31st December, 1913. The average number of students for the year was forty-three, with an average class attendance of eighty-seven. The students were distributed over the school and its branches as follows : Westport, 12; Ngakawau, 9; Denniston, 12; Millerton, 10. At the annual examinations twenty students presented themselves for examination, and seventeen passes were secured. Candidates sat in mathematics, chemistry, mechanical drawing, mining, ventilation, and surveying. Ten students were prepared for the deputies' and underviewers' examination, and three candidates—two for first class and one for second class—sat for the mine-manager's examination. I have to acknowledge with thanks the donation of a number of standard works to the school library by the Mines Department; also the receipt of a set of type fossils from the Geological Department. The facilities for teaching at the branch schools have not improved during the year. A great demand exists there for instruction in chemistry and engineering subjects, which, owing to the lack of accommodation and teaching apparatus, cannot be supplied. An effort is being made, however, to establish in connection with the Westport School a properly equipped central school at Granity calculated to serve the districts of Ngakawau and Millerton, where the demand for technical and mining training is most pronounced. I have, &c, H, Lovell Director.

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ANNEXUKE E.

MINING STATISTICS.

Table 1. Statement showing the Revenue of the Goldfields collected in the several Districts of the Dominion of New Zealand for the Period from 1st January to 31st December, 1913.

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-District. Miners' Eights. Business Licenses, Machine and Residence Sites. Waterraces, Sluices, &c. Gold-mining Leases, Rents, and Royalties. Registration. Fees and ! Wardens' I Miscellaneous. Courts. Totals. Auckland. Coromandel Te Aroha Paeroa Thames Pubipuhi Tauranga Waihi £ s. d. 38 0 0 27 10 0 45 0 0 78 5 0 12 15 0 2 15 0 71 15 0 £ s. d. 0 17 0 575 16 6 132 7 5 £ S. d. 0 5 0 20 0 0 0 10 0 £ s. d. 394 17 5 317 5 0 1,159 7 5 947 7 1 148 15 0 £ s. d. 6 11 0 19 0 7 16 0 5 11 0 1 19 0 £ s. d. 17 17 0 5 12 0 4 15 0 £ s. d. 22 1 3 0 16 0 13 1 6 38 9 10 £ s. d. 480 8 8 948 8 6 1,362 17 4 1,069 12 11 176 17 0 4 5 0 1,950 18 1 0 5 0 13 '3 0 786 14 9 946 2 3 7 17 0 35 '7 0 1 10 0 103 2 1 Totals .. 276 0 0 1,495 15 8 21 0 0 3,913 14 2 31 3 0 76 14 0 179 0 8 5,993 7 6 Nelson. Wangapeka CoUingwood and Takaka Westport, Seddonville.and Granity Charleston Ahaura Reefton Lyell and Murchison 2 15 0 8 5 0 89 10 0 1 15 0 51 4 0 0 15 0 27 0 0 339 14 11 674 3 5 0 7 0 17 0 16 18 6 0 16 0 2 14 0 71 1 6 4 14 0 86 5 0 30 18 0 359 4 11 989 2 5 17 15 0 33 5 0 55 10 0 10 5 0 34 14 9 0 8 0 15 0 0 5 0 1 10 0 4 15 0 22 0 4 267 1 9 1,171 17 6 94 19 8 0 11 0 3 14 0 18 0 2 3 0 0 15 0 24 18 0 41 6 0 8 2 0 0 10 0 0 8 0 198 1 0 68 6 0 41 16 4 365 11 6 1,468 10 6 189 15 8 Toials .. 217 5 0 89 6 9 7 5 0 2,596 17 7 26 8 6 149 12 6 358 4 0 3,444 19 4 Marlborough. Havelock Blenheim 3 0 0 6 0 0 0 10 0 20 13 9 77 1 6 0 18 0 0 3 0 2 8 0 0 4 0 0 18 0 10 0 28 7 9 84 8 6 Totals .. 9 0 0 •• 0 10 0 97 15 3 110 2 12 0 Westland. Hokitika Greymouth Ross Stafford and Goldsborough Okarito Kumara 1 18 0 112 16 3 40 15 0 205 10 0 12 0 0 13 15 0 414 7 0 5 0 15 0 3 0 0 1 15 0 277 15 9 253 14 5 293 8 9 197 12 9 16 13 0 2 16 0 8 5 6 4 19 0 40 18 6 23 15 0 13 11 0 9 0 0 81 2 6 23 17 0 6 5 0 1 1 0 458 9 9 517 7 0 335 10 3 226 7 9 6 0 0 45 15 0 0 10 0 10 0 0 0 10 0 3 5 0 182 15 0 1,267 8 4 12 0 14 16 0 4 18 0 15 18 0 6 15 0 48 14 0 202 10 0 1,405 16 4 Totals .. 323 15 0 15 9 7 9 15 0 2,472 15 0 48 11 6 108 0 6 167 14 6 3,146 1 1 Canterbury. Ashburton 0 15 0 Otaqo and Southland. Middlemarch Hindon Naseby Black's -i Alexandra Clyde L Roxburgh Cromwell J Tapani.i Arrowtown Queenstown Lawrence Orepuki Riverton Pembroke Waikaia Wyndham Gore .. 0 15 0 1 15 0 14 15 0 24 5 0 13*2 0 0 5 0 18 6 5 52 10 0 479 17 8 ) 0 i 0 14 5 0 0 16 0 18 16 0 0 19 0 17 13 0 20 1 5 69 1 0 558 3 8 60 10 0 45 8 0 0 10 0 1,721 18 11 0 12 0 73 12 0 45 5 0 1,947 15 11 6 15 0 35 15 0 33 0 0 2 5 0 2 9 0 9 5 0 0 15 0 203 12 2 250 7 0 554 1 0 21 15 2 151 19 9 1 3 17 0 26 -10 0 35 12 0 3 8 0 4 5 0 7 10 0 9 6 0 216 9 2 318 7 0 641 4 0 25 16 2 216 8 9 13 13 0 250 14 9 15 1 6 148 12 1 1 211 0 9 0 0 23 5 0 4 0 0 17 0 0 10 0 4 0 0 9 0 0 15 0 16 0 0 10 0 0 10 0 1 '060 0 13 0 2 4 0 0 17 0 0 6 0 0 5 0 24 10 0 219 9 9 13 6 6 140 17 1 4 - 3 0 2 14 0 l"l 0 Totals 226 0 0 81 9 0| 5 10 3,828 1 5 9 9 0 186 6 0 105 2 0 4,441 8 5 Gram ;ota] Is .. 1,052 15 0 1,682 1 0 43 11 0 12,909 3 5j 116 13 0 523 5 0 811 19 2 17,139 7 7

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Table 2. Statement showing the Revenue of the Goldfields collected in the several Districts of the Dominion of New Zealand for the Period from 1st January to 31st March, 1914.

District. Miners' Rights. Business Licenses, Machine and Residence Sites. Waterraces, Sluices, &c. Gold-mining Leases, Rents, and Royalties. Registration. Fees and Fines, Wardens' Courts. Miscellaneous. Totals. Auckland. Coromandel Thames Te Aroha Paeroa Puhipuhi Tauranga Waihi £ s. d. 15 15 0 14 5 0 3 0 0 33 5 0 3 5 0 0 15 0 13 15 0 £ s. d. 0 10 0| £ s. d. £ s. d. 128 9 6 329 10 9 16 2 9 311 16 1 39 14 0 £ s. d. 1 18 0 11 16 6 2 18 0 0 17 0 0 4 0 £ s. d. 4 17 0 £ s. d. 4 18 6 5 6 0 1 19 0 6 5 0 £ s. d. 156 8 0 360 18 3 117 9 3 413 4 11 45 8 0 0 15 0 592 13 0 72 14 G 50 15 10 1 10 0 19 10 0 1 5 0 10 6 0 0 15 0 114"2 7 440 12 6 5 7 0 2 12 0 16"3 11 Totals 34 12 5 1,686 16 5 84 0 0 239 12 11 19 10 0 1,266 5 7 23 0 6 19 15 0 Nelson. Wangapeka Collingwood and Takaka Westport, Seddonville, and Granity Charleston Ahaura Reef ton.. Lyell and Murchison 15 0 0 15 0 34 10 0 7 15 0 15 15 0 92 10 0 14 0 0 o'io 0 11 11 6 0 5 0 162 7 11 53 15 6 9 16 0 53 19 3 405 12 3 60 1 8 0 18 0 4 10 6 0 8 0 0 10 0 10 11 6 2 17 0 4 12 0 1 13 0 168 2 11 119 11 0 2 15 0 0 9 0 0 10 0 0 5 0 0 17 0 1 12 0 0 4 0 5 5 0 11 6 0 3 0 0 80 14 4 10 0 0 17 11 0 78 16 3 592 3 7 87 15 8 Totals 166 10 0 15 15 6 0 10 0 745 12 7 8 16 31 0 6 98 3 4 1,065 13 5 Mablborough. Havelock Blenheim 0 15 0 0 15 0 17 13 4 7 2 6 0 2 0 0 8 0 10 0 19 18 4 7 17 6 Totals 1 10 0 24 15 10 0 2 0 0 8 0 10 0 27 15 10 Westland. Hokitika Greymouth Ross Stafford and Goldsborough Kumara Okarito 7 5 0 42 0 0 3 0 0 3 15 0 0 10 0 73 9 6 12 2 0 91 14 1 28 5 0 4 7 0 0 14 0 15 6 1 14 0 2 6 0 4 12 0 4 9 0 5 18 0 28 17 6 11 1 0 1 16 0 116 5 0 70 9 0 102 14 7 39 12 0 12 15 0 3 0 0 3 15 0 0 5 0 0 '5 0 38 10 0 12 10 0 3 9 0 0 6 0 2 0 0 0 2 0 58 10 3 0 5 0 118 19 3 16 13 0 Totals 71 15 0 4 0 0 0 15 0 256 10 7 11 15 6 19 7 0 100 9 9 464 12 10 Canteebury. Ashburton 0 10 0 0 10 0 Otaqo and Southland. Hindon Naseby Roxburgh \ Alexandra Clyde .. V Black's .. Cromwell J Arrowtown Pembroke Queenstown Lawrence Waikaia Orepuki Riverton Wyndham Middlemarch Gore 5 0 0 6 5 0 17 0 0 3 10 0 10 0 16 5 0 21 5 0 4 15 0 0 10 18 11 0 2 0 0 0 10 0 0 5 0 0 '7 0 24112 8 540 11 7 25 16 1 0 3 0 2 5 0 0 1 0 0 4 0 2 0 0 20 0 0 1 18 0 0 8 0 3 18 0 6 13 6 1 19 0 0 10 0 12 0 1 12 0 0 13 0 14 12 2 3 14 2 6 19 0 253 6 8 610 19 9 36 18 3 1 16 0 112 18 1 329 13 6 36 19 0 14 14 5 72 6 3 7 11 7 4 2 0 0 12 0 0 15 0 91 2 1 295 16 3 30 5 0 9 3 5 43 16 3 4 15 7 3 10 0 l"l 0 5 3 9 7 0 0 0 10 0 0 10 0 4 10 0 1 10 0 0 5 0 1 14 0 0 8 0 0 10 0 2 0 1 17 0 15 5 0 2 5 0 •■ Totals 83 0 0 26 9 0 2 17 0 1,286 8 11 4 14 0 38 12 6 46 3 1 1,488 4 6 4,733 13 0 Grand totals .. . 47 13 6 109 3 0 280 8 7 407 5 0 285 17 5 23 12 0 3,579 13 6

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Table 3.

Statement showing the Quantity of Quartz crushed and Gold obtained in the Hauraki Mining District for the Year ended 31st December, 1913.

Locality and Name of Mine. Average Number of Men employed. Quartz crushed. Gold obta Amalgamation. Gold obtained. ained. Cyanide. Estimated Waihi— Waihi .. .. .. 866 Grand Junction .. .. 403 Totals .. .. .. 1,269 Tons cwt. qr. 11 *164,971 0 0 0 87,842 0 0 0 252,813 0 0 0 Waihi Borough. Tons cwt. qr. lb. *164,971 0 0 0 87,842 0 0 0 Oz. dwt. 32,068 17 Oz. dwt. 503,475 3 | 226,974 17 £ s. d. 323,345 10 0 180,019 19 9 252,813 0 0 0 32,068 17 730,450 0 503,365 9 9 Waitekauri— Maoriland .. .. .. 14 Golden Cross .. .. .. 8 oo 14 8 Ohinemuri Count 1,192 0 0 0 891 0 0 0 r> r\oo r\ r\ r\ ihinemuri County. 1,192 0 0 0 891 0 0 0 396 18 219 14 388 19 . 194 8 2,286 2 9 626 8 2 22 Karangahake— Talisman .. .. .. 360 New Zealand Crown .. .. 120 22 2,083 0 0 0 39,780 0 0 0 15,299 0 0 0 2,083 0 0 0 616 12 583 7 2,912 10 11 360 120 39,780 0 0 0 15,299 0 0 0 27,526 5 151,465 7 20,723 12 215,641 18 0 28,884 16 4 480 Paeroa— Waihi - Paeroa Gold - extraction 65 Company 480 55,079 0 0 0 t 55,079 0 0 0 27,526 5 172,188 19 244,526 14 4 65 101,749 2 42,300 0 0 Komata— Komata Reefs .. .. .. 23 3,080 0 0 0 '23 3,080 0 0 0 10,489 5 4,748 4 27,989 10 6 Maratoto — Silver Stream .. .. .. 8 31 0 0 0 31 0 0 0 7,374 0 1,115 0 0 Totals .. .. .. 598 60,273 0 0 0 60,273 0 0 0 46,006 2 279,269 12 318,843 15 9 Waiorongomai—■ Hardys' Mines .. .. 2 Waitawheta Gold prospecting 6 Company Totals .. .. .. 8 Piako County. {40 0 0 0 200 0 0 0 240 0 0 0 55 3 119 0 46 8 3 251 15 11 240 0 0 0 174 3 298 4 2 Waikoromiko— C Four-in-Hand .. .. .. 2 30ROMANDEL GoUNI 0 10 8 lOROMANDEL CoUOT 0 10 8 29 4 83 6 6 Tokatea— Royal Oak .. .. .. 5 Venture Claim .. .. .. 2 n 5 2 8 14 1 9 3 0 0 0 i i 1 ,1 i n 8 14 1 9 3 0 0 0 239 17 15 16 655 0 0 43 10 0 7 Hauraki Block— Old Hauraki .. .. .. 16 Hauraki Reefs .. .. .. 15 Armstrong Dredging Company .. 4 16 15 4 11 14 1 9 56 2 3 19 78 3 0 12 § 13<1 R n Q 56 2 3 19 78 3 0 12 § 11 14 1 9 729 8 785 5 23 12 255 13 2,158 3 10 2,241 0 0 64 18 0 698 10 0 35 Bremner's Freehold— Bremner's Freehold .. .. 4 35 134 6 0 3 11 2 0 26 134 6 0 3 1,538 5 4,464 1 10 4 11 2 0 26 78 4 216 10 0 Kuaotunu— Handsworth United .. .. 4 New Waitaia .. .. .. 20 Mountain King .. .. 14 38 4 20 14 36 0 0 0 589 0 0 0 313 0 0 0 Q3S c\ c\ a 36 0 0 0 589 0 0 0 313 0 0 0 169 5 2,080 17 388 12 9 5,955 17 2 1,726 7 2 624 12 38 Prospectors .. .. .. 10 38 938 0 0 0 17 0 0 23 938 0 0 0 2,250 2 624 12 8,070 17 1 10 17 0 0 23 33 0 96 0 0 ' Totals vr -.-.—■ -..• ■- 96 96 1,112 3 3 13 1,112 3 3 13 ~ir;t84 8 624 12 13,629'-5---5 * In addition, 4;291 tons of old tail River (sludge-channel) and re treated; t originally milled. { Tailings. :ing was re-i his ton nag > jj Wash-dii ireated. 1140, is not included in tl rt. ,100 tons of t&ilini ae total, having t I recovered fron ieen recorded wl i the Ohmem'uri len the ore was

<_.-_

Table 3— continued. Statement showing the Quantity of Quartz crushed and Gold obtained in the Hauraki Mining District for the Year ended 31st December, 1913— continued.

Locality and Name of Mine. Average Number of Men employed. Quartz crushed. Gold obtai Amalgamation. Gold obtained. lined. Cyanide. Estimated Value. Tham :s County and Boj ough. Tapu— Portia.. 2 Tons cwt. qr. lb. 11 0 0 0 Oz. dwt. 121 17 Oz. dwt. i £ s. d. 362 10 0 i Waiomo— Monowai 1,562 0 2,134 5 4 12 1,122 0 0 0 Tararu— New Sylvia Watchman Waitangi 61 15 7 10,103 0 0 0 750 0 0 0 0 1 0 18 17 2 19,028 0 976 2 16,351 4 0 2,241 16 9 54 10 1 83 10,853 1 0 18 17 2 20,004 2 18,647 10 10 Moanata,iari— Foreshore Tailing Dredge 396 15 290 5 5 Waiotahi— Waiotahi Ballarat Nonpariel West Coast 15 2 4 2 62 0 0 0 6 0 2 24 20 0 0 0 10 0 0 169 10 395 11 3 10 41 7 114 4 4 382 0 0 1,131 19 0 9 2 0 23 89 0 2 24 568 11 41 7 1,637 5 4 Karaka — Gladstone Little Nell Occidental 2 2 11 23 5 0 0 80 1 2 2 100 5 1 2 537 7 238 19 1,063 11 1,344 13 6 561 4 0 2,710 2 8 Hape Creek — Cambria Daisy 15 203 11 3 4 1,839 17 4,616 0 2 6 1 18 0 0 0 40 0 0 0 17 0 67 13 44 15 0 162 19 0 58 0 0 0 84 13 207 14 0 Tairua — Golden Belt .. Tairua Golden Hills 9 8 215 0 0 0 600 0 0 0 348 10 667 0 665 17 3 920 16 5 17 815 0 0 0 1,015 10 1,586 13 8 Totals 165 13,151 13 2 18 4,194 0 21,457 14 29,482 4 9 S MMARY. 730,450 0 503,365 9 9 Waihi Borough .. .. 1,269 252,813 0 0 0 32,068 17 Ohinemuri County 598 60,273 0 0 0 46,006 2 279,269 12 318,843 15 9 Piako County 8 240 0 0 0 174 3 298 4 2 Coromandel County 96 1,112 3 3 13 4,184 8 624 12 13,629 5 5 Thames County and Borough 165 13,151 13 2 18 4,194 0 21,457 14 031,976 1 29,482 4 9 865,618 19 10 Totals, 1913 +2,136 327,589 17 2 3 86,453 7 1,031,976 1 Totals, 1912 2,506 264,830 13 0 9 169,152 2 846,043 5 185,932 16 781,716 1 4 Increase 62,759 4 1 22 83,902 18 6 Deorsase 370 82,698 15 * 2,781 tons of tailing recovered fr< recorded when the ore was original!; operations not included in this tabl< >m Thames r milled. ireshore, and re-treated, but tonnage not here include f During the year 127 "men were employed at unproi sd having been luctive mining ).

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Table 3 — continued. Statement showing Quantity of Quartz crushed and Gold obtained in the Marlborough Karamea, and Westland Mining Districts for the Year ended 31st December, 1913.

Statement showing the Quantity of Quartz crushed and Gold obtained in the Otago Mining District for the Year ended 31st December, 1913.

Average Number of Men employed. Gold obtained. Locality and Name of Mine. Quartz crushed. Estimated Value. Amalgamation. Cyanide. CoUingwood County — Golden Blooks Tons. 645 Oz. dwt. gr. 559 0 0 Oz. dwt. gr. £ s. A. 2,139 0 0 13 Marlborough CountyDominion Consolidated 30 8,180 1,421 6 0 5,428 5 3 Bnller CountyNew Swastika 6 22 7 19 0 31 2 6 Inangahua County-Wealth-of-Nations Keep-it-Dark Bolitho Bros. New Discovery Progress New Big River Blaekwater 106 60 4 1 156 65 175 23,661 7,245 868 20 34,996 4,970 45,053 6,890 3 0 1,646 7 0 223 12 9 2 0 4 6,524 17 0 5,799 4 0 18,564 4 0 2,599 5 0 792 10 0 37,104 16 8 9,035 4 6 880 17 3 7 1 11 37,042 5 9 28,022 9 11 82,207 7 4 3,164 10 0 1,195 11 0 2,376 6 0 Grey County— Poerua Reefs 15 600 23 11 5 88 19 6 Totals 631 126,260 41,662 3 18 10,128 2 0 1201,987 10 7 CoUingwood County summa: 645 559 0 0 13 2,139 0 0 Marlborough County 30 8,180 1,421 6 0 5,428 5 3 BuUer County 6 22 7 19 0 31 2 6 Inangahua County 567 116,813 39,650 7 13 10,128 2 0 194,300 3 4 Grey County 15 600 23 11 5 88 19 6 Totals, 1913 631* 126,260 41,662 3 18 10,128 2 0 201,987 10 7 Totals, 1912 459 55,098 24,574 12 20 5,867 13 0 116,407 14 10 Increase, 1913 172 71,172 17,087 10 22 4,260 9 0 85,579 15 9 * This total does not include ninety-six men employed in unproductive mining operations not included in this table.

Locality and Name of Mine. Average Number of Men employed. Quartz crushed. Gold obtained. Estimated Value. La: :e County. Maoetown— United Goldfields 8 Tons. 73 Oz. dwt. gr. 20 5 12 £ s. d. 77 16 1 Totals 73 20 5 12 77 16 1 Vino: !ent County. Oarriok— Carrick Gold-mining Company .. Star of the East 12 6 800 400 226 4 0 105 0 0 881 8. 0 420 0 0 Bendigo— Alto Syndicate Come-in-Time 4 3 27 463 18 8 0 34 0 0 64 0 0 100 19 4 Bald HillPlat— Advance 1 85 75 0 0 288 5 o Totals .. 26 1,775 458 12 0 1,754 12 4

o.—_.

Table 3— continued. Statement showing the Quantity of Quartz crushed and Gold obtained in the Otago Mining District for the Year ended 31st December, 1913— continued.

Statement of Value of Bullion won from Quartz crushed for all Districts for the Years ended 31st December, 1912 and 1913.

Locality and Name of Mine. Average Number of Men employed, Quartz crushed. Gold obtained. Estimated Value. Hyde— Ophir Reef Gold and Tungston Manioto , itoto County. 2 )TO Coi Tons. 8 2,377 Oz. dwt. gr. 8 3 19 94 2 3 £ s. d 31 17 6 361 5 5 Totals 2 2,385 102 5 22 393 2 11 Waihem io Cou: [emo County, Macrae's— Golden Point .. Maritana Deep Dell Morning Star .. * * * * * 3 4,428 1,297 660 40 540 8 9 18 5 12 24 16 0 2 0 0 1,817 12 10 63 4 10 93 0 0 7 10 0 * 3 Totals 3 6,425 585 9 21 1,981 7 8 SCJM1 MARY MMARY. Lake County 8 8 73 20 5 12 77 16 1 Vincent County .. Maniototo County 26 26 2 1,775 458 12 0 1,754 12 4 2 2,385 102 5 22 393 2 11 Waihemo County 3 3 6,425 585 9 21 1,981 7 8 Totals, 1913 39 f 10,658 1,166 13 7 4,206 19 0 Totals, 1912 Decrease .. 63+ 24 15,722 2,105 4 0 8,065 1 2 24 5,064 938 10 17 3,858 2 2 * As the sixty-eight men β-i ployed at these four mines are mostly enr classified as scheelite-ininers elsewhere. t During the year two men we included in this table. ployed mining ai »re employed at ui i'l treating schea iproductive minii [ite-ore, thty ore ig operations not

Mining District. Year ended 31st December, 1912. Year ended 31st December, 1913. lauraki larlborough, Nelson, and West Coast ... ■tago and Southland... £ s. d. 781,716 1 4 116,407 14 10 8,065 1 2 £ s. d. 865,618 19 10 201,987 10 7 4,206 19 0 Totals ... 906,188 17 4 1,071,813 9 5

C—2

Table 4. Gross Totals and Value of Bullion purchased by Banks for the Year ended 31st December, 1913.

Table 5. Return of Gold Duty credited to Local Bodies for the Year ended 31st December 1913, and the Quarter ended 31st March, 1914.

Bank. Bullion purchased. Value. Hauraki Mining District (Northern Inspection Dist •them Inspection Distr. let). Bank of New Zealand ... ... ... 298 970 13 0 Bank of New South Wales ... ... 3*336 19 8 National Bank of New Zealand ... ... 104,'352 1 8 406,659 13 16 Oz. dwt. gr. 298,970 13 0 3,336 19 8 104,352 1 8 £ s. d. 242,766 14 2 7,715 0 4 43,683 2 1 406,659 13 16 294,164 16 7 Marlborough, Karamea, and Westland Mining Districts (West Coast r nspection District). Bank of New Zealand ... ... ... 24 4yg 15 13 National Bank of New Zealand ... ... 13^296 4 13 Bank of New South Wales ... ... ... l'40o 19 7 Union Bank of Australia ... ... '972 n 13 94,095 5 4 51,148 10 3 5,521 14 6 3,797 19 1 40,163 10 22 40,163 10 22 154,563 9 2 Otago Mining District (Southern Inspection Distrii .em Inspection District). Bank of New Zealand ... ... ... 44 419 \§ 12 Bank of New South Wales ... ... 3 3 National Bank of New Zealand ... ... 18,'955 14 2 Union Bank of Australia ... ... ... '5Q6 6 1 Bank of Australasia ... ... ... ... 1 785 3 43 Private buyers ... ... ... ' 51 12 14 44,419 10 12 6,324 3 3 18,955 14 2 586 6 1 1,785 3 13 51 12 14 170,610 10 3 24,650 14 4 73,290 3 7 2,257 5 11 6,901 16 3 198 2 5 70. 1Q9. q 01 lt,vXi 9 Totals ... ... ... ... 518,945 14 11 72,122 9 21 277,908 12 9 518,945 14 11 726,636 18 6 Totals, 1912 ... ... ... 367,226 12 2 367,226 12 2 840,579 14 4

Local Body. For the Year ended 31st December, 1913. For the Quarter ended 31st March, 1914. Counties— Coromandel Great Barrier Island Ohinemuri Piako Thames Boroughs— Thames Waihi .. £ s. d. 369 8 0 0 4 7 8,908 19 8 5 4 0 1,003 19 10 £ s. d. 652 12 2 68 9 6 68 15 3 11,683 0 1 3,594 14 6 Totals .. 22,039 11 5 4,315 16 2 Note—This statement does not allow for the transfer of £ County Council during the year ended 31st December, 191 Transfer was made in accordance with Order in Council datei !260from theWai hi Borough Council to credit of Ohinemuri i also similar transfer of £170 during March quarter, 1914.

a—2

Statement or Affairs of Mining Companies, as published in accordance with the Companies Act, 1908.

Name of Company. Amount Value of Scrip Numhnr ° * Quantity and Value of Date of a„v, = of given to Share- Number *_,„„„+ _„ { j a„„„,.„ S a £. Gold and Silver produced Begistra- S^ c i^ ed Capital holders on of Shares A ™°T h '?f d ffSSg &l\eStt II -2 since Begistration. tion. Capital - actually which no Cash allotted. Per Share. of Calls, holders at |g g, P aidu P- P aid - Pr8e • -S I Quantity. | Value.' Total Total Amount Expenditure Amount of of Debts since Dividends owing by Registration. paid. Company. .gisi ;ra1 AU( LAND DISTRICT. £ 7,800 £ 1,901 £ i £ s. d. 155,994 < 3kd., 3d., 2Jd-, 2d. 100,000 : o o ii 100.000 !ld.,2d.,31d., ! 4Jd.,5Jd. 187,600 3d. 122,982 4/, 2/,1/10 108,700 7d., 6d., 3d., 2/6 129,746 0 0 7 7,600 1 0 0 175,000 1/5,1/1,2/ 1,470 1 0 0 89,575 4/11,4/10, 4/8, 4/7, & 2/7 83,260 0 0 7* 256,000 2/7,2/4,2/, 1/10 179,596 !3d.,8d.,9|-d. l/0i, 1/3J, 100,000 3/2,2/8 120,000 0 1 10 100,000 8£d., 4-|d., 113,860 3/,2/5,2/oJ 300,000 0 1 8 150,000 0 1 4 35,240 0 2 0 £ 10 Oz. £ £ 2,014 £ £ Alburnia Gold-mining Company (Limited) 2/9/10 98 2 21 Bonanza Gold-mining Company (No Liability) .. Bremner's Freehold Gold-mining Company (Ltd.) 22/10/06 5/8/10 10,000 10,000 3,797 1,864 i36 59 44 4 541 1,499 3,897 3,337 4131 Dominion Gold-mining Company (No Liability).. Golden Belt Gold-mining Company (Limited) Golden Cross Consolidated Company (Limited) .. 8/9/11 22/12/11 13/8/12 18,760 24,856 5,435 2,345 3,929 2,803 17,027 118 359 135 118 39 5 9 10 348 715 666 826 2,355 3,878 3,343 i: i,42: 521 Good Hope Gold-mining Company (No Liability) Hare-Ratjen Copper Company (Limited) Hauraki Reefs (Limited) Kaipara Copper-developing Company (Limited).. Kuranui Gold-mining Company (Limited) 10/11/10 5/4/07 28/4/10 25/6/08 3/9/95 12,975 7,600 17,500 1,470 22,394 1,982 1,000 8,530 1,010 18,369 1,622 6,600 5,083 460 3,450 72 20 300 99 83 78 228 2,014 1,412 12,627 1,294 19.690 3: 5( 509. 23 241 11 1 6 1^585 4,605 144 -U899 Luck-at-Last Gold-mining Company (Limited) .. May Queen Gold-mining Company (Limited) 23/8/09 15/5/07 2,710 64,000 2,673 31,504 26,767 18 367 2 5,198 14^586 2,670 55,640 70 46! Moanataiari Gold-mining Company (Limited) I 7/12/09 22,450 11,013 432 159 7 11,008 71' Monowai Gold-mining Company (Limited) Mountain King Gold-mining Company (Limited) Mount Welcome Gold-mining Company (Limited) 21/9/09 12/2/08 8/7/09 25,000 12,000 5,000 15,752 9,000 2,745 2,000 458 86 507 43 137 58 30 6 6,716 3,548 92 3,925 9,989 267 27,207 19,328 4,137 1,53( New Comstock Gold-mining Company (Limited) New Sylvia Gold-mining Company (Limited) New Waitaia Gold-mining Company (Limited) .. North Prince of Wales Consolidated Gold-mining Company (No Liability) Occidental Consolidated Gold-mining Company (No Liability) Old Hauraki Gold-mines (Limited) Rising Sun Gold-mining Company (Limited) Saxon Gold-mining Company (Limited) Silver Stream Mines (Limited) 23/11/09 2/10/05 25/2/09 23/3/12 3/8/09 28,465 30,000 15,000 4,405 5,397 1,207 23,792 7,500 3,957 3,583 3,746 1,208 2,500 1,250 107,938 5d.& lOd. 197 65 348 142 24 131 56 25 9 66,575 1,861 3,447 42,259 5,386 8,977 1,408 14,877 3,462 11,459 1,875 1,348 19( 49! 3/8/07 1/10/08 2-12/07 7/7/09 17,903 16,500 35,000 44,350 13,125 7,615 15,579 8,553 2,229 13,333 35,600 179,030 0 1 3 110,000 0 14 200,000 1/7 J, 1/6! 44,350 13/, 9/6, <fe £1 19,000 0 1 0 212,880 0 1 10 240 671 187 271 148 240 70 2 12 8 6,823 20,296 28,394 7,436 15,516 7,890 2,625 8( 38 10,374 109 1,545 39; 19'. Tauri Consolidated Company (Limited) Tellurides Proprietary (Limited) 13/12/12 2/11/09 2,850 21,288 950 12,815 1,550 552 28 217 19 4 105 13,885

.Cv-c-2.

11—C. 2.

NELSON DISTRICT (INCLUDING WEST COAST).

Te Puke Gold Reefs (Limited) Thames Foreshore Dredging Company (Limited) Victoria Gold-mining Company (No Liability) .. Waihi Extended Gold-mining Company (Limited) Waihi-Paeroa Gold-extraction Company (Limited) Waihi Reefs Consolidated (Limited) Waihi Standard Gold - mining Company (No Liability) Waitangi Consolidated Gold-mining Company (No Liability) Waitawheta Gold-prospecting Company (No Liability) Waiotahi Gold-mining Company (Limited) Watchman Gold-mining Company (Limited) Zeehan Consolidated (Limited) 4-5/98 16/5/08 8/12/06 29/5/95 4/3/10 26/10/09 20/11/11 23/10/08 12,865 12,865 11,000 7,400 29,523 11,415 149,967 50,427 125,000 65,000 172,289 ' 7,539 19,891 I 2,496 146,833 j 13,445 5,498 60,000 164,750 5,000 101,478 22,000 147,615 149,967 125,000 172,289 198,305 169,800 0 2 6 10/, 4/ 0 16 7/5J & 6/5J 1 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 3 I 1/8 & 1/3 '272 102 14 259 397 153 246 15 245 5 1 2 72 1 8 3,977 1,031 2 168,149 1,526 452 4,194 2,886 4 76,111 601 1,442 13,150 13,081 11,739 51.535 145,433 14,232 2,629 22,185 j 12^481 3 9,395 369 71 2,682 6,532 2 21/12/07 7,250 5,769 750 145,000 0 0 11 654 136 9 119 252 7,062 381 28/7/71 4/12/11 23/10/10 18,000 15,000 37,500 11,345 11,300 10,625 3,700 240,000 150,000 150,000 0 1 3 0 16 0 0 6 13 646 178 50 17 17 224,930 1,625 674,790 4,015 274,706 14,655 2,822 400,786 155 437 15 Totals ! 1,232,526 1421,594 375,206 5,261,275 4,819 5,974 360 509,750 881,357 853,512 419,115 27,912

Blackwater River Gold-dredging Company (Ltd.). Blue Creek Gold, Silver, and Lead Development Company (Limited) Dominion Consolidated Developing Company (Ltd.) Five-mile Beach Gold-extraction Company (Ltd.) Just-in-Time Gold-mining Company (Limited) .. Keep-it-Dark Mines (Limited) Mahinapua Gold-mining Company (Limited) Millerton Gold-mining Company (Limited) Mont d'Or Gold-mining and Water-race Company (Limited) Montezuma (Limited) Mount Radiant Prospecting Company (New Zealand) Murray Creek Gold-mining Company (Limited) .. New Swastika Gold-mines (Limited) New Ulster Quartz-mining Company (Limited) .. Parapara Hydraulic Sluicing and Mining Company (Limited) Poerua Gold-mining Company (Limited) Ross Goldfields Reconstructed (Limited) Stafford Gold-dredging Company (Limited) St. George Gold-mining Company (Limited) Swastika Gold-mines (Limited) Swastika North Gold-mines (Limited) Worksop Gold-dredging Company (Limited) 27/4/00 14/11/10 £ 9,475 24,065 £ 5,892 3,360 £ 3,000 15,000 9,475 24,065 £ s. d. 0 18 0 1 0 0 £ 272 91 212 12 5 Oz. 14,130 £ 55,575 £ 47,807 3,634 £ 12,755 £ 168 129 18/1/11 16/6/13 6/8/10 8/2/11 11/1/09 19/11/12 25/7/82 15, 000 15,015 6,425 10,000 5,385 50,125 12,000 7,000 2,480 5,425 4,250 4,485 13,063 10,800 8,000 7,000 1,000 15,000 15,015 12,850 20,000 5,385 50,125 12,000 1 0 0 0 8 0 10/ & 2/6 0 4 3 1 0 0 0 10 0 0 18 0 726 47 61 62 47 77 201 42 80 5 75 2 14 7 2,288 310 18,470 1,184 23,877 1,348 6,387 40,572 11,110 6,827 103,598 647 80 18 6,915 4,657 900 24,000 123 37^616 144'.730 55,200 121 20/12/12 11/1/13 6,000 17,000 5,353 5,043 500 7,000 6,000 24 1 0 0 296 13 4 73 13 1 16 86 327 6,342 2,553 675 108 30/5/11 4/12/13 11/3/08 18/6/92 24,000 38,000 5,125 50,600 14,426 750 3,905 26,210 2,000 32,000 1,250 20,000 24,000 38,000 9,126 40,600 £1 &9/ £1 & 2/6 0 8 2 £1,12/, & 5/ 974 750 16 150 101 85 22 60 7 9 2 10 15,568 481 5,000 73,836 2,278 166 241 13,209 882 50,796 20/10/10 7/2/11 17/5/05 9/10/09 19/10/12 16/5/13 20/3/07 19,788 70,000 289 12,150 4,000 1,440 4,500 16,664 24,397 289 7,320 2,200 418 4,500 28,000 43,750 1,734 3,000 1,250 720 1,500 19,788 70,000 2,023 24,300 16,000 1,440 6,000 0 17 0 6/6, 7/, 7/6 1 0 0 10/ & 8/ 0 4 0 12/ & 10/ 10 0 812 123 1 181 276 7 44 66 28 88 115 63 7 24 491 7,481 89 1,918 29,066 16,720 15,341 24,992 7,445 2,200 453 36,945 4,046 617 208 401 2 88 2 18 54 104 432 17^881 69^307 35,700 Totals .. ; .v 400,382 168,230 201,604 421,216 4,035 1,884 450 101,464 401,282 453,036 107,701 17,726

0.—2

Statement of Affairs of Mining Companies, as published in accordance with the Companies Act, 1908— continued.

Name of Company. Date of Registration. Subscribed Capital. Amount of Capital actually paid up. Value of Scrip given to Shareholders on which no Cash paid. Number of Shares allotted. Amount paid per Share. : Number Arrears ■ of Shareof Calls. | holders at present. Sgft Quantity and Value of T„t„' t„*„i Gold and Silver produced Wl , °?i„,,. »„,,,♦ f since Registration. DWdllf r Registration. paid. Quantity, j Value. Amount of Debts owing by Company. Quantity, j Value. OTAGC DISTRICT (INCLUDi; G SOUTH] AND). £ Arrow River Mining Company (Limited) Carrick Gold-mining Company (Limited) Crewe Gold-dredging Company (Limited) Deep Dell Scheelite and Gold Mining Company (Limited) Deep Stream Gold-mining Company (Limited) . . Earnscleugh Gold-dredging Company (Limited) . . Electric Gold-dredging Company (Limited) Gabriel's Gully Sluicing Company (Limited) Golden Crescent Sluicing Company (Limited) Good Chance Dredging Company (Limited) Havelock Sluicing Company (Limited) Island Block Gold-dredging and Sluicing Company (Limited) Karaunui Dredging Company (Limited) Kia-Ora Victoria Gold-dredging Company (Ltd.) Ladysmith Gold-dredging Company (Limited) .. Lammermoor Mining Company (Limited) Lower Nevis Dredging Company (Limited) Magnum Bonurn Gold-dredging Company (Limited) Manuherikia Gold-dredging Company (Limited).. Mount Morgan Sluicing Company (Limited) Muddy Terrace Sluicing Company (Limited) Naseby Dredging and Hydraulic Sluicing Company (Limited) New Golden Run Dredging Company (Limited). . Ngapara Gold-dredging Company (Limited) Nokomai Hydraulic Sluicing Company (Limited) Olrig Dredging Company (Limited) Ourawera Gold-mining Company (Limited) Paterson's Freehold Gold-mining Company (Ltd.) Phoenix Water-race Company (Limited) (Regd.) Red Jack's Gold-dredging Company (Limited) .. Rise and Shine Gold-dredging Company (Limited) Rising Sun Gold-dredging Company (Limited) .. Round Hill Mining Company (Limited) Roxburgh Amalgamated Mining and Sluicing Company (Limited) Sailor's Bend Gold-dredging Company (Limited) Sailor's Gully (Waitahuna) Gold-mining Company (Limited) 28/11/11 22/2/10 7/9/02 2/12/12 £ 975 27,726 2,000 3,000 £ 975 17,307 2,000 2,938 £ 1 975 10,000 27,726 3,000 5,000 3,000 5,975 £ s. d. 1 0 0 1 0 0 1 0 0 1 0 0 419 13 204 20 44 1 9 14 16 Oz. 199 638 11,484 25 £ 772 2,174 44,200 1,386* £ 1,311 20,977 37,746 1,430 £ 8,625 £ 144 1,792 208 160 38 19/11/06 15/7/01 2/9/99 2 /5/07 26/11/98 24/3/09 3/3/08 26/2/00 2,500 8 26,000 600 3,500 1,250 4,000 24,030 500 8 2,000 2,500 10,992 11,000 26,000 26,000 600 3,500 1,250 600 4,000 12,000 25,000 1 0 0 1 0 0 1 0 0 0 6 0 1 0 0 1 0 0 1 0 0 1 0 0 7 16 281 8 23 54 12 106 5 30 20 24 7 8 6 8 1,765 44,893 57,225 3,189 7,660 2,714 4,166 8,092 6,794 172,088 221,280 12,277 29,820. 10,563 15,983 31,540 6,566 148,378 98,436 15,372 22,197 11,311 14,999 39,565 1,563 26,400 130,643 1,605 9,625 625 4,600 2,403 27 511 242 2,759 32 60 75 1,339 180 3,500 779 3,400 12,030 12/10/09 10/8/01 19/4/00 6/7/08 29/9/06 1/3/06 1/8/99 2/7/02 4/10/06 16/10/97 5,115 9,100 12,000 4,950 600 2,500 12,000 800 14,400 5,000 2,765 5,915 3,964 4,950 600 2,500 6,000 800 14,400 2,288 2,350 5,115 9,100 3,000 14,500 1,000 5,950 600 1,200 2,500 6,000 12,000 2,000 2,800 5,550 19,950 2.000 5,000 1 0 0 0 13 0 0 10 0 1 0 0 1 0 0 1 0 0 1 0 0 1 0 0 1 0 0 0 15 3 95 35 80 27 7 9 166 11 126 24 II 10 9 3 7 8 9 3 30 4 4,119 27,291 9,418 456 3,870 8,423 18,936 1,850 6,895 4,542 15,055 | 110,461 ! 36,305 1,801 14,876 33,362 72,606 7,131 27,164 17,491 21,538 78,915 30,383 6,724 14,723 22,794 43,068 7,001 60,964 17,269 37,759 10,421 1,260 11,875 34,176 210 1,929 75 479 284 36 4,125 15,850 32 21/11/07 9/9/11 26/3/98 13/3/99 23/5/95 15/7/99 12/10/67 1/7/12 24/2/00 16/2/01 30/7/02 2/3/89 8,000 8,000 8,000 2.400 3,000 17,000 24,000 1,000 9,955 3,000 4,000 12,000 1,000 750 4,500 2,000 12,000 2,500 8,000 21,492 5,649 15,000 29,153 1 0 0 0 16 0 1 0 0 I 0 0 1 0 0 1 0 0 1 10 0 1 0 0 1 0 0 1 0 0 5 0 0 0 18 6 20 10 63 70 16 32 19 47 157 80 180 162 13 9 50 8 9 17 1 9 22 10 38 11 2,988 2,559 35,537 9,199 11,969 19,676 11,371 9,819 133,193 35,171 47,722 78,707 132^323 69,194 157,947 109,466 16,835 8,420 97,883 36,600 38,984 86.307 1,282 4,567 108,799 52,220 154,191 90,489 400 1,500 40,284 4,473 13,615 21,100 8,780 1,567 178 475 356 500 250 12 1,327 2,157 840 170 114 24,000 9,955 3,000 12,000 1,500 4,500 10,000 8,000 28,245 29,153 7,000 8,955 3,000 8,000 1,500 3,750 9,746 5,500 6,753 13,121 254 34,047 17,888 39,506 29,209 35,100 19,200 8,474 32,430 1/9/99 3/6/96 8,000 2,000 6,500 200 1,500 8,000 1,800 2,000 1 0 0 1 0 0 160 10 8 5 5,345 4,323 20,627 16,408 25,028 12,308 3,587 4,750 176 150 • • ;

a—2.

Statement of Affairs of Mining Companies, as published in accordance with the Companies Act, 1908— continued. Foreign Company.

Scandinavian Water-race Company (Limited) .. Skipper's Sluicing Company (Limited) Stewart Island Tin and Wolfram Lodes (Limited) Success Gold-dredging Company (Limited) Tallaburn Hydraulic Sluicing Company (Limited) Teviot-Molyneux Gold-mining Company (Ltd.) . . 10/12/07 20/11/11 ■ 5/12/12 25/5/10 3/12/04 24/12/09 7 3,450 5,170 10,000 1,200 30,000 7 345 3,827 8,000 1,200 16,798 9,750 3,105 3,000 2.000 9,757 3,450 8,170 10,000 12 30,000 1 9 0 1 0 0 0 15 0 1 0 0 100 0 0 16,250 £lea. 3,750 5/ea. 1 0 0 10 0 0 "50 18 27 82 136 9 23 15 4 20 11 4 50 6,134 455 3,707 1,277 23,376 1,748 14,609 4,914 25,264 1,992 3,464 24,648 6,244 17,132f 4,581 221 5i: 41! 22( 7,25( 10,000 .U380 Tinker's Gold-mining Company (Limited) Undaunted Gold-mining Company (Limited) 29/10/10 1/3/98 8/5/72 23/5/72 23/9/00 20/10/03 10/11/04 11,500 15,000 11,500 15,000 11,500 11,500 1,500 21 35 9 8 1,319 11,732 5,126 46,041 5,849 30,397 467 14,437 581 13! United M. and E. Water-race Company (Regd.) j Vinegar Hill Hydraulic Sluicing Company (Ltd.) Waikaia Gold-dredging Company (Limited) Waitahuna Hydraulic Sluicing Company (Limited) j 7,600 7,600 152 50 0 0 8 5 15,995 61,644 68,541 3,078 89: 3,500 2,000 6,000 1,750 1,400 1,750 6,000 3,500 2,000 1 0 0 10 0 0 14 0 13 46 8 5 9 11,130 3,786 13,456 43,989 14,730 12,285 33,603 13,010 1,050 14,700 3,950 Hi 23( Totals 399,834 1243,251 200,639 407,939 761 2,820 592 495,631 1,936,710 4,698,009 518,670 49,47. Grand totals 9,615 2,032,742 833,075 777,449 6,090,430 10.678 1,402 1,106,845 3,219,349 3,004,557 1,045,486 95,11; * Including 9 tons scheelite. t Approximate. \

Name of Company, Date of .Registration Subscribed of Office in Capital. Dominion. Amount of Capital actually paid up in Dominion. Value of Scrip given to Shareholders on which no Cash paid. Number of Shares on Dominion Begister. Amount paid ! Arrears up per Share, j of Calls, Dominion Dominion Register. Register. Number of Shareholders on Dominion Begister. h t5 o Si S >s.S i g t a Quantity and Value of t t i Gold and Silver produced: t.^ since Begistration. j Expenditure & since j otal Amount of Amount of labilities D pIfd e uf S Company Dominion. £*» Quantity. Value. £ 16/10/00 200,000 £ £ £ s. d. 0 5 0 £ 37 Oz. 77,510 £ 371,118 £ 328,382 £ 7,467 I £ Komata Reefs Gold-mining Company (Limited).. 231,800 441

C.—2

ANNEXUKE F.

QUESTIONS ASKED AT THE 1914 EXAMINATION FOR FIRST- AND SECOND-CLASS CERTIFICATES OF COMPETENCY AS MINE-MANAGERS UNDER THE MINING ACT.

Subject I.— Mining. 1. A shaft is to be sunk to a depth of 500 ft. to Work to best advantage a series of quartz reefs from lft. to 7 ft. wide striking north-east and underlying 10° off the vertical to south-east; quantity of water to be met with unknown. (a.) Draw a plan showing (1) size of shaft, (2) style of timbering, (3) class of timber you would use, (4) the relative size of each compartment, and the situation of shaft to lodes. (6.) State the distance between each level you would open chambers in shafts and the convenient height of each, (c.) Show by sketch how you would put cage chairs or clips in at surface and each chamber in winding-compartments, to be easily manipulated when required. (d.) State what are the advantages and also the disadvantages in the Rill system of stoping compared with the flat-back system. 2. Describe how you would drive through loose rubble or old filled-up stopes a level 7 ft. high and 5| ft. wide in the clear. 3. If a 4-ft.-square cribbed pass is 80 ft. in depth and empty of ore, how would you proceed to fill it to top so that the ore would not pack too tight and allow you to keep the ore from hanging up when it is being trucked out as stoping proceeds ? 4. Give a correct estimate of the quantity of ore in tons (2,240 lb. each) in a block 200 ft. long, 150 ft. in depth, average width 7 ft. ; also estimated value at £2 7s. per ton, allowing 14 cubic feet to ton of solid ore. 5. Describe in detail how you would organize a gang of miners and allot their respective work, and place the drilling-machines so that you could manage to drive a medium hard heading at the rate of about 50 ft. per week of six days. 6. Taking blasting-powder as a unit, give the relative strength of other explosives generally used in mines. 7. Describe how electric delay fuses are made, and what is the advantage in using them. 8. What precaution would you use in approaching old workings full of water ? What provision would you make to prevent the mine being flooded by the water breaking away in greater volume than you anticipate ? 9. Show by sketch how you would construct a dam in a drive 5| ft. wide by 7 ft. in height in ordinary rock to keep water safely back for 200 ft. in height, the dam to have a door and opening large enough to permit trucking through when dam is empty, (a) Describe the material you would use ; (&) how you would construct the door so that, if necessary, it could be closed from the surface ; (c) what provision you would make for drawing the water off in emptying the dam; (d) give the total pressure in tons when the dam is full. Subject ll.— Mechanics. 1. Describe briefly the different classes of steel-wire rope used for hauling and winding. Show by calculation the size of rope you would employ for hoisting a load of 35 cwt. (cage, truck, and ore) in a vertical shaft from a depth of 1,200 ft. Specify which class of rope you would recommend for this work. 2. The height of a shaft-head frame is 60 ft. ; rope used for winding, 1-Jin. diameter : give a sideview sketch of frame, showing position and diameter of head-pulley, diameter of drum, position of drum-shaft, and back-stay. 3. Describe a safety appliance for holding a truck in skip on an incline in case of accident to controlling-gear or breakage of rope. 4. State how you would test and examine a steam boiler—(a) Cornish, (b) tubular. 5. A mine-pumping plant is to consist of a suction-gas plant operating an electric generator, from which the electricity is to be conveyed a distance of 1,200 ft. to the pump-motor; quantity of water to be lifted is 6,000 gallons per hour against a bead of 400 ft. State class of pump you would employ, and the respective horse-powers of the electric motor, electric generator, and gas-engine. 6. Give a working sketch of bailing-tank, to carry 250 gallons of water, in a vertical shaft, the overall size of compartment being 4 ft. 6 in. by 3 ft. 6 in. 7. What terms are employed for the unit of electro-motive force, current, and power, in electricity ? 8. What are the regulations prescribed in the Mining Act in regard to the installation and use of electrical machinery underground ?

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Subject lll.—Ventilation. 1. What is understood by the expression " diffusion of gases " ? Given four gases whose comparative densities are as 1 4, 9, and 16, at what relative rates will each of the three last diffuse into the farst when brought into contact with it separately, and under such conditions that there is no o «n. me I cllanlcal movement in either of them, and that the lighter gas is uppermost « 2. What do you understand by the term " vapour density " ? Explain how it is that an increase of moisture m the atmospheric air causes the barometer to go down. 3. What is the object of splitting the air in mines ? To what general result is it conducive, and how is it effected ? 4. Describe and sketch the most efficient ventilating-fan, also the most efficient blower for mineventilation with which you are acquainted. State the conditions for which each is adapted 5. ihe quantity of air passing through the downcast shaft of a mine is 100,000 cubic feet per minute at a temperature of 40° F. ; the quantity in the upcast is 106,000 cubic feet per minute at a temperature of 65 F. : find the amount of gas being given off in the mine-workings. 6. Jixplain the general principles upon which self-contained breathing-appliances work. Describe with simple sketch, any type of such apparatus with which you are familiar 7. A tan running at a speed of 100 revolutions per minute produces 125,000 cubic feet of air under a water-gauge of 2 in. : what would be the required speed of the fan and the water-gauge to produce a circulation of 150,000 cubic feet of air per minute in the same mine ? Subject IV .—Arithmetic, First Aid, and Law. Arithmetic. 1. If 9 men and 6 boys can do in 2 days what 5 men and 7 boys could do in 3 days, in what time could *' men and 5 boys do the same ? 2. An engine working steadily day and night consumes a hundredweight of coal in U hours : how many tons will be used in 150 days ? 3. Standard gold consists of 11 parts by weight of pure gold and 1 part of copper. If a sovereign weighs 123 grains, find how many can be coined from a bar of standard gold containing lib advoirdupois of pure gold. 4. Miners earn on the average 10s. sd. each per day, and 234 men are employed : find the total sum paid in wages tor a week of 6 days. 5. Extract the square root of 50,085,018,863,929 and the cube root of 26,463,502. 6. Make up a pay-sheet in proper form for 4 weeks' wages in connection with a mine, a day being reckoned as 8 hours—lie men at Is. ljd. per hour ; 47 men at llfd. per hour ; 540 men at Is. 4W. per hour ; 87 boys at sfd. per hour. First Aid. 7. Describe Sylvester's method of treating the apparently drowned. 8. Explain the terms "abrasions," "incised wounds," "contused wounds," "lacerated wounds" and punctured wounds." 9. Give a diagram of and name the arteries of the lower limbs. 10. What are the symptoms of and treatment for a case of cyanide poisoning ? Law. 11. What are the provisions of the Act relating to the employment of manual labour in mines on Sundays ? 12. State the uniform code of signals to be used at each mine. 13. What are the conditions as to the ventilation of mines ? 14. State generally the procedure to be followed in connection with accidents in a mine. Subject V.— Surveying. 1. The accompanying diagram shows a traverse in the underground workings of a mine : compute the bearing and distance of the line V-I.

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2. A seam of coal dipping 15 degrees is thrown down 320 ft. by a vertical fault. A slope is started from the top of the downthrow, and cuts the seam 480 ft. horizontally from the fault. Required, the length and dip of the slope AB.

3. The area of a rectangular mining lease is 140 acres, and its width is 33 chains 18 links : find its length. Subject Vl.— General and Applied Geology. 1. Carefully describe the action of running water and ice as geological agents. 2. State how water, ice, and other geological agents, assist, or have assisted, the miner (a) by exposing metalliferous lodes, (b) by forming workable alluvial deposits of gold, stream tin, &c. [Note. —The candidate, if he likes, may combine his answer to this question with his answer to question I.] 3. Give a table showing the sequence of the principal geological formations in New Zealand, or in Great Britain. 4. Define the terms —" Sedimentary rock," " igneous rock," " fossil," " strike," " dip." How do you in practice ascertain the strike and dip of an outcropping stratum ? 5. Give a sketch of the geology of any mining district in New Zealand with which you have a personal acquaintance. 6. Give as full an account as you cap of the part water is supposed to play in the formation of quartz lodes. Whence do you consider this water is derived? 7. What changes (if any) are likely to take place in the course of time in the contents of a quartz lode originally containing gold and silver associated with sulphides of iron, copper, and other metals (a) near the surface, (b) at a moderate depth, (c) at great depth ? 8. Where, in New Zealand, are found asbestos, antimony ores, copper ores, stream tin, phosphate rock? 9. Define the terms —"normal fault," "reversed fault"; and give illustrative sketches. If in drifting or driving you came across a polished surface striking north and south, and dipping at, say, 70° to the west, but having upon it parallel scratches or grooves inclined southward from the direction of dip, what inference concerning the direction of movement of the country would you make ? 10. In a district containing numerous quartz lodes, faulting has taken place both prior to and subsequent to the formation of the lodes : explain how you would distinguish the earlier faults from the later faults. Give a figure or figures to illustrate your answer. 11. A quartz lode striking north 45° east, and dipping at 65° to the south-east, is cut off by a strong fault striking north and south, and dipping at 70° to the west: where would you look for the faulted portion of the lode, and why ? Give illustrative diagram. If the faultplane showed scratches or grooves inclined southward from the direction of dip (as in question 9), how would your method of search be affected? 12. Why do mines get hotter with depth? Is the rate of increase of temperature the same in all mining districts, or not? State as fully as you can any figures or other data referring to the rate of increase of temperature in the earth's crust in any part of the world. QUESTIONS ASKED AT THE 1914 EXAMINATION FOR BATTERY SUPERINTENDENTS' CERTIFICATES OF COMPETENCY. Subject A.— The Different Modes of reducing and pulverizing Ores. 1. Give an intelligent sketch of a crushing-hattery capable of reducing 100 tons of hard auriferous quartz ore per day of twenty-four hours to a sufficient degree of fineness so that the gold can be extracted by means of the cyanide process, with all appliances to convert the bullion into a marketable commodity, (a) Show by figures the relative levels of the different appliances ; (b) give a detailed estimate of the cost of such a crushing plant and a description of the different appliances. 2. In lighting battery-buildings 100 lamps of 16 candle-power and 10 lamps of 20 candle-power are required : how many kilowatts would a dynamo have to produce to give the required power ? Also give the pressure and volume you would use, and give reasons for same. 3. Describe a Huntingdon mill of 5 ft. diameter, giving its speed and capacity with suitable rockbreakers to pulverize the ore, so that it will pass through a screen of 25-mesh ; also give the horse-power required to drive it. 4. If the gold in the ore was in a very finely divided state, what appliances would you use to pulverize it to sufficient fineness to enable it to be attacked by cyanide solutions %

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Subject B. — -A malgamaiing-machines. 1. What is meant by " amalgamating-machines " ? Why are they required ? Describe the class of ore most suitable for treatment by these machines. 2. Describe the different amalgamating-machines used in the Dominion of New Zealand State their capacity, the speed they are worked at, and the quantity of quicksilver used in each machine are thiylsed™ 6 7 "" ** con « d > a »* ™der what circTmstances Subject O.—The Use of Quicksilver, and Methods of using it in connection with the Extraction of Gold and Silver from Ores. L Ho ln d d o -sirv U er a ores t f n quicksilver is in a fit state to use in the amalgamation of gold2. Is there any advantage in using common salt and sulphate of copper in amalgamating-machines - Describe how they are used, and the class of machine suitable for their use mdcmnes • 3. How are copper plates coated with quicksilver ? How is the amalgamated bullion taken off and how is the plate kept in a fit state for amalgamation ? 4. If the quicksilver contained base metals such as lead, antimony, and zinc, how would you purify the quicksilver so.as to make it in a fit state for the amalgamation of gold and silver - 5. Describe how bullion is extracted from quicksilver and made into a marketable commodity. Subject D.-Cyanide, Chlorination, and other Chemical Processes of recovering Gold and Silver from Ores. 1. Describe the class of auriferous ore most suitable for treatment by the chlorination process, and state how it is prepared for treatment. v ' 2. What is meant by chlorination ? How is it produced ? Describe the process fully, and state by what means the gold is extracted. J y 3. Give a neat sketch of a modern plant where ores are treated with KCN solutions • also describe the class of ore most suitable for treatment by this process. 4. How is KCN solution prepared ? 5. How is the strength of KCN solution ascertained ? 6. How would you ascertain the most suitable strength of KCN solution to use for the class of ore required to be treated ? 7. In making up 40 tons of a sump solution containing 0-013 per cent, of KCN to a 0-2-per-cent solution, how many pounds of crude cyanide containing 78 per cent. KCN would be required - ' 8. In using 50 tons of sump solution containing 0-1 per cent, of KCN to make up a 0-23-per-cent solution, how many tons of a 2-per-cent. solution of KCN would be required - 9. tonsj,f a 0-18-per-cent. KCN solution would be obtained from 7 tons'of a 6- P er-cent. 10. Give the solubility of lead, antimony, copper, and zinc in relation to the solubility of gold, and state ntt f "ii . f ,T talS ™ °? the treatment of auriferous ores by KCN solutions. 11. Howu bullion extracted from KCN solutions and made into a marketable commodity ? Describe 12. If any of the workmen suffered from hydrocyanic poisoning, what remedy would you apply ? Subject E.— The Sampling and Testing of Ores. 1. Sketch a combined coke-fusion-furnace and sampling drying-furnace, the fusion-furnace to be o w. c fP able (( of takm § 81X H size Battersea round crucibles at one time. Give all dimensions 2. What is a grading test, how is it carried out, and why is it used « 3 ' Defi a n e o! Le tfrn/'stendard" gold? A bar of bullion weighs 242 oz. 12 dwt. 16 <*r and a°savs 9234: what is its "standard" weight? b JS 4. In a " sands " residue sample as taken from a vat, state how you would determine the following • («) Total gold (6) dissolved gold, (c) undissolved gold. Give only outline of processes used ' 5. riow is the amount of sulphur m pyntic concentrates determined ? 6. State how the amounts of gold and silver respectively in a sample of zinc-gold slime are determined - Give outline only of process. 7. An ore consists of 80 per cent, quartz, the balance being alumina, lime, and pyrite. Taking 2 assay tons of ore for assay, what fusion charge would you employ? And state why you select the different ingredients m the proportions given. Subject P.— A Knowledge of Arithmetic and the Method of keeping Battery Accounts. 1. The value of bullion containing gold and silver amounted to £4,977 10s fid • 121 r, Pr „ fflf nt the weight of the bullion was gold. Taking gold to be £4 Is. per ounce/and silver 2s 3d per ounce, what would be the weight of the gold and silver in the bullion ? 2. faking the specific gravity of silver to be 10-5 : required, the weight of a sphere of silver 4ft in diameter in pounds troy. "' m 3 ' Ho^fTtKe b inglo0 0 f f t.T ater WOUM a n ° ZZle 2im - m diamet6r diSoharge P er minute ' the head 4. The wages of a crushing-battery, in which 54 men were employed, amounted to £280 per week These men were in three equal divisions. A division got 63 per cent, of the B division got 80 per cent, of the wages of A division, and the balance was equally divided among the men in C division. How much did each man receive'? 5. Extract arithmetically the cube root of 0-0000312.

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LIST OF MINE - MANAGERS, BATTERY SUPERINTENDENTS, AND DREDGEMASTERS WHO HAVE OBTAINED CERTIFICATES UNDER THE MINING ACTS.

FIRST-GLASS MINE-MANAGERS' CERTIFICATES. Certificates of Service issued under the Mining Act, 1886, without Examination. Adams, H. H., Waiorongomai. "Greenish, J., Reefton. *Nasmyth, T., Reefton. "Anderson, P., Thames. 'Greenville, W., Ohinemuri. Newman, W.,{Naseby. •Andrews, R., Coromandel. "Hall, J. P. 'Northey, J., Thames.] Andrews, T., Thames. 'Hansen, P. C, Thames. *o'Sullivan, D. E., Thames. Barclay, T. H., Thames. "Harris, J., Owen's Reefs. Polton, A., Karangahake. Bennett, J., Alexandra. Harrison, R. H., Coromandel. Porter, J., Waipori. *Benney, J., Coromandel. *Hicks, T. 8., Thames. "Purvis, G., Ross. ! jiS2 Black, T., Waiomio. "Hilton, G. P., Bendigo. Quinn, 8., Te Aroha. "Bollersley, N., Boatman's. "Hodge, P., Coromandel. "Radford, T., Thames. "Bradbury, M., Reefton. Hollis, W., Thames. Ralph, J. G., Thames. "Bray, John, Lyell. Hunter, R., Thames. "Ranger, J., Reefton. Burch, W. H., Thames. James, P., Thames. "Rasmussen, C. L., Mokihinui. "Byrne, J. P., Stafford. Jamieson, A., Coromandel. Rasmussen, C. P., Mokihinui. Cameron, A., Macetown. Jenkins, M., Wj).katipu. Reid, P., Coromandel. •Cameron, E., Te Aroha. Johnstone, H., Bluespur. Resta, L., Macetown. Chapman, J. A., Dunedin. "Julian, J., Boatman's. "Roberts, E., Ross. •Clarke, G. S., Thames. Kelly, J., Lyell. Rooney, P., Reefton. "Comer, R., Thames. Kerr, J., Thames. Scott, T., Waiorongomai. Conradson, M., Lyell. "Lawn, E., Black's Point. 'Searight, A., Reefton. "Corin, W., Thames. "Lawn, H., Boatman's. 'Senior, J., Thames. "Comes, C. A., Karangahake. "Lawn, J., Reefton. Smith, J. E., Thames. "Coutts, J., Thames. "Littlejohn, W., Karangahake. Stone, F., Karangahake. "Crawford, T. H., Thames. "Lowe, E. W., Thames. 'Steedman, J. 8., Thames. •Crowley, C, Reefton. "Malfroy, J. M. C, Ross. Sturm, A., Waipori. "Cummings, W., Reefton. "Martin, W. G., Thames. Taylor N., Thames. Davis, J. E., Queenstown. "McCallum, J., Reefton. Todd, C, Heriot. •Davey, 0., Ross. McCullough, R., Thames. Treloer, J. S., Reefton. •Donald, J., Cromwell. McGruer, G. N., Karangahake. Tripp, R. S., Arrowtown. •Dryden, S., Thames. *Mcllhaney, J., Thames. 'Vivian, J. G., Thames. 'Dunlop, T. A., Thames. Mcintosh, D., Bluespur. "Vivian, S., Reefton. Edwards, J., Skipper's. 'McKay, J., Ross. "Waite, C. D., Thames. Elliott, J., Macetown. "McKenney, J., Reefton. "Waite, E., Thames. "Evans, P., Skipper's. 'McKenzie, W., Thames. Walker, J. W., Thames. Evans, J. H., Skipper's. 'McLeod, G., Coroma.ndel. Watson, T., Reefton. •Pitzmaurice, R., Reefton. 'McLiver, P., Thames. 'Wearne, J. E., Endeavour Inlet. Prewen, J. 8., Queenstown. 'McLiver, H., Thames. Wearne, T., Endeavour Inlet. 'Gavin, T., Te Aroha. McMaster, J., Reefton. 'Wilcox, J., Thames. 'Gilbert, J., Reefton. Moore, H. W., Thames. Williams, J., Skipper's. Gilmour, T., Thames. "Moore, J. H., Thames. "Wright, G., Boatman's. •Giles, G. P., West Wanganui. "Morgan, R., Otago. Wylie, W., Ross. Glass, W. M., Naseby. Morrisby, A. A., Glenorchy. Young, G., Skipper's. "Goldsworthy, J., Waiorongomai. Issued after Examination under the Mining Act, 1886, and Amendment Acts. Adams, 8., Thames. Crawford, J. J., Thames. Hosking, G. P., Auckland. Baker, W., Thames. *Cummings, W., Reefton. Kruizenza, W., Reefton. Black, G., Reefton. Donaldson, W., Otago. *Lawn, T., Reefton. •Caples, P. Q., Reefton. Fleming, M., Thames. Logan, H. F., Wellington. •Carter, J., Thames. "Gardner, W. P., Reefton. Mangan, T., Thames. "Casley, G., Reefton. Harris, W., Thames. Mouat, W. G., Dunedin. Cochrane, D. L., Reefton. Horn, G. W., Thames. 'Truscott, G., Thames. Colebrook, J. D., Coromandel. Home, W., Coromandel. Watkins, W. E., Reefton. Ooombe, J., Reefton. Hornick, M., Thames. "Wilkie, J., Reefton. Issued on Production of Certificate from a Recognised Authority outside the Dominion under the Mining Acts, 1886, 1891, 1898, 1905, 1908, and 1913. Argall, W. H., Coromandel. Dodd, William, Milton. Hall, E. X, Reefton. Beckwith, L. H., Wellington. Evans, A. W., Reefton. McKenna, Thomas, Dunedin. Brook, R. H. T., Reefton. Griffiths, A. P., Auckland. Molineaux, H. S., Gore. fCock, J., jun., Ross. Griffiths, H. P., Auckland. Rich, P. A., Auckland. Cock, W., Waiomio. Hailey, R. C, Dunedin. Williams, W. H., Auckland. Datson, J., Manaia. Issued after Examination under the Mining Act, 1891. Agnew, J. A., Thames. 'Hughes, D., Thames. 'Prince, P. H., Reefton. Annear, William, Reefton. "James, T., Thames. Robertson, D. 8., Stafford. Arcott, R., Waihi. Keam, P. E., Thames. Ross, Richard, Thames. Bennett, E. P., Thames. 'Lane, J., Reefton. Russell, Murray, Dunedin. Boydell, H. 0., Coromandel. Lawn, C. H., Capleston. Shepherd, H. P., Thames. Bradley, R. J. H., Te Puke. Linck, P. W., Thames. Stanford, W. J., Macetown. "Bray, E., Reefton. 'Marshall, P., Reefton. 'Steedman, J. G., Thames. •Bruce, Malcolm, Thames. Morrison, R., Thames. Sutherland, Benjamin, Reefton. Carroll, J., Lyell. McDermott, J., Thames. Tierney, R., Thames. Cartwright, E., Thames. McDermott, G., Thames. Vialoux, F., Coromandel. Crabb, J., Reefton. McDermott, W., Thames. Warne, George, Thames. 'Dobson, J. A., Auckland. McGregor, W. T., Thames. Waters, D. 8., Skipper's. Evans, H. A., Wellington. McKenzie, H. J., Coromandel. Watt, J., Thames. •Fahey, P., Reefton. McPeake, J., Thames. White, G. H., Thames. •Plannigan, Francis, Reefton. O'Keeffe, M. D., Thames. Whitley, A., Thames. Gilmour, J. L., Thames. Paul, Matthew, Thames. Williams, C, Capleston. Hodge, J. H., Thames. Paltridge, Henry, Thames.

* Deceased since issue of certificate. t Alluvial.

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First-class Mine-managers' Certificates — continued. Issued after Examination under the Mining Acts, 1898, 1905, and 1908. Allen, Henry, Waihi. Goldsworthy, C, Karangahake. O'Sullivan, J. W., Thames. Autridge, L. E., Thames. Goldsworthy, W., Coromandel. *Rabe, John, Thames. Baker, S. G., Thames. Gordon, J. A., Thames. Rimmer, J. C, Helensville. Barker, 8., Thames. Grayden, P., Thames. Rodden, John, Reefton. Barrance, K. M., Karangahake. Greening, W., Karangahake. Ruffin, R. C, Reefton. Bell, 0., Waihi. Gudgeon, C. W., Macrae's. Saunders, W. H., Reefton. Bennie, Boyd, Waihi. Hitchcock, W. E., Barewood. Scoble, E, J. Waihi. Bishop, Thomas Otto, Skipper's, Otago.Hooker, John, Coromandel. Sheeban, D., Karangahake. Blenkhorn, C, Coromandel. Irwin, Samuel, Waihi. Smith, Walter, Karangahake. Bolitho, Joseph, Reefton. Jackson, G. T., Waihi. Spearing, J. R., Waihi. Bower, J. W., Coromandel. Johnson, J. H., Coromandel. Stewart, P., Waihi. Broad, R., Waihi. Katz, C. A., Waihi. Stewart, R. A., Reefton. Buddie, Prank, Coromandel. Langdon, H., Waihi. Sullivan, T., Reefton. Bull, C. W., Waihi. Langford, G. S., Waihi. Thomson, J. R., Waihi. Caisley, John, Karangahake. Lautour, H. A. de, Waihi. Thomson, Thomas, Waihi. Carroll, A. M., Reefton. Lawn, Nicholas, Reefton. Thome, G. M., Waihi. Carroll, John, Kuaotunu. Lewis, Ralph Reginald, Waihi. Tucker, E. S., Coromandel. Carter, R. P., Waihi. Mackie, Portland George A., Waihi. Turner, G. W. E., Reefton. Clouston, R. E., Kaitangata. McConachie, W., jun., Waihi. Turnbull, E. V., Coromandel. Cooper, J. H., Thames. McDonald, R. M., Table Hill. Turner, C. E., Murchison. Cooper, Thornhill, Waihi. MacDufi, R. 8., Thames. Ulrich, G. A. C, Waihi. Cordes, P. M., Karangahake. McGruer, A., Karangahake. Walker, A. J., Waihi. Comes, J. G., Waihi. MacLaren, J. A. J., Coromandel. Watson, J. L., Thames. 'Daley, John William, Waihi. McMahon, J. H., Reefton. Webber, J. H. A., Reefton. Docherty, W. H., Coromandel. McMahon, T., Reefton. 'Weir, Thomas, Waihi. Downey, J. T., Reefton. Mitchell, William J., Barewood. 'Whyte, N. McG. H., Waihi. Dutton, W. F., Waihi. Moore, L. 0., Waihi. Williams, C, Thames. Ellery, John, Reefton. Morgan, William, Waihi. Wilson, Allan, Thames. Pry, S., Waimangaroa. Morrison, William, Waihi. Wood, P. H., Reefton. Evered, N. J., Waihi. Moye, Michael, Reefton. Wotherspoon, James, Waihi. George, M. T., Waihi. Oats, John, Black's Point, Reefton. Issued under Section 313 of the Mining Act, 1891. •Edwards, George, Westport. Rickard, John, Thames. Trelease, J. H., Thames. Hornibrooke, H. P., Coromandel. Snow, Thomas, Huntly. Williams, John, Kuaotunu. Martin, James, Reefton. Thomas, James, Thames. White, John S., Karangahake. Certificates of Competency granted to Holders of Provisional Warrants under Section 32 of the Mining Act Amendment Act, 1896. Alexander, Thomas, Deep Creek. Harvey, A. G., Coromandel. Moorecraft, Walter, Coromandel. Argall, A. E., Coromandel. 'Howard, Samuel, Karangahake. Morgan, William, Owharoa. Battens, H., Coromandel. James, Robert, Thames. Moyle, Thomas, Thames. 'Begley, Thomas, Reefton. Jamieson, John, Reefton. Patton, William, Macetown. Bennett, Charles Henry, Kuaotunu. Johns, Thomas, Waihi. Pearce, Francis, Reefton. Bunney, Joseph, Waihi. Kennerley, W. H., Thames. Potter, William H., Thames. Campbell, Alexander, Cullensville. 'Langford, James, Coromandel. 'Rabe, Henry, Karaka. Oarlyon, Samuel, Coromandel. McCombie, John. Karangahake. Rillstone, Charles, Waipori. Comes, C. A., jun., Karangahake. Mac Donald, H., Coromandel. Somervell, John, Thames. Daldy, Edward Arthur, Coromandel. McEnteer, James, Tararu. 'Stackpole, Robert, jun., Karangahake. Draffin, Samuel, Waitekauri. McParlane, Charles M., Tokatea. Thomas, Archelaus, Tapu, Thames. Farmer, C. S., Waitekauri. McLean, Benjamin J., Waitekauri. Turnbull, Thomas A., Whangamata. 'Goldsworthy, Thomas, Tokatea. McLean, Charles, Thames. 'Willets, Henry, Thames. Goldsworthy, William, Karangahake.'McLean, James, Tararu, Thames. "Wilson, James R. S., Kuaotunu. Govan, Joseph, Thames. Meehan, James, Westport. Issued to Inspectors of Mines by virtue of Office under the Mining Acts, 1886, 1891, and 1898. Binns, G. J., Dunedin. *Gow, J., Dunedin. McLaren, J. M., Thames. Cochrane, N. D., Westport. Green, E. R., Dunedin. Tennent, R., Westport. Gordon, H. A., Wellington. Hayes, J., Dunedin. 'Wilson, G., Thames. Second-class Mine-managers' Certificates. Certificates of Service issued under the Mining Act, 1891. Adams, W. J., Thames. Oorbett, T., Paeroa. ■ 'Harvey, William, Reefton. Agnew, J. A., Coromandel. 'Cowan, Hugh, Kuaotunu. Hetherington, William, Thames. "Allen, Richard, Reefton. Crabb, Thomas, Reefton. "Hicks, W., Thames. Argall, A. E., Coromandel. Daniel, P. F., Greymouth. Hill, Alexander Grey, Waikakaho. 'Beard, W. T., Reefton. Dobson, John Allen, Kuaotunu. Hollis, Frederick J., Waihi. 'Begley, Thomas, Reefton. Edwards, George, Westport. Hore, John, Wellington. Bennett, C. H., Coromandel. Ellery, John, Reefton. Hornibrooke, H. P., Kuaotunu. Blair, Thomas, Kuaotunu. 'Flannigan, Francis, Reefton. Jamieson, John, Reefton. Bolitho, James, Reefton. Foster, Thomas, Wellington. Jobe, James, Thames. Bone, William, Reefton. "Gale, C. W., Coromandel. Johns, Thomas, Thames. "Borlase, J. H., Capleston. Gemmings, Charles, Thames. Johnstone, William, CoUingwood. "Bowler, John, Thames. Gill, George, Thames. "Kendall, Henry, Thames. "Bray, Edwin, Reefton. "Glasgow, T. M., Thames. Kerr, George, Kamo. Bremner, John, Coromandel. Goldsworthy, Henry, Thames. Kirker, Thomas, Thames. Brokenshire, James, Thames. Goldsworthy, William, Mauku, Auck- Laughlin, David, Thames. Brown, John, Macrae's. land. Law, John, Thames. Brownlee, Thomas James, Thames. Govan, Joseph, Thames. "Lough, H , Thames. Bunny, Joseph, Thames. Gribble, James, Norsewood. Loughlin, S., Thames. Byrne, John, Karangahake. 'Griffin, Patrick, Thames. Mackay, William, Nenthorn. *Caird, Alexander McNeil, Reefton. Grimmond, Joseph, Ross. Martin, David, Black's Point. • Campbell, J., Kuaotunu. Guthrie, John, Wellington. Martin, James, Reefton. ♦ Climo, Noah, Coromandel. *Guy, Robert, Kuaotunu. Mayn, John, Coromandel. Comer, W. W., Thames. Hardman, James Edward, Thames. McCombie, John, Karangahake. Comer, George, Thames. "Harris, R., Thames. "McCormick, Charles, Coromandel.

* Deceased since issue of certificate.

12—C. 2.

C-.2

Second-class Mine-managers' Certificates— continued. Certificates of Service issued under the Mining Act, 1891 —continued. 'McEwen, James, Reefton. Page, John, Lyell. Shaw, James, Karangahake. 'McLean, James, Thames. 'Parkiss, Joseph W., Reefton. Sligo, Alexander, Nenthorn. McLean, Alexander, Coromandel. Peebles, Alexander, Kuaotunu. Thomas, James, Thames. McLean, Charles, Thames. Pettigrew, Robert, Sydney. Thomas, A., Thames. 'McNeill, Daniel, Thames. 'Phillips, W. H., Thames. Thomson, John, Dunedin. McNeill, George, Upper Kuaotunu. "Pollock, John, Thames. 'Tregellas, James, Reefton. McLoghry, Archibald, Karangahake. Potts, W. H., Thames. "Tregoweth, William, Thames. 'McQuillan, John, Reefton. Primrose, J., Kuaotunu. "Wells, Charles Lewis, Thames. Meagher, John, Karangahake. "Rabe, Henry, Thames. "Willets, Henry, Thames. "Mills, George, Thames. "Radford, Thomas, Thames. Williams, James, Thames. "Milne, John, Thames. Reid, Thomas Groat, Thames. Williams, John, Thames. Morgan, William, Upper Thames. Rickard, John, Thames. "Wilson, James R. S., Kuaotunu. "Moorecroft, Thomas, Thames. Richards, A. H., Kuaotunu. Wilson, J. G., Thames. Moyle, Thomas, Thames. "Rogers, Charles Henry, Reefton. Whisker, Charles, Thames. "Naysmith, James, Reefton. Rogers, William Henry, Kumara. White, John S., Karangahake. Newdick, Alfred, Thames. "Ross, J., Thames. Woodcock, James, Thames. "Notman, Alexander, Reefton. "Rowe, James, Thames. Worth, Robert, Waihi. O'Keefe, M. W. D., Thames. Issued after Examination under the Mining Acts, 1891 and 1898. Benney, J., jun., Paeroa. Draffin, S., Waitekauri. Mathewson, A., Hyde. Bennie, Boyd, Coromandel. Dunkin, T., Coromandel. McNeil, A. H, Coromandel. Cahill, T. M., Upper Kuaotunu. Evans, H. A., Skipper's. White, P. H., Kuaotunu. Carroll, John, Upper Kuaotunu. "Gatland, V. V., Coromandel. White, G. H., Thames. Christie, William, Waitekauri. Issued under Section 313 of the Mining Act, 1891. Oonnon, William, Thames. Edwards, E., Coromandel. McCormick, W. J., Waitekauri. 'Coran, Henry, Thames. "Kelso, Archibald, Coromandel. Certificates of Competency granted to Solders of Provisional Warrants under Section 32 of the Mining Act Amendment Act, 1896. Allen, W. J., Coromandel. Gardner, James, Waimangaroa. Martin, William, Tararu, Thames. Barney, Montague T., Waitekauri. Howe, Albion S., Waitekauri. Murphy, Joseph, Ooi-omandel. Brownlee, Henry, Thames. Johnson, Prank H., CoUingwood. O'Brien, John, Westport. Collins, Charles, Waitekauri. Kirwan, William, Reefton. Prescofct, Arthur J., Coromandel. Curtis, Charles, Taylorville. 'MoDonald, John, Tairua. "Radford, Samuel, Waihi. Davis, James, Coromandel. Molnues, John, Puriri. Ruffin, Richard, Manaia, Coromandel. Certificates of Service issued under the Mining Amendment Act, 1910. Adams, Albert Augustine, Thames. Hansen, Charles Hans, Puketui. McKenzie, D., Georgetown. Adams, R. W., Thames. Hayes, James, Thames. Reid, George, Glenorohy. Barker, J. W., Coromandel. Hill, Harrold Alexander, Thames. Reynolds, Edmond Francis, CoromanBrabyn, John, Clarendon. Hyde, Henry John, Karangahake. del. Butcher, F. J., Waitekauri. lies, E. J., Bannockburn. Sheehan, James, Thames. Donaldson, George, Macrae's Flat. Inglis, Robert, Kuaotunu. Talientire, John, Waiorongomai. Gillan,'Thomas, Thames. Kell, Arthur, Karangahake. Williams, John Paul, Puriri. Grace, Pierce, Waitekauri. Battery Superintendents' Certificates. Issued under the Mining Act 1891 Amendment Act, 1894, without undergoing Examination. Adams, H. H., Waihi. Hope, John S., Waitekauri. "Napier, James, Karangahake. Aitken, R. M., Reefton, Hutchison, William, Karangahake. Noble, James R., Karangahake. Banks, Edwin Gripper, Waihi. Margetts, Frederick Ernest, Kuao- Park, James, Thames. Barry, Hubert Percy, Waihi. tunu. Shepherd, Henry Franklin, Waihi. Goldsworthy, Henry, Kuaotunu. McKenna, T. N., Tararu. Sims, 0. F., Tararu. Goldsworthy, John, Kuaotunu. McLellan, William, Waitekauri. Walker, James A., Kuaotunu. Greenway, H. Howard, Auckland. 'Mellett, Richard Sheridan, Waite- Wilson, Arthur E., Waihi. 'Heard, G. St. Clair, Waihi. kauri. Wilson, James Kitchener, Auckland. Issued after Examination under the Mining Act 1891 Amendment Act, 1894. Adams, A. A., Thames. Doveton, G. D., Thames. McMicken, S. D., Thames. Allen, F. 8., Thames. Fleming, G. C. S., Thames. Morgan, P. G., Thames. Allom, H. 0., Thames. Fuller, J. P., Kuaotunu. Morrin, W. S., Thames. Ansley, Comyn, Paeroa. Gray, J. W., Waihi. Noakes, H. L., Waihi. Ansley, Walter, Thames. Hayward, F. W., Komata. Raithby, R. W., Reefton. Banks, J. H., Waihi. Horn, G. W., Kuaotunu. Robinson, J. R., Waitekauri. Bowers, W., Thames. Jackson, J. H., Paeroa. Stafford, B. H., Waihi. Brown, A. E., Thames. Jones, Achison, Waihi. Taylor, C. H., Tararu. 'Carter, Samuel, Thames. Kidd, F. D., Thames. Thorpe, A. H., Thames. Clarke, J. L., Thames. Laurie, D. 8., Karangahake. Vercoe, R. 8., Tnames. Clarke, R., Waitekauri. Lee, J. W., Reefton. Wingate, H. M.. Maratoto. Clarke, W. J., Waihi. Macdonald, W.. Waihi. Winsiow, G., Thames. Day, A. T., Thames. McKenzie, H. J., Thames. Williams, A. G. R., Thames. Dixon, Clement, Waihi. Issued after Examination under the Mining Acts, 1898, 1905, and 1908. Adams, J. H., Coromandel. Banks, E. J., Thames. Brown, F. M., Karangahake. Adams, Richard W., Tararu, Thames. Barrance, K. McK., Karangahake. Brown, J. E., Komata. Adams, J. H., Thames. Barrett, J. J., Karangahake. Brown, W. E., Reefton. Airey, Hubert, Karangahake. Barron, William E., Waikino. Burns, Will am, Waiomio. Aitken, Alexan er Hugh, Waihi. Baskett, E. G., Karangahake. Bush, E. F., Parawai. Alien, D. V., Thames. Bell, L. M., Waihi. Bush, George Arthur, Karangahake. Allen, H. E., Wellington. Bidlake, A. E., Waiomo. Bush, H. R., Thames. Anderson, David, Waihi. Bird, A. W., Tbames. Campbell, Colin. Thame?. Andrews, T. T., Waihi. Bistiop, T. 0., R-efton. Carpenter, W. E., Karangahake. Auld, J. 8., Crushington. Blackadder, William, Crushington. Carless, Noel, Waihi. Baker, W. H., Thames. Bradley, R. J. H., Karangahake. Garter, S., Waihi. Banks, C. A., Waihi. Browne, E., Waitekauri. Carroll, John, Kuaotunu.

* Deceased since issue of certificate.

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Battery Superintendents' Certificates— continued. Issued after Examination under the Mining Acts, 1898, 1905, and 1908— continued. OhappellG. A., Karangahake. Harsant, C, Puketui. Orr F S Waiuta K. 'Thomas wthi 5?T "' \ \ Waitekauri. M.rTa ge/ p W Thames, uiarte, iriomas, Waihi. Hindmarsh, R., Reefton. Pond H 0 Auckland Stt G L Wt S k Hitchcock W. E., Barewood. Pone'ous, J., Cru^hmtton. Couner T Thame '' S° gg ' =■• karangahake. Quick, J. N. Thames 8 o°X »"?',? i.. , g°gg' T - E " Karangahake. Reid, J. E., Great Barrier. Cowles, R.K., Crushington. Horn, G. W„ Kuaotunu. Reynolds E A At^kland Crawford, IL, Macrae's. Gillooly, T., Roxburgh. rSs H C Wa hi Crompton, H Maratoto. Gillstrom, Carl A., Berlin's. Rodden WUllam Lydl Hutchison R. M., Karangahake. H.,Xmes. IJawson, B. Ellershe. Johnson, Edward, Waihi. Rovse W G Reefton Donnelly, Thomas Waihi. Jones, R. D., Karangahake. SanZ'd A G Waih, Donovan Willie, Waikino. Kidd, R. 8., Waitekauri. Shaw D S Waikino' Draffin, Eugene, Kuaotunu. Kingsford, A., Karangahake. Shaw L J WaMno wTihi™ 61 ' Ge ° firey William, Kmlsford, C.; Waihi B Stephens, H, Dunedin. FlH.,t T otvi Langford, G. S., Waikino. Sutherland, J. A., Reefton. Irnnson" Waitekaur. Launder, G. H., Waitekauri. Thomson, G. W„ Bendigo. &C wr 6 Lawless L J. Paeroa. Thurlow, J. R„ Coromandel. Evans T w,li ?" Ree£t ° n ' Tomlinson, A., Karangahake. Evan 'W B Reefton Littlejohn W D Karangahake. Tomlinson, David Mitchell, Barewood, w'-kT''. , i i Lovelock, J. E., Crushington. Tomlinson, W. F., Dunedin. SS. H'rn aokay ' J ° hn ' Gcushin gton. Turnbull, E. V., Waihi a ser J M Zt*' t' 01rioh ' d ' A - C - K <"- Fry sI/Jt'w ! ; ™ anD °'' West (Jlrich, Herstall, Whangapoua. Fnllef To/n' WeS ' port ; tbe T'J- M " Barewood - Walked Alfred James Dickson Waihi, S e, '/t P-, Kuaotunu. Maxwell, W. L., Waihi. Waters D. 8., Waihi. Fyfe, A., Duned.n. McDonall, P. H., Waihi. Watson, A B Waitekauri Gardner E A., Reefton. McEwin, J. A., Reefton. Watson A p' Cm hintton 2& T W, ■ Waihl ' McKinlay, John, Waihi. Wat on,' J. I:,' Ree ton Go£ Tr A W n l \- . McNeil, A. R., Karangahake. Watson J. P. Reefton &?; ,' °™ 3 . l J l^ tM ' McPadden, J., Coromandel. Watson W. A , Crushington. Grayden, J., Waitekauri. Melrose, P., Waihi. Wearne W Reefton GrS' p e w'T h hameS ' Montgomery A ' B " Op-tonm. White, A. S? H., Karangahake. Grumitt, PH., Thames. Morgan, Robert James, Waihi. Williams, A. C Waihi ™.& ? e 2 aD £ n ' Karangahake. Motherwell, William, Waih,. Williams James, Reefton. It waves E P Wathf n °7 n' W> a" &T Williams, William Eustace, Waih,. ° rbe "' °" S " WWk ° Ua,tl - Wi ' S ° n ' A ' P " Washington! Dredgemasters' Certificates. Issued without Examination under the Mining Act, 1898, and Amendment Acts, 1901 and 1902. Allen, Charles, Alexandra. Herbert, J., Beaumont. Nicholson W E Alexandra Anderson, L. 0, Alexandra. Hewitt, James, Clyde. O'Leary D Wai'au Andrews, Ralph, Canvastown. Hogg, Thomas, Cromwell. Olsen, Charles, Roxburgh Baker, J. R. Alexandra. Hosk.ns, Thomas, Maori Point. Parsons J D iun Clyde Ballantyne, D Miller's -Plat. Hoy, Samuel, Alexandra. Percy John Clyde ' * Barnes T. J., Beaumont. Inwood, W. J., Rocklands Beach. Perkins, A. C., Dunedin Barry, Thomas, Clyde Johnston, E. A., Alexandra. Pettigrew, GeoWe, Nelson Creek Bradley Neil, Alexandra. Johnstone, Alexander, Cromwell. Poulter, G. W., A exandra Bennett, George, Gore. Keen, Thomas, Clyde. Pringle JohrMi le?s Plat Bennett, James, Kumara. ' Kennedy, Angus, Ilexandra. Rays! Ci! . R™ \% f" A \ e ,? and ™- gitta, Edward T - Mi Her's Plat. Reeder, Philip, Bald Hill Plat Brand, Peter Waikaka. K.tto, Francis, Lowburn. Rennie Andrew, Roxburgh Brerman, Philip, Palmerston S. Kitto, John P., M.ller's Flat. Ross Alexander Oromwill ' Bremner, A. P., Lower Shotover. Kitto, W. H., Cromwell. Ros S ' Robert AlexlndT Bnce, William H., Cromwell. Kloogh, N. P., Lowburn Perry. Richmond J-', GiXton Bnngans, D., Alexandra. ■ Lawson, Edward, Dunedin. Ritchie, J. S. Waitiri ' Brown, T G., Ahaura. Ledingham, J., Bannockburn. Sanders, H. P. Clyde ' Bn?h,M g « l? 6 ?! Murchlsou - £??. George, CoUingwood. Sanders, John, Cromwell. BntW fr-i^'? i, Lid.coatß. H., Pern Plat. Sanders Thomas, Alexandra. In ' M T '^ oxburgh ' ouden - Alexander, Clyde. Schaumann, H., Alexandra? Butler, M. J., Kamen. Luke, S. J., Alexandra. Scott M G Alexandra cZZ° FdwTr'p A r e^ an< , ra - « agnUS A - Roxb^h - Scott,' Robert, Capleston. Clarke, Edward Port Chalmers. Magnus, Olaf, Box 130 a, Ohnstchurch. Shore, T. M„ Queenstown ?„S § b *P> DobaM t Mailer, John, Stillwater. - Shore William, Go c Cormack W, Greymouth. Maitland, A. E., Miller's Flat. Simonsen, Charles, Alexandra Cornish, J. T., M, er's Flat 'Maxwell, John, Dunedin. Skilton, A. G., Old D ggings Coutts, Henry, Miller's Flat. McOlure, P. C, Rongahere. Sligo N X Ahaura Cowan, Alexander, Stillwater. McConnell, J., Cromwell. Smeaton SH Inansahna T,,„„f Cowan, James, Nelson Creek. McCormack, D., Kanieri. Smith.AlfredlbuSw 'g^rj^^d^d:.":^" 116^ ona !, d - ?■jf j waitiri ' J s^^ on ' Crowley, J 8., Edendale. McDonald, J., Sofala. Steel, Thomas, Dunedin 'Cumming, J. C., Beaumont. McDonald, John, Cromwell. Temp eton, Ivie, Rongahere Cunnmgham George, Kanieri. McGeorge, J., Dunedin. "Thompson J., Alexandra Curtis, Charles, Stillwater. McGeorge, Alexander, Dunedin. Thompson T. Miller's Plat Cutten, W. H., Duned.n. McGregor, D., Kanieri. Tough John Miller's Flat Deniston, R. A Cromwell. McGregor,' G. R„ Alexandra. TroyfcC, Cromwell ' Dewar John Alexandra. Mcintosh, D. J., Lowburn Perry. Turnbull, W D Canvastown Donaldson, J. G. A Greenstone. "MoLay, George, Cromwell. Tyson John Rongahere -Edmonds, A. R., Nelson Creek. McLean, D., Waitiri. Yon Haast T H Plvfl. Faithful William, Greymouth. McMath', D.' C, Ross. Wallace thn A.', °&; Flat ™F&.?-' n Xa f ra - 0 , McMath, Thomas, Alexandra. Watt, John, Cromwe S„ W f™' C s% don , Sldln 8- ?J?,y ,oar ' Peter . Roxburgh. Weaver, Charles, Alexandra Gibson, A Island Block. Mills, Edward, Murchison. Williamson, R., Miller's Fiat Goodger, G. W. Waenga. Mitchell, D. A., Dunedin. Williamson Walter Miner's Plat Graham, J M., Gore. Morel, C. G., Inangahua Junction. Wilson S W Waikaka vVuZ Grogan, Wilßam A Miller's Plat. Morris, G. S., Cromwell. WoXfi t M.', OromJeU *' .Hansen, William, Alexandra. Murray, D„ Clyde. Woodhouse, W. S„ Roxburgh Hay James Duned.n. Murray, Madget, Cromwell. Young, Andrew, itm Roxburgh Hedley, A., Cromwell. Neilson, S., Miller's Flat. J -"oxourgh.

» Deceased since issue of certificate.

C.—2

Dredgemasters' Certificates— continued. Issued after Examination under the Mining Acts, 1898, 1901, 1902, 1905, and 1908. Anderson, Andrew, Alexandra South. Hewetson, Sydney, Nelson Creek. Nicholson, Charles S. G., Mataur*. Anderson, Bertram, Maori Point. Hogg, J., Nevis. Noble, William, Alexandra. Anderson, G. 8., Roxburgh. Holden, Charles, jun., Cromwell. Olsen, Hans, Alexandra. Archer, D. J., Ngakawau. Holden, John, Cromwell. Omond, Thomas, Nevis. Baird, William G., Clyde. Hepburn, D. 0., Alexandra. Orkney, H. E., Cromwell. Bardsley, John James, Cromwell. Hughes, John L., Miller's Flat. Orr, H. T., Cromwell. Bate, H. T. G., Greymouth. Johnston, John, Maori Gully. Orr, William W., Cromwell. Bishop, Hugh Arthur, CoUingwood. Johnston, Louis, Beaumont. Parker, P. R., Roxburgh. Blair, G., Abbotsford. Jones, David Rowland, Island Block. Paterson, J. 8., Miller's Plat. Borthwick, Robert, Alexandra. Jones, T. R., Miller's Flat. Patterson, J., Clyde. Bourke, John, Clyde. Junker, Prank J., Berlin's. Plumb, E. H., Maori Point. Brent, C. D., Cromwell. Kane, William, Clyde. Poppelwell, William, Alexandra. Briggans, Thomas, Alexandra. Kean, F. P., Waikaka. Rait, Hume, Albertown. Briggans, William, Alexandra. Kellett, C. H., Dunedin. Ray, J. P., Bannockburn. Broderick, T., Lyell. Kennedy, A., Ophir. Ray, Robert Marshall, Bannockburn. Bruce, J. A., Kawarau Gorge. Kitto, Henry, Alexandra South. Reiderer, Edward, Cromwell. Burley, J. P., Westport. Kitto, John, Clyde. Reynolds, T., Greymouth. Burnside, Walter, Alexandra. Linney, William, Island Block. Ritchie, William John, Cromwell. Burton, A. P., Miller's Plat. Livingstone, D., Alexandra. Roberts, G., Three-channel Plat. Callaghan, E., Three-channel Plat. Lloyd, Arthur, Inangahua Junction. Robertson, D. J., Alexandra. Campbell, G. W. T., Alexandra. Lloyd, Hubert, Lyell. Robertson, W. R., Alexandra. Carnegy, A., Three-channel Plat. Mac Donald, C. J., Cromwell. Rooney, J. 8., Roxburgh. Carr, W., Alexandra. MacGinnis, J. A., Cromwell. Rumble, Charles, Ngahere. Carter, W. W., Sandy Point. MacGinnis, M. P., Alexandra. Rumble, Joseph, Miller's Flat. Chapman, Robert, Maori Point. MacLaren, John, Alexandra. Sanders, W. J., Ahaura. Clark, D., Callaghan's Creek. Marklund, C. 0., Lowburn Perry. Saunders, C. E., Cromwell. Clarke, R. S. 8., Alexandra S. Mathews, James Halbert, Miller's Sawle, J., Cromwell. Coup, George, Albertown. Flat. Sawyer, J. P., Alexandra. Cox, R. D., Alexandra. Matthews, A. A., Three-channel Flat. Sherwood, T. W., Greymouth. Craig, D. A., Shag Point. Mayne, W. 0., Nelson Creek. Simpson, Edward Robert, Cromwell Croawell, James, Three-channel Flat. McDonald, C. J., Waitere. Sparrow, J. A., Upper Nevis. Curno, C. 8., Alexandra. McDonald, G., Alexandra. Spooner, A. E., Alexandra. Dalton, J. R., Three-channel Fiat. McCallum, W. S., Alexandra. Steele, Thomas, Alexandra. Dalzell, T. L., Cromwell. McGregor, Dougald S., Alexandra. Steele, W. H., Miller's Flat. Donaldson, John, Lawrence. MoKenzie, John, Roxburgh. Taylor, Alexander, Alexandra. Downie, Henry, Totara Flat. MoKinnon, John, Alexandra. Taylor, J. T., Dunedin. Eaton, Edgar W., Alexandra. McLean, John. Roxburgh. Theyers, 0., Alexandra. Elder, D. D., Roxburgh. Melvin, J. R., Roxburgh. Theyers, J. W., Alexandra. Fache, S. C, Gore. Merchant, Isaiah, Clyde. Turner, T. F., Moonlight. Faithful, Alfred, Bannockburn. Milne, John A., Roxburgh. Vickerman, E. M., Cromwell. Farmer, Nathan C, Miller's Plat. Moffitt, R. W., Miller's Flat. Walker, J. J., Alexandra South. Farquharson, George, Alexandra. Mollison, William, Stillwater. Wasserbrenner, M., Alexandra. Findley, David, Dunedin. Moncrieff, Henry, Miller's Plat. Wathen, James, Miller's Flat. Fisher, Hurtle, Miller's Flat. Monson, C. H., Miller's Plat. Watson, E. H., CoUingwood. Pilippi, S. de, Westport. Morel, A. E., Noble's. Weaver, P., Alexandra. Foley, S., Lowburn Perry. Morel, L. H., Inangahua Junction. Weir, R., Gore. Forno, D., Inangahua Junction. Morgan, Harold, Roxburgh. Weir, T. R., Cromwell. Fraser, W. J., Roxburgh. Morgan, John, Alexandra. Weir, W., Nevis. E'renoh, T. E. X., Three-channel Flat. Morris, V., Cromwell. Wescombe, Alfred L., Island Block. Gibson, William H., Cromwell. Mouat, W. G., Greymouth. Westcott, P. A., Miller's Plat. Graham, Thomas Arthur, Gore. Munro, C. T., Waitiri. Williams, Frederick, Alexandra. Gunion, R. A., Alexandra. Munro, Hugh, Alexandra South. Wilson, George, Marsden. Gunn, W. E., Beaumont. Munro, R. F., Ross. Wilson, Stephen L., Inangahua JunoGuy, Donald, Cobden. Murray, H. 8., Cromwell. tion. Guyton, James, Dunedin. Murray, Robert John, Canvastown. Wood, W. W., Cromwell. Harming, C. J., Clyde. Nelson, Edgar, Brunnerton. Woodhouse, F., Bannockburn. Hansen, H. C, Three-channel Flat. Nelson, George L., Brunnerton. Woodhouse, G. G., Waitiri. Harden, J., Stafford. Newick, Albion Edgar Charles, Ban- Wylde, G. R., Inangahua Junction. Harliwick, Matthew, Roxburgh. nookburn.

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APPENDIX B.

REPORTS RELATING TO THE INSPECTION OF COAL-MINES.

The Inspecting Engineer op Mines to the Under-Secretary of Mines.

Sir — Wellington, 21st May, 1914. I have the honour to present the annual reports of inspection, together with statistical information, in regard to the coal-mines of the Dominion, for the year ended 31st December, 1913 The reports are divided into the following sections : — I. Output of Mineral. 11. Persons employed. 111. Accidents. IV. General Remarks. Annexures— (a.) Inspectors' Reports, Extracts from. (b.) Mine Officials' Examinations, and List of Certificate-holders. (c.) Statistics of Working Collieries.

SECTION I.—OUTPUT OF MINERAL. The output of the several classes of coal mined in each inspection district is summarized as follows :—

During the whole of November and December nearly all the most productive collieries were rendered idle by the general strike, the result of which is that the coal-output for 1913 is 289,610 tons less than during the previous year.

Output of Coal during 1913. Glass of Coal, &c. West Coast District. Southern District. Total Output to the End of 1913. Northern Distriot. Total. Tons. 102,710 Tons. 1,057,564 Tons. Tons. 1,160,274 Tons. 22,486,327 ftituminous and semi-bitu-minous coal 'iteh-coal 2,397 377,976 100,482 Irown coal ..ignite 246,876 2,397 624,852 100,482 1,993,594 11,074,944 1,793,954 Totals for 1913 ... 349,586 1,087,564 480,855 1,888,005 37,348,819 Totals for 1912 ... 383,847 1,301,461 492,307 2,177,615 35,460,814

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The following is a statement showing output of coal from each coalfield : —

The production from, and the number of persons employed at, the principal collieries of the Dominion are shown in the following table : —

SECTION II.—PERSONS EMPLOYED.

It will be observed that the decrease in the number of persons employed during 1913 is entirely confined to those employed above ground; this decrease is due to the completion of the surface arrangements at some of the new collieries in the Grey Coalfield.

Coalfield. Output during 1913. i 'ota] mtput i 1913. North Auckland Waikato Mokau Nelson BuUer Inangahua .. GreyCanterbury .. Otago Southland • ■ i Tons. 102.710 243,316 3,560 14,717 679,283 13,708 349,856 14,430 306,647 159,778 Tons. 3,127,113 3,474,084 85,120 239,321 12,157,911 229,594 7,132,072 671.471 7,965,296 2,266,837 Totals 1,888,005 1,888,005 37,348,819 37,348,819

. , . Total Output Output for . „. . T -f iqiq »° 31st De9 d - cember, 1913. Total Number of Name of Colliery. Locality. Class of Coal. Persons ordinarily employed. Northern District. Tons. Tons. 46,515 868,382 Hikurangi ... ... Hikurangi... S emi-bitu-minous 85 Taupiri ... Northern Huntly ... Hikurangi... Brown Seini-bitu-minous 218,128 2,713,391 50,853 502,965 508 136 West Coast District. Coalbrookdale Westport-Stockton l ( Millerton ... Denniston Mangatini Seddonville Point Elizabeth Liverpool ... Blackball ... Bituminous 292,576 4,053,999 241,375 6,585,810 93,315 550,475 51,894 524,691 135,276 1,737,574 587 559 180 88 238 a State Coal-mines .. i ( a 9,114 143,836 1,816,660 53 350 Blackball it Southern District. Kaitangata Nightcaps... Brown 145,904 2,987,846 79,645 958,094 405 134 Kaitangata Nightcaps Other collieries, in all districts Various 379,57414,048,732 927 Totals 1,888,005 |37,348,819 4,250

Inspection District. Average iNuinuar oi reisunu during 1913. Average Number of Persons employed during 1913. Above Ground. Below Ground. Total. Northern West Coast Southern 189 635 557 1,854 307 708 635 1,854 708 824' ■ 2,411 1,015 Totals, 1913 ... | 1,053 3,197 3,197 4,250 Totals, 1912 ... j 1,130 3,198 3,198 4,328

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SECTION 111. -ACCIDENTS. The following is a summary of coal-mining accidents during 1913, with their causes :-—

* Being in the proportion of I'3B deaths per 1,000 persons employed. The proportion of fatal accidents to persons employed at collieries continues to decline in a very satisfactory manner. During 1913 this amounted to I*3B per 1,000 persons employed, the lowest average for ten years. Those officials of the mining companies and of the State whose duty it is to secure safety conditions in our collieries are deserving of congratulation for the results here recorded, more especially when it is understood that a considerable number of young inexperienced men are now employed in the coal-mines, whereas formerly the colliers were of Home training and greater experience. Upon examination of the following brief description of the fatal accidents at New Zealand collieries during 1913 it will be noted that in no case was any one held blameworthy, but in the cases of James Hewitt and Bertie Strongman the sufferers respectively lost their lives owing to absent-mindedness and inexperience. The following is a brief description of the fatal accidents at New Zealand collieries during 1913 :—

Fatal Ai leidonts. Serious Non'atal Accidents. Number of Separate Fatal Accidents. Number of Deaths. Number of Separate Non-fatal Acoidents. Number of Persons injured, including those injured by Accidents which proved Fatal to their Companions. Falls in mine In shafts ... Miscellaneous —Underground... On surface ... Totals 4 2 6 4 2 7 1 5 7 1 5 6 :: 13 13

Name. Date of Accident. Colliery. Cause and Nature of Accident. .\. Derbyshire W. F. Ferguson 17/10/12 (died 21/2 13) 28 3 13 Denniston New Brighton (Nightcaps district) Deceased, a trucker in the Coalbrookdale section, was fatally injured by a fall of top coal whilst trucking. He died 127 days after the accident. When cutting coal from a pillar rib, below an unseen parting in the roof, a large piece of coal fell upon deceased. The Coroner's jury held no person blameworthy. Deceased and another were extracting pillar coal when a fall of rock occurred without warning, striking him, and breaking his back. The Inspector of Mines found that timber had been carefully set. The Coroner's jury held no person blameworthy. Deceased, a miner, working in a heading, drilled, charged, and ignited a shot in the coal-face, retiring for safety into a level near-by, where he met a deputy; and a dispute occurring between them as to the height of the heading, together they returned to the heading where deceased proceeded to measure the height, when the charge previously ignited by him exploded, killing him instantly. The Coroner's jury returned a verdict, accordingly. This remarkable accident was evidently due to the absent-mindedness of deceased, who, in the excitement of the moment, forgot that he had ignited the fuse in the place under discussion. The deputy escaped uninjured. Deceased and John Price, miners, together with Dillon, a trucker, were working together filling eoal after a recently fired shot. Previous to starting they examined the place, remarking that it was safe. A fall of coal occurred, fatally injuring deceased, also breaking the leg of and inflicting other but minor injuries to Price. The Coroner's jury decided that no person was blameworthy. .Deceased, a half-caste Maori youth of nineteen, inexperienced as a miner, had been employed trucking for a few weeks during the general strike. In attempting to enter a cage after it had commenced its ascent deceased was fatally crushed between the cage and the shaft side. The Coroner's jury held no other person blameworthy for the accident; which was correct, but the evidence disclosed lamentable non-observance of the Coal-mines Act. At the time of this accident no code of shaftsignals were posted at either the top or bottom of the shaft; neither had the driver of the winding-engine (a youth of nineteen) a certificate as such. As the result of a- prosecution for the first offence the minemanager was fined £10 and costs. lohn Jenkins 5/4/13 Northern I James Hewitt 2/4/13 Nightcaps Matthew McKenzie 9/9/13 Nightcaps (No. 2) Bertie Strongman .. Whangarei 24/12/13

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The following statement shows the tons of coal and shale raised, persons employed, lives lost, &c, from 1878 to 1913 :—

SECTION IV— GENERAL REMARKS. Mining Operations. Mining developments at the North Auckland collieries have generally been unimportant. At the Kiripaka Mine work has been suspended. A fire in No. 3 section of the Hikurangi Coal Company's mine destroyed several sheds, and necessitated flooding of the workings, which were subsequently tin watered. . The new colliery, the property of the Northern Coal Company, recently laid down in the vicinity of the limestone rocks at Waro has been well equipped with pumping, winding, and ventilating machinery; it is probable that in the near future this will be the most productive colliery in the district. . . The Taupiri Coal-mines (Limited) again heads the list of productive collieries in the North Island, the output therefrom exceeding all other North Island mines combined. This company possesses a large and comparatively unbroken area of coal, with a coal-seam of great thickness, in places exceeding 60 ft. The two photographs accompanying this report show the pit headgear and surface buildings of this company—Ralphs and Extended Mines respectively. Two new collieries, the property of the Waipa Railway and Collieries (Limited) and Pukemiro Collieries (Limited), having been laid down and fully equipped, will enter the lists of productive collieries upon the completion of some bridges and culverts on the branch railways to connect them with the Main Trunk Railway. The Waikato Coalfield, upon which the three last-named collieries are situated, is the most extensive and unbroken coalfield in the Dominion. On the West Coast bituminous coalfields the principal mines had, prior tc the strike, produced a considerable output. On the Grey Coalfield the most interesting event was the addition of the new Liverpool Mine, one of the Point Elizabeth State Collieries, to the list of productive mines. The equipment of this mine is of considerable magnitude; the bin (capacity, 4,000 tons) and

Tear. Output. Persons empl lyed. jd. Total. Tons raised per _ Persons eachPer " raised per «"£>«* son em I T .. , \ t per ployed Un-j Ij,te lott " Life lost. dergroundl Lives lost per Thousand Persons employed. Number of Deaths. Above. ! Below. Prior 1878 1879 1880 1881 1882 1883 1884 1885 1886 1887 1888 1889 1890 1891 1892 1893 1894 1895 1896 1897 1898 1899 1900 1901 1902 1903 1904 1905 1906 1907 1908 1909 1910 1911 1912 1913§ 709,931 162,218 231,218 299,923 337,262 378,272 421,764 480,831 511,063 534,353 558,620 613,895 586,445 637,397 668,794 673,315 691,548 719,546 726,654 792,851 840,713 907,033 975,234 1,093,990 1,239,686 1,365,040 1,420,229 1,537,838 1,585,756 1,729,536 1,831,009 l,8o0,^75 1,911,247 2,197,362 2,066,073 2,177,615 1,888,005 147 361 393 338 392 388 414 466 512 416 485 590 506 525 590 531 556 554 617 688 803 717 763 833 1,174 1,143 992 1,159 1,136 1,365 1,130 1,053 366 888 890 1,145 1,213 1,111 1,275 1,251 1,334 1,277 1,196 1,298 1,393 1,274 1,347 1,381 1,447 1,599 1,843 2,066 2,082 2,135 2,525 2,436 2,518 2,767 2,902 3,032 3,463 2,925 3,198 3,197 513 802 1,038 963 1,043 1,249 1,283 1,483 1,605 1,499 1,689 1,717 1,846 1,693 1,681 1,888 1,899 1,799 1,937 1,912 2,003 2,153 2,460 2,754 2,885 2,852 3,288 3,269 3,692 3,910 3,894 4,191 4,599 4,290 4,328 4,250 443 475 540 456 440 503 481 468 477 523 563 533 516 ! 618 588 609 627 609 593 600 655 665 609 651 687 662 641 633 634 706 681 590 4,771 115,609 149,961 337,262 189,136 210,882 160,277 170,354 139,655 153,474 146,611 79,674 167 ,198 673,315 138,305 119,924 145,331 12,013 210,178 907,033 325,078 273,497 413,228 682,520 355,057 384,459 264,293 288,256 152,584 372,195 273,035 137,335 147,577 241,975 314,667 15 401 519 963 521 624 421 494 375 422 313 231 423 1,681 377 316 360 29 478 2,003 717 615 918 1,443 713 822 546 615 326 778 599 283 306 355 708 66-27 2-49 1-92 104 1-91 1-60 2 34 2-01 2-66 2-36 2-37 4-33 2-36 066 2 64 3-16 3-33 34-07 2-09 049 1-39 1-62 109 0-69 1-40 1-21 1-83 1-62 3-07 1-28 1-79 3-55 3-26 2-08 1-38 34t 2 2 1 2 2 3 3 0 4 4 4 8 4 1 5 6 5 66} 4 1 3 4 3 2 4 4 6 6 12 5 7 16 14 9 6 262 Totals... 37,363,241 * No life l ere idle durii >st. t Year o: ig November am Kaitangal Decembei .a explosii : owing tc in. { Y. a strike. lar of Brum ler explosion. § Nearly all the collieries

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Taupiri Coal-mines (Limited).— Ralph's Mine, Huntly.

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Taupiri Coal-mines (Limited).— Extended No. 1 Mine, Huntly.

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screening arrangements are constructed upon the most modern design; the self-acting endlessrope system of haulage installed upon the incline connecting the mines with the new branch railway to Greymouth has been designed to transport an output of 2,000 tons per day. Ihree separate sections of bord-and-pillar workings are now being developed. No. 1 mine is situated at the upper terminus of the surface haulage incline, a distance of two miles from the coal-storage bin and branch railway, and 1,735 ft. above sea-level. No. 2 mine is situated about a quarter of a mile down the incline from its terminus; and No. 3 mine immediately above the coal-storage bin and branch-railway terminus, the latter being about 800 ft. above sea-level. The coalseams, of which there are several, are of exceptional quality for steam, gas-production, and for coke-manufacture, but the prevalence of faulting and bands of stone in the coal are unfavourable characteristics. The old Point Elizabeth State Mine, near Runanga, from which the output has previously been obtained, has received a further short lease of life by the discovery of a small unworked coal-area of excellent quality 10 ft. in thickness, situated in section No. 2, to the rise in a north-east direction. At the Blackball Colliery the country on the north-west side of the fault has been tested by diamond-drilling. Two holes were drilled, the first, situated on the Roa Road, penetrated the primary glate at a depth of 650 ft. without proving any coal-seam. The second attempt, on Hughes's track, was more successful; at a point 15 chains ahead of the main-haulage level, at a depth of 706 ft., a seam of coal 17 ft. in thickness, containing a 9 in. band of shale, was proved. At the Denniston Collieries of the Westport Coal Company there has been no new development of magnitude, although small unworked areas of coal detached from the mine have been connected therewith by stone drifts as the workings extend. The greater portion of the output is obtained by pillar-extraction. At the same company's Millerton Colliery favourable developments have been carried out in the Mine Creek section, the Mangatini fault has been passed through, and the coal-seam now being driven upon is found to be superior both in quality and thickness. In the Mangatini section excellent coal is being developed towards the eastern boundary. The Westport-Stockton Coal Company commenced operations upon their newly developed eastern section during the year, which is now connected to the incline haulage system by an electrical tramway. Headings bearing southward have been driven a short distance in the coal, but, unfortunately, the seam developed has up to the present proved soft and dirty, and is in a faulted belt of country, which will, however, be passed through. As this area was extensively bored prior to mining operations being decided upon, the character of the coal should then have been determined. The Seddonville State Colliery, formerly the Westport-Cardiff Colliery, has become exhausted of marketable coal, and has terminated its chequered career as a State colliery. The following is a brief history of this mine : The first owners of the property were the New Cardiff Syndicate, who, in 1886, first took up the ground as a coal-prospecting area, and subsequently as a lease. In 1893 the Westport-Cardiff Company was floated in Christchurch to work the ground. This compam constructed a storage-bin, screens, and rope-haulage installation at Seddonville, also an inclined surface tramway connecting the mine at Chasm Creek with the railway sidings at Seddonville. After producing 227,441 tons of coal, the greater proportion of which was soft and small coal, therefore not marketable except at a low price, operations ceased in 1899, the company going into liquidation. During the following year the property was taken over by the Government, the Westport-Cardiff lease being determined for non-fulfilment of its conditions. Acting upon a favourable report in 1901 by the Government mining advisers—Messrs. H. A. Gordon, John Hayes, and A. McKay—the ground was prospected and subsequently worked as the Seddonville State Colliery, the output therefrom commencing in 1903. A briquette-manufac-tory was established at Westport in 1907 for the utilization of the soft and small coal produced in such large proportions at Seddonville, but after a trial extending over four years it was found that the cost of manufacture exceeded the price obtainable for the briquettes, owing chiefly to the high cost of imported pitch. The manufacture of briquettes was then discontinued. ' The total quantity of briquettes produced amounted to 32,714 tons. Owing to the exhaustion of marketable coal the mine was finally closed, during May, 1914. The total output of coal under State control amounted at the end of 1913 to 524,691 tons, mostly small and unprofitable. The loss of capital upon the mine, and briquette-manufactory in connection therewith, to the WestportCardiff Company and to the State exceeds £100,000. The Puponga Colliery, near CoUingwood, after experiencing a strike during the early part of the year, went into liquidation, and has since been operated by the liquidator. Owing to bad management, water has been admitted to this mine by the extraction or splitting of coalpillars under a creek which traverses the surface in a direction parallel to the main dip haulageroad of the mine. This property has never been adequately prospected by boring. If this was done a considerable area of good coal would probably be found. In Otago and Southland coal-mining development has been uninteresting, no new mines or works of importance having been undertaken during the year. COAL-MINERS' RELIEF FUND. The following is a statement of account of the Coal-miners' Relief Fund during the two last financial years :—- Year ended Year ended jc i 31st March, 1913. 31st March, 1914. £ s. d. £ s. d. Contributions ... ... ... ... 2,041 19 3 1,893 14 3 Allowance on account of accidents, he. ... 1,635 7 6 1,720 8 4 Balance ... 6,594 19 9 7,034 10 6 I have, &c, Frank Reed, M.1.M.M., M.1.M.E., L.S., Inspecting Engineer of Mines.

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ANNEXURE A.

EXTRACTS FROM REPORTS OF INSPECTORS OF MINES.

Northern Inspection District. —Me. Boyd Bennie, Inspector op Mines, Thames. Hikurangi Coal Company (Limited). —No. 3 section (new dip) : From this section practically all the year's output has been produced. The extraction of pillars constitutes the principal work, and has been carried on without accident. In July the pillar coal became ignited by spontaneous combustion of the waste coal in the " gob." This fire took a complete hold of the mine, and destroyed the air-shaft, fan-shed, and engine-room. The mine was then flooded, and later, when the water was drained off, the manager reported very little damage to have been done underground. The new north dip section, situated at the northern end of the property, is entered from an inclined stone-drift about 300 ft. in length, dipping 1 ft. in 6 ft. The coalseam has been opened up, and three shifts were worked daily. Owing to continuous working, the mine-ventilation became very bad, and two air-shafts were sunk. Three other mine adits were opened up on various parts of the property, where small areas of coal were located, and parties of from six to eight men employed. During the year the manager was proceeded against and fined for a breach of the general rules, section 42, which renders compulsory the employment of a certificated underviewer for every mine. During the year 46,515 tons of coal was mined, ■as against 54,618 tons for the previous year, labour troubles being the chief cause of the decrease. An average of eighty-five men has been employed. I visited the mine several times during the year, and found the conditions as regards safety precautions anything but satisfactory. Northern Coal Company (Limited). —Hikurangi Northern Mine: Work during the year consisted solely of pillar-extraction, in which considerable progress had been made up to the time of the strike, the output for the ten months being practically equal to that of the previous year. The quality of the coal in No. 3 section has considerably improved, it formerly being split with seams of stone. I have made six inspections during the year, and the Check Inspectors one, and on each occasion the mine was found in good condition generally. Unfortunately, one fatal and one serious accident occurred during the year. 43,242 tons of coal were mined, and an average of sixty-three men employed. New Mine : Development has been confined principally to the extension of the main dip and its connection with the shaft, for ventilation. This was satisfactorily effected in September last, and all steam-pipes were carried through the return airway. The coal mined is of excellent quality, and is in considerable demand for steam purposes. Steam for hauling is obtained from two multitubular boilers, and a compressor supplies air for the pumps. An endless rope is to be installed, the necessary machinery being now on the property; a loading-station is •also to be constructed. There is every reason to believe that in the near future this colliery will be the chief producer in the district. I examined it several times during the year, and found conditions satisfactory. 7,612 tons of coal have been extracted, and an average of seventy-three men employed. Te Kiripaka Mine : The development-work in connection with the opening of this mine has been suspended, and as the Kiripaka Panapu section became worked out 1,193 tons of coal was obtained from the old Ngunguru section. Eight men were employed for part of the year. Ruatangata Kamo Mine. —For a few months a little work was done at this mine. Thirty tons of coal were mined, and an average of two men employed. I examined the colliery during the year, and found conditions fair. Whangarei Colliery. —Operations at this mine have been irregular, owing, in a measure, to the nature of the mine-developments. At present the coal is inferior and the seam much faulted, but from the evidence supplied from boreholes and the workings of the old Kamo Mine an improvement is anticipated some chains ahead of the present workings. During the strike a number of inexperienced men were employed at the colliery, with the result that one fatality occurred. I examined the mine on several occasions during the year, and found the conditions normal; ventilation sometimes dull. 3,880 tons of coal was mined, and eighteen men employed. United Collieries. —This colliery has been worked almost continuously throughout the year, the coal being principally used at the mines of the Waihi Goldfield. This mine is worked from the main incline dip, but it is proposed to open up an old shaft near the river loading-station, and to erect an up-to-date winding and screening plant, which would effect a considerable saving in the expense of haulage. I examined the mine on several occasions during the year, and found conditions generally in fair order, but the distribution of air was at times faulty. During the year thirty-eight men have been employed, and 21,651 tons of coal was mined. Taupiri Coal-mines (Limited). —Ralph's Mine : The chief development consisted of the construction of a stone drive, 10 chains in length, to open up the coal existing under Lake Waahi. The face of the coal was reached just prior to the stoppage of work by the strike, and, in consequence, operations in this part of the field have been hindered. During the early part of 1914 this heading will be advanced, and it is expected that the bulk of this mine's output will shortly be won from this area. Attention has also been directed during the year to the Lake Rotoiti lease (Taupiri West section), where the coal has proved to be of excellent quality. I examined the mine on several occasions, and found conditions generally satisfactory. 89,949 tons of coal was mined, and an average of 226 men employed. Extended Mine: Coal of excellent quality is still being produced. The ventilation was considerably improved by the installation of a new 92 in. diameter double-inlet Sirocco fan, which was erected to replace a smaller fan of similar type. The assembling of all the compressors under

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one roof was completed early in the year, and all power necessary for pumps, coal-cutting machines, winches, &c, is here generated for the various mines of this company. I examined this mine several times during the year, and found conditions very favourable. 128,182 tons of coal was extracted. An average of 282 men was employed. Pukemiro Collieries (Limited). —Practically all the machinery has been erected, and the railway-formation is well advanced, but there still remain several small bridges and culverts to be constructed, together with platelaying and other contingent work. It will therefore be a considerable time before the branch line is opened up. Ten men are employed above ground. Waipa Railway and Collieries (Limited). —Considerable progress has been made by this company in surface arrangements. The railway-formation from Ngaruawahia to Te Akatea has been completed, and the bridge across the Waipa River finished. A temporary engine-shed and water-supply have been constructed to accommodate a locomotive recently imported. The chief work yet to be completed by the contractors, Messrs. Donald McLean and Co., is a viaduct across Stony Creek, consisting of an imposing ironbark structure resting upon concrete foundations. The formation at the railway-station yard at Te Akatea is finished, the contract for the necessary power plant for haulage in the mine and for driving the ventilating-fan has been let. An extensive workshop and store has been built at the bottom of the incline. The coal will be worked from adits, and the company expects to be able to market coal early in the year 1914. Exclusive of the railway-construction, there are about ten men employed at the mine. Huntly Coal, Brick, Fireclay, and Tile Works. —This company has taken over the works of Messrs. Coates and Co., and have reconstructed brickworks upon their leasehold near the Huntly Railway-station. A tunnel has been constructed through the hill connecting the company's freehold with the works, and an endless rope is to be installed to haul the coal and fireclay to the works. I have examined the mine on several occasions during the year, and found it in good order. 3,187 tons of coal was mined, and an average of five men employed at the mine. Mangapapa Colliery. —The output from this colliery continues to be small, due to difficulties in transport. I examined the mine in October, and found it in good order generally. 3,560 tons of coal was extracted, giving employment to ten men. Kawakawa Colliery. —Practically nothing has been done at this mine during the year. Only four men have been employed, and 239 tons of coal mined. The lease has been surrendered. ACCIDENTS AND FATALITIES. Fatal. John Jenkins, Northern Mine, Hikurangi, on sth April, 1913 : Killed by a fall of rock. Herbert Strongman, Whangarei Mine, Whangarei, on 24th December, 1913 : The deceased, an inexperienced half-caste youth, in attempting to secure his lamp from a cage after it had commenced to ascend, was caught between the cage and the shaft-wall, and dragged to the surface, death resulting about an hour later. N on-fatal. John Hardie, Extended Mine, Huntly, on sth June, 1913 : Leg broken by a train of empty mine-trucks. Henry Brignall, Northern Mine, Hikurangi, on sth June ,1913 : Serious injuries to head and neck, caused by fall of rock. Arthur O'Neill, Ralph's Mine, Huntly, on 12th August, 1913 : Leg broken, through being caught between the buffers on the trucks. John Hurst, Ralph's Mine, Huntly, on 6th August, 1913 : Neck and back injured by fall of coal. R. Wilson, W. Driver, and W. Campbell, during 1913 at the Taupiri Mines, each lost one eye, being hit by flying coal.

West Coast Inspection District.—Mr. James Newton, Inspector of Mines, Westport. Point Elizabeth State Collieries. —The output from this colliery amounted to 135,276 tons, a decrease compared with last year's winnings of 53,557 tons. No. 1 section: The only area capable of further development is that known as the crosscut dip, but the winding dip-heading has been standing the whole of the year, and it is very questionable whether it can.be profita.bly extended on account of its great steepness, rendering coalproduction costly. Eastward the coal thins to an unworkable thickness. The output from this section has been obtained from pillar-extraction working back homeward from the thin coal, and a considerable output has been obtained therefrom. During the year a Westinghouse compound wound generator, direct current, running at 420 revolutions per minute, and coupled direct to a Belliss Morcam high-speed steam-engine, has been installed, and supplies electrical power to an electric turbine pump. This pump is at present employed in unwatering the extended dip workings, and apparently is capable of easily dealing with the inflow of water. The ventilation of the workings has been well maintained, and, generally speaking, the timbering for the support of the roof, sides, &c, has been well attended to. No. 2 section : The whole of the output from the top seam, which varies in thickness from 10 ft. to 13 ft., is still being won by pillar-extraction. The area available for working is rapidly decreasing. Underlying this seam at Nos. 1 and 2 levels in the bottom seam a considerable amount of coal still remains, which will not be worked until the top seam pillars have sufficiently advanced homeward to allow the overburden to fall and settle, thereby reducing the crushing-action of the overlying rocks. To the rise coal has been won both by pillar and solid workings from an area lying between two faults in a north-east direction. At the level the distance between these faults is approximately 22 chains, but to the rise of the seam the faults converge to about 3 chains apart, where the western fault dies away and the seam of coal thickens. The coal has been driven i

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into for several chains, and is showing a good hard seam, approximately 10 ft. thick. There is every probability that a considerable area of coal of good quality will be opened up. Ventilation of the working has been efficiently maintained, and the drivages have generally been kept in safe working-order. Safety-lamps are used in the workings. A medium output will be available for several years from this mine. Liverpool Mine: The necessary surface arrangements have been sufficiently advanced to enable coal to be marketed, an output of 9,114 tons having been recorded during 1913. Every facility for dealing with a large output has been provided, and should the various seams open out well a very substantial increase in the tonnage ought to be obtained during the incoming year. No. 1 mine, situated on the east bank of Tararu Creek, has been driven a distance of about 12 chains. After driving approximately 7 chains the coal gave place to dirt bands, &c. The level was then turned to cut the drift situated 2 chains to the northward, and advanced a further 5 chains on the level, the seam becoming dirty and thin. Rise headings have been driven to the outcrop, a distance of approximately 6 chains, in coal of good quality and medium hardness, but the area is small, and only a limited supply of coal can be expected therefrom. Other workings in this mine are situated on both sides of the Seven-mile Creek, and are connected by a stone drive approximately 17 or 18 chains in length. The winning level across the creek has advanced 11 chains, but the coal has been replaced by dirt. The rise heading going north has been driven a distance of approximately 10 chains in coal of medium hardness, and at present is pitching considerably. Evidence of flattening, however, are to be seen in the floor of the seam. On the west side of the Seven-mile Creek a pair of headings have been driven to the rise in good coal. The seam, however, thins considerably going westward. No. 2 mine, which is situated some 18 or 19 chains to the southward, opens out in coal approximately 12 ft. to 14 ft. thick. The coal appears to be of good quality, but is rather soft and friable. This seam contains three bands of stone, some of which will be hard to separate from the coal owing to its soft nature. The dip of the seam is very steep, probably 38° to 40°, and unless it flattens when driven on will be costly to work. No. 3 mine is situated above and close to the storage-bins, and is known as Garvey's Creek seam. In the rise heading going north the coal thickens from about 2 ft. 6 in. to between 5 ft. and 6 ft., but at a point about 9 chains in a small downthrow fault is met with. After proceeding a short distance the coal again is thrown up. Going westward the coal improves in thickness and hardness, but between the coal and the main sandstone roof there is a stratum of rotten shaly matter, which varies in thickness up to 2 ft. A good deal of earth-movement is evidenced by the fact that crevices in the roof may be seen which have the appearance of extending considerable distances. Naked lights are used, and the ventilation of the workings have invariably been found excellent. General safety conditions of the workings are satisfactory. Paparoa Colliery. —During the year 31,869 tons of coal was produced, and eighty-five persons were employed. The mine has been further developed by driving in northerly and easterly directions. Generally speaking, the coal is of good quality, but shows no signs of hardening, and owing to its crushed nature must necessarily produce a considerable percentage of small coal. An improved ventilation of the working-faces has been brought about by the better erection of stoppings and temporary brattice. The mine has been found to be almost entirely free from fire-damp for the last half of the year, and with reasonable care given to the circulation of the air-current very little trouble from this source is probable. Safety-lamps are used in the workings, and the ventilation is produced by a Sirocco fan circulating approximately 60,000 cubic feet of air per minute. Blackball Colliery. —Operations have been carried on at this colliery for a period of only nine months during the past year owing to strikes, the first of which occurred in August and September, the second commencing in the beginning of November and lasting the remainder of the year. The output of coal was 143,836 tons, a decrease compared with last year's winnings of 59,042 tons. The coal won has, generally speaking, maintained its usual hardness and quality. No. 1 dip section : The west levels in this section have been driven a considerable distance, and the headings driven therefrom show coal of excellent quality approximately 14 ft. thick. The quantity of water to be pumped has considerably increased, being approximately 350 gallons per minute. No. 2 dip has been driven about 450 yards from the level, and the coal appears to be improving. From this direction the bulk of the output will have to be won in the near future. The levels to the east have opened out coal of fair average quality, and the water has increased from 100 gallons to 6,000 gallons per hour. No. 17 section : To the rise of the main level a large amount of development has been done, proving the coal to be of medium hardness, and good quality and thickness. The roof in this section is very soft, and requires a good deal of extra attention; there is consequently a liability to spontaneous combustion. Two boreholes have been drilled to test the area on the north-west side of the fault. No. 1 borehole gave unsatisfactory results; at 650 ft. 6 in. of coal was penetrated, and at 660 ft. the primary slate was entered. No. 2 borehole, in direct line with the main-haulage level, and about 15 chains ahead, proved coal at 706 ft., and two seams were subsequently found, the top seam being 4 ft. thick and the bottom seam 12 ft. thick, with 9 in. of shale between them. By this borehole the fault is proved to be a downthrow of approximately 250 ft. The ventilation has been found to be generally good, but at times attention has been drawn to defective bratticing, causing the current of air to short-circuit. Other working-conditions have been satisfactory, with the exception of the somewhat careless handling and carrying of explosives by the workmen. Notices have, however, been posted to the effect that no explosives will be served from the magazine unless proper canisters are presented for the same. This procedure will, I think, have a remedial effect.

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Brunner Mine.— St. Kilda section : During the year 22,624 tons of coal has been produced, a decrease compared with last year's output of 1,7i6 tons. Early in the year the horse-drive area was won to about 11 chains from the mouth of the drive, and stopped in order to protect the airways leading from the lower workings. To the north of this a small area of solid coal between a fault and the river-bank has been entered, which supplied excellent coal. The workings to the dip have proved disappointing, the area being very much broken and faulted, while the coal is exceedingly dirty and soft. Very little development can be expected in this direction, and most probably the only coal that will be won will be -eight or ten pillars of medium quality on the north side of a dip. A small area on the south side will be recoverable when the dip is being abandoned. In the free drainage level pillars are being won. The life of this mine can only be expected to be of short duration, while the output will be limited. \entilation is carefully attended to. A small amount of fire-damp is met with occasionally when disarrangement of the ventilation occurs, and every care is, in consequence taken to guard against the same. General condition of the mine satisfactory. * North Brunner Mine.— Underground operations at this colliery were suspended towards the end of March, and the only work done during the remainder of the year has been to load a quantity of fireclay that had previously been stored on the surface. This property has proved disappointing. Development in the upper portion of the mine has shown the coal to be extremely soft and dirty, besides which in every direction driven the seam pinched and faulted to such an extent that it was found quite impossible to profitably proceed further. Operations were then commenced to extract the pillars. There are two other small areas of coal with a seam about 11 ft. in thickness, situated at a lower elevation, but in both places the coal is extremely soft and friable. A fair amount of excellent fireclay underlies the seam in places Loughnan's Mine, Merrijigs.— An output of 1,340 tons of coal has been won during the year being an increase over last year's winnings of -188 tons. A free drainage level has been driven through the hill, and pillar-extraction has commenced to the rise working from the far end homewards. Four men have been employed intermittently. The workings are holed to the surface, ensuring good ventilation. Golden Point Mine, Progress Junction.— An output of 327 tons has been won for the year a decrease of 193 tons compared with 1912. Coal from this mine does not find a ready sale for household purposes. Ventilation of the level and rises good. Watson and Moyle's Coal-mine,. Murray Creek.—A new drive from the surface has been put in at a higher level on the seam, the coal at this point being hard and of good quality A drive is being constructed to connect with the previous workings to ensure plentiful ventilation and a second outlet, the output of 1,437 tons being an increase of 267 tons above that during last year Iwo men are employed underground. Phoenix and Venus Coal-mine, Murray Greek.— Three men are employed winning coal but the trade at times is slack. The level has been extended a considerable distance, and the' coal has proved variable in hardness. Holings have been made with the level above, ensuring good circulation of air. The output, 2,618- tons, shows an increase over last year's winnings of 1,137 tons. General condition of workings satisfactory. Lankey's Creek: Coal-mine.- -No output has been obtained during the year. Operations have been connned to building a surface tramway, now completed Lockington's Freehold Deep Creek.- -The output, 450 tons, shows an increase over last year's winnings of 215 tons, obtained partly from opencast and partly from driving The coal is variable in quality, being in places very stony. Conditions of workings are satisfactory Burke s Creek Coal-mine.- -The winning level has been extended a considerable distance through very hard coal, and practically free from the usual balls and bands of sandstone- at present however, it is standing at faulted ground, a distance approximately of 12 chains in from the outcrop. This faulted ground has been met with in all developments to the south-east rise. The bottom level on the south of the creek has been extended, and is now in a distance of approximately 400 ft A connection has been made to the old workings above, where several pillars of coal are standing intact, which can be won from the present level. The coal is of JJ-op™ dn6SS - Ade l uate ventilation is produced by furnace. Roof and sides satisfactorily Waitahu Coal-mine.—The output during 1913 was 150 tons. The mine has been idle for a considerable time When last visited, in company with the owner, I condemned the timbering and gave instructions to have the whole of the drive retimbered and made secure. On a subofthe q n Mr m mine had be6n sus P ended ' and remained so for the rest Reefton Mine.- -This mine has proved disappointing to the lessees. After driving a considerable distance into the hill through barren ground the coal was found to be soft and inferior but changed to good hard coal of limited area as the drive advanced. Subsequently K£ extraction was commenced. The output amounted to 1,463 tons for the year, an increase of 1,266 tons oyer last year's production. Ventilation is obtained by holing into old rise working connected with the surface. General working-conditions are satisfactory woruings Merripgs Mine.-The few small stumps of coal to the rise of the old drive were won early in the year, and a new drive started further north. The coal is exceedingly soft, but suitable for steaming purposes. The output or the year was 763 tons, an increase of 369 tons above that 6ft widT r ' men Wre empl ° yed - Workin g s «*fo. Openings are driven from 4ft to Archer's Freehold, Capleston.-Ko development has been done during the year. The levels are both faulted. The output has been obtained from small pillars to the rise The two seams connected by a cross-measure stone drive are ventilated by connections to upper levels. An output of 740 tons of coal was obtained during the year, a decrease of 695 tons on last year's output

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Coghlan's Freehold.— This mine has produced very little coal for the year, owing to want of trade. The output, 186 tons, shows a decrease of 598 tons. This has been won from No. i. level. The quality is only medium, being soft and friable. Ventilation obtained by holmgs to the rise. . ... ~ , , ~ Bocklands Coal-mine, BuUer Boad.— The only demand for this coal is for small household consumption, confined to the few scattered homesteads in the Buller Gorge. This coal at some future date will no doubt command a ready sale when transport facilities are improved, lhe output, 81 tons, shows a decrease on last year's production of 118 tons. Working-conditions satisfactory. Ventilation of the workings secured by holings to the surface. ' Whitecliffs Coal-mine, Buller Road.—The output from this mine for the year, 42 tons, shows a decreased winning on last year's production of 74 tons. This mine also depends on local household consumption. Conditions of working satisfactory. Seddonville State Colliery.— The output for the year amounted to 51,894 tons, a decrease of 20 799 tons compared with last year's production. The working-life of this colliery cannot be prolonged for any lengthy period unless an outlet for soft coal can be found. The present workings are solely confined to two limited areas, one at the extreme south end of the main haulage-road, the other being located on the west side of the haulage-road, approximately 13 chains further north. The former area is already approaching exhaustion, and a great deal of the remaining coal is soft and stony. In the latter section (west) by far the greater proportion of the coal is unmarketable, owing to its soft and friable nature, besides which in places it is very stony A steady decrease in output may be expected from this colliery, owing to the fact that the area available for operations will steadily become less. The ventilation of the workings has been found adequate at all inspections, and a plentiful supply of mining-timber has been provided and used. . Denniston Collieries.—The output won from this colliery tor the period under review is 241,375 tons, being a decrease on last year's production of 57,261 tons. A large area of excellent hard coal has been proved by development during the year. Coalbrookdale Mine: The workings in the Wareatea section are in the solid coal, and are being developed in a south-west direction. To the southward, with an east and west bearing, is a strip of almost barren country from 8 to 10 chains wide, which drive has been driven through thereby connecting the mine-workings with Smith's drive, 10 chains m from the Cascade escarpment The result of this connection will be the opening-up of a large area of excellent hard coal 25 ft. to 30 ft. in thickness. To the westward an upthrow fault has been encountered in all the workings. Starting from the northern end, it rapidly becomes more formidable as it advances southward. The coal, however, has been proved on the high side to be of excellent quality A large volume of air enters the main drive, but owing to faulty stoppings the ventilation has been found to be indifferent at the working-faces. Too much reliance is placed on poorly constructed brattice stoppings in the cut-throughs. In other respects the condition of the sections were found satisfactory. The dip area is opening up good hard coal, and a reasonable output can be expected for a considerable time from this part of the mine. No. 8 section workings are all in the solid. The main heading has crossed a small fault running north-west, and the coal has somewhat thinned on the further side. The whole of the workings going north and east are proving a considerable thinning of the coal, in places to between 2 ft. and 3 ft. Should this continue, solid work in this area will soon be finished. One pair of colliers are employed in Wallace's section. The same conditions have been found at times in this section with reference to the ventilating-current as those referred to in the Wareatea section. The roof in this section is exceedingly tender, and necessarily demands a good deal of attention. At the beginning of the year, to replace the Hayes fan, a Sirocco fan was installed, capable of producing 200,000 cubic feet of air per minute. Ironbridge Mine: In the old shaft section pillars are being won. In the new shaft section solid workings are opening up a large area of excellent coal. These workings are being developed in a south-west direction. Kruger's section—These workings are developing in a southwestern direction, and are proving the existence of hard coal. An extensive area of coal is available here. To the eastward pillars are being won from the Kiwi No. 1, No. 4, and No. 7 sections Deep Creek section is opening up well, and excellent hard coal is being won. The workings are being developed north-west, and although faulting has been met with occasionally, it has not been formidable. Beardsmore dip has not been worked for several years, and probably an extensive water drive must be driven to win the coal advantageously. The workingconditions have generally been found satisfactory. An extensive haulage system has been pRt Pi ril i shGCI Millerton Colliery.— Operations at this colliery have resulted in the production of 292,576 tons of coal being a decline on the previous year's winnings of 36,854 tons. Mine Creek section: Two shifts of colliers are employed, and the largest amount of coal was obtained from this section. The winning-places going south-west are opening up a large area of coal of good quality. The Mangatini fault has been crossed, and the headings, which for a considerable distance were driven in thin coal and shale, are now driven in coal of improved quality and greater thickness. Two sections of pillars are being worked, one on the west and one on the east of the main haulage-road. In the former the roof overlying the coal is exceptionally rotten, in consequence of which a large amount of the pillar coal is being lost. The latter area has a much better and stronger roof generally, and consequently a greater percentage of the pillar coal is won. Mangatini section: Excellent hard coal is being proved towards the eastern boundary. On the west two sections of pillars are being worked, with satisfactory results, considering the thickness of the seam, which in places is probably 40 ft. The south headings have been standing almost all the year, the coal having given place to shale. Lower section : This section is being won out south-west, and all coal won has been from solid workings. Faults running east and west have been met with, and at present the most southerly places are skirting a fault which will need to be crossed before further development in this

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direction can be done. At present a large area is standing on pillars, besides which a very large area known to be coal-bearing awaits exploitation. The various sections are ventilated by means ot centrifugal fans, and the workings have invariably been found to be well supplied with a current ot air. The old workings have been inspected, and no impure air or heating has been observed. The general safety of the workings has been found satisfactory. Westport-Stockton Colliery .—The output from this colliery amounted to 93,315 tons a decrease ot 31,685 tons compared with that during the previous year. B tunnel section : The coal extending to the western boundary of the lease in this section has been cut into pillars, and the extraction of the same has commenced at the southern outcrop Ihe coal, from 12 ft. to 16 ft. in thickness, is generally good and of medium hardness. Going eastward m this section the seam thins to 4 ft. rapidly, but still remains of medium hardness and good quality. C tunnel section : Ihe whole of the coal in this section, with the exception of a small area situated across a creek and skirting the western boundary of the lease, has been cut into pillars D tunnel section ■ A few pairs of colliers have been employed in this area during the year' and a patch of good coal has been opened up across the creek skirting the western boundary' Development can be carried out in this section in a southerly direction along the western boundary ot the lease, and in all probability will not extend very far. New area east: To the end of the year this area has been developed by a pair of winning headings going south for about 3 chains, together with one or two drivages going west and up to the present has proved disappointing, the coal being soft and somewhat dirty. The prospects tor this area are not promising, unless good coal can be found to the south and west of toe area Ventilation excellent, and the conditions of the workings generally satisfactory 16 gear's output, 8,084 tons, shows -a decline on last year's operations of 16,321 tons. This is accounted for by the fact that for several months of the year the mine has been idle owing to strikes, together with a decreased number of coal-winners employed The only development has been m a south-easterly direction in No. 14 level, which proved a small area of coa of good quality although in places the seam is divided with sever/bands of hard stone. At the beginning of the strike in November operations ceased, and the pumps were shifted higher up the dip and the water allowed to rise. This portion will need to be unwatered again before the mine can restart, and will probably occupy several weeks. Prospecting toWrds the western boundary proved a seam of hard coal varying from 4 ft. to 7 ft. thick. % TriTwi J no doubt be driven into shortly to ascertain its extent. The general safety of the mine has been found satisfactory, and the ventilation of the workings adequate Marble Creek Coal-mine.- -This mine has not yet reached the output stage and the neces sary preparations have been slow. A seam of coal 8 ft. to 10 ft. thick, apparently good and hard has been met with and has opened out for about 2 chains. The seam is pitching flmost vertical and is situated at a lower level than the seam referred to in former reports. Most of the work done during the year has been on the surface railway. North Cape Coal-mine, Puponga.—The output for the period under review totals 6 633 tons an increase on art year's winnings of 1,963 tons. The whole of the output has beenwon from solid workings towards the outcrop in a southerly direction. This area is small nd 1 olid d^r%lfiry\c:oss n i e tud P flTt arat r\^ e "I hand f ° r Pr ° S P the seam all to S °the 3' fl llpTJ 7 T . m " d ; flat IS , finished, and a mam and tail haulage system is being installed to convey the output from the storage-bins to the loading-stage. When iZected to! general safety of the workings has been found satisfactory, and the nftural ventSn of he mine has been adequate up to the present. Should, however, the seam prove workable to he dip, mechanical ventilation will need to be installed. P WolK:aWe *° toe Ventilation. titie/of*.'!, »tor r fhe C lS i "lf"' S °' TO ? tiU "?8 »Pl>U™e. are in.t.lled, ,„d ,„fficient qu „. current ~ so f„ reduced by leakage that at time, if « scare ly po.siMe to teoot any oiro„?S sno reason why conditions such as these should exist. Efficient applianceSforSS™ !^ SSS£.-SiSiSSamsS^m ACCIDENTS. Fatal. October, 1912, and passed away after 127 days Dei was injured on the 17th Non-fatal; Serious. W. Tully got seriously injured in the Coalbrookdale Mine on the 7th March 1019 w r;i™7d"S i a jri,r %z seam tb - ->«/i "."-'"■ ™ ! a. ,„ recovered ,™, hi, i.jJualTh.TlT.bStdo Z,l™ ™' t»

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Southern Inspection District. —Mr. E. R. Green, Inspector op Mines, Dunedin. Canterbury. Broken Biver Coal-mines (Limited). —Four men prospecting with Calyx drill. Springfield Colliery, Springfield. —As hitherto, the fireclay-output exceeds that of coal, which latter is obtained from a small seam occurring in conjunction with a seam of fireclay at 80 ft. depth from the surface. 1,014 tons of fireclay and 175 tons of coal was raised during the year. Sheffield Fire clay-mine, Sheffield .—An output of 293 tons of fireclay was reported for the year. llomebush Colliery, Glentunnel. —Engine seam: Pillaring outward on balance of pillars left at first working. The "creep" has affected the working-parts of the mine, so that roadways are low in places and air-courses occasionally rather restricted. The rise, second outlet, and airway acted satisfactorily. Fireclay-output, 593 tons for.the year. Bush Gully seam : The 6 ft. seam of coal at this new mine was driven upon for a distance of 250 ft. to the dip at an inclination of lin 1. At 350 ft. it is proposed that levels will be broken away to the east and west, and the seam worked longwall. The site for the fan-shaft is situated 2 chains from the mine-mouth. A new branch line of railway, about four miles in length, has been constructed from Coalgate Railway-station to the mine. St. Helen's Colliery, Whitecliffs. —Two levels are driven in the 6 ft. seam, and pillars are being drawn outward. Unfortunately, owing to faulting, a considerable proportion of the coal is unsaleable, and consequently left behind. Tripp's Colliery, Mount Somcrs. —Pillar and head coal-working on small scale. Ventilation good. Albury Colliery, Albury.- —Ladder-way required in second outlet and upcast air-shaft. Ventilation good. Dalgety Coal-mine, Hakataramea. —A semi-vertical seam worked for station requirements. North Otago. St. Andrew's Colliery, Papakaio. —An average annual output is maintained for district use. Prince Alfred Colliery, Papakaio. —Working is continued under the Usual conditions. Ngapara Colliery, Ngapara. —Local demand fully supplied. Broadleaf Colliery, Shag Point. —By prospecting-work the average output from this property is maintained. Shag Point Colliery, Shag Point. —The excessive wet weather causing ground-slips, this mine became unworkable. Prospecting for a new seam is being carried out. Allandale Colliery, Shag Point. —Now practically closed down; some prospecting was being carried on in the 3 ft. seam area. _ South Otago. Fernhill Colliery, Abbotsford. —Recent rains have rendered repairs necessary to the upcast air-shaft. Ventilation good. Coal-output at present rather restricted. Output of buildingsand, 12,507 tons for the year. Freeman's Colliery, Abbotsford. —The panel system of working is in operation. Travellingways in good order and ventilation generally well conducted to working-faces. Green Island Colliery, Green Islamd. —The dip workings being filled with water, an effort was made to enter the seam on the line of strike through some old workings pending the erection of electrical-pumping plant. Jubilee Colliery, Saddle Hill. —Pillar and head coal-places are being continued outward. Substantial sand stoppings are built on the line of waste workings. Development to the dip is also advancing, but the band of stone met in easterly working is proving troublesome. Ventilation good, and working safely conducted. Saddle Hill No. 1 Colliery, Saddle Hill. —Pillar and head coal-workings are being conducted in a safe manner, the roof-break being kept close up in working-places. Permanent brick and ash fire-stoppings are kept up to the waste. Under new furnace-ventilation an ample supply of air available for the workmen. Saddle Hill No. 2 Colliery, Saddle Hill. —The area from whence the coal-output has hitherto been obtained is now exhausted and stopped off. A new drive has been driven for the recovery of pillars and head coal left at first working a number of years ago. When approaching the old workings containing water the requirements of the Act in respect to boring were observed. Roof good and ventilation excellent. East Taieri Colliery, Mosgiel. —A new opening on the western face of Saddle Hill. Workings in safe condition. Lauriston Colliery, Brighton. — The remaining coal-pillars are being taken out safely. Ventilation good. Brighton Colliery, Brighton. —On account of some heating, work had been suspended and the pit was filled with water. Waronui Colliery, Milton. —Under the system of narrow-drive development-work in vogue, airways and travelling-roads are in a safe and condition for working. Roof to pillarworkings well supplied with timber. Fan-ventilation adequate, and use of explosives carefully supervised. MeGilp's Colliery, Milton. —Advancing work partially interrupted by faulting, and pro-specting-drives are being extended. Taratu Colliery, Lovell's Flat. —Main-shaft workings were now pumped free from standing water, and second outlet communication restored. Ladder travelling-way in upcast air-shaft, ■also main-shaft timbers, in good condition. Ventilation good. Hawthorn Den Coal-mine, Kaitangata. —A tramway having been laid from the mine to the hilltop, the lessee expects an increased output from this small mine.

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_ Longridge Coal-mine kaitangata.—k 3 ft. seam is worked to the fault, and work now consists of coming back with the pillars. Roof good; timber used as required Kaitangata Collieries, No. 1 ;l/m e .-Coal-workings on the northern side of main haulage-way are suspended. Ihe horse haulage-way beyond the main rope terminus was being doubled and an extra communication-way was being driven between No. 1 heading south and the extension thence to No. 6 dip. Pillar-workings in Oliver's dip section, where heating occurred, were sealed off. The fire heating on No. 3 heading to shaft section was reduced, and the stoppings were reported as being properly attended to. Mundy's dip and No. 6 dip places mainly pillaring outward, the temperature therein being 74° F. (dry bulb). Several pillar-workings in No 21 dip were finished and closed up. A prospecting-dip was being driven from No. 21 dip westerly whence it was proposed to drill a borehole to the 18 ft. seam underlying. Generally the air-ways and travelling-ways had been well maintained, and fire-stoppings carefully attended to Severa samples of mine-air were collected for analyses by the Dominion Analyst at the returns from the contained 1-06 0-3-r A°nll "I™.' at *"" *° U P° aSt air " shaft - The ««M« contained 1 06, 0 32, and 0"69 per cent, of methane respectively. The safety-lamp station cabin is maintained at the intake entrance to the two main air splits underground. An abundant supply of timber brattice, he is kept on hand for use as required. A new magazine has been erected at a suitable site on the surface and approved for storage of explosives Van-ventila-tion, electrically driven, an average of 30,000 cubic feet of air per minute has been in constant circulation Plans and report-books kept to date. About thirty-five horses and ponies in work were in good condition as reported by the Inspector for the S.P.C.A. Association. Kaitangata Collieries, No. 2 Mine, Kaitangata.-Old northerly workings are finished and sealed off. Levels to southward were driven through the fault, where the coal-seam was found lt n 3 2 n fl n 'I. th f k + ne f' . lhe Slrooo ° fan > electrically driven at half-speed, is capable of producing iB,OOO cubic feet of air per minute. Castle Hill Colliery Kaitangata.— The output was being produced from No. 7 dip workings and Jordan s seam north, where the pillars are being worked outward. Ventilation was good and several places less warm than formerly. Only safety-lamps were used in the working-places' todlte VayS alr - wavs t0 u P° a «t air-shaft maintained in good order. Report-books kept At the three Kaitangata Collieries 450 safety-lamps of bonneted Clanny type are in daily use coal fe^ l St %t»>9 r a**. 30 ft. Roof good, where bringing back pillars an/heS coal. Ventilation fair. Pipeclay-output, 5,346 tons for the year. Mamholm Lignite-pit, Waipahi.— Opencast. Output for the year, 2,704 tons. Central Otago. Coal Creek Colliery, Roxburgh.—The main seam having become soft and inferior, attention was being paid to prospecting in the vicinity of the former opencast workings McPherson's Coal-pit. Boxburgh.- The spontaneous fire from the old workings was still smouldering on the opencast face, but no likelihood of further harm appears to exist A waterrace exists near to the pit and water therefrom is available for use in the event of the fire spreading. Report-book to date. Perseverance Coal-mine, Roxburgh.—The old underground spontaneous tire had caused increased warmth at the stoppings which were in good order. Water was laid on and the heating suppressed. Ventilation good. Report-book kept neatmg this elS' MeXandrn a few ™ P*-s remain to be withdrawn, when Molyneux Colliery Alexandra. -Recent workings were advancing in the direction of old gold-dredging excavations submerged by the Clutha River, for security against inundation Centre and flank boreholes kept well ahead, while boreholes in roof were put up 7 ft, at intervals of about 12 ft Wet backs continue, and water inflow has increased. The management exercle care and watchfulness. s ui>a is C ° al ' pit ' °<*™i> rian ' s — o£en working, face 'stripped and well battered where coal Laudervale Coal-pit, Cambrian%— Opencast; seam 16 ft., stripping Bft Bldge Oturehua.— Open working-face stripped ahead. Preparing for diptoward 0 d ?™J^Ot»rehua.-0 P encMt pit flooded. Now preparing to siphon the water, and work ° tnrehua — in drai ™ge neavy, making lower part of seam unproGirnmerburn Coal-pit Gimmerbnrn.-Qneneast shallow pit worked for local requirements Clyde Collieries, Clyde.-The mam haulage-drive having fallen in, work be ng suspended meanwhile. Openings to surface properly protected. 8 suspended +k* tff*''?™? G f °f min % BaTmo^b rn.-Advan C inq No. 3 dip and developing in narrow work with a view to future pillar-extraction. Workings in good order, and ventilation good with two exceptions where a stenton was almost through. The powder-magazine was to be moved to a more suitable site as selected. movea Cairnmuir Coal-mine Bannockbum.-VilUring outward continued, with a good roof-break Close up, and caving sand prevents spontaneous ignition and provides effective stowing Ranfurly Coal-mine, Bannockburn. -The prospecting-dip drive has been extended to 240 ft from surface, where the vertical seam was found faulted. An uprise to the surface, for ventila tion, was almost completed. ' veuoiiaCnal ' P ' H ' average output continues to be maintained from this high

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Ryder's Goal-mine, Nevis. —A low level has been driven, which facilitates haulage and drainage. Evidence of faulting may be seen in both directions. Nevis Crossing Coal-pit, Nevis. —Opencast pit. Two men steadily employed during summer months. The Golden Point, Limited (lately Gold and Scheelite Proprietary Company, Limited), Macrae's. —Worked for own requirements. The workings collapsed during the year. Dillon's, Blackstone Hill. —A private pit worked for local consumption. Southland. Pukerau Coal-mine, Pukerau. —A small output produced for local use. Heffernan's Goal-mine, East Gore. —The main entrance having collapsed during recent wet weather a new dip has been driven, and the mine is being reopened. Green's Colliery, Gore. —In usual working-condition, this mine having suffered less from storm and floods than other pits in the district. Fan-ventilation fair. Report-book and plan kept. Bushy Park Coal-pit, Croydon. —Opencast. Heads stripped well back and in good workingorder. Burnwell Coal-mine, Ghatton. —Driving to dip, and southerly. Seam thick (30ft.) and strong. The communication-way towards old Chatton Mine has now fallen in. Bamsay's Coal-mine, Chatton. —Driving to dip, and levels broken away southward. Seam thick and strong. Ventilation good. Report-book kept. Springfield Coal-mine, Waikaka Valley. —A shallow underground working, in fair order. Ventilation good. Willowbank Colliery, Waikaka Valley. —Recent flood-water made inroads through the fallen ground of older workings, causing the mine to practically collapse around the small pillars left. The fault converging from outcrop tends to narrow the dip-workings. Glenlee Goal-pit, Waikaka. —Opencast pit, stripping kept well ahead. Edge's Coal-mine, Waikaka. —Driving to the dip and opening levels in the usual way. Siphon drainage having become unworkable on account of the depth, a steam-pump is now used. Bossvale Coal-mine, Waikaia. —Bords were being driven toward the boundary of old Waikaia Mine workings. The seam is open-jointed, and the water-level on the floor was being taken as a guide and safeguard against a sudden inburst of water. The mine-manager promised to have a borehole kept ahead in advancing places. Waikaia Goal-mine, Waikaia. —The former haulage-way to the surface has collapsed beyond repair. A new dip drive is being put down through former workings. Noxious gas has not been observed. Argyle Coal-pit, Glenavy. —Opencast; worked for local supplies. Waimea Goal-mine, Kingston Crossing. —New mine on terrace being got ready for output. Lynch's Goal-mine, Kingston Crossing. —A steady output being maintained for local purposes. Princhester Creek Coal-pit, The Key. —An output of 130 tons was produced during the year, for local requirements. Mataura Collieries Company (Limited), Mataura. —After flood inconveniences the mine has been unwatered, and normal conditions now prevail. Some brattice was required for more complete ventilation, which the mine-manager promised should receive attention. Mataura Lignite-pit, Mataura. —Work was being conducted at two places, the " face " being about 200 yards in length. Stripping was kept well ahead, and explosives apparently carefully handled. As twelve men were employed at one time in and about the pit in contravention of the permit issued by me authorizing the employment of eight men, in accordance with the Coalmines Act, the holder of such permit, Mr. William Coster, was proceeded against and convicted, with costs amounting to £2 13s. Waimumu Coal-pit, Waimumu. —Opencast workings, safely conducted. Heatherlea Coal-prit, Waimumu. —Opencast working for local use. Ota Creek Coal-pit, Wyndham. —Shallow opencast workings, liable to much flooding by water. Clarke's Coal-pit, Wyndham. —Opencast workings. Centrifugal pump, steam-driven, now installed. » Bobin Hood Coal-pit, Pine Bush. —An opencast pit supplying district requirements. Nightcaps Colliery, Nightcaps. —No. 1 mine: Permanent ash fire-stoppings are built against the waste in the middle and upper seams. No. 2 mine : The output is chiefly derived from pillar and head coal. The lower seam dip drive has attained 400 ft. from surface, the dip being lin 4. A connection for ventilation with new shaft will shortly be made. The opencast section which has yielded so large a proportion of the output will shortly be abandoned, owing chiefly to the stripping becoming too heavy to be profitable. The loading-bank and surface erections which were burned have now been restored in steel and concrete. Close attention is paid to daily examinations and report-books. Plan duly kept. Explosives-magazine approved. An extraordinary fatality occurred on the 2nd April, 1913, when James Hewitt, miner, returned to his workingface having first previously ignited the fuse of a shot without having given the usual warning. Hewitt was killed instantly, and a deputy and another workman accompanying him had a narrow escape. Matthew McKenzie, miner, was fatally injured on the 9th September, 1913, by being thrown against a coal-truck by a fall of coal from the roof, he sustaining fracture of skull and jaw. New Brighton Coal-mine, Nightcaps. —Pillar and head coal, working back from the boundary. Ventilation good; report-book and plan kept. A fatal accident happened on the 26th February, 1913, whereby William Ferguson, miner, was killed by a fall of coal from the face, which had previously been examined by the mine-manager and others and considered safe,

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Wairio Goal-mine, Nightcaps. —Not working. Awaiting completion of new private branch line of railway from Wairio Station. Beaumont Goal-pit, Nightcaps. —Opencast workings; stripping kept well ahead of workingface. Mount Linton Coal-mine, Nightcaps. —A small output derived for local consumption. Diamond Lignite-pit (lately Bush Siding Pit), Seaward Bush. —Opencast pit recently reopened for output of lignite for district use. Lynwood Coal-pit, Te Anau. —Worked for supply of fuel for the Government steamers on Lakes Te Anau and Manapouri. Private Pits. Wellwood Park Lignite-pit, Pukerau. —Small output for own use. Otikerama Station Lignite-pit, Pukerau. —Output for station requirements. Biverview Lignite-pit, Gore. —Small output for own use. Tuach's Lignite-pit, Waimumu. —Small output for local use. ACCIDENTS. Three fatal accidents were recorded during the year : two by falls of coal from roof; one killed owing to re-entering his working-place after igniting a shot at the face; and in a fourth case suicide was committed subsequent to a minor accident—this cannot be classed among fatal mining accidents. Seven persons were incapacitated, each for several weeks, by five ignitions of blasting-powder in or about as many mines in Southland. These accidents were due to the mishandling of powder and naked lights by the sufferers. Ten eye accidents, mostly non-serious, were reported as being chiefly due to flying coal from miners' picks. Fatal Accidents. 26/2/13. —New Brighton Colliery, Nightcaps: William Ferguson, twenty-five, miner; fractured skull by fall of coal from roof at working-face which had been previously examined by mine-manager and deputy and considered safe. 2/4/13. —Nightcaps Colliery, Nightcaps: James Hewitt, fifty-five, miner; injuries to chest, struck by flying'coal from a shot which deceased had previously ignited, and, unaccountably, re-entered the place without warning his fellow-workmen, two of whom had a narrow escape. 9/9/13. —Nightcaps Colliery, Nightcaps: Matthew McKenzie, thirty-four, miner; fractured skull and jaw; was thrown against a coal-box by a fall of coal from roof of his working-place. Serious Non-fatal Accidents. 6/1/13. —Kaitangata Colliery, Kaitangata: A. S. Gillanders, mine-manager; fractured leg; fell 550 ft. to the bottom of upcast air-shaft, which he was examining, when the hand-winch slipped out of gear. 108 days off work. 31/1/13. —New Brighton Colliery, Nightcaps : Walter Robinson, forty-five, miner; bruised groin while taking down coal. Ninety-eight days off work. 24/2/13. —Kaitangata Colliery, Kaitangata: William McGhee, thirty-eight, repairer; fractured left wrist; struck by a fall of coal while timbering. 121 days off work. 18/4/13. —Kaitangata Colliery, Kaitangata: Alexander Morrison, forty, miner; fracture of radius; struck by stone falling from roof. Fifty days off work. 22/5/13. —Kaitangata Colliery, Kaitangata: Joseph Hennessy, twenty-one, trucker; compound fracture of right leg, with subsequent amputation above knee. As alleged, playfully and improperly started haulage-winch, and leg became crushed between coal-box and winch-frame. 10/6/13. —Ryder's Coal-mine, Nevis: Walter George, twenty-two, miner; loss of right eye; struck by a " fire " while squaring timber. Thirty-nine days off work. 6/8/13. —Christie's No. 2 Colliery, Saddle Hill: William Scott, forty-two, miner; injured back by full truck of coal overturning on him while trucking. He committed suicide twenty-eight days after the accident owing to depressed mind. 9/9/13. —Nightcaps Colliery, Nightcaps: John Price, forty-four, miner; fracture of left fibula and scalp-wound by fall of coal from roof of working-place, when M. McKenzie was fatally injured. Seventy-four days off work. 10/10/13. —Kaitangata Colliery, Kaitangata: Alexander Morrison, forty-one, miner; fractured rib and sprain of back by fall of coal from roof of working-place. Seventy days off work. COAL-MINERS' RELIEF FUND, Payments to the fund for the year 1913, =£949 Bs. 2d. FIRECLAY AND PIPECLAY OUTPUT. Canterbury and Otago, 7,246 tons; building-sand output—Otago, 12,507 tons.

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ANNEXUBE B.

QUESTIONS ASKED AT THE 1914 EXAMINATION FOR FIRST-CLASS CERTIFICATES OF COMPETENCY AS MINE-MANAGERS UNDER THE COAL-MINES ACT.

Subject 1. — Prospecting, Opening out a Colliery, Working Coal, and Timbering. 1. Describe fully how you would sink a shaft, rectangular or circular, through quicksand to a depth of 100 ft. .2. If found necessary to open a roadway through ground recently worked by longwall, how would you secure same '. 3. Give sketches and description of pit-bottom roadways and lines of rails therefrom in a seam of coal 8 ft. thick from which an output of 800 tons per eight-hours shift has to be raised. 4. Has the amount of cover overlying a coal-seam any bearing on the system to be adopted in working pillars ? And, if so, explain fully in regard to 100 ft. and 500 ft. of cover respectively. 5. Why is coal-dust to be regarded as explosive under certain conditions ? And state what these are. 6. Describe and show by sketches the systems of working coal with which you have had practical experience, and state what changes would in your opinion be an improvement on any one of the systems. 7. Show by sketches (a) what is meant by systematic timbering, and (b) sets of timber good for side and top weight, and (c) the application of sprags in the working-faces of a colliery. 8. Give sketches showing how you would lay out a longwall working with the coursing of the air from the downcast shaft through the faces and return to the upcast shaft, and state the conditions in which the longwall system is superior to the bord-and-pillar system. 9. Describe and show by sketches how you would carry drives intended to open up old workings, and all necessary precautions to be observed to prevent accident from (a) water and (b) noxious gases. Subject 2. — Mine-gases, Spontaneous Combustion, and Ventilation. 1. Name and describe the different gases met with in coal-mines, giving their specific gravity and their effect upon life and health. 2. With a fan developing 30 horse-power at the fan with a water-gauge of 2-3 in., but from which only 50 per cent, of useful effect is obtained, what quantity of air would be produced ? 3. If appointed to the management of an important and extensively developed colliery worked with locked safety-lamps, having no previous knowledge of the colliery, how would you proceed to make yourself thoroughly acquainted with it in all departments ? 4. Why should the circulation of air in mines be maintained continuously, and not during the day only ? 5. What special precautions should be observed in the erection of a ventilating-fan in order that it may not be destroyed by an explosion ? And state your experience of work done in mines where explosive gases were generated. 6. Given 50,000 ft. of air passing in two splits, how much circulates in each if one measures 7 ft. by 4 ft. and the other 7 ft. by 8 ft. ? 7. If the volume of air be trebled, how much will the friction be increased ? 8. State how you would proceed to deal with a fire in the workings of a coal-mine, and what experience you have had in dealing with such conditions ? 9. Ventilate a mine-plan [not here reproduced] and show by conventional signs the position of aircrossings, doors, stoppings, &c, having due regard to the haulage-system from the face of working-places to the downcast shaft. Subject 3. — General Mining, Steam Boilers and Engines. 1. Give sketches with the dimensions (figured) of a dam which you would consider effective to resist a pressure of 60 lb. per square inch, and state material preferred to be used and dimensions of site. 2. Give sketches of Lancashire boiler of 200 horse-power, specifying all dimensions and strength of plates suitable for a working-pressure of 120 lb. per square inch. 3. With a mean pressure of 80 lb. and 300 ft. per minute piston-speed, what size cylinder is required to give 150 horse-power ? 4. What is the breaking-strain of a 3-in.-circumference steel-wire rope ? 5. Explain the meaning of the constant number 0-034 in the formula used in finding the diameter of a plunger to pump a given quantity of water. 6 What is the limit to the length of a single-lift pump, and what causes this ?

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7. Show by calculation the relative strength of two beams of timber, one being 12 ft. by 10 in. by 10 in., and the other 12 ft. by 12 in. by 8 in., and show breaking-strain of each if loaded in the middle. 8. State briefly the precautions to be observed in connection with blasting in coal-mines, and under what circumstances you would prohibit same. Subject 4.— Mine Drainage and Haulage ; also Practical Electricity. 1. Under what conditions should the pump-rods and weight of water in pipes be equal ? Give a case where they should be so, and say which should be the heavier, and why. 2. Having to install a 25 horse-power motor, continuous current, one mile from the genera ting-station, where the voltage is 480 and the line consists of No. 2 standard wire-gauge wire, what should the resistance and voltage drop be, and what voltage should the motor be ordered for ? 3. Assuming that you have an incline 50 chains long dipping 1 in 6 against load, up which it is required to haul by direct haulage 25 trucks, the gross load being 25 tons, at a speed of 600 ft. a minute, what power electric motor would you install ? Choose what you consider proper size and quality of rope, and make all necessary allowances for friction and other losses. 4. What is meant by the term " factor of safety," and what factor should be allowed in winding-ropes 1 5. Give your practical experience in the use of electric plant for (a) pumping and (b) winding or haulage, and state what precautions should, in your opinion, be observed for its safe use underground. 6. Having to unwater a dip heading of 55 chains dipping at rate of 1 in 5, the inflow of water being 500 gallons per minute, state capacity and class of pump you would adopt, and motive for actuating same. The pump to work only twelve hours daily after dip pumped out. Show by sketch how the pump should be mounted to follow water down the dip. 7. Having regard to the dangers arising from the employment of appliances which may, owing to some defect, ignite fire-damp with air in such proportion as to be explosive, what stringent rules would you adopt to guard against disaster from the use of such appliances ? 8. Enumerate the most prolific causes of accidents in coal-mines, and briefly describe precautions which would, in your opinion, tend to reduce the number of accidents.

Subject 5.— (a.) Mine-surveying, Levelling, and Making of Plans.

1. The above diagram represents a mining claim with a shaft at 11, and an underground tunnel from II to 111 and 111 to IV : compute the distance that should be driven from IV to the boundary of the claim at V. [Note.- The distances are given in links.] 2. The angle of elevation in the tunnel when driven from IV to V is 3° 15' : compute the difference in height from IV to V in feet. 3. The area of the figure I, 11, 111, IV, V, VI is required: state by what methods it can be obtained, and what is the most accurate method. 4. What timbers may be used for survey pegs? (b.) Geology — Prospecting for Coal, Origin and Mode of Formation of Coal-seams; Faulting ; also a General Knowledge of the Geology of Stratified Bocks, and more particularly of New Zealand Coal-measures. 1. State fully how you would prospect a hilly bush-clad area of, say, 2,000 to 3,000 acres, in which more than one apparently workable coal-seam outcropped, in order to determine whether it would be advisable to spend, say, £250,000 in making a railway and opening out a mine. What aid could a fairly good geological and topographical map, on the scale of 1 in. to 20 chains, give you in the matter? In the absence of suitable maps, how much geological and topographical mapping would you yourself do, or have done, and on what scale ? 2. Give approximate chemical composition of lignite, brown coal, bituminous coal, and anthracite. State the principal New Zealand localities for each of these classes of coal. 3. Define the terms—" strike," " dip," "anticline," "unconformity." Give illustrative diagrams. 4. Give as full an account as your time permits of the geology of any coal-mining district in New Zealand, Australia, Great Britain, or any other country with which you are personally acquainted.

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Subject 6.— Arithmetic, and a Knowledge of the Coal-mines Act and Amendments, also First Aid to the Injured. 1. If you know the length of the three sides of a triangle, how would you find its area ? 2. Explain what you know of keeping accounts. 3. Assume the annual output of a colliery to be 100,000 tons screened coal, 50,000 unscreened, and 60,000 tons small, the average cost per ton on trucks being 75., what would the average sellingprice have to be in order to provide 5 per cent, depreciation and 10 per cent, dividend on a capital of £300,000 ? 4. How many tons of coal does a pillar 42 ft. by 60 ft. by 9 ft. contain ? 5. How many cubic feet of debris would be produced from a shaft 14 ft. diameter, 500 ft. deep ; and how many gallons of water would such a shaft contain ? 6. Find the depth of a circular cistern, 7 ft. diameter, which contains 2,400 gallons. 7. Are you the holder of a certificate from the St. John's Ambulance Society ? 8. Give a list of what you consider the requisite material and appliances required to be kept at collieries to enable first aid to be speedily rendered, and state where, in your opinion, such should be kept underground and overground respectively. 9. What do you consider the best dressing to be applied to persons suffering from severe burns ; and what is most important to be guarded against in such cases ? 10. In the treatment of persons affected by the inhalation of noxious gases, what are the first steps to be taken ? And state what experience you have had, if any, in the use of rescue apparatus. 11. Give your knowledge of the Coal-mines Act and general and special rules by stating (a) the duties devolving on the manager under the Act; (b) the duties and responsibilities of the fireman in making the daily examination of the mine prior to the men entering the mine ; (c) underviewers' duties ; (d) provision for refuge-holes on haulage-roads, and the special rules provided for guarding against accidents from fire-damp and the use of explosives.

QUESTIONS ASKED AT THE 1914 EXAMINATION FOR SECOND-CLASS CERTIFICATES OF COMPETENCY AS MANAGERS UNDER THE COAL-MINES ACT. Subject 1. — Prospecting, Opening out a Colliery, Working Coal, and Timbering. 1. Give briefly your experience in prospecting, and what steps are generally taken in connection with this work and what you consider most essential. 2. In sinking a shaft through quicksand to a depth of 100 ft., what means would you adopt ? 3. Having to carry a roadway through old workings very much fallen, what style of timbering would you adopt ? Show by sketches. 4. What are the most necessary safeguards in connection with blasting in coal-mines ? 5. Briefly describe the methods of working coal in any mines with which you have been connected, and show by sketches how you would lay out a pit-bottom where a fairly large output has to be handled. 6. Give a sketch plan of what you understand is meant by the panel system of carrying on the workings of a colliery, and state what you consider the advantages of this method. 7. Having regard to the production of the largest possible yield of lump coal, what method of preparation for blasting would you adopt in bord-and-pillar workings ? Subject 2.— Mine-gases, Spontaneous Combustion, and Ventilation. 1. In a mine where fire-damp is given off freely, what means of limiting the number of men in any one split would you adopt ? And say how many men you consider sufficient to have in any split. 2. Would you think it proper to stop the ventilating-fan when men are not at work ? Give reasons for your opinion for or against. 3. State how you would proceed to deal with a fire in the workings of a coal-mine, and give your experience in connection with such. 4. Give the names, specific gravity, and symbols of gases commonly met with in coal-mines, and their effect on life and health. 5. What do you consider the most suitable material with which to build air-crossings and permanent stoppings, and should these, in your opinion, be so strong as to resist the effect of explosions ? 6. Having 50,000 ft. of air passing in two air-courses, one being 7 ft. by 5 ft. and the other 7 ft. by 7 ft., what quantity would pass in each ? 7. Ventilate a mine-plan [not here shown], and show by conventional signs the position of doors, air-crossings, stoppings, &c, at same time having regard to haulage of coal from face of workings to the shaft. Subject 3. — General Mining. Mine-drainage, and Haulage. 1. Being suddenly apprised of the presence of fire-damp in the workings of a colliery where it had not previously been seen, what steps would you adopt to prevent accidents ? 2. Having to pump 100 gallons a minute from a dip working, what provision would yon make for dealing with it (a) as regards storage with the object of pumping the day's make of water in eight hours and (&) size of pump and means of driving same ?

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3. Show by sketches the kind of dam you would erect to resist a pressure of 60 lb. per square inch stating kind of material used and reason for preference. 4 ' 1161106 th<3 UBe ° f Safety eXploBive8 ' and describe full y the dan ge r s from blown5. If you decide to treble the air passing through an aircourse, how much would the friction be increased * 6. Show by sketches how you would proceed to carry on drives towards old workings where you expected noxio^lse" 11 PleSSUre ' giving all P recautions deemed requisite, including provision against Subject 4-.-Elementary Electricity, Arithmetic, and Knowledge, of Coal-mines Act, also First Aid to the Injured. 1 ' " re Z!l 6 / t0 tr r mit P ° We , r t0 * long di f tan ° e ™ der B TOUnd f <« haulage purposes, what precautions would you observe m reference to voltage and protection of cables ? 2. What power of motor would you install to haul 10 trucks of coal up an incline grade 1 in 5 against load trucks and coal being 10 tons, speed 400 ft. per minute ? Give size of rope, and allow tor tnction and other losses. 3. If you have 100 pairs of miners producing 800 tons per day at a cost of 6s. per ton, and it is required to increase the output by 40 per cent, and to reduce the cost per ton 10 per cent., what additional men would require to be employed, and what would the average cost per ton be « 4. Having to construct a circular cistern to contain 3,000 gallons, a diameter of 8 ft. having been decided on, what would the depth be ? s First Aid. 1. Are you the holder of a certificate from St. John's Ambulance Society « 2. Enumerate the most essential kind of material and appliances which should be kept at all collieries tor the rendering of first aid. 3. State how you would render first aid to persons suffering from (a) burns, (6) broken lower limb, limb * bandages should he applied to stop profuse bleeding from injured Knowledge of Coal-mines Act. 1. State your knowledge of the Coal-mines Act with reference to (a) duties of underviewer ; (6) fireman examining mine before men enter upon their shift; (c) necessary reports and records to be kept m compliance with the Act; (d) the special rules for guarding against accident from fire-damp, and (c) trom blasting and coal-dust. F

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LIST OF PERSONS WHO HAVE OBTAINED CERTIFICATES UNDER THE COAL-MINES ACTS.

First-class Mine-managers' Certificates. Issued under the Coal-mines Acts, 1886 and 1891. Aitken, T., Wendon. Gray, J., Abbotsford. 'Redshaw, W., Whangarei. Alexander, T., Brunnerton. "Harrison, J., Brunnerton. Reed, P., Westport. Austin, J., Sheffield. "Irving, J., Kaitangata. 'Richardson, D., Abbotsford. Binns, G. J., Dunedin. Jamison, W., Waimangaroa. Shore, J., Kaitangata. Bishop, J., Brunnerton. *Kenyon, J., Shag Point. Shore, T., Orepuki. •Brown, T., Westport. Kerr, G., Kamo. 'Shore, W. M., Kaitangata. Brown, T., Glentunnel. 'Lindsay, W., Otago. 'Smart, W., Ohristchurch. Cameron, J., Denniston. Lloyd, J., Invercargill. Smith, A. E., Nelson. Campbell, J. C, Fairfield. 'Louden, J., Green Island. Smith, T. P., Nelson. Cochrane, N. D., Dunedin. Love, A., Whangarei. Sneddon, J., Mosgiel. Collins, W., Taupiri. Mason, J., Nightcaps. Swinbanks, J., Kawakawa. Dando, M., Brunnerton. May, J., Greymouth. Taylor, E. 8., Huntly. ♦Elliott, R., Wallsend. Moody, T. P., Kawakawa. Thompson, A., White Cliffs. 'Ferguson, A., White Cliffs. Moore, W. J., Springfield. Walker, J., CoUingwood. 'Freeman, J., Green Island. 'Nelson, J., Green Island. Williams, W. H., Shag Point. 'Geary, J., Kamo. Ord, J., Huntly. Issued under the Coal-mines Acts, 1886, 1891, 1905, and 1908, after Examination. Armitage, F. W., Auckland. Fletcher, James, Granity. McCormack, W., Denniston. Armstrong, J., Brunnerton. Fox, R. A., Denniston. McEwan, Robert, Coromandel. Barclay, T., Kaitangata. Fry, Sydney, Waimangaroa. McGeachie, J., Mokau. Barclay, W., Kaitangata. Gibson, John, Westport. Milligan, J., Denniston. Bennie, Boyd, Waihi. Gillanders, A., Shag Point. Milligan, N., Westport. Bishop, T. 0., Reefton. Gowans, W., Millerton. Morgan, William, Waihi. Brown, J. C, Denniston. Green, E. R., Abbotsford. Murray, T., Westport. Burt, A.., Waihi. Green, J., Brunnerton. 'Newsome, F., Denniston. Campbell, Peter, Fairfield. Hamilton, J. S., Burnett's Face. Newton, James, Brunnerton. Oarruthers, J., Shag Point. Herd, J., Brunnerton. Parsonage, W., Runanga. Carson, W., Kaitangata. Heycook, C. R., Nightcaps. Penman, A., Huntly. Coombe, J., Waihi. Hill, Robert, Abbotsford. Scoble, E. J., Waihi. Coulthard, J., Taylorville. Hosking, G. P., Auckland. Shore, Joseph, Kaitangata. Dixon, C. W., Granity. 'Hughes, D., Preservation Inlet. Smith, George, Fairfield. Dixon, W., jun., Kaitangata. Hughes, Joh., Puponga. Sowerby, H., Denniston. Dowgray, R. L., Granity. Mebson, D., Canterbury. Tattley, E. W., Huntly Duggan, George, Burnett's Fac■•. Johnson, W. P., Thames. Tattley, F. J., Mercer. Dunn, Andrew, Denniston. Jones, T., Kimihia. Taylor, A. H., Waikato. Dunn, W., Brunnerton. Leitch, J., Blackball. Thomson, Thomas, Denniston. Dunn, W. R., Thames. Leitch, W., Blackball. Turner, G. F., Shag Point. Elliott, R., jun., Denniston. Marshall, A. G., Denniston. Westfield, C. H., Fairfield. Fleming, J., Kaitangata. McCaffrey, Patrick, Ferntown. Young, James H., Waimangaroa. Issued under the Coal-mines Act, 1886, on Production of English Certificate. Binns, G. J., Dunedin. 'Garrett, J. H., Auckland. 'Macalister, J., Invercargill. Black, T. H., Waipori. Hayes, J., Kaitangata. 'Nimmo, J., Oamaru. Broome, G. H., Ngakawau. Hodgson, J. W., Ross. 'Straw, M., Westport. Cater, T., Auckland. 'Lindop, A. 8., Springfield. Tattley, W, Auckland. Cochrane, N. D., Dunedin. Issued to Inspectors of Mines by virtue of Office, under the Coal-mines Acts of 1886 and 1891. 'Coutts, J., Thames. *Gow, J., Dunedin. 'Wilson, G., Thames. Gordon, H. A., Wellington. McLaren, J. M., Thames. Issued under the Coal-mines Acts of 1891, 1905, and 1908, on Production of Certificate from a recognize Authority outside the Dominion. First Class. Alison, J., Mangatini. Irvine, James, Dunedin. Paterson, D. S. A., Kawhia. Alison, R., Greymouth. 'James, Isaac Angelo, Westport. 'Pollock, James, Green Island, Otago. Bayne, J. A. C, Roa. Jordan, R. S., Kaitangata. 'Proud, Joseph, Wanganui. Clark, W., Blackball. Kane, D., Denniston. 'Scott, Joseph, Ngahere. Davidson, Gavin, Blackball. Kirkwood, D., Coromandel. Tennent, R., Brunnerton. 'Dixon, J., Westport. Lamont, J , Devonport. Twining, C. E., Dunedin. Fletcher, George, Westport. Lewis, W., Blackball. Watson, James, Greymouth. Frame, Joseph, Kaitangata. Mark, W. S., Kaitangata. Watson, John, Blackball. Gillick, J., Kaitangata. McAvoy, H., Christohurch. Wight, E. S., Auckland. Goold, A. L., Auckland. Nelson, E., Hikurangi. Wood, William, Mokihinui. Second-class Mine-managers' Certificates. Issued under the Coal-mines Act, 1891. Carson, M., Kaitangata. 'Love, Alexander, Orepuki. 'Ross, John, Kawakawa. Collier, Levi, Kamo. Mcintosh, Allan, Shag Point. Sara, James, Reefton. Clarke, Edward, Shag Point. McLaren, J. M., Thames. Smith, Charles, Whangarei. Elliot, Joseph, Coal Creek. 'Marshall, J., Ngakawau. Thomas, James, Springfield. Harris, John, Denniston. Murray, Thomas, Denniston. Wallace, William, Huntly. Herd, Joseph, Brunnerton. 'Nimmo, George Stewart, Ngapara. 'Willetts, John, Papakaio. Howie, James, Kaitangata. Radcliffe, William, Reefton. Willetts, John Morris, Papakaio. 'Leeming, William, White Cliffs. 'Roberts, John, Brunnerton. Young, William, Waimangaroa. Lobb, Joseph, Mokau

* Deceased since issue of certificate

113

C—2

Issued under the Coal-mines Acts, 1886, 1891, 1905, and 1908, after Examination. Allan, J., Brunner. Dunoan, James, Kaitangata. MoNeill, D., Fairfield. Austin, W. 8., Sheffield. Duncan, J. E., Kaitangata. Milligan, J., Denniston. Ball, A„ Kimihia. Duncan, John, Lovell's Flat. Mills, Walter, Huntly. Barber, John, Shag Point. Ferguson, A., Kaitangata. Mosley, J. T., Stirling. Barclay, T., Kaitangata. Ferguson, G., Roa. Neilson, J., Runanga. Barclay, T., jun., Kaitangata. Fox, R. A., Blackball. Neilson, Moffat, Abbotsford. Barclay, William, Kaitangata. Harris, A., Saddle Hill. Newburn, S., Kaitangata. Barnes, A. E., Shag Point. Heyes, T., Kaitangata. Ogilvie, W. W., Saddle Hill. Broome, J., jun., Gore. Heycock, C. R., Nightcaps. Orr, Hugh, Fairfield. Brown, Robert, Kaitangata. Hill, R., Abbotsford. Parcel!, W., jun., Bannockburn. Cadman, J., Hikurangi. Hodson, John, Kaitangata. Penman, 0. P., Kaitangata. Campbell, Peter, Fairfield. Holden, J., Drury. Price, F. J., Burnett's Face. Oarruthers, J., jun., Nightcaps. Hughes, Job, Roa. Scoble, E. J., Blackball. *Carson, Joseph, Kaitangata. Hunter, A.. Southland. Snow, T., Mercer. Charles, E., Glentunnel. Kells, F. H., Denniston. Tattley, F. J., Mercer. Cherrie, R. C, Mokau. Kirkland, H. S. S., Nightcaps. Taylor, Joseph, CoUingwood. Christie, James, Saddle Hill. Lewis, David, Puponga. Thompson, Joseph, Blackball. Clemo, G., Whangarei. Lewis, J., Nightcaps. Todd, T., Nightcaps. Craig, John, Coal Creek Flat. Lindsay, J. 8., Orepuki. Waldie, A. 8., Mokau. Crocketts, S., Millerton. MoAllister, Neil, Kaitangata. Watson, A., Soldier's Creek. Dale, E. G., Kaitangata. McLelland, J., Kaitangata. Westfield, C, Fairfield, Otago. Dixon, W., jun., Kaitangata. McLelland, A. C, Kaitangata. Whittleston, A. W., Shag Point Doel, G., Lovell's Flat. Issued under the Coal-mines Acts of 1891, 1905, and 1908, on Production of Certificate from a recognized Authority outside the Dominion. Arundel, W., Hikurangi. Greenwell, R., Huntly. MoGuire, William, Seddonville. Baxendale, J., Mine Creek. Grenall, S., Granity. MoHardy, A. J., Ferntown. Black, J., Granity. Inglis, A., Huntly. Molony, C. V. P., Auckland. Boyd, J., Hikurangi. Jones, T., Kimihia. Parsonage, W., Dunollie. Brownlie, T., Huntly. Kerr, D., CoUingwood. Penman, A., Huntly. Burt, A., Huntly. Lennox, W., Springfield. Robertson, J., Granity. Burt, W. Huntly. Little, W., Wellington. Robertson, R., Roa. Clarkson, S., Kaitangata. Littlewood, G. G., Denniston. Sneddon, J., Blackball. Cross, G., Hikurangi. Longstaff, H. C. Kaitangata. Strachan, J., Dunedin. Dickinson, W., Gore. McCall, John, Wellington. Tennant, D., Paparoa. Dodd, W., Granity. McGeachie, J., jun., Mokau. Talbot, H., Huntly. Dowgray, R., Granity. McGuire, P., Mount Somers. Webb, T. E., Huntly. Eyeington, G., Huntly. Underviewers' Certificates. Issued under the Coal-mines Amendment Act, 1909. Allan, James, Puponga. Green, Richard, Abbotsford. MoNeill, William, Fairfield. Attrill, Charles Waterford, Mercer. Hawthorn, James, Puponga. Newlands, George, Brunnerton. Berry, A. H., Huntly. Hunter, Peter, Ngakawau. Nimmo, Thomas, Papakaio. Bond, John, Waikaia. Johnston, William Crowan, Gore. Nimmo, William, Ngapara. Boustrage, T. Hubert, Brunnerton. Johnstone, Thomas, Denniston. Penman, John, Denniston. Broome, James, Gore. Levick, Harry, White Cliffs. Prootor, William, Kaitangata. Clough, Henry, Millerton. Mann, William, Granity. Robertson, William, Mosgiel. Davidson, William, Mine Creek. Marsh, Charles George, Glentunnel. Todd, Thomas, Nightcaps. Davis, William, Runanga. Muncaster, William, Runanga. Walker, John, Blackball. Donaldson, James, Kaitangata. McAlister, Robert, Kaitangata. Williams, William, Kaitangata. "Falconer, Andrew, Abbotsford. McGrane, Reginald, Seddonville. Wilson, Daniel, Kaitangata. Flynn, John, Bannockburn. McKenzie, David, Nightoaps. Winter, John, Denniston. Issued under the Coal-mines Amendment Act, 1909, after Examination. Atkinson, John, Puponga. Hunter, Peter, Stockton. O'Brien, D. Q., Mangatini. Berry, A. H., Huntly. Jack, W., Millerton. Peacock, Thomas, Denniston. Brown, Charles Henry, Denniston. Johnston, C. M., Seddonville. Pearson, William, Burnett's Face. Car3on, F. Kaitangata. McDonald, Thomas, Ngakawau. Strongman, C. J., Cobden. Clark, W. S., State Collieries. MoLeod, J. G.. Millerton. Sweeney, J. L., State Collieries. Dowgray, John, Millerton. Mosley, J. T., Denniston. Turner, Alfred, Kiripaka. Hewitson, W. E. G., Burnett's Face. Issued under the Coal-mines Amendment Act, 1910. Baerdsmore, E., Denniston. Jones, David, Nightcaps. Mason, Edward, Kingston Crossing. Cuthbertson, Robert, Fairfield. Jones, Morris, Nightcaps. Mitchell, Alexander, Runanga. Evans, William, Abbotsford. Jones, W., Waikaka Valley. McCaughern, John, Kaitangata. Fisher, T., Westport. Kitto, Richard, Kaitangata. Neill, S., Kawakawa. Gibson, M., Abbotsford. Manderson, P., Runanga. Newburn, S., Kaitangata. Greene, M , Kaitangata. Mann, D., Granity. Statham, Robert, Kaitangata. Hadcroft, J., Runanga. Marshall, J. W., Westport. Walker, J. R., Brighton Hunt, W , Shag Point.

' Deceased since issue of certificate.

15—C. 2.

a—2

114

Firemen and Depottes' Certificates. Issued under the Coal-mines Amendment Act, 1909. Aitken, George, Glentunnel. Glover, Richard, Runanga. McGhee, William, Kaitangata. Allan, A. George, Abbotsford. Gray, Thomas, Abbotsford. McGill, Douglas Thomas, Waikaka. Allan, Charles, Brunnerton, Gribben, John, Kaitangata. McGill, John, Huntly. Beardsmore, Edward, Denniston. Headcroft, James, Runanga. McKenzie, James, Nightoaps. Berry, Albert Henry, Huntly. Hamilton, John, Hikurangi. Newburn, Robert, jun., Kaitangata. Blaney, James, sen., Kaitangata. Hargreaves, Charles, Millerton. Newburn, Samuel, Kaitangata. Boyd, Robert, Waronui. Harris, John, Reefton. Nicholas. William, Kaitangata. Bradley, Robert, Denniston. Harris, Joseph T., Saddle Hill. Oliver, William, Kaitangata. Buohols, Joseph, Waikaka. Hartley, John, Denniston. Parcell, Henry Clyde, Bannockburn. Burgess, William Charles, E. Gore. Hay, James, Denniston. Park, Francis, Stirling. Callaghan, Frederick, Kiripaka. Heron, Ralph, Kimihia. Peckham, Henry William, Huntly. Campbell, Samuel, Millerton. Higsins, Thomas James, Denniston. Penman, Robert, Kaitangata. Chamley, William, Millerton. Hislop, William, Denniston. Richards, James, Brunnerton. Clausen, Emil P., c/o J. Worthington, Holden, Samuel, Granity. Rodgers, Edwin, Kaitangata. 33 Hiropi Street, Newtown, Wei- Housley, Benjamin, Huntly. Sanderson, John, Kurow. lington. Howe, George Charles, Shag Point. Soott, Charles, Nevis. Connelly, Miohaol, Denniston. Jaokson, Samuel, Millerton. Soott, John, Runanga. Connew, John, Puponga. Jarvie, William Marshall, Kaitangata. Skellern, John, Huntly. Coppersmith, John, Denniston. Jaspers, George F., Denniston. Smith, Edwin, Springfield. Coulthard, Thomas, Brunnerton. Jenkins, James, Ngakawau. Smith, William, Huntly. Cowan, Robert Black, Gibbaton. Johnston, C. Mountier, Seddonville. Smith, William, Seddonville. Cuthbertson, Robert, Fairfield. Jones, David, Nightoaps. Sneddon, James, Blackball. Darby, James, Huntly. Kaye, Charles, Runanga. Southward, John, Runanga. Davis, Evan, Denniston. Kitto, Richard, Kaitangata. Statham, Robert, Kaitangata. Deeming, William, Hikurangi. Leeming, J. T., South Malvern. Taylor, David, Roa. Dellaway, Archibald, Denniston. Lutton, William, Milleiton. Taylor, James, Springfield. Dickson, Richard, Hikurangi. Mann, Duncan, Millerton. Thin, William, White Cliffs. Dillon, Lawrence M., Nightcaps. Mason, William, Denniston. Travis, James, Alexandra South. Duncan, Frank, Huntly. Mears, Andrew David, Runanga. Tripp, Albert, Kaitangata. Duncan, Hugh, Kaitangata. Moncrieff, Thomas, Nightcaps. Wallace, John, Mataura. Evans, John, Granity. Moore, Thomas, Mangatini. Wardrope, Francis, Hikurangi. Evans, William, Abbotsford, Morganti, Charles, Ngakawau. Watson, Andrew, Roa. Findlay, Charles, Denniston. Murdoch, Colin McColl, Stirling. West, George Thomas, Waronui. Foot, Frederick Ernest, Denniston. McCaffrey, James, Seddonville. White, James, Roa. •Fulliok, George, Runanga. McCoughem, John, Kaitangata. Whorsky, John, Huntly. Gibson, Matthew, Abbotsford. McDonald, John T., Millerton. Wilson, Walter William, Springfield. Gibson, Robert, Millerton. McGarry, Isaac, Millerton. Young, Thomas Gardner, Waikaia. Gilmour, William, Millerton. Issued under the Goal-mines Amendment Act, 1909, after Examination. Allan, George, Huntly. Hardie, J., Millerton. O'Brien, Martin, Millerton. Allan, James, Brunnerton. Harvey, D., Huntly. Parker, Andrew, Greymouth. Anderson, Walter, Blackball. Hawkins, Joseph, Burnett's Face. Parr, Joseph, Burnett's Faoe. Armstrong, V., Runanga. Hendry, John, Millerton. Paul, Seddonville. Atkinson, J., Puponga. Hicks, J. R., Kiripaka. Pearson, Samuel George, Burnett's Ball, A., Kimihia. Hilton, Thomas, Denniston. Face. Berry, T., jun., Huntly. Honey, Archibald John, Denniston. Pearson, William, Burnett's Face. Birchall, J., Burnett's Face. Hopkinson, Joseph, Seddonville. Phillips, J., Puponga. Blair, Peter, Huntly. Innes, Andrew, Runanga. Ponton, F., Millerton. Boddy, Archibald John, Runanga. Isherwood, T., Runanga. Powell, J., Dunollie. Bond, W. T., Huntly. James, F. T., Seddonville. Reed, W. H., Hikurangi. Broadbent, Samuel, Huntly. Johnson, J. H., Hikurangi. Robson, W., State Collieries. Brown, J., jun., Denniston. Johnson, Thomas, Huntly. Rodgers, J., Ngakawau. Buchanan, William, Millerton. Jones, 8., Millerton. Rowse, J., Runanga. Burdon, George, Denniston. Jones, J., Kimihia. Ruston, Edwin Walter, Huntly. Burt, T., Huntly. King, Thomas Henry, Granity. Seddon, William, Huntly. Burt, W., jun., Huntly. Lauder, Matt Currie, Runanga. Smith, J. A., Seddonville Carson, Frederick. Lowden, W., Millerton. Smith, Thomas W., Millerton. Chippendale, J., Millerton. McAuley, P., Ngakawau. Southward, William, Runanga, Clark, W. S., Dunollie. McAvoy, William, Ngakawau. Strongman, Charles James, Cobden. Connolly, John, Runanga. McDonald, Thomas, Burnett's Face. Sutherland, J., Millerton. Connolly, John Joseph, Runanga. McKenty, H., Denniston. Sweeney, John Lewis, Runanga. Curran, James, Ngakawau. McKernan, John, Millerton. Tate, Anthony, Seddonville. Cuthbertson, John, Glentunnel. McLaughlin, J. W., Huntly. Taylor, Christopher, Millerton. Danks, Peter, Millerton. McMillan, John, Huntly. Thawley, William, Denniston. Darby, W., Huntly. McMillan, John, Kaitangata. Thomson, Thomas, Mine Creek. Davidson, Thomas, Mine Creek. Maddison, W., Huntly. Turton, John, Huntly. Davis, Oliver James, Runanga. Makepeace, Henry, Runanga. Veitch, D., Blackball. Dowgray, John, Millerton. Mitchell, A., Seddonville. Vurlow, Frederick Alexander, DenDownea, William Norbury, Cobden. Morganti, Louis, Millerton. niston. Duggan, Francis, Runanga. Moreland, S., Hikurangi. Wallwork, Moses, Runanga. Dutton, John, Granity. 'Mosley, J. T., Denniston. Wear, Daniel, Huntly. Dymond, J., Millerton. Moye, John Patrick, Denniston. Webster, Oliver, Huntly. Ferguson, A., Kaitangata. Myera, Riohard, Millerton. White, Edward, Granity. Forrest, John, Runanga. Newton, Charles, Runanga. Wilson, J. T., Kamo. Fox, Henry John, Blackball. Nicholson, David, Huntly. Woods, A., Millerton. Gilligan, H., Runanga. Nicholson, J., State Collieries. Wood, W., Huntly. Griffon, James, Kaitangata. Niven, Peter, Ngakawau. Worthington, T., Millerton. Hall, R. H., Huntly. Nolan, John, Granity. Young, Joseph, Huntly. Hannigan, P., Ngakawau. O'Brien, Denis Quinian, Millerton. Young, Thomas, Granity. Issued under the. Coal-mines Amendment Act, 1910. Broadfoot, W., Millerton. Halsey, W. J., Saddle Hill. Molntosh, A. S., Shag Point. Burgess, R. 8., Waikaka. Hartahorne, W. C, Brunnerton. Mclvor, W., Waikaka. Cain, Alexander, Waikaia. Hodgetts, 1., Burnett's Face. Nelson, J. H., Pukerau. Cameron, D., North Chatton. Hunt, William, Shag Point. Ramsey, George, Waikaka. Churchill, S. G., Alexandra South. Junker, F. A., Waikaia. Robinson, R., Ngakawau. Clasen, Charles, Shag Point. Kidd, G. C, Albury. Russell, H. C, Bannockburn. Crabbe, George, Alexandra South. King, J., Granity. Saunders, W., Denniston. Cumming, J. S., Denniston. Lee, S., Nightcaps. Stevenson, J., Shag Point. Cunningham, Thomas, Kaitangata. Mackie, N., Longridge. Thomas, 8., Denniston. Dixon, A., Nightcaps. McAuley, John, Kaitangata. Tinker, G., Nightcaps. Garrey, W., Kaitangata. McClimont, John, Mount Somers. Whittlestone, G. F., Abbotsford. Gray, Hugh, Dunedin. McDowell, R., Nightcaps.

* Deceased since issue of certificate.

115

C—2.

ANNEXURE C. STATISTICS OF WORKINGS IN COAL-MINES, 1913.

% % a Pumps. M *& g Dimensions of Shafts. Output for 191:1. Number of Men g 2 £c ■ ordinarily employed. p -- .3 Approximate Approximate Q g "3 ... , Total Total Power used Name o, Mine and Locality. Name o, Manager. | <*-gH<* J ™°_% °> ™£j™» Dip of Seam. g 6 Depth of ,« °*»' O-g"' A | ! ! M S V TT ' V Ooal. Slack. Total. ««, 3M Deceinher, Mineral. J I J s'o a Adit. of * £ -a J8 o S3 W* 3 Amt - % i • o 43 S fci x £ Name of Mine and Localitya 5 Means 8 o! Ventilation. o a '3 IS I 0 5 <o p. a °£ a? a NORTHERN INSPECTION DISTRICT. M>rtA Auckland Coalfields. , [ Tons. Tons. Tons. Tons. Tons. Kawakawa Colliery .. .. R.Dickson .. 1J Semi-bitu- 1 3'6" 3'6" 1 in 3 Bord and .. Dip 160' Dip .. 239 .. 239 278 517 1 3 4 Horse minous pillar 6' x 4' Hikurangi Coal Companv (Li- j W. R. Dunn .. 22 Ditto .. 1 2'to 14' 2'to 12' 1 in 8 Ditto .. 3 5'x 5' 50' „ .. 46,515 .. 46,515 822,067 868,582 20 65 85 Steam .. 2-10" 1-8" mited) 4' x 4' 1-6" 4' x 4' 6" Tunnel 6' x 5' 350' Northern Colliery (Old Mine) .. Edwin Nelson ..10 „ ..1 3'to 12' 3'to 12' Varied .. , Dip 462' „ .. 43,242 .. 43,242 452,112 495,354 14 49 63 64/ x 6' Tunnel 9'x6' 1,680' (Ware Mine).. E. W. Tattley ..2 „ ..1 9'to 11' 7' „ .. „ .. 1 8'x 8' 191' „ .. 7,611 .. 7,011 .. 7,61) 2) 52 73 .. 1-10" 1-8" Tunnel 2-10" 2-0" 9' x 6£' 900' 1-10" 1-8" 2-10" 1-6" 1-10" 1-6" : 1-7" 1-4" Kiripaka Colliery .. .. A. Turner .. .. 21 „ .. 1 2'to 20' 2'to 20' 1 1 in 10 „ .. 1 5'x 5' 25' „ .. 1,193 .. 1,193 290,348 201,541 2 0 8 Manual Dip 6' x 0' 330' Rautangata-Kamo Mine .. F.J.Wilson .. 2 „ ..1 3'to 0' 3'to 6' 1 in 4 „ .. 1 8'x 4' 60' „ .. 30 .. 30 110 140 2 2 .... Tunnel 12'x 6' 200' Whangarei-Kanio Mine .. A.H.Taylor .. 4 „ ..1 4'to 0' 4'to 0' 1 in 4 „ ..1 9'x 6' 100' Shaft .. 3,880 .. 3,880 8,453 12,333 3 15 18 Steam .. 1-24" 1-8" Tunnel 1-54/' 1-4 J" 12' x 6' 140' Waikato Coalfield. United Collieries '.. F. J. Tattley .. 2 Brown .. 1 54' 20'to 30' Varied 2 9' x 9' 130' Dip .. 21,651 .. 21,651 120,003 142,614 17 21 38 .. 1-24" 1-14" 4' x 4' 90' Tunnel 6' x 6' 300' Taupiri Coal-mines (Limited) — Extended Mine .. .. William Wood ..25 „ ..1 10'to 34' 20' 1 in 10 „ ..2 10'diameter 166' Shalt .. 89,036 38,545 128,181 "\ f 52 230 282 „ .. 1-12" 2-5" ! 207' I 1-20" 1-6" Ralph's Mine .. .. James Fletcher ..22 „ ..1 10'to 60' 20' 1 in 10 „ ..3 2-9' x 5J' 190' „ .. 04,029 25,318 80,947 2,713,391 <\ 46 180 226 „ .. 1-12" 2-6" ] l-8i' 220' | 1-18" 1-6" ; diameter 140' J [ 1-12" 2-5" ! Pukemiro Collieries (Limited) .. Edward S. Wight .... „ .... 16'to 18' .. 1 in 25 Tunnel 75' Dip .. .. .. .. .. .. 10 10 10' x 6f Waipa Railway and Colliery (Li- Thomas Thomson .... ,, .... 11' 8' 1 in 6 ,,.... .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .- .. .. .. .. .. .. mited) Huntly Coal Brick Works .. R. Greenwcll .. 1 „ ..1 5'to 20' 5'to 11' Level .. „ .. 1 4'x 3' 8' „ .. 3,187 350 3,537 000 4,137 1 4 5 Manual Mokau Coalfield. Mangapapa Colliery'.. .. William Lennox .. 29 „ .. 1 0'to 8' 6'to 8' 1 in iO ! , Tunnel 1,752' Adit .. 3,560 .. 3,560 77,348 80,908 2 8 10 Horse 9'x6' Out of mines included in previous statements at which operations are suspended or abandoned .. ..1 ■■ | •« •• •• •• •■ •• •• 2,009,209 2,009,209 20 14 21 2 3 65 49 52 0 2 15 4 Horse 85 Steam 63 63 73 73 8 2 18 Manual Steam 2-10" 1-10" 2-10" 1-10" 2-10" 1-10" 1-7" 1-24" 1-54/' 1-8" 2-6" 1-8" 1-6" 1-6" 1-4" 1-8" 1-4J" 1-8" 1-6" Natural 00' Fan 60' 191' „ .. 1 191' 45' 176' 220' 42' Natural „ 7. 1 100' Ex. steam .. 2' 40' 120' Fan . . I 204' „ ..II "400' 190' „ .. : 380' 230' Natural Fan .. '. 00' 60' 191' 191' 45' 176' 220' 42' 100' 40' Natural Ex. steam Natural Fan Natural Ex. steam .. n .. 3/6/13 6/12/13 27/12/13 9/12/13 11/10/13 4/12, 9/12, 9/12, 11/10, 3/6, 6/12, 27/12, 22/8, 13/12, 21/8, 19/8, 29/9, 4/12/13 9/12/13 1-24" 1-14" 120' Fan Fan 22/8/13 17 21 38 13/12/13 204' "400' 190' 380' 230' 21/8/13 Natural 19/8/13 Fan 29/9/13 .. WEST COAST INSPECTION DISTRICT. 270' Fan 18/12/13 Nelson. Coalfield. Pupouga Colliery .. .. P. MoCailroy .. 10 ' Bituminous 1 7'tol0' All .. 1 in 31 Bord and .. 10' x 6' 6" 41 oh. j Direct haulage 7,469 615 8,084 100,101 108,185 23 37 60 Steam ., 14" 8" ! " ' pillar 8" 4J-" 5" 3f 10" 6" Mount Burnett (Collingwood) .. .. ,, .. .. .. .. .. .. .. ■■ .- •• ■• •• •• •• 10 3 13 (under development) North Cape .. .. .. Job Hughes ..3 .„ 1 3'6" to 5'6" All .. I hi 3 Bord and .. 7'x 7' 18 ch. Horsehaulage 0,047 580 0,633 6,366 12,009 12 19 31 Horse pillar Buller Coalfield. Scddonvillc State Colliery .. I.A.James ... 10 ., 1 12' All .. Variable .. Ditto .. 1 6'x 12' 160 ft. Endless rope 30,137 21,757 51,804 472,707 524,601 17 71 88 Steam 10' x 7' 72 ch. W-cstport Stockton Coal Company H. McAvoy ..5, „ 1 4'to20' 12'to 14' „ .. „ .. 1 B 8' x 7' 00 oh. Endless rope, 06,343 26,972 93,315 457,160 550,475 40 140 180 Electric (Limited) c713' x 8' 26 ch. electric locoD 13' x 7' 13 ch. motives B 10' x 8' 3 oh. Westport Coal Company (Ltd.) — Millerton Colliery .. .. W. McCormack ..22! „ 1 4'to 40' 12' „ .. „ .. 1 10'x 7' 72 ch. Endless rope 243,460 49,116 292,576 3,761,423 4,053,909 110 471 587 Gravity ,. 11' x 7' 53 ch. 12' x 7' 11 ch. 10' x 6' 24 ch. Ironbridge Colliery (Denniston) G.Smith .. .. 22 „ 2 3'to 30' All .. „ .. „ .. I 10'x 0' 76 oh. „ j" Two Tangyes ( , ,, „ , , ,a< a> aa v. r 190,730 50,639 241,375 6,344,435 6,685,810 146 413 569 Steam .. ■{ „ 8 " x4 " x 12 Coalbrookdale Colliery (Dennis- N. Milligan ..32 „ 1 4'to 20' „..„..„.. 1 10'x 0' 44 oh. „ f 1 Cameron ton) 10' x 6' 25 ch. J |_ 8" x 4" x 12 Whitecliffs Colliery, Buller Road J. H. Burley (P.) ..13 „ 1 16'to 20' 9' 1 in 4 , 12'x 0' 1J ch. Hand haulage 42 42 0,006 7,008 .. 2 2 Horse Rocklands Colliery .. .. J. P. Burley (P.) ..12 „ 1 16'to 20' 8' 1 in 4 „ .. .. 10'x 8' 2 ch. „ 81 81 6,603 6,684 .. 2 2 3 19 71 140 270' Fan . . 1; Natural .. 1( Fan . . IS .. '2! ,.2i 2" » ■■ £ v ,, .. 4 Natural .. IS ..18 Natural Fan 1/9/13 16/12/13 13/1-0/13 28/10/13 15/12, 1/9/ 15/12/ 13/10/ 18/10/ 13/10/ 5/12/ 4/12/ 8/10/ 8/10/ 49,110 116 ■171 587 .. 23/10/13 2 1 413 559 es 12" n 12" 5/12/13 4/12/13 Natural .. 18/10/13 .. 18/10/13 1 1 2 2 2 2 Natural Inangahua. Coalfield. Coghlan's Freehold, Oapleston .. J. Coghlan (P.) ..17 „ 1 10' All .. 1 in 3 , 6' x 6' 9 ch. „ 28 158 186 4,017 5,103 .. 2 2 „ .... Archer's Freehold .. .. J. W. Archer (P.) ..18 „ 2 10' „ .. Iin3 „ .. .. 7'x 5' 12 eh. ., 740 .. 740 10,716 17,456 1 3 4 .... Waitahu Coal-mine .. .. I. Rhodes (P.) .. 11 j „ 1 14' 8' 1 in 4 , 10'x 6'6" 7 ch. „ 150 .. 150 4,208 4,418 2 2 4 .... Burke's Creek Coal-mine .. J. Harris (P.) .. 12 I „ 1 12'to 18' 8' 1 in 4 „ .. 1 12'x 8' 10 oh. „ 3,124 1,110 4,234 14,791 19,025 16 7,, Lookington's Coal-mine .. E. F. Lockington (P.) 12 „ 1 12'to 15' 8' 1 in 4 10'x 8' 6 ch. „ 450 .. 450 2,205 2,746 .. 2 2 „ Phoenix and Venus, Murray Creek W. Knight (P.) .. 32 „ 1 30' 10' 1 in 2 0'x 4' 5 oh. „ 2,618 .. 2,618 20,459 32,077 2 3 5,, .... Watson and Moyle's .. .. G. Ward (P.) .. 6 „ 1 12' 12' 1 in 4 „ .. .. 8'x 0' 7 oh. „ 240 1,107 1,437 3,904 5,341 2 2 4 Lankoy's Creek Coal-mine .. F. Knight (P.) ..11 „ I 8' 8' 1 in 20 „ .. .. 7'x 5' 3| ch. „ Nil .. Nil 17,313 17,313 3 .. 3 Golden Point Coal-mine .. R. L. Keams (P.) ..5 „ I 10' 10' 1 in 3 6'x 5' 44 oh. ,. 32/ .. 327 1,258 1,585 ... 2 2 Loughlan's Coal-mine. . .. R. L. Kcarns (P.) ..8 „ 1 5' 5' 1 in 6 „ .. .. 10'x 5' 12£ch. „ 1,340 .. 1,340 0,571 10,011 .. 2 2 .Ylorrijigs Coal-mine .. .. H. Grigg (P.) ..3 ,, 1 8' 8' Variable 6'x 4' 2 ch. - „ 763 .. /Ii3 394 1,157 .. 3 3 Reefton Coal-mine .. .. 0. A. gvenson (P.) .. 11 „ 1 8' 8' lin4 „ .. .. 6'x 5' 10 eh. „ 639 024 1,403 4,112 5,575 12 3,, 'Grey Coalfield. Panaroa Colliery ,. .. J. A. C. Bayne ..5 „ 1 8'to 16' 12' Variable .. , 10' x 7' 6" 40i oh. Endless rope 18,602 13,177 31,860 71,360 103,229 25 60 86 Gravity .. Blackball Colliery J.Watson .. 23 „ 2 16' 15' 1 in 6 '„ .. 2 9'X 6' 18J oh. „ 03,404 50,342 143,836 1,672,824 1,816,660 50 300 350 Steam and 6" 4" ! 1 electric 0" 9" ! Th ree turb ines North Brunner Colliery .. J.Armstrong ..4 „ I 6'to 12' 12' 1 in 3 „ ..2 9J' x 6J' 6 ch. Endless rope, 3,637 3,500 7,137 30,545 43,682 20 60 70 Steam gravity inBrunner Colliery .. .. R.Allison .. .. 49 „ 1 12' All .. 1 in 4 ., .. 3 12' x 10' 4 ch. Direct haulage 8,410 14,214 22,024 2,321,271 2,343,895 12 40 52 „ .. II" 7" 12' x 10' 6" 4" ! Point Elizabeth State Collieries— 14' x 6' No. 1 Section .. .. J. Coulthard . . 9i „ 1 8'to 16' 8'to 10' Variable 10'x 7' 11 ch. Endless and 1 dirccthaulage \ 67,638 67,638 135,276 1,602,208 1,737,574 01 177 238 „ .. 2' 9" 8" I No. 2 Section .. .. J. Coulthard .. 9J „ 2 4'to 12' All .. I in 8 ,, .... 10' x 7' 12 eh. Ditto ..J 3' 12" I "Liverpool" Section .. H. Sowerby .. .. „ 2 0'to 20' 8'to 10' Variable .. , 12'x 7' 35 ch. „ .. 4,000 4,514 9,114 Nil 9,114 13 40 53 Gravity 4'to 6' All Output of mines included in previous statements at which operations are abandoned or suspended .. '.. .. .. .. .. ■• •■ •■ ■• 1,502,433 1,502,453 1 2 2 3 2 6 2 3 2 2 2 3 2 60 300 90' 90' ines „ 5 ..10 ..10 ..10 . . 7 ..7 ..20 e ..6 .. .' 6 .. S Fan ..I 90' „ ..24 90' 3S 40' „ .. 22 25' 380' „ . . 26 520' ..2 5/11/13 5/11/13 . . 10/11/13 . . 10/11/13 .. 10/11/13 7/11/13 .. 7/11/13 .. 20/11/13 .. 6/11/13 . . 6/11/13 .. 6/11/13 8/11/13 Fan .. 1/10/13 .. 24/11/13 Fan 8/11/ 5/11/ 0/11/ 0/11/ 0/11/ 7/11/ 7/11/ 10/11/ 6/11/ 6/11/ 6/11/ 8/11/ 1/10/ 14/11/ 2/4/ 12/11/ 16/11/ 28/9/ 50 2/4/13 40 40' 25' .. 22/11/13 380' 520' .. 25/11/13 .. 25/9/13 SOUTHERN INSPECTION DISTRICT. 50' 50' Exhaust steam 9/10/13 from pump Steam jet .. 10/10/13 Canterbury. Broken River, Broken River .. W. J. Cloudesloy .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. •• ■• ■• ■• ",„„ *,•-» ".„ I •• ,.,,„ •■ „„, * '•, ; _, " .-.- , Springfield, Springfield .. J. Taylor (P.) .. 37 Brown and 2 2' All .. 1 in 6 Bord and 1 6'x 4' 80' Shalt .. 132 175 307 91,687 01,994 1 4 5 I Steam .. Direct acting I fireclay I 5' „ .. pillar . steam Sheffield Fireclay, Sheffield .. John Austin .. .. Fireclay.. 1 8' „ .. 1 in 10 Ditto .... .. .. Adit .. .. .. .. .. .. .. 2 2 .. .. Homcbush, Glentunnol .. James Lament ..41 Brown .. 1 5' .. .. 1 in 3 „ .. 1 4'x 3' 50' .. 8,8»3 879 9,732 277,o40 287,2/8 12 20 32 I H o r s c and Tangye pump I 6' x 5' 10 ch. Adit steam St, Helens, Whitecliffs .. William Thin (P.) .. 32 „ .. 1 0' „ .. 1 in 3 „ .. .. 6'x 5' 5 oh. Engine plane 1,287 .. 1,287 21,113 22,400 1 2 3 I Steam ., Tangye f 1 4' x 3' 80' Tripp's, Mount Somers .. , J. McClimont (P.) ..47 „ ,.1 40' 15' 1 in 0 „ .. .. 7'x 0' 5 ch. Adit .. 2,412 .. 2,412 50,960 62,38) . 3 3 Horse Albury, Albury .. ..! Robert Riddle (P.) ..22 „ ..1 12' 8' 1 in 6 6'x 5' 5 ch. „ • .. 582 .. 082 12,726 13,308 ) I 2 „ .. Tangye 1 * 4'x3' 08' Dalgety, Hakataramea .. C. W. Enson ..32 „ ..1 30' 15' Semi-vertical Levels .. .. .. „ •• HO . • HO 3,257 3,367 j St. Andrew's, Papakaio .. T. Niinmo (P.) .. 35 Brown ..1 7' 6' 1 in 8 Bord and .. 6'x 6' 5 ch. „ .. 1,887 .. 1,887 47,998 49,885 1 4 5 Horse pillar 1 4'x3' 60' Prince Alfred, Papakaio .. | A. Beardsmore (P.) ... 44 „ ..1 9' 7' 1 in 0 Ditto .. 1 5'x 6' 5 ch. „ .. 914 .. 914 57,039 57,953 1 2 3 „ 4' x 3' 51' Ngapara, Ngapara .. .. W. Niinmo (P.) ..35 „ ..1 25' 8' 1 in 7 „ ..1 0'x 6' 10 ch. ., .. 606 .. 606 28,403 29,060 1 1 2 ; „ 4' x 4' 50' Broadloaf, Shag Point .. G. W. Brooke (P.) .. 5 Pitch .. I 8' ! All .. 1 in 10 „ .. .. 6'x 5' ISO' ,. •• 738 106 933 2,282 3,215 3 4 „ Shag Point, Shag Point .. C. Clason (P.) .. 5 „ .. 1 3' I „ .. 1 in 0 „ .. 1 6' x 5' 250' „ .. 527 222 749 5,540 0,289 1 3 4 „ 4'x4' 25' Allandale, Shag Point ,. A. Mcintosh ..20 „ ..1 T I „ .. 1 in 4 „ .. .. 0' x 5' 350' Engine plane 515 200 715 321,105 321,820 1 2 . 3 Steam .. Tangye ( 5' x 4' 00' 50' 30' 50' Exhaust steam 9 from pump 50' Steam jet .. 10 50' Exhaust steam 11 from pump Natural .. IS 30' „ .. 1 Furnace Natural .. 8 ..8 60' Furnace .. 8 Exhaust steam 11/10/13 from pump Natural .. 16/10/13 10/9/13 9/i6/ o/io/ 1/10/ 6/10/ 10/9/ 8/10/ 8/10/ 8/10/ Furnace Natural 8/10/13 8/10/13 00' Furnace .. 8/10/13 16—C. 2.

116

0.—12.

ANNEXURE C—continuhed. Statistics of Workings in Coal-mines, 1913— continued.

; ; _ _ __ jl ■§ 1 Dimensions of Shafts. Output for 1918. Number of Men Pumps. "S gp g ordinarily employed. — & .- . Approximate Approximate -" m a £ I; Total I Total Power used o « Quality of * Thickness of Thickness „■ . a -a 3 « ... , , ,. t l ,ut . Output Output for . S Means of « Name of Mine and locality. Name of Manager. £ *'£"? "' • "orked Dl1 ' °» Selvm - S I ! D g ,tl ' » £ delivered $ t!, drawing g | Ventilation. g K h „» -s Size of Shaft by 31st December, 31st December, Mineral. go 3 ? ° °& Z slla " I T ™ Coal. Slack. Total. 1912. 1913. B % 2 - s s a-a s or Length oi .- . I d -p o.t; ■g I le 1 Adit. of £ I « g s •= «a II I is i Adit. I -s -s IS* 1" g *\ m B <l B H M ' ai a P Limps. 3 s ft I. o.t; SOUTHERN INSPECTION DISTRICT—arotfnuei. South Otago. ' ' Tons - Tons. 'Ions. Ions. Ions. I Fornhill, Abbotsford' .. James Gray .. 36 Brown .. 1 15' 12' 1 in 10 Bord and 1 6'x 6' 5 oh. Adit .. 6 1,003 1,01)11 151,01)8 153,007 0 2| 11 I Self-acting m- .. .. .. Natural .. 30/12/13 pillar 4' x 4' 30' oline Freeman's Coal Company, Ab- James Sneddon .. 33 „ .. 1 7'tol4' All .. 1 in 7 Ditto .. 2 6'xli' 1,400' Engine plane 10,792 2,(137 22,42!) 472.310 404,745 12 30 42 I Steam and .. ., .. Fan .. 30/12/13 botsford 5'x4' 150' horse Green Island, Green Island .. Thomas Barclay, jun. ,26 „ .. 1 10' 8' 1 in 10 „ .. 1 6'x 5' 6 eh. „ 187 68 255 118,304 118,640 .. 1 I Ditto .. rangy e Exhaust steam 20/12/13 4' x 3' 35' Jubilee Saddle Hill .. .. Thomas Barclay .. 16 „ .. 1 18' 12' 1 in 10 „ .. 1 6'x 5' I0c.li. „ 10,685 4.051 : 23,736 236,403 260.130 7 25 32 1 „ .. Tangyo Furnace .. 20/12/13 4' x 3' 40' Saddle Hill (No. 1), Saddle Hill W. W. Ogilvie .. 41 „ .. 1 20' 15' 1 in 10 : 6' x 5' lOch. „ 2,808 4,081 j 7,780 207,806 215,505 3 11 14 „ .. .. .. .. „ .. 29/12/13 1 4'x3' 100' Saddle Hill (No. 2), Saddle Hill Robert Hill .. 12 „ .. 1 22' 15' I in 10 „ .. 1 6'x 5' Sell. „ 4,334 11,295 15,020 108,69) 184,320 0 14; 23 „ .. .. .. .. Fan .. 29/12/13 4'x3' 30' Lauriston, Brighton .. .. J. R. Walker (P.) ..127 „ ..I 7' 6' 1 in 20 „ .. .. 6'x 5' 3 eh. „ 267 18 286' 8,224 8.500 I I 2 j Steam .. Tangyo Natural .. 7/1/13 East Taieri, Mosgiel .. .. A. G. Rogers (P.) ..11 „ .. I 10' 7' 1 in 10 „ .. .. 6' x 5' 300' Adit .. 700 1.200 1,909 .. 1.900 1 5 Ii Horse .. .. .. .. „ .. 20/6/13 Waronui, Milton .. .. James Carrathers .. | 9 „ .. 1 18' 8' 1 in 7 „ .. .. 6'x 6' 15 oh. Engine plane 19,570 2,327 21.807 102,086 124.583 19 26 45 , Electric tail- I angye Fan .. 24/11/13 rope system McGilp's, Milton . .. J. J. Cooper (P.) .. j 9 „ .. I 22' 15' I in 8 „ .. .. li'if 5 eh. Adit .. 5,377 ..' 5,377 14.111 19,488 1 4. 5 Hand .. .. .. .. Natural .. 24/11/13 Taratu Lovell's Flat .. .. Thomas Shore .. 12 „ .. 1 20' 12'to 15' 1 in 10 ., .. 2 13f x BV 200' Shaft and level 11,500 4,581 16,147 158,278 174,425 12 20; 32 Steam .. T angye Fan .. 25/11/13 6' x 4' 186' Hawthorn Den, Kaitangata .. John Dahren (P.) .. ! 5 „ .. 1 !)' All .. .. „ .. .7 6'x 4' 2 eh. Adit .. 121 .. 121 402 523 1 .. 1 Hand .. .. .. .\, Natural .. 25/11/13 Wangaloa, Kaitangata .. J. Smith .. . . i 32 „ ..1 10' 7' 1 in 6 6' x 5' I eh. „ .. 20 .. 20 2.084 2,104 .. I 1 „ .. .. •■ .. „ .. 25/11/13 Longridgo, Kaitangata .. N. Maclde (P.) . . ' 5 ., .. 1 4' All .. 1 in 4 5'x 4' 100' „ .. 537 .. 537 2,487 3,024 .. 3 3 „ .. .. .. .. „ .. 26/11/13 Kaitangata Collieries (2), Kai- A. S. Gillanders ..37 „ ..3 50'in „ .. 1 in 1' to „ .. .. 10'x 7' 51 oh. Engine plane, I [ Steam a u d 2.6 6 280' Fans (2) .. 10/12/13 tangata aggregate 1 in 30 1 8'x 44' 580' endless rope compressed Ihree throw pumps 26/11/13 haulage J- 08,002 47,002 145,004 2,841,042 2,987,846 83 322 405 4 air Castle Hill, Kaitangata .. W.Carson.. .. 10 „ ..''4 50'in „ .. linljto IV x 6J' 45 oh. Ditto .. j Ditto .. 2'0" Ji" 500' Furnace .. 25/11/13 aggregate I in 20 1 9' diameter 520' J I Bemhar. Stirling .. .. C. Murdoch (P.) .. 50 Lignite .. 1 25' 12'to 16' I in 10 ,, .... 6'x 6' 5 eh. Engine plane 5,334 Oil) 5,053 141,002 147.015 1 6 7 Steam .. Snow p u in p Exhaust steam 26/11/13 1 4' x 4' 50' Mainholm, Waipahi .. .. J. G. Drummond (P.) 28 „ ..1 20' All .. .. Open .... .. .. Open .. 2,704 .. 2,704 50,853 62,557 3 -. 3 Horse .. .. Central Otago. . Coal Creek, Roxburgh .. J.Barber .. ..43 Lignite .. 1 20'to 50' 10'to 20' .. Bord and .. 6' x 5' 2 ch. Adit .. 403 .. 463 58,007 58,470 1 II 2 Horse .. Siphon Natural .. 6/12/13 , pillar MePhorson's, Roxburgh .. It. MePhcrson (P.) .. 43 „ .. 1 80' All .. ... Open .. Open .. 3,401 .. 3,461 58,764 62,225 4 .. 4 ,. .Drainage tunnel .. 6/12/13 Perseverance, Roxburgh .. S. Vernon (P.) .. 26 „ .. 1 75' 25' 1 in 3 Bord and .. 7'x 6' 5 eh. Engine plane 2,291 .. 2,291 53,470 55,770 I 3 4 Pelton wheel Hydraulic jet-pump Natural .. 6/12/13 pillar Alexandra. Alexandra .. D. Mathias (P). .. 32 „ .. 1 9' 7' I in 7 Ditto .. 1 0' x 5' 5 ch. „ 1,248 .. 1,248 80,970 82,227 I 3 4 Steam .. Snow pump Exham t steam 25/9/13 5' x 3.1' 60' Molyneux, Alexandra .. A. W. Whittleston ..15 .. . . 1 28' 0' 1 in 20 „ .. I li'if' 80' Shaft .. 5,543 1,508 7,051 115,077 123,028 4 12 16 .. Tangye 100' „ 5/12/13 1 5' x 4' 00' Cambrians, Cambrians .. M.J.Miller .. 52 „ .. 1 30' All .. .. Open .. Open .. 173 •■ 173 47,038 48,111 1 .. Horse .. .. .. .. .. 24/9/13 Laudervale, Cambrians .. Robert Jones .. 9 „ .. I 20' „ .. .. .. „ .. 114 .. 114 758 872 1 .. 1 „ .... .. .. .. 24/9/13 St. Bathan's, St. Bathan's .. J. Enright.. ..16 „ ..1 Indefinite .. .. „ .. „ .. 165 .. 105 5,456 5,621 2 .. 2 „ .. .... .. .. 24/9/13 Rough Ridge, Otarehua .. John Beck (l».) .. 27 „ .. 1 35' AH .. .. „ .. „ .. 737 .. 737 27,280 28,017 2 2 „ .. Drainage tunnel .. 23/0/13 idaburn, Oturehua .. .. J. White (P.) . . 43 „ .. 1 20' „ .. .. .. .. „ .. 647 .. 647 42,787 43,434 2 ? " " Drainage tunnel .. 23/0/13 Oturehua, Oturehua .. .. R. Thomas (l».) .. 21. „ .. I 7' „ .. .. „ .. „ .. 312 .. 312 1.725 2,037 1 .. „ .. Douglas pump .. 23/9/13 Gimmerburn, Gimmerburn .. C.Dougherty ..57 ,, ..1 12' „ .. .. ,.-■.... .. . • ,< .. 24 .. 24 3,145 3,169 I .. I „ .. .... Clyde, Clyde. . .. .. G. F. Turner .. 41 Brown .. 2 40' 14' I in 2 Bord and .. 6'x 6' 5 ch. Engine plane 1,401 ■. 1,401 00,118 61,510 1 2 3 Steam .. I angye Natural .. 5/12/13 pillar Shepherd's Creek, Bannoekburn 1 ... ,. „ ., (36 „ ..I 8' 7' 1 in 6 Ditto .. .. 6' x 6' 200' „ 3,907 .. 3,907 74,970 78,877 2 1) 13 .. Tangye Exhaust steam 26/0/13 Excelsior, Bannockburn } W. It. Parcell j Jg j g , ,-, , in ,. g, % & , 2 0 ch. „ .. .. .. 50,202 59,202 „ .. Tangye Natural .. Cairnmuir, Bannoekburn .. H. 0. Russell (P.) ..II „ ..1 12' 10' I in 1 „ .. .. 0' x 6' 5 oh. „ • 3,277 .. 3,277 28,815 32,002 2 8 10 .. 1 angye „ .. 26/0/13 Ranfurly, Bannockburn .. George Crabbe (P.) ..3 „ ..1 10' All .. 1 in 1 6'x 5' 150' „ 27 27 654 681 1 2 3 .... .. .. „ .. 26/0/13 Cardrona, Cardrona .. .. R. McDougall (P.) .. 20 „ .. 1 30' „ ' .. .. Open .. Open .. 200 ... 290 24,928 25,218 3 3 Horse Gibbston, Gibbston .. .. John Duncan ..27 „ ..1 15' 10' 1 in 5 Bord and .. 6' x 5' 20 ch. Adit .. 850 103 953 19,720 20,682 1 2 3 Steam .. .. .. .. Natural pillar Ryder's, Nevis .. .. A. B. Toms (P.) .. 13 „ .. 1 45' 30' Semi-vertical Levels .. .. .. „ .. 1,427 .. 1,427 7,034 0.301 I 2 3 Horse .. .. .. .. „ .. 7/3/13 Nevis Crossing, Nevis.. .. R. Ritchie (P.) ..10 „ ..1 16' 16' Open .. Open .. 840 .. 840 10,132 10,972 2 .. 2 „ .. .. .. .. .. 7/3/13 Gold and Soheellte Proprietary, C. W. Gudgeon .. 7 Lignite ... 1 10' All . . .. .. .. .. .. „ .. 226 .. 226 2,590 2,8)0 I .. 1 „ Dillon's, Blackstono Hill .. John Dillon .. 16 „ .. 1 12' .. „ .. .. .. .. .. „ .. 18 .. 18 225 243 Southland. Pukorau, Pukerau .. .. F. A. Junker (P.) .. 33 Lignite .. 1 16' 0' 1 in 8 Bord and .. 7'x 6' 10 ch. Adit .. 925 .. 925 38,151 39,076 ..2 2 Horse .. .. .. .. Natura pillar Hoffernan's, East Gore .. I). McAskill (P.) .. 35 „ .. I 20' 12' I in 7 Ditto .. .. 0'x 0' 5 ch. Engine plane 2,063 .. 2,063 53,820 50,702 1 2 3 Steam .. Snow pump „ .. 6/11/1-3 Green's, Goro .. .. W. C. Johnston (P.) 25 „ .. t 17' 12' 1 in 20 „ .. .. 10' X 8' 10 oh. „ 14,103 .. 14,103 128,138 142,238 1 7 8 „ .. Tangye Fan .. 17/12/13 1 4' x 3' 50' Bushy Park, Croydon.. .. George Flett (P.) .. 8 „ ..1 20' All .. .. Open .. Open .. 1,553 .. 1,553 17,651 19,204 2 .. 2 Horse .. Tangye .. 17/12/13 Burnwell, Chatton .. .. D. Cameron (P.) ..14 ,, .. 1 20' 12' 1 in 10 Bord and .. 10'x 8' 5 ch. Engine plane 4,025 .. i 4,025 29,475 33,500 12 3 Steam .. Tangye Natural .. 6/))/)3 pillar Ramsay's, Chatton .. .. J. Buohols (P.) ..10 „ ..1 20' IS' 1 in 10 Ditto ,. .. 8'x 6' 10 dh. „ 7,614 .. 7,614 40,970 57,684 1 4 5 „ .. .. .. .. „ .. 0/11/13 Springfield, Waikaka Valley .. James Travis (P.) ..20 „ ..1 17' 10' 1 in 10 „ .. .. 9' x 8' 5 ch. „ 5,365 .. 5,365 28,505 33,870 1 3 4 „ .. St earn pump „ .. 6/11/13 Willowbank, Waikaka Valley .. E. Charles (P.) .. 17 ., .. 1 15' 10' 1 in 10 „ .. .. 9'x 8' 5 oh. „ 3,975 .. 3,075 03,900 67,035 ) 4 5 .. Steam pump „ 6/11/13 Glcnlce, Waikaka ,. .. 1). T. McGill (P.) .. 20 „ .. 1 1.4' All .. .. Open .. Open .. 437 .. 437 12,676 13,113 1 .. 1 Horse .. .. .. .. .. 6/11/13 Edge's, Waikaka .. .. R. Burgess (P.) ..14 „ ..1 16' 12' I in 4 Bord and .. 8'x 8' 3 ch. Engine plane 3,784 .. 3,784 34,081 38,405 12 3 Steam .. Steam p limp Natural 6/11/13 pillar Rossvalc, Waikaia .. ,. Robert Craig (P.) .. 10 „ .. 1 10' 8' 1 in 12 Ditto .. .. 0'x 5' 10 eh. Adit .. 2,268 .. 2,268 27,856 30,124 1 4 5 Horse ..' .. .. .. „ 7/11/13 1 4' x 3' 60' Waikaia, Waikaia .. .. T. D. Moffat ..6 „ ..1 10' 8' 1 in 0 „ .... 6'x 5' 5 eh. Engine plane 152 .. 152 14,248 14,400 1 I 2 Steam .. Steam pump „ .. 7/11/13 Argylc, Upper Waikaia .. C. H. Hutton (P.) ..22 „ ..1 20' All .. .. Open .. Open ... 169 .. 169 3,939 4,108 1 .. 1 Horse Walinea, Kingston Crossing .. J. E. Johnstone (P.) 5 „ ..1 6' „ .. .. Bord and .. 0'x 0' 2 ch. Adit .. 100 .. 100 2,473 2,573 .. 2 2 „ .. .. .. .. Natural pillar Lynch's, Kingston Crossing .. James Mason, jun. (P.) 3 „ .. I 0' „ .. .. Ditto .. .. 0'x 0' 3 ch. „ .. 1,089 .. 1,089 1,982 3,071 1 1 2 .... Prinohester Creek, The Key .. W. O. Kempthorne(P.) II Brown .. 1 6' „ .. Irregular .. Open .. .. .. .. Open .. 130 .. 130 1,161 1,291 1 .. 1 „ Mataura Collieries (Limited), Ma- James Broome .. 17 Lignite .. 1 17' 12' 1 in 10 Bord and .. 8'x 6' 5 ch. Engine piano 11,603 .. 11,603 149,515 161,118 3 9 12 Steam .. Steam pump „ .. 5/11/13 taura pillar Mataura Lignite, Mataura .. W. Coster (P.) .. 37 „ .. 1 18' All .. .. Open .. .. .. Open .. 9,371 .. 9,371 110,944 120,315 9 .. I 9 Horse .. Steam pump .. 5/11/13 Boghead, Mataura .. .. W. Kyle (P.) .. 15 „ .. 1 10' „ .. .. „ .. .. .. „ .. 1,755 .. 1,755 19,822 21,577 3 .. 3 „ .. Steam pump .. 5/11/13 Waimumu, Mataura .. .. G. W.' Williams (P.).. 14 ,. . . 1 9' 7' .. „ .. .. .. .. „ .. 208 .. 208 30,176 30,384 1 .. 1 „ .. Steam pump Hcathorlca, Mataura . . .. F. Barber . . 2 „ . . I .. .. . . „ . . .. . . . . „ . . 97 . . 97 44 141 1 . . I .... Ota Creek, Wyndham .. E. Gengo (P.) .. 33 „ .. 1 6' All .. .. „ .. .. .. .. „ .. 710 .. 710 16,209 10,919 I .. 1 „ .. Steam pump Clarke's, Wyndham .. .. G. W. Clarke (P.) .. -7 „ ..I 12' „ .. .. „ .. .. .. .. „ .. 1,420 .. 1,420 9,761 11,18) 2 .. 2 .. Steam pump Robin Hood, Pine Bush .. J. Conser .. . . 32 „ . . 1 14' „ .. .. .. .. .. .. ., .. 56 .. 56 3,231 3,287 I .. I Graham's, Fairfax .. .. P.S.Graham ..35 „ ..1 6' „ .. I in 20 Bord and .. 5'x 5' 6 ch. Adit .. 19 .. 19 10,598 16,017 1 .. 1 Hand .. .. .. .. Natural pillar Nightcaps, Nightcaps .. W.Barclay.. 32 Brown .. 3 36'in 34' I in 7 Ditto .. .. I0'xl0' 20 ch. „ .. 79,045 .. 70,645 878,449 968,094 38 00 134 Steam, com- Three tangyes Two fans .. 18/12/13 aggregate 0' x 6' 20 ch. „ pressed air, and horse New Brighton, Nightcaps .. A. Hunter . . .. 7 „ ..1 12'to 20' 12' I in 7 „ .. .. 0'x 6' 5 ch. „ .. 3,587 .. 3,687 18,067 21,654 2 5 7 Steam .. .. .. .. Natural .. 18/12/13 Wairio, Nightcaps .. R. Sheddan .. 8 ,. ..1 17' !>' .. „ .. .. 8'x 8' 2 ch. „ .. .. .. .. 4,152 4,152 .. .. .. „ .. .. .. .. „ 18/12/13 Beaumont. Nightcaps.. .. T. Moss (P.) .. 5 „ ..1 20' 15' I in 4 Open .. .. .. .. Open .. 775 .. 775 3,357 4,132 3 .. 3 „ .. Steam pump .. 18/12/13 Mount Linton, Nightcaps .. Thomas Thomson .. 19 „ .. 1 20' 15' .. , .. .. „ .. 740 .. 740 2,383 3,120 2 ..j 2 „ .. Steampump Diamond, Lignite Company (lately A. Dixon (P.) .. 11 Lignite .. 1 32' All .. .. „ .. .. .. .. „ .. , 036 .. 036 6,613 7,640 2 .. 2 .. Steam pump Bush Siding), Seaward Bush Lynwood, Te Anau .. .. T. Roberts (New Zca- 13 „ .. 1 7' „ - .. .. „ .. .. .. .. „ .. 124 .. 124 1,705 1,889 1 .. I land Tourist Department) 1'BIVATE ITL'S. Weliwood Park, Pukorau . . A. M. Mason . . 12 Lignite . . I 7' All . . . . Open .... .. . . Open .. 24 .. 24 248 272 Otikerama Station, Pukorau .. W. J. Poight . . 10 „ . . 1 7' „ .. .. .. .. „ .. .. .. .. 300 300 River-view, Gore .. .. J. Nicol .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. 50 .. 50 1,756 1,806 Tuaeh's, Waimumu .. .. J. Tuaeh .. .! 7 Lignite .... ■• .. .. Open .... .. .. Open .. .. .. .. 81 81 .. .. .. .. •■ Output of mines included in .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. 2,044,989 2,044,089 .... previous statements at which operations are suspended or abandoned Totals, Southern District, .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. 397,602! 83,103 480,855 10,235,100 10,715,001 307 708 1,015 South Island Totals, West Coast Dis- .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. 751,105 : 306,450 1,057,564 18,501,600 10,649,164 557 1,854 2,411. trict, South Island Totals, North Island .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. 285,373 j 04,213 349,586 6,336,751 6,680,337 189 635 824 GrandTotals .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. 1,434,170 453,836 1,888,006 35,163,457 37,051,462 1,053 3,197 4,250 708 1,018 1,854 2,411 636 824 Output of mines included in statement for 1890, but whose operations were suspended prior to 1890 (less three, which are again included in body of Tons, statement—namely, Hill's Creek, 779 tons ; Lovell's Flat, 323 tons ; Wyndham, 1,988 tons: total, 3,000 tons) . . .. .. .. 132,732 Output of mines included in former statements, but whose operations were suspended prior to 1880 . . .. .. .. .. .. 172,529 Output of Waikaka, Adam's Flat, and Waimea Mines, inserted twice in statement for 1891 .. . . .. .. .. .. 0,518 37,303,241

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APPENDIX C.

GEOLOGICAL SURVEY BRANCH (EIGHTH ANNUAL REPORT (NEW SERIES) OF THE).

CONTENTS. Page Page Letter of Transmittal .. .. .. ..119 3. Petroleum Prospects in Southern Hawke's Bay Summary of Field Operations .. .. ..119 and Eastern Wellington. (By P. G. Morgan) 131 Palaeontological Work .. .. .. .. 119 Introductory .. .. .. .. 131 Office and Miscellaneous Indoor Work .. .. 119 Character of Country .. .. ..131 Changes in Staff .. .. .. ..119 General Geology .. .. .. ..131 Publications .. .. .. .. .. 120 Geological Structure .. .. ..132 Library .. .. .•. .. 120 Petroleum Indications .. .. 132 (1.) Gas Springs .. .. .. 132 (2.) Mineral Springs .. .. . . 133 Officers' Reports. (3.) Petroleum-traces .. .. 134 (4.) Ozokerite-like Mineral .. . . 134 Dr. J. Henderson, Mining Geologist .. .. 120 ( 5 ,j M ud Volcanoes .. . . . . 134 Reefton Subdivision .. .. ..120 Probable Sources.of Petroleum .. ..134 Introduction ... .. .. ..120 Prospecting Operations .. .. ..135 Physiography and Structure .. ..120 Conclusions .. .. .. ..135 General Geology .. .. .. "Jo? 1. The Taranaki Oilfield. (By P. G. Morgan) .. 136 Economic Geology 121 Prospects of Oilfield .. . ..136 Auriferous Quartz Veins .. ..121 Outline of Geology 136 Alluvial Gold 121 Oil-bearing Horizons 136 T V?, mV v i J.V -4. " "Too Present Conditions .. .. ..137 Dr. J. Allan Thomson, Palaeontologist .. ..122 Quality of Oil 137 Introduction .. .. .. . . 12<i Q ag * Progress of the Descriptive Palaeontology .. 122 Water 137 Tertiary Mollusca 122 galt duced with oi , ; ; '; 13g Tertiary Brachiopoda 2* Summary of Data relating to Principal Bores .. 139 Tertiary Cirnpedia .. 122 Taranaki Oil-wells No. 1, or Birthday Bore.. 139 Other Groups of Tertiary Invertebrata .. 123 Taranaki Oil-wells No. 2, or Roy's Well .. 139 Cretaceous Mollusca 123 Taranaki Oil-wells No. 3, or Samuel's Bore .. 139 Jurassic and Triassic Faunas .. •• 123 Taranaki 011-wclls No. 4 Bore .. ..140 Mesozoic Floras . . .. 123 Taranaki Oil-wells No. 5 Bore .. ..140 Classification and Correlation of the Tertiary Rocks 123 Taranaki Oil-wells Rotary Bore .. ..140 Taranaki Oil Lands Acquisition and Develop- „. , „ . ment Company's Blenheim Well .. 140 Special Reports. Phoenix Company's Bore .. .. 140 1. Preliminary Report on the Gisborne - East Cape Bonithon Freehold Petroleum Extended CornDistrict. (By P. G. Morgan) .. .. 124 pan/ b No. 1 Bore 140 Narrative .. . .. . . 124 Bonithon No. 2 Bore 140 Previous Geological Work 124 Other Bores 140 General Geology 124 The Water Danger 141 Geological Structure 125 Discussion of Bores • • . ■ ■ • • ]f Indications of Petroleum 125 Taranaki Oil-wes No. Lor Birthday Bore .. 141 (1.) Mineral Springs 125 Taranaki Oi -we Is No. 2 Bore .. .. 141 (2 ) Gas Springs 125 Taranaki Oil-wells No. 3 Bore .. .. 141 30 Mud Volcanoes '.'. '.'. ' '.'. 126 Taranaki Oil-wells No. 5 Bore .. .. 141 4 ) Oil-seepages .. .. ..126 Taranaki Oil-wells Rotary Bore .. ..141 (5 ) Ozokerite 126 Taranaki Oil Lands Acquisition and Develop(6o Magnetic Disturbances '.'. " 126 „ m . ent Company's Blenheim Well .. 142 Oil-prospecting Operations 126 Bonithon No. 1 Bore 142 Results obtained by Past Boring .. .. 127 o Bonithon No. 2 Bore 142 Discussion of Methods 127 Suggestions . .. .. 142 Oil Possibilities 127 Recommendations re Regulations .. .. 142 Future Prospecting' '.'. '.'. !! 128 Literature 143 Natural Gas .. .. '.. .. 128 A PP en l lc f ~ '' nv■''r, , i" «••" 43 Mineral Waters .. 128 ( L ) Extract from Galician Petroleum Mining Water-supply 128 BegnUtong .... .. 143 Conclusion 128 (2.) Law m West Virginia regarding abandoned Weils .. . . .. 144 2. Materials for Roadmaking and Railway-ballast (3.) Extract from Roumanian Water-flush in the Gisborne District. (By P. G. Morgan) 129 Drilling Law of 1906 .. .. 144 (1.) Proposed Quarry at Motuhora .. ..129 (4.) Summary of Portions of Russian Law (2.) Public Works Quarry near Matawai .. 129 relating to Petroleum-mining .. 144 (3.) Public Works Quarry near Patutahi .. 130 (5.) Summary of Portions of Galician Petro(4.) Cook County Council Quarry .. .. 130 leum-mining Regulations .. .. 145 (5.) Gisborne Borough Council Quarry .. 130 (6.) Exclusion of Water from Oil Sands .. 145 Recommendations .. .. ..130 (7.) Map of New Plymouth and Vicinity, Analyses of Limestone and Sandstone ~ 131 showing Oil Bores Facing page 146

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CONTENTS— continued. Page Page 5. Oil Occurrence near Paraparaumu. (By P. G. 9. The Lawrence-Waipori District— continued, Morgan) .. .. .. ..147 Conclusion .. .. .. ..156 6. Petroleum in Murchison District .. .. 147 Literature . . . . .. .. .. 156 7. The Waikaka Gold-mining Field. (By P. G. 10 ' Gold-mining Possibilities of the Hunua District, Morgan) 147 Auckland. (By J. Henderson) .. .. 156 Nature of Country examined .. .. 147 11. Coal Possibilities of the Warkworth District. General Geology .. .. .. .. 148 (By J. Henderson) .. .. . . 157 Geological Structure .. .. .. 148 Introduction .. .. .. .. 157 Economic Geology .. .. .. 148 Physiography .. .. .. .. 157 History of Waikaka Goldfield .. .. 148 Stratigraphy .. .. .. 157 The Older Quartz Drifts and Associated Beds 149 Structure " .. .. .. ..157 The Recent Auriferous Deposits . ... 149 Coal Possibilities .. .. .. .. 158 Character of Gold . . .. . . 149 Bore-sites .. .. .. .. 158 Minerals associated with Gold .. .. 149 ,„ r , ,t> . ~, TO . . i-.. .. . D ~ Origin of Gold 149 Prospects of the Waimate District, South Origin and Mode of Formation" of Older ' „ Canterbury. (By J. Allan Thomson) .. 158 Quartz Drifts !50 I' N arratlTO ,_ ■• .•• , •■ • • 158 Deep Leads 150 (2.) Topography and Physiography .. .. 159 Depth of Deep Leads .'.' \ \ ]50 (3>) S™?™- A , C °? unt ° f the Geol °gy • • 159 Working Deep Ground 150 ~ . Ge ° °f ° al Ma P. .. „/., ." • • j°° Recommendations .. 151 (40 Coal Prospects m the Waihao Area .. 160 Literature 151 (l.) The Quality of the Coal .. ..161 Analyses 152 (ii.) The Distance from a Market .. 161 (hi.) The Nature of the Coal-measures .. 161 8. The Waikaia District, Southland. (By P. G. (5.) Coal Prospects in the Waimate District .. 162 Morgan) .. .. . . .. 152 (6.) Bibliography .. .. . . 162 Situation.. .. .. .. ..152 Geological Sketch-map of the Waihao CoalTopographic Features .. .. .. 152 field .. .. .. Facing page 159 General Geology . . .. . ... 153 Economic Geology 153 13. Mineral Prospects of the Maharahara District, Alluvial Gold .. \\ '.'. 153 Hawke's Bay. (By J. Allan Thomson) .. 162 Lignite ... 153 Narrative .. .. .. .. 162 Oil-shale .. .. .. . . 153 Topography .. .. .. .. 163 Cl a y .. ]54 General Account of the Geology .. .. 163 Mineral Prospects in the Ruahine Ranges .. 165 9. The Lawrence-Waipori District. (By P. G. The Maharahara Copper-mine .. .. 166 Morgan) .. .. .. ..154 Gold in the Manawatu Gorge .. 167 Topography . . .. . . .. 154 Silver in the Ruahine Ranges .. .. 167 General Geology .. .. ... .. 154 Mineral Prospects in the Pliocene Rocks 167 Economic Geology .. .. ..155 Coal at Maharahara .. .. ..167 (1 ) Metalliferous Lodes . . .. . . 155 Analyses of Coal from Upper Manawatu and (2.) Alluvial Gold .. . . . . 155 Ruamahanga Valleys .. .. .. 168 (3.) Lignite .. .. .. . . 155 Oil at Te Rehunga .. .. .. 169 (4.) Clay .. .. .. ..155 Bibliography .. .. ..169

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LETTER OF TRANSMITTAL.

SlR '" — Geological Survey Office, Wellington, Ist June, 1914. I have the honour to forward herewith the eighth annual report of the Geological Survey Branch of the Mines Department, dealing with the twelve months ending 31st May, 1914. I have, &c, P. G. Morgan, The Hon. the Minister of Mines, Wellington. Director, N.Z. Geological Survey.

REPORT.

Summary op Field Operations. During the twelve months ending 31st May, 1914, the detailed survey of the Reefton Subdivision was continued by Dr. J. Henderson, Mining Geologist, assisted by Mr. H. S. Whitehorn, Assistant lopographer, and a full field party. The survey was brought to a conclusion, and a detailed report upon the area will be prepared during the coming winter. The Reefton Subdivision it may be mentioned, consists of the survey districts of Waitahu, Reefton, Inangahua, Mawherat nan lal ' Wanvller0 > remiko, Punakaiki, and Brighton. It therefore has an area of over ,000 square miles, and is thus the largest subdivision that has been geologically surveyed in In order to' furnish reports required by the Mines Department, visits occupying from a few days to several weeks were made by members of the staff to a number of localities, including the Warkworth, Woodville, Gisborne - East Cape, southern Hawke's Bay, northern Wairarapa New Plymouth, and Waikaka districts. In addition, the Director visited Parapara, Seddonville, and Greymouth in connection with matters of a special nature. Work. Until his transfer to the Museum in January last Dr. J. Allan Thomson continued work on the late Cretaceous and Tertiary fossils, with especial reference to the Tertiary Brachiopoda Mr. Henry Suter, of Christchurch, was engaged during the greater part of the year in the examination of Tertiary fossils, and in the revision of type specimens. Various specialists in Europe and Australia, including Dr. Newell Arber, Mr. Henry Woods Mr T H Withers Professor Otto Wilckens, Mr. W. S. Dun, and Mr. F. Chapman, have gratuitously' examined collections selected from the Palaeozoic and Mesozoic fossils. A fuller account of the work being done will be found in Dr. Thomson's report on a later page. A beginning in the work of distributing duplicate fossils has been made, small collections having been forwarded to the various schools of mines throughout the Dominion, and a considerable number of specimens set aside for the museums and University colleges. Office and Miscellaneous Indoor Work. The so-called office-work of the Geological Survey is of a varied nature. The total amount of almost purely clerical or routine labour is considerable, but at present this is performed mainly by the professional members of the staff, to the detriment of more technical work Besides the ordinary correspondence, numerous requests for information in connection with geology mining and mineral occurrences have to be answered. In some cases a considerable amount of search through the available literature and lengthy replies are necessary, the most notable instance of this kind being an inquiry concerning New Zealand lakes, to which an answer covering thirty-eight pages of foolscap was given. The care of the library, without which the writing ot adequate reports would be impossible, takes much time. Other indoor work of the staff includes as much indexing as time allows, the preparation ot rock sections, examination of mineral and rock specimens, &c. In addition the Director has special duties as a member of the Boards of Examiners under the Mining and Coal-mines Acts and of the Loan Board constituted by the Mining Amendment Act, 1911. Changes in Staff. In January of this year Dr. J. Allan Thomson, Palaeontologist, was transferred to the Dominion Museum as Director. The vacancy thus made- has not yet been filled Work on the fossil collections, however, has not been wholly discontinued, for Mr. Henry Suter has been specially engaged for a period of three years to continue his work on the Tertiary Mollusca Under the agreement made Mr. Suter is to devote nine months of each year to Geological Survey work. & " At the end of January Mr. J. A. Bartrum, Assistant Geologist, resigned in order to take an appointment on the staff of the Auckland University College. His place has been doubly filled by the appointment of Messrs. W. Gibson, 8.E., A.0.5.M., and M Onglev MA «*s Assistant Geologists. & " ' ' ''

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Publications. The final proofs of Bulletin No. 16, written by Dr. Henderson, and entitled " The Geology of the Aroha Subdivision, Hauraki," were read in August last, but the bulletin was not issued until nearly the middle of March of this year. It contains a complete account of an area which extends southwards from the Waihi Subdivision to the Tauranga and Matamata districts, and includes the Karangahake and Te Aroha goldfields. Palaeontological Bulletin No. 1, by Dr. Allan Thomson, entitled " Materials for the Palaeontology of New Zealand," mentioned in my last report as nearly ready for publication, was issued in April of this year. Towards the end of 1913 a " List of the Minerals of New Zealand," prepared by Mr. J. A. Bartrum and myself, was issued with the " Catalogue and Description of Exhibits of the Mines Department " printed in connection with the Auckland Exhibition, and was also published separately. Palaeontological Bulletins Nos. 2 and 3 are now in the hands of the Government Printer. Other reports, including an account of the Tertiary Brachiopoda of New Zealand and a bulletin dealing with the geology and mineral resources of the Buller-Mokihinui Subdivision, are in an advanced stage of preparation. Library. A number of United States Geological Survey bulletins which were missing from the library set, a few standard works, and various other publications have been added to the library by purchase. In addition, various technical journals have been obtained and the usual exchanges received from foreign geological surveys and other scientific institutions. A manuscript catalogue of the books in the library has been prepared, and is brought up to date from time to time. Many of the exchanges and journals received have been bound during the year, but a considerable quantity of unbound material has accumulated, most of which is worth preserving.

OFFICERS' REPORTS. DR. J. HENDERSON, MINING GEOLOGIST. Dr. Henderson, Mining Geologist, submits the following summary report on his work during the past twelve months : — My work for the past year has comprised the final revision of Bulletin No. 16, reports on the coal possibilities of the Warkworth district and on oil prospects in the Warwick district, and fieldwork in the Reefton Subdivision. Reefton Subdivision. Introduction. The second season's field-work in the Reefton Subdivision was commenced in September, 1913, and was continued without interruption to the end of May, 1914. The writer was assisted throughout by Messrs. H. S. Whitehorn and F. Fulton Wood, topographers, and for a short period by Mr. W. Gibson, geologist. The areas topographically and geologically surveyed include portions of Inangahua, Maimai, Waitahu, Waiwhero, and Teniiko survey districts, and the whole of Reefton, Punakaiki, and Brighton survey districts. The 1913-14 season was very favourable for outdoor work, and it was thus found possible to complete the field-work necessary for writing the detailed report on the subdivision. Physiography and Structure. The surface of the Reefton Subdivision is exceedingly diversified; mountain-chains with peaks rising over 5,000 ft. traverse the district from end to end; between these lies a great structural valley for the drainage of which the two largest river systems of the West Coast compete. The topography is but the expression of the underlying earth-structure. Great fracturezones have been traced, which divide the subdivision into earth-blocks, three of which are relatively elevated and form the Victoria, Brunner, and Paparoa ranges, while the Mawheraiti-Inangahua Valley and the limestone plateau between the Paparoas and the coast form the depressed blocks. The evenness of the sky-line of the mountain-ranges suggests that they have been carved from elevated peneplains. Although no glaciers or permanent snowfields now exist within the subdivision, there is abundant evidence that the higher portions of Victoria and Paparoa ranges were at one time glaciated, and that the great piedmont glacier of Westland extended as far north as Merrijigs Hill. General Geology. The basement-rocks of the subdivision consist of thick layers of greywacke interbedded with minor bands of argillite. These beds, though entirely devoid of fossils, are believed to be of Silurian and Ordovician age, and in part probably represent the Aorere Series of the CoUingwood district. They have been subjected to powerful stresses which have found relief in sharp folding and intense fracturing, and, in addition, have been intruded by vast granite bathyliths and penetrated by a widespread system of basic dykes. Later than, but in close connection with these latter, are quartz veins, which have a great development along the principal zones of fracture. Quartzites, argillites, and limestones, with fossils proving a Lower Devonian age, form a rock sequence known as the Reefton Series. The area covered by these rocks is very small, and their exact relationship to the preceding series is unknown, but for reasons which cannot be here

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detailed there is little doubt but that the Silurian beds underlie the Reefton Series. The quartzites and limestones must be regarded as the remnants of a once widespread sheet preserved from destruction by deep mvolvment in great fault movements. Thick beds of conglomerate form the lowest beds of the formation next in age. From their nature these beds vary in thickness and composition in adjoining localities, and are at many Places not represented in the sequence of the series of which they form a part. They are succeeded by grits, sandstones, and shales often containing valuable coal-seams. Overlying with undoubted discordance are Miocene beds represented in the coastal province by grits sandstones, limestones, and claystones in that order. Within the InangahuaMawheraiti Valley the limestones shrink to insignificant bands and sometimes entirely disappear their places being taken by claystones and sandstones, while the uppermost claystones become soft sandstones and conglomerates. There is evidence that much overlap occurs in connection with this series. Irregular seams of brown coal, sometimes of great thickness, may be intercalated among the basal beds of any locality. An interesting feature of the Miocene rocks of the west coast is _ the amount of fragmental coal they carry. In the Greymouth and Buller-Mokihinui subdivisions these fragments appear to be almost entirely confined to the lower beds, but in the Ueetton Subdivision the higher strata contain them over a considerable area near the mouth ot the Punakaiki River. Quaternary deposits of various ages are widely distributed. They consist of beach gravels up to 450 ft. above present sea-level, moraines, fluvio-glacial and fluviatile gravels. Economic Geology. The subdivision contains a variety of minerals of economic value, among which may be mentioned platmuni, stibnite, arsenical pyrites, copper-pyrites, molybdenite, stream-tin, and monazite. Of these only stibnite and arsenical pyrites appear to offer economical possibilities the abundant brick-clays, cement-stones, fireclays, and alum shales are likely at no distant date to be of commercial importance. There is an inexhaustible supply of excellent building-stone in the granite and Miocene limestone of the district, while the Devonian limestone will also furnish a considerable amount. The Devonian limestone has already been utilized as a source of agricultural lime, and there is no reason why the purer beds of the Miocene limestone should not furnish first-class quicklime. At present the prosperity of the inhabitants of the subdivision depends largely upon the exploitation of its gold and coal deposits. Auriferous Quartz Veins— lnnumerable quartz veins traverse the Aorere rocks. The payably auriferous lodes which form but a small percentage of the whole, lie chiefly in a belt of country over twenty miles m length stretching from Larry's Creek to Snowy River. The lodes, which occupy fault planes, occur in four well-marked systems, in two of which they strike west of north and in the other two, east of north. The ore is found in shoots which all pitch to the northward; m the northern portion of the district the dip is to the eastward, but in the central and southern portions it changes to the westward. Several of the shoots have been worked to a vertical depth of over 1,500 ft and have been found, in a general way, to maintain their size and tenor to that depth.. In the Reefton field the problems in mining are in no way connected with the irregu ar distribution of the pay-ore owing to a secondary concentration, but aie confined to the purely mechanical difficulties brought about by fault movements Alluvial Gold.— AUuvial deposits of various ages and many forms are found within the subdivision. Cements at the base of the older coal formation are being actively worked at Lankey Creek and Globe Hill and have m the past received attention at Murray and Boatman creeks A similar bed of quartz cement occurs at the base of the Miocene in Garden Gully, and, although not itself worked, has yielded by its degradation, richly auriferous alluvium: That the Old Man Bottom gravels of late Miocene or Pliocene age carry gold has been cogently maintained by McKay, who believes them to be sometimes payably auriferous. The Pleistocene morainic and fluvio-glacial gravels which cover the hills from Merrijigs to Waiuta and again at Nobles are still being worked. River-terraces within the subdivision have in the past yielded large quan titles of gold, and the beds of Boatman, Antonio, and Mawheraiti streams are at present being dredged with highly remunerative results. Marine equivalents of the Quaternary terrestrial deposits occur at various places along the coast. These, which in the early days of the Coast were famous for their richness, are now all but exhausted, one claim only being still regularly worked CW-Although, tip to the present, the greater portion of the coat mined in the Reefton district has been for local household and power purposes, nevertheless in the near titure the writer anticipates a large external trade. c cne The coals of the subdivision occur in two series of different geological age. The older series contain the pitch-coals of Reefton the little-known anthracite of the Fox River, and a mall area of bituminous coal on the divide between the Punakaiki and Big rivers. The youngei Terie of The principal area of the older series lies in the vicinity of Reefton, where for a distance of nearly eight miles, thick seams of pitch-coal are exposed along the eastern edge of the great ilt-valley, upturned by the powerful faults which bound it, That the coal-measures lie beneath the Miocene strata and Quaternary gravels which fill the Inangahua Valley there is no doubt but m the absence of all data in the way of bores it is impossible to give even he roughest estimate of the amount of coal available, or do more than state that a coalfield of greatsizl and value almost certainly extends beneath the valley-floor Outliers of the ZpMS? i at a higher level occur in troughs among the hills to the east of Reefton C ° alfield lying The anthracite of the Fox River occurs in faulted strata dipping at high angles and the proved extent of the field is very small. b 8 angles, ana the

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Miocene rocks form the whole floor of the rift-valley from Landing Creek northward. Outcrops are found as far south as the Waitahu River on the eastern side, and as Giles Creek on the western. Coal-seams nearly always of good workable thickness occur in every creek on the flanks of the Brunner Range, while on the Paparoa side large seams outcrop in Giles and Fletcher creeks. All the coals are brown coals of somewhat variable composition which are low in ash. In the Barrytown-Brighton district a 20 ft. seam outcrops in the Waiwhero, a 16 ft. seam in Limestone Creek, and an 8 ft. seam near Brighton. Although these were the only outcrops noted, there is little doubt but that numerous coal-lenses lie beneath the limestone plateau. The strata in this district are generally horizontal, and talus from the great limestone cliffs hides the soft coal-bearing beds at the base of the formation. The coals are utilized to a small extent for household purposes, for which they are admirably adapted. DR. J. ALLAN THOMSON, PALAEONTOLOGIST. Dr. Thomson, Palaeontologist, left the Geological Survey to assume the position of Director of the Dominion Museum on the 12th January, 1914. Since that time, however, he has dealt with matters arising out of his previous work. He reports on his work as follows :— Introduction. My work during the past year may be classed under the following headings : — (1.) Sorting of collections for specialists, together with correspondence in regard to the collections sent out. This work has continued to occupy a great deal of my time. (2.) Study of Tertiary Brachiopoda. (3.) Extraneous reports. In June, 1913, I reported on the " Mineral Prospects of the Maharahara District." (4.) Field-work, A brief visit was paid during the Christinas holidays to the Pliocene beds of Castlecliff, Wanganui, resulting in the addition of a considerable number of species to the show collection. Some Pliocene fossils were obtained during my visit to Maharahara earlier in the year. Progress of the Descriptive Palaeontology. Tertiary Mollusca. Mr. Henry Suter, of Ciiristchurch, was, on the Ist August, 1913, appointed Consulting Palaeontologist on Tertiary Mollusca for a period of three years. He has since determined large collections of shells, and has described and named seventy-seven new species. The collections examined were as follows : — (1.) Collections from the Westport, Inangahua, and Mokihinui districts made by the Director, and earlier collections from the same districts made by Mr. A. McKay. (2.) Large collections from the Waipara and Weka Pass districts, North Canterbury, and the Waihao district, South Canterbury, recently collected by myself. (3.) Collections from Blue Cliffs, Kakahu, Pareora, and Sutherlands, in South Canterbury, submitted by Mr. C. Gudex. (4.) Collections from Target Gully, Oamaru, Wharekauri, Otiake, and Komiti Bluff, Kaipara, submitted by Professor P. Marshall. (5.) Collections from Waipara, Weka Pass, and Greta Creek, North Canterbury, submitted by Mr. A. Purchas. (6.) Large collections from various localities near Oamaru, submitted by Mr. G. Uttley. (7.) A commencement has been made on the very large old collections from South Canterbury and Waitaki Valley localities. The first and second parts of Mr. Suter's " Revision of the Tertiary Mollusca," he., are now in the press as Palaeontological Bulletins Nos. 2 and 3. The manuscript for a further bulletin dealing with the new species is practically ready for the press. The lists of determinations of the fossils of the Westport, Inangahua, and Mokihinui districts will be included in the ordinary (areal) bulletins dealing witli those districts. It is intended to issue the lists from the Oamaru, Waipara, and Weka Pass districts in the contemplated bulletin dealing with the Tertiary brachiopods as descriptions of the chief brachiopod localities will accompany that bulletin. The other lists are reserved for a contemplated bulletin dealing with the correlation of the Tertiary beds. Tertiary Brachiopoda. The completion of the revision of this group has been delayed by my promotion, but their study is being pursued whenever opportunity allows. The diagnoses of the majority of the species have been prepared, and the preparation of the plates is also well advanced. Mr. G. Uttley, of Oamaru, has very kindly prepared a detailed account of the brachiopod localities of the Oamaru district, which is the more useful as the majority of the specimens examined were collected by him. Tertiary Cirripedia. Mr. T. H. Withers, of the British Museum, has during the year examined and redescribed the giant cirripede from Motutapu Island, and has returned the material on loan from the Survey. He has published the result of his work in a paper entitled " Some Miocene Cirripedes of the Genera Hexelasma and Scalpellum from New Zealand."*

* Proceedings of the Zoological Society of London for 1913.

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Other Groups of Tertiary Invertebrates. Arrangements were made last year with Mr. D. G. Lillie, ship biologist to the British Antarctic Expedition, 1910, that wherever possible the specialists who work up the material of the expedition should also undertake the revision of the New Zealand Tertiary forms of the same groups. During this year large collections (including all the available type specimens) of echinoderms, corals, bryozoans, cirripedes, and fossil crustaceans were sorted out and despatched to Mr. Lillie. At the same time specimens from the Canterbury and Otago museums are also beingsent to Mr. Lillie, so that the greater part of the collected material in New Zealand will be made available to the specialists in each group. Cretaceous Mollusca. Mr. H. Woods, Demonstrator in Palaeontology, Cambridge, has nearly completed the description of the specimens forwarded to him,* and it is probable that this will also be embodied in a memoir of the British Antarctic Expedition, 1910. Jurassic and Triassic Faunas. The specimens previously sent to the late Professor G. Boehm have been safely returned to Wellington through the kind offices of Professor Deecke, Director of the Geological Survey of Baden. No further steps have been taken with regard to the description of these fossils. Mesozoic Floras. Dr. E. A. N. Arber has finished his work on these fossils, and his description is to be published in a memoir of the British Antarctic Expedition, 1910. Classification and Correlation of the Tertiary Rooks. An observation of great importance as affecting all previously proposed classifications of the lower and middle Tertiary rocks was made by Mr. G. Uttley'in a letter—viz., that in the Waihao district of South Canterbury the fossils of the Mount Harris beds, which lie above the Waihao limestone, are apparently similar to those of the Waihao greensands, which underlie the same limestone. Later, during a visit to the district I was able to confirm the observation. The similarity of the fossils of these two sets of beds has been recognized before by Hutton and Park, but as their relative positions in regard to the limestone was not known, the significance of the similarity was overlooked. Huttonf in 1877 examined collections made from both localities by Haast, and correlated the two sets of beds in his Pareora system, which it will be remembered he considered to overlie the Oamaru system unconformably. HaastJ in 1879, recognizing the inferior position of the greensands as compared to the limestone, pointed out the difficulty that the limestone contained " all the characteristic fossils of the Oamaru formation " but did not follow the matter further. McKay§ in 1882 clearly recognized the inferior and superior positions of the greensands and Mount Harris beds with respect to the limestone, but somewhat strained the pakeontological evidence by classifying the greensands as Cretaceo-tertiary and the Mount Harris beds as Lower Miocene. Following this report there ensued a long controversy between Hutton and McKay with regard to the age of the Waihao greensands, Hutton continuing to classify them as belonging to his Pareora system, and supposing that they were laid down on a highly eroded surface of limestone, McKay strongly maintaining their truly inferior position and endeavouring to show that their fauna was Cretaceo-tertiary It may now be definitely stated that McKay was correct in his reading of the field evidence and that the greensands do underlie the limestone. That position has not been challenged since 1888, and after a few days' study in the field is, to my mind, self-evident. My field-work in Marlborough, North and South Canterbury, and North Otago has also been sufficient for me to state quite definitely that there is no Cretaceo-tertiary formation in New Zealand in the sense of a set of beds containing mingled Cretaceous and Tertiary fossils. There is apparently in North Canterbury and Marlborough (and I believe there is actually) a Cretaceo-tertiary succession, but the fossihferous Cretaceous and Tertiary beds are separated by many hundreds of feet of apparently unfossiliferous Amuri limestone. All the beds in the Oamaru and South Canterbury districts classified by Hector and McKay as Cretaceo-tertiary, and notably the Waihao greensands, contain only Tertiary fossils. In 1905 Park|| returned to the old difficulty that had confronted Haast, and proposed an entirely new solution of the problem. Recognizing the similarity of the Waihao greensand and Mount Harris fossils, and the inferior position of the greensands, and also the necessity of including the Waihao limestone in the Oamaru system, he concluded that there were two limestones in the Oamaru system, one above and one below beds with " Pareora fauna," and at the same time on pakeontological evidence he correlated the Mount Harris beds with the Waihao greensands, remarking that the stratigraphy is not very clear.ll My own field observations are in agreement with those of McKay that the Mount Harris beds overlie the Waihao limestone. This reading of the field evidence necessitates not two limestones in South Canterbury and North Otago separated by beds with the "Pareora fauna " but

* The specimens from Coverham, mentioned in the annual report of last year as being involved in a fire on the s.s. Turakina reached Mr. Woods safely. t Trans. N.Z. Inst., Vol. 9 (1877), p. 594. t Geol Cant West] p. 310, 1879. § Rep. Geol. Explor. during 1881, Vol. 14 (1882), pp. 64 and 71-75. || Trans NZ Inst'' Vol. 37 (1905) pp. 489-551, <[f The above does not state Professor Park's arguments in full, as much of his evidence was obtained from other districts than Waihao.

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one limestone separating two sets of beds with the "Pareora fauna." If this is so, and if the principles of palaeontology have any application to our. Tertiary rocks, these two apparently similar faunas cannot be identical, but must show some differences. For the present, then, correlations based on the presence of the " Pareora fauna," which was built up by Hutton from the fossils of beds of different ages, can have no value. When we have defined the peculiarities of these upper and lower faunas we shall have nrnde a great step in the classification of the Tertiary rocks. For this purpose all the Tertiary Mollusea from North Otago and South Canterbury have been put in Mr. Suter's hands, and he has also determined various collections from these localities for private collectors. Mr. Suter estimates that he will finish the determinations and the compilation of the fossil lists in about six months, and it will then be necessary to prepare a stratigraphical bulletin dealing with the whole subject fully.

SPECIAL REPORTS.

1. PRELIMINARY REPORT ON THE GISBORNE - EAST CAPE DISTRICT. (By P. G. Morgan, Director.) Narrative. I left Wellington on the 10th January, and arrived in Gisborne next day. On the 12th I went to Matawai, the present terminus of the Gisborne-Opotiki Railway, and next day examined the proposed Motuhora quarry and the country between Matawai and Motu Falls. On the 15th January the Cook County and Gisborne Borough Council's quarries near Patutahi were visited. From the 16th to the 23rd January, in company with Mr. W. E. Akroyd, Government Valuer, I made a hurried and necessarily incomplete reconnaissance of the strip of country between Gisborne and Hicks Bay. On the 24th January the coast-line between Gisborne and Sponge Bay (south of Kaiti) was examined. On the 25th January Totangi Oil-well (New Zealand Oilfields (Limited)) and the Public Works quarry near Patutahi were visited. On the 26th January I inspected the New Zealand Oilfields' Waihirere bore, near Ormond, and on the evening of the same day left Gisborne for Napier, en route to Wellington. Previous Geological Work. In 1869 a brief report by Captain F. W. Hutton on the East Cape district was published.* In 1874 the coastal belt from Gisborne to near East Cape was examined by Hector and McKay, the latter of whom has since visited the district on two or three occasions, and has embodied his observations in valuable reports. Others who have made geological examinations are S. H. Cox, J. Park, H. Hill, and J. M. Bell. Dr. J. Wanner, of Bonn, and Mr. E. de C. Clarke have also visited the Gisborne - East Cape district, but have not published anything concerning the area. During 1908 and 1909 the survey districts of Mangatu and Waingaromia, with a combined area of 312Jr square miles, were surveyed in detail by J. H. Adams. The results of his investigations were published in Bulletin No. 9 (New Series) of the New Zealand Geological Survey, under the title of " The Geology of the Whatatutu Subdivision, Raukumara Division, Poverty Bay." The area thus surveyed in detail covers less than a twelfth of the Raukumara Division, and is not sufficiently large to yield definite results concerning the geology of the division as a whole. Unfortunately also, Mr. Adams and Dr. P. Marshall, who wrote the section on palaeontology in Bulletin No. 9, disagreed with Mr. Alex. McKay (and it may be added with Sir James Hector) on a fundamental point in the geology of the district —namely, the presence or absence of Cretaceous rocks. My own brief examination has convinced me of the substantial correctness of the view held by McKay —namely, that Cretaceous rocks are present in the Whatatutu Subdivision as well as elsewhere in the Gisborne - East Cape district. General Geology. The oldest rocks of the district are argillites, greywackes, and fine-grained conglomerates, which are probably of Trias-Jura age, but have been placed by McKay in the Maitai Series, which he regards as of Carboniferous age. The Trias-Jura or Maitai rocks are exposed chiefly on the western side of the Waiapu Valley, where they evidently form the greater part of Mounts Hikurangi (5,606 ft.) and Aorangi (4,091 ft.). Near the Gisborne-Opotiki Railway they form Mount Motuhora (3,405 ft.), which is on the western side of the East Coast - Bay of Plenty watershed, and much of the country from here towards Opotiki. According to Hill there is a small

* Rep. G.S. during 1868-69, No. 5, pp. 7-8.

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* " Oil-wells and Oil-prospects along the East Coast," Trans. N.Z. Inst., Vol. 39, 1907, p. 511. t " Report on the Petroleum-bearing Rooks of Poverty Bay and East Cape District-), Auckland, New Zealand," Mines Report, C.-10, 1901, p. 23. } Bull. No. 9, N.Z.G.S.. 1910, p. 46. § Op. cit., p. 39 ; see also map. || Op. .»«., p. 39

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outcrop of " Maitai slates " on the east coast between Port Awanui and Reporua.* McKay, however, states that there are no old Secondary or Palaeozoic rocks east of the main range in this part of the North Island.t Cretaceous rocks, according to McKay, cover a belt of some width which extends from the headwaters of the Waipaoa and Motu rivers almost to Hicks Bay. Between the mouth of the Waiapu River and Waipiro they reach the coast. Cretaceous inliers are found at Waitangi Hill, on the coast-line between Gisborne and I'uahine Point, at Whangara, and some distance north of Gable-end Foreland. Elsewhere Miocene strata form the prevailing surface rocks. There are also comparatively small patches of Pliocene and Pleistocene pumice-sands, &c. Flats of considerable size, covered by alluvial deposits, occur near Gisborne, at Tolago Bay, in the Waiapu Valley, in the Awatere Valley, and west of Te Araroa (Kawakawa). Geological Structure. The geological structure of a petroliferous district is all important to those in search of oil, but its elucidation requires careful and detailed mapping, and therefore no adequate account of structure can here be given. Briefly, the Miocene rocks are usually gently, but, on the whole, irregularly folded. The Cretaceous rocks where exposed are much more strongly folded. A number of faults, some of considerable strength, traverse both Miocene and older rocks. Indications of Petroleum. The numerous indications of oil in the Gisborne - East Cape district may be classified as mineral springs, gas springs, mud volcanoes, oil-seepages, deposits of ozokerite or allied mineral and magnetic disturbances. In the following paragraphs a rough and incomplete account of these occurrences will be given. (1.) Mineral Springs. The mineral springs of the Gisborne district are mainly salt springs, which almost invariably contain detectable amounts of iodine, and are accompanied by effusions of inflammable gases. Cold salt springs occur at Hangaroa (about twenty-two miles west-south-west of Gisborne), at Patutahi (now quiescent), at Waihirere (near Ormond), in the Kaiti Block near Gisborne, at Whangara, in the Upper Waimata Valley, and elsewhere. At Te Puia, a few miles from Waipiro, there are numerous saline springs, with a temperature of 150° F. or more. Mineral springs, the water of which contains a little sulphuretted hydrogen, but is not unpleasant in taste, occur on the beach east of Tua Motu (near Gisborne), and on the east side of Waiapu Valley near the main road, not far from the branch road to Tuparoa. A little south of Tuparoa, on the banks of a small stream, a continuous incrustation of sulphates (probably an alum, and a basic ferric sulphate) was observed during the hot and dry weather that prevailed at the time of my visit. The water of a mineral spring that occurs in the Whatatutu Subdivision, at the head of the Waikohuiti Stream, not far from the Te Karaka - Motu Road, contains various sulphates, and is therefore more or less comparable to the Tuparoa incrustations. A description and analysis of this spring is given by Adams.£ Nearly all the well-water of the Gisborne flats is brackish and unfit for human consumption. Salt water was encountered in the South Pacific No. 9 borehole everywhere below 470 ft. (2.) Gas Springs. About four miles west-south-west of Patutahi is a gas spring in the valley of Te Aroha Stream, on land formerly belonging to Mr. Peach, but now owned by Messrs. Mather and Mclnnes (Section 79, Block IV, Patutahi Survey District). Another gas spring is said to occur higher up the valley. A little salt or brackish water accompanies the gas. At Wainui, east of Gisborne, several small gas springs are reported, but these at the present time are probably quiescent. At Roto-o-tahi, a few miles north of Gable End Foreland, are two or more springs. The gas is mainly methane, but, according to Mr. F. A. Rich, contains also a little sulphuretted hydrogen. Near the Te Puia springs, in the neighbourhood of Waipiro, gas-escapes are very numerous. On Te Ahi-o-te-Atua Block (Mata Survey District), near the Maori village of Jerusalem, is a large gas spring, said to yield a constant flame 2 ft. or more in height, To the eastward, in the Waikohu Valley, are several other gas-escapes. There are several gas springs a short distance south of the mouth of the Waiapu River. In the Whatatutu Subdivision are many gas-vents, now no longer active. The positions of three of these are indicated in J. H. Adams's report. § In Tutamoe and Arowhana survey districts, north of the Whatatutu Subdivision, there are numerous gas springs, two of which are mentioned by Adams.|| Gas-escapes are especially common in the Huiarau, Hauturu, and Pouturu blocks, and are found in a belt of country extending far down the Waiapu Valley. A small escape of inflammable gas, accompanied by salt water, occurs far north in the Omaika Block, a few miles from Te Araroa. A gas spring with salt water is stated to occur to the westward of the last-mentioned spring in the Wharekahika Block, near the junction of the Oweka Stream with the Wharekahika. Other gas springs are reported at Waiorongomai (between Waipiro and Tuparoa), and at Wairongomai, Block V, Mangaoporo Survey District. Nearly all the bores drilled in pursuit of oil have encountered gas in some quantity. Various bores made in search of artesian water near Gisborne have struck gas. In one case at Makaraka the gas obtained was utilized for heating and lighting in a dwellinghouse for some years, its use being then discontinued owing to some chemical action corroding the pipes. Recently a shallow bore on Mr. J. C. Field's property, a few miles from Gisborne, encountered gas, the lighting of which resulted in an explosion. The unwary bystanders received a considerable shock and sustained various injuries. A little south-east of Patutahi Township large quantities of gas are said to have been struck, in an artesian bore.

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The natural gas of the Gisborne district appears to contain defines in small quantity, since it burns with a distinct yellowish or yellowish-red border, which is not wholly (though perhaps partly) due to the presence of sodium. In some cases sulphuretted hydrogen is present, for example, at Roto-o-tahi. The corrosion of iron pipes at Makaraka indicates the presence of objectionable impurities in that locality. At Te Puia the gas used for cooking and lighting in the accommodation-house appears to be nearly free from nitrogen, carbon dioxide, or other diluting impurity, for it burns with a very hot flame. (3.) Mud, Volcanoes. In several parts of the Gisborne district occur mud volcanoes, or, more correctly, mud springs. All emit more or less inflammable gas associated with salt water, and the various localities have therefore already been mentioned in preceding paragraphs. Probably all the mud springs at one time or another have given rise to spasmodic, sometimes violent, eruptions of mud and gas doubtless caused by the local accumulation of gas under great pressure. The most prominent mud volcano in the Gisborne district is on Section 23a, Block VII, Waimata Survey District, Together with smaller mud springs on Sections 22 and 24 in the same block it has been .described by J. H. Adams.* Other mud springs occur at Roto-o-tahi, Whangara, Waibirere, and Patutahi. At the two latter places the springs are now extinct or quiescent. (4.) Oil-seepages-. Several distinct oil seepages or springs are known in the Gisborne - East Cape district. The most important of these is a series of seepages at Waitangi Hill, which have been fully described in New Zealand Geological Survey Bulletin No. 9 (pages 36-39). A second oil spring known as Dobbie's, Totangi or Tangihanga oil spring occurs in the Totangi Valley, Tangihanga Block (Waikohu Survey District), about sixteen miles as the crow flies west-north-west from Gisborne. By road the distance may be twenty-four or twenty-five miles. At the present time visible oil is confined to the two bores which have been drilled at the spot. The Rotokautuku Block, Waiapu Valley, is a third locality where oil-seepages are known to occur. A decidedly doubtful seepage of oil occurs in connection with the gas and salt-water spring in the Omaika Block (Matakaoa Survey District), a few miles south of Te Araroa, Oil is said to have been seen more than once floating on the sea at Horoera Point, near East Cape—an occurrence which, if correct, is paralleled by similar phenomena seen near the New Plymouth Sugarloaves. (5.) Ozokerite. In the Rotokautuku Block, near some of the Southern Cross Company's bores, a considerable deposit of a mineral fat, identified by Skey as dopplerite, was found forty years or more ago. Mr. Akroyd states that some tons of the mineral were mined and exported. Unfortunately up to the present I have not been able to find any full account of this interesting occurrence. The twenty-fourth annual report of the Colonial Museum and Laboratory (1882, pages 56-57) contained a description of mineral grease said to occur in the petroleum country of the Waipara district, North Island. This probably refers either to the Waipaoa Valley or to the Waiapu Valley. Ozokerite is also said to have been found on Kaiti Hill, near Gisborne. (6.) Magnetic, Disturbances. Mr. Akroyd informed me that in the neighbourhood of Tutamoe Trigonometrical Station the magnetic needle is deflected much and irregularly from its usual position. This occurrence may possibly be important as an indication of petroleum. + OIL-PROSPECTING OPERATIONS. In 1874 the Poverty Bay Oil and Kerosene Company sank a shaft on Waitangi Hill to a depth of 100 ft., from the bottom of which a borehole was drilled for an additional 110 ft. Between 1880 and 1887 the South Pacific Petroleum Company drilled nine holes, eight of which were near Waitangi Hill, whilst the ninth was a mile and.a quarter south of the main oil spring. This last bore, the deepest of the series, had reached a depth of 1,321 ft. in December, 1887, when a "blow-out" of oil and gas took place. The gas and oil became ignited, the derrick was burnt down, and much of the machinery destroyed. After the bore had been cleaned out no more oil was obtained. Another few feet (15 ft,, it is said) was drilled, and then the well was abandoned as a " dry hole." The Minerva. Petroleum Company in 1887-88 bored to a depth of 750 ft. on the eastern bank of the Waipaoa River, at a point five miles west-south-west from the main oil spring on Waitangi Hill. Oil said to have been obtained from this well contained by analysis 94-60 per cent, illuminating-oil and 295 per cent, paraffin, the remainder being waste or loss. This remarkable composition indicates that the oil may have been the naturally purified material known as "white oil," which itself seldom occurs in quantity, but is considered to be a good indication of ordinary petroleum. Tn 1909 the Gisborne Oil Company began boring on Waitangi Hill at a site selected by the Geological Survey. A light flow of oil, equal to three barrels per day, was struck at 655 ft. Drilling was continued to a depth of 1,478 ft. when, principally owing to difficulties with the oasing, which was not sufficiently strong to withstand the pressure of the caving ground, the

* " The Eruption of the Waimata Mud Springs," Mines Record, Vol. 12, 1907-8, pp. 97-101. + G. F. Becker • Relations between Local Magnetic Disturbances and the Genesis of Petroleum," U.S.G.S. Bull. 401 1909.

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bore was stopped. When the casing was being withdrawn the oil at 655 ft. was again tapped, with the result that a flow estimated at ten barrels per day was obtained. Owing, it is said, to mud blocking the holes in the casing, the flow gradually diminished to less than three barrels per day, at which stage pumping, it would seem, was abandoned. In 1902-3 two bores were drilled at Totangi (Tangihanga Block) by an English syndicate, in which Mr. R. Brett, of Auckland, was interested. The first of these bores was situated at the oil spring at the height of about 575 ft. above sea-level, and, although started with a diameter of only 3 in., reached a depth of 338 ft. Oil in small quantity and much gas were encountered in this bore. The second bore, situated in the valley about a mile to the south of the oil spring, began as a 4 in. hole, and reached a depth of 505 ft. (also recorded as 525 ft.). A good deal of gas was encountered, but the log contains no mention of oil. During the years 1911-12 a concern with a large capital, known as " The New Zealand Oilfields (Limited)," drilled a trial bore (initial diameter 5 in.) within a few feet of the English Syndicate's No. 1 Totangi bore to a depth of 273 ft., or 65 ft. less than the earlier bore. A l4in. well was then begun about 11 chains to the northward. This had reached a depth of 513 ft. when drilling operations were suspended in order that a rotary drill might be substituted for the cable plant in use. A rotary plant having been obtained, it was installed at Waihirere, near Ormond, instead of Totangi. The Waihirere well, which was also a 14 in. bore, started by cable drilling, was continued to a depth of 1,381 ft., when drilling was stopped, partly owing to various difficulties with the bore, and partly owing to lack of capital. In this bore considerable quantities of gas and traces of oil were encountered. Ihe actual boring operations at Totangi and Waihirere appear to have cost nearly £18,000 in addition to the outlay incurred for machinery and plant, or at the rate of over ,£8 per foot, although none of the bores was deep. In 1881 the Southern Cross Petroleum Company began drilling on the Rotokautuku Block, situated on the western side of the Waiapu River between the Mangaoporo and Tapuwaeroa branches. In this locality the surface indications of petroleum are oil-seepages, gas springs, and the deposit of dopplerite (ozokerite) previously mentioned. In all seven wells, ranging from 150 ft. to 1,820 ft. in depth, were drilled. Several of these bores were so close to one another that they were included in the circumference of a shaft sunk to a depth of over 400 ft. in order to save the casings. All the bores yielded more or less gas, and in the seventh several small " shows " of oil were obtained. Results obtained by Past Boring. Nearly every bore that has been drilled in the Gisborne - East Cape district in search of oil encountered natural gas in some quantity, and not a few found traces of oil. If the doubtful blow-out of oil and gas at the South Pacific No. 7 bore in 1887 be excepted, the only decided flow of oil was that struck at a depth of 655 ft. in the Gisborne Oil Company's bore on Waitangi Hill in 1909. It is perhaps worth noting that this is the only site selected after a geological survey at which a bore has been made. The chief result obtained by the bores hitherto drilled is a knowledge of the difficulties to be encountered. Of these the chief are soft caving ground and gas-pressure. It is evident that the very best drilling plant and drillers must be employed, that the casing used must be extremely strong, and that holes of large initial diameter (except in the case of prospecting-bores) are necessary. Experienced drillers consider that the best type of boring plant is a rotary drill. This has been to some extent confirmed by the experience of the New Zealand Oilfields at Waihirere, where, however, the pump-valves were quickly destroyed by the fine but sharp grit that formed part of the beds drilled below a depth of 1,000 ft. This wearing of the pump-valves was, indeed, the difficulty that prevented a much greater depth than 1,381 ft. from being attained. Ihe rotary system, in common with other flush-drilling methods, has the further disadvantage that an oil-bearing stratum may be passed without being detected, owing to the pressure of the circulating water and mud preventing oil (if not under greater pressure) from entering the bore. The eccentric percussion drill now being successfully used by several companies in Taranaki presents the advantage that the casing may be kept close to the bottom of the hole all the time, and deserves a trial in the Gisborne district. Discussion of Methods. In the past many mistakes have been made by those engaged in the search for oil. Some of these were almost unavoidable, and could be certainly perceived only after the event; others, again, could have been avoided by the exercise of ordinary common-sense. The enthusiasm that actuates the pioneers of a new industry is not always combined with prudence -and foresight, Hence arise such mistakes as starting oil-prospecting operations with insufficient capital or a poor drilling plant, ignoring previous experience, and neglecting detailed geological survey as a means of locating bore-sites and obtaining general information. From first to last a very large capital sum has been dissipated in connection with the search for oil in the Gisborne - East Cape district. In most cases, so far as can be learned, the greater part of the money has been spent, if not' always wisely, yet in actual boring operations. Oil Possibilities. Until a detailed geological survey of the whole area has been made, any opinion concerning the oil prospects of the Gisborne - East Cape district must be tentative. . Sir James Hector and Mr. Alex. McKay both refrained from expressing any definite views concerning oil possibilities. Professor James Park in 1889 stated that in his opinion oil would not be found at the places

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wtoere boring was then being conducted, though he thought that further exploration might discover localities where the geological conditions were more favourable.* Dr. J. M. Bell, in 1908, was favourably disposed towards boring on Waitangi Hill,| and in 1910 J. H. Adams, after making a detailed survey of the Whatatutu Subdivision, recommended three sites for boreholes, of which Waitangi Hill was one.t. On the whole it may be said that the geologists who have examined the Poverty Bay district have either refrained from expressing any decided opinion in favour of the presence of oil in large quantity, or have done so in guarded terms. Until a detailed geological survey of a much larger area than the Whatatutu Subdivision has been made it would be folly to give a definite opinion concerning the oil potentialities of the district, for the available data are quite insufficient, to justify a decided statement one way or the other. Future Prospecting. With regard to the advisability of further prospecting for oil a definite statement may be made. 'Ihe numerous mineral springs, gas-escapes, and oil-seepages, together with the generally favourable nature of the geological conditions, justify a vigorous prospecting policy, provided that this is prosecuted on sane and well-thought-out lines. Ihe boring already done, in my opinion, counts for very little. No well, unless it was the Southern Cross Petroleum Company's No. 7 bore (which is said to have been abandoned when the prospects were good) has been drilled nearly deep enough. Outside the Whatatutu Subdivision boring must be preceded by detailed geological survey. Until payable oil has actually been struck every bore must be regarded merely as a trial. Past experience seems to render it advisable, in selecting future boring-sites, to avoid the known oil-seepages and mineral springs, most of which are probably on or near faults. The large- amount of gas present in the strata makes it not improbable that the main oil-pools, if such exist, in some cases at least are on the slopes rather than the crests of anticlines. Natural Gas. Whatever the oil prospects may be, the numerous gas-escapes make it practically certain that the Gisborne - East Cape district is abundantly supplied with gaseous fuel. It is somewhat surprising that more use of the known escapes for heating and lighting purposes has not been made, and that not a single bore has been drilled in search of gas. It would be well worth while to test the Gisborne flats for natural gas, and in doing so there is a possibility that oil may be struck. Mineral Waters . Some of the mineral springs, more especially those containing iodine or sulphuretted hydrogen, have medicinal value. In this respect Te Puia hot saline springs, rich in iodine, are pre-eminent. They are of large size, are situated in an elevated position, and will in time doubtless become a health and pleasure resort. The only other springs in New Zealand comparable with Te Puia are those of Morere (northern Hawke's Bay) and the Great Barrier Island. Water-supply. In most parts of the Gisborne - East Cape district- potable water becomes scarce during the hot dry summer season. There are few places where artesian water is likely to be obtained, and therefore for town supplies the chief hope lies in the conservation of the water of suitable streams by means of reservoirs. Where isolated country houses have to be supplied, or stock watered, a careful search for springs may be recommended. In many places a limited supply of water may be obtained from wells or shallow bores. On the Gisborne flats a moderate amount of water may be obtained by boring, but, as already mentioned, this is brackish and unfit for domestic use, though cattle will drink it. Conclusion. Since the possibilities of oil near Gisborne are probably as great as at Whatatutu or in the Waiapu district, a detailed geological survey of the survey districts of Waikohu, Waimata, Whangara, Patutahi, and Turanganui may be regarded as a pressing requirement at the present time. The survey of the Whatatutu Subdivision, made several years ago, requires some revision, owing to the Cretaceous rocks, which are supposed to be the source of the oil and gas, not having been separated from the Miocene rocks. After the completion of the proposed survey near Gisborne it may be advisable to extend detailed work northward from the Whatatutu Subdivision towards Waiapu and East Cape. Not until the general geology of the district has been mastered, can boring-sites be recommended with any confidence. The Cretaceous rocks, since they are apparently associated with most of the oil indications, require special attention. Iheir structure, owing to masking by the probably unconformable Miocene rocks, will be difficult to unravel, and without doubt numerous trial bores must be made before sufficient information for the oildriller's requirements can be collected. There are many localities where natural gas could be utilized for heating, lighting, and power purposes. Not improbably boring for gas on the Gisborne flats would be attended by success.

* '•' On the Oil-bearing Strata of the North Island," Trans. N.Z. Inst., Vol. 21, 1889, pp. 489-492. t " Second Annual Report of the New Zealand Geological Survey," 1908, p. 11. J Bull. No. 9, 1910, pp. 40-42.

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2. MATERIALS FOR ROADMAKING AND RAILWAY-BALLAST IN THE GISBORNE DISTRICT. (By P. G. Morgan, Director.) Owing to the scarcity of material suitable for roadmaking and for ballasting railway-lines in the neighbourhood of Gisborne, I gave some attention to the question of road-metal during my visit to that district in January last. The macadamizing material usually employed is limestone, much of which is soft and porous, and some as quarried is mixed with clay and rubble. Hence the roads made with the poorer material are far from durable, require frequent remetalling, and are never in a satisfactory condition —mud in winter and dust in summer being prevailing conditions. Tarring experiments have not been altogether successful, for the porous limestone absorbs an unusual amount of tar, and the clayey material forms with it a soft coat, which is easily broken by ordinary traffic. Besides limestone the other macadamizing materials available in the Gisborne district are sandstones of varying quality, burnt claystone (papa), fine gravel from the Waipaoa River, and an occasional rare cargo of ballast discharged from vessels visiting the port of Gisborne. At a distance of fifty miles or more from Gisborne large quantities of greywacke apparently suitable for roadmaking may be found on the western side of the Raukumara Range and its southward continuation, the Huiarau Range. The approaching completion of the GisborneOpotiki Railway to the neighbourhood will render it possible to transport the stone to Gisborne and its neighbourhood at a comparatively small cost. In the course of my investigations the following working or projected quarries were visited : (1) Proposed quarry at Motuhora; (2) Public Works quarry near Matawai; (3) Public Works quarry near Patutahi; (4) Cook County Council quarry near Patutahi; (5) Gisborne Borough Council quarry near Patutahi (" Gentle Annie "). (1.) Proposed Quarry at Motuhora. Motuhora is a bush-clad peak of the Ruakumara Range, situated about eight miles to the south-west pf Motu Township. The mountain, which is 3,405 ft. in height, is composed of greywacke, argilhte, and fine conglomerate of probable Jurassic age. The site of the proposed quarry is, roughly, 1,600 ft. or 1,700 ft. above sea-level, and is in the valley of a small tributary of the Motu River near Mr. W. Orr's farm, and about half-way between Matawai, the present terminus of the Gisborne-Opotiki Railway, and Motu. Here, at two points a few chains apart drifts, each 50 ft. long, have been driven in greywacke,* argillite,* and fine conglomerate. Ihese rocks strike north-north-east and dip 60° east-south-east. In the lower or No. 1 drift the first 35 ft. is nearly all greywacke, whilst the remaining 15 ft. is mainly argillite. One or two small bands of fine conglomerate are also observable. The upper drift passes through about 40 ft of rather fine greywacke, and the remaining 10 ft, is chiefly argillite. Of the rocks mentioned the greywacke, if not too fine-grained, will form an excellent road-makmg-material, equal or superior to the best limestone in the Gisborne district. The argillite is not sufficiently durable to be used by itself, but may be mixed in a small proportion with the harder greywacke. The conglomerate as a rule is somewhat easily disintegrated, and is therefore not suitable as a macadamizing-material. This rock, however, so far as my observation went, occurs only m small bands, and will not interfere with quarrying operations The interbedding of somewhat wide bands of argillite with the greywacke renders it necessary to exercise caution in selecting a permanent quarry-site, and the bush covering increases the difficulty of doing The rock exposures in the minor creek-gullies should be carefully examined with a view to finding a wide band of hard coarse-textured greywacke. Fine-grained greywacke passing into argilhte is not so suitable as a rock of coarser grain in which cementation through recrysta lization is usually thorough. At the points where the trial drifts have been made the greywacke bands prospected are apparently only 35 ft. to 40 ft. thick. There seem, however to be thicker bands in close proximity suitably located for opening out Without much doubt suitable road-metal in large quantity can be obtained from Motuhora Mountain, out the distance from the Town of Gisborne and the adjoining district renders transportation a serious question. When .the present railway-line has been advanced a few miles a branch can easily be constructed to the foot of Motuhora, The haul to the localities where the metal is required will vary from a few miles to over fifty miles. It is proposed to distribute the stone from the railway by means of motor-wagons, which will undoubtedly be more economical than horse-drawn vehicles. (2.) Public Works Quarry near Matawai. About two miles north of Matawai. Railway-station a high face of light-grey flatly bedded sandstone, on the east side of the railway-line, is now being quarried for use as railway-ballast At the time of my visit (3th January) several drifts had been driven into the face in preparation tor a large blast. The rock, though porous, is hard, and does not disintegrate on exposure to weathering It should prove very suitable for use as railway-ballast or for road-foundations It is not a first-class material for the surface layer of a road, but may well be used where better stone is not easily obtainable. c

* Greywacke is a sedimentary rock, usually of a grey colour, comoosed of cmiin- rrf «_,_ *„„ n ~ mmeras. It has the texture of sandstone. As" the component mineXbtcome' Hner and" fi' pass into argilhte, which may be described as a mudstone, resembling slate, but without slatyTeavageT *"* t0

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(3.) Public Works Quarry near Patutahi. The Public Works Department is at present opening out a quarry a few miles west-south-west from Patutahi, on Messrs. Mather and Mclnnes's land, at a point about a mile and a quarter from the Gisborne-Napier Railway now under construction. The rock which is to be quarried consists of a thick limestone band, probably striking about north-east, and dipping 45° or more to the north-west. It is grey in colour, and more or less shattered, but the individual pieces of stone are hard. Somewhere between 5 and 10 per cent, of clay and rubble fills the interstices of the rock. It will make excellent railway-ballast, and, if the rubble is excluded, fair roadmetal. According to Mr. C. E. Armstrong, Public Works District Engineer, some 180,000 cubic yards of rock is available. Very little overburden has to be removed, and the quarry can be easily and cheaply worked. Transport to the railway-line will be by means of a short self-acting tram and a branch railway-line about a mile in length. (4.) Cook County Council Quarry The Cook County Council quarry is some miles west of Patutahi, and perhaps two miles north of the Public Works quarry last mentioned. The county quarry has been in existence, I was told, about thirty years, and a large quantity of stone has been obtained. It is provided with a complete rock-breaking plant, together with screens, &c, worked by an oil-engine. The broken stone passes into bins, whence it is distributed by carting. The rock quarried is a band of limestone, 50 ft. or more in thickness, which strikes north-north-west (330°) and dips at 20° to the east-north-east. It is underlain by a blue claystone, and stratigraphically overlain by a similar rock, but where quarried has merely an overburden of 12 ft. to 21 ft. of Recent clay, the stripping of which is a somewhat expensive item. The tipper part of the limestone as seen in the quarry is brown in colour, and not as solid as the lower portion, which is of a bluish colour, and contains many shells, most of which belong to the genus Pecten. Higher up the small gully which passes through the quarry the limestone seems to have less overburden, but, owing to the upward trend of the bedding in this direction, thins out in a short distance. There is, however, sufficient stone in sight to meet the present rate of consumption for a number of years. The limestone is fairly pure, containing apparently 80 to 90 per cent, carbonate of lime. Some is regularly carted to Nelson Bros.' freezing-works near Gisborne for the purpose of making quicklime. (5.J Gisborne Borough Council Quarry. The Gisborne Borough Council quarry, commonly known as the Gentle Annie Quarry, is situated in the valley of Te Aroha Stream, not far from the Public Works Patutahi quarry. The rock quarried is an extremely shattered rubbly limestone, containing fossils similar to those of the Cook County Council quarry, and is probably in the same horizon. It is variable in composition and in general appearance. Although some of it is hard and suitable enough for road-metal, much is very soft, and in addition a large percentage of the quarried material consists of clay and rubble. The quarry, which was opened in 1910, is provided with a first-class crushing and screening plant, driven by an oil-engine. The broken material is run down a self-acting incline to bins, whence it is discharged into trucks holding about I cubic yard. These are conveyed to Gisborne by steam locomotives running on a narrow-gauge railway. The poor general quality of the Gentle Annie stone renders its use very costly, since roads made with it require frequent repairs, and are never in a satisfactory condition. In addition the interest on the cost of the long transportation line is a heavy item. I have little hesitation in recommending that some other source of roadmaking material should be sought by the Gisborne Borough Council. Mount Motuhora, notwithstanding its distance, seems to be the most promising locality for this purpose in the district. Apparently the only other alternative is to inqjort stone for macadamizing purposes by course that should certainly have been taken in preference to opening out the Gentle Annie Quarry. Recommendations. (1.) The proposed quarry at Motuhora should be developed, provided that further exploration shows that the conditions are suitable and that a practical road test of the greywacke results satisfactorily. (2.) Experiments should be made to determine the suitability of calcined or burnt claystone (papa), recommended as a roadmaking material in Bulletin No. 9 (pp. 43-44). Some claystones burn much harder than others, and therefore care should be exercised in selecting the material, and in the method of calcining or burning. (3.) The soft sandstones and impure limestones of the district are not good roadmaking materials, but if used on somewhat wide roads with high crowns and good drainage will probably give fairly satisfactory results where the traffic is not too heavy. In one spot I saw a very good piece of road made with glauconitic sandstone. (4.) Where macadamizing-material is unobtainable or too expensive, roads should be formed fairly wide and given a high crown. Special attention should be paid to drainage. In some parts of the United States roadinakers claim that by employing a proper method of construction earth roads, fairly good both in summer and in winter, can be made. It seems probable that moderately serviceable earth roads can also be made in the Gisborne district by employing suitable methods.

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Analyses of Limestone and Sandstone. , The following analyses of samples of limestone and sandstone obtained during my visit have been made in the Dominion Laboratory :—

(1.) Limestone from County Council quarry, near Patutahi. (2.) Limestone (sample A) from Public Works quarry, near Patutahi. (3.) Limestone (sample B) from Public Works quarry, near Patutahi. (4.) Limestone from Gisborne Borough Council quarry at Gentle Annie. (5.) Impure sandstone from Public Works quarry, near Matawai, Gisborne-Opotiki Railway. s

3. PETROLEUM PROSPECTS IN SOUTHERN HAWKE'S BAY AND EASTERN WELLINGTON. (By P. G. Morgan, Director.) Introductory. In July, 1910, the writer visited portions of the eastern Wairarapa district, principally with a view to examining the petroleum indications of that area. His conclusions were embodied m a parliamentary paper, published under the title of " Petroleum and other Minerals in Eastern Wairarapa District."* Recently, in September, 1913, and January, 1914, visits were made to the Weber, Eketahuna, and Pongaroa districts with a similar object. Character of Country. The country examined is now for the most part free from forest, and is a well though not closely settled region, the principal industry of which is sheep-farming. Immediately to the east of the Tararua-Ruahine Range, which forms the western boundary of the district is the comparatively low-lying country traversed by the Wellington-Masterton-Napier Railway This part of the area consists largely of broad alluvial plains, in places terraced by stream-action To the eastward rolling hills of no great height predominate, the most prominent being the "Taipos," near Tenui, and the Puketoi Hills.t The latter south-south-east of Woodville reach a height of 2,634 ft. A. well-known point in the northern part of the Puketois is Oparae Hill which is 2,471 ft. high. The chief streams of the area under notice are the Ruamahanga with its tributary the Taueru, the Whareama, the Whakataki, the Mataikona, the Aohanga, the Akitio, and the Upper Manawatu rivers. Of these the Ruamahanga flows southward, whilst the Manawatu, breaking through the Tararua-Ruahine Range, reaches the west coast of Wellington. The other streams mentioned have a general easterly course to the Pacific Ocean. General Geology. The oldest rocks of the area under consideration are the highly-folded slaty greywackes and argillites that form the greater part of the Tararua-Ruahine and Rimutaka ranges, and are probably of Trias-Jura age. Similar rocks occur near Cape Palliser, and are reported to form small patches elsewhere to the east of the main range, J Near Eketahuna is an outcrop of fossihferous limestone or marble, containing imperfect specimens of Monotis% or allied genus An important group of rocks consisting of conglomerates, sandstones, dark shales and other rocks is developed mainly along the east coast, To this rock-group the provisional name of East Coast Series may be given. In several places it contains Cretaceous fossils, but not improbably the lower beds are of Jurassic age. Rocks of the East Coast Series almost certainly form the greater part of the Taipos, and cover a small area near Blairlogie. Similar rocks" are found

* C.-16, 1910. There are a few misprints in this paper, for which the author is not responsible, no proofs ever having been submitted to him. f See also Mineral Prospects of the Maharahara District," by J Allan Thomson on later pages of this report. \ See also p. 164 of this report. § Alex. McKay " On the fauherenikau and' Waiohine Valleys, Tararua Range," Rep. G.S. during 1887-88, No. 19, 1888, p. 65. rauneremkau and

(1.) I (2.) (3.) (4.) (5.) Insoluble in hydrochloric acid Silica (Si0 2 ) Alumina (A1 2 0 3 ) Iron oxide (Fe 3 0 3 ) Titanium dioxide (Ti0 2 ) .. Lime (CaO) Magnesia (MgO) Carbonic anhydride (CO.,) Water and organic matter Alkalies (K 2 0 and Na a 0) 7-93 6-09 9-13 2-14 i 1-16 I 0-18 46-91 1-05 35-82 2-08 1-18 13-74 2-27 48-72 0-84 37-68 2-59 1-59 50-75 0-87 39-96 0-68 2-00 | 43-08 3-59 35-49 2-47 74-45 12-73 2-92 0-35 0-64 0-73 Nil 2-70 5-65 99-65 100-03 99-94 100-37 ' 100-17

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in the Gisborne - East Cape district near Motu, in the Waiapu Valley, at Awanui, Whangara, and elsewhere. In most localities the East Coast rocks are strongly folded and more or less faulted. Since most of the oil indications both of the area under notice and of the Gisborne district are associated with them they possess a possible economic importance. The East Coast Series is followed, without much doubt unconformably, by marine Tertiary strata, which consist chiefly of calcareous mudstones and sandstones, with shelly limestone in an upper horizon. Though these rocks are mainly of Miocene age, in those districts where little denudation has taken place the uppermost horizon is Pliocene. As a rule they show gentle dips, but in places they are strongly crumpled and more or less faulted. Although the Miocene claystones form an excellent cover for possible reservoirs of petroleum, yet their great thickness is a drawback, since all bores drilled in them must necessarily be carried to a great depth before there is much chance of striking oil in quantity. The marine Tertiaries in the main river-valleys are unconformably overlain by Pleistocene and Recent alluvium, generally in the form of a moderately coarse gravel. Somewhat outside the district examined by the writer are the igneous rocks found at Brancepeth and in the upper Ruamahanga Valley. Geological Structure. In view of the possible occurrence of petroleum the geological structure of the area becomes economically important. Viewed very broadly it may be said to have on the whole a tilt from the coast towards the foot of the Tararua-Ruahine Range. Thus the older rocks are in general to the east, and the younger to the west. An anticlinal structure accompanied by faulting appears in the neighbourhood of the Taipos, whilst the Puketoi Range is a well-marked anticline, as yet but little affected by denudation. Various other anticlines with corresponding synclines occur in the district, but not sufficient field-work has been done to enable details to be given. The trend of the anticlinal folds is in general north-north-east. At the base of the Tararua-Ruahine Range is a great fault which sharply separates the Miocene from the Trias-Jura rocks. Evidence of faulting is well seen at the AVoodville entrance to the Manawatu Gorge, where Tertiary rocks are standing on edge. That the range itself has been comparatively recently uplifted is shown by the fact that the Manawatu River, which is of post-Miocene age, has cut through the range, and must therefore be antecedent to it.* Petroleum Indications. The petroleum indications of the area under notice consist of gas springs, mineral springs, traces of petroleum, ozokerite or allied mineral, and mud volcanoes, or, more correctly, mud springs. (1.) Gas Springs. A large number of inflammable gas springs is known to occur in the eastern Wellington and southern Hawke's Bay districts. The most southerly of these is on Hinekura Station, about twelve miles south-east of Martinborough. A gas spring, concerning which no particulars are available, is stated to occur on Mr. Kummer's property, Kaiwhata River, near Flat Point. (See, however, a later page, under the heading of " Mud Volcanoes.") The well-known Blairlogie gas spring occurs on Mr. H. Morrison's Awatoitoi Estate, between Carswell's and Blairlogie. Ihe spring is on the eastern slope of a ridge known as Kerosene Ridge, at a barometric height of 910 ft. above sea-level. At the time of the writer's visit, which took place during heavy rain, gas was bubbling vigorously through the water in a small hole about 6 in. in diameter, whilst over an area of several square yards there were numerous small escapes. The gas ignited readily, and burnt with a bluish-yellow flame. The water in the hole tasted strongly of kerosene. In dry weather it is said to be quite salt, but, doubtless owing to dilution by rain-water, this feature was not observed by the writer. Southward from Kerosene Ridge small gas-bubbles are said to appear in the water of Middle Division Creek at a spot about a mile south-west of Cameron's Look-out. On Mr. D. Cameron's land, about a mile and a half to the northward of the Blairlogie o-as spring, and about a quarter of a mile south of the Whakataki Road, is a spot where, over an area of several square yards, numerous small jets of inflammable gas escape. Near lea, in Boundary Creek, a small tributary of the Whareama River, there was in 1888, according to Professor Park, an escape of carburetted hydrogen. In 1910 what was supposed to be the same spring yielded only a few bubbles of gas, which did not ignite on the application of a lighted match. Park also states that he was informed that during the formation of the road from Aohanga Landing to the homestead the grey shaly clays of the cuttings were found to give off a large amount of gas. At Spring Hill, about a mile north-west of Mr. Hume's Aohanga homestead, are two gas springs within half a mile of each other. At Glencoe Gorge, about six miles from the mouth of the Aohanga River, is a large gas spring on Mr. Humphries's land. A gas spring occurs on Section 184, east of the Mangahuia Road, and another is reported to exist in the Mangahuia Valley. On Messrs. Toxward and Gray's property, on the south side of the Akitio River, some miles from the mouth, are several fairly strong gas-escapes. There is a gas spring on Mr. Frank Armstrong's land at Esdale, some eight or nine miles from the mouth of the Akitio River. The five springs last mentioned, together with others, lie in a narrow belt ten to twelve miles long, six or seven miles from the coast, and are not far from the boundary-line between pre-Tertiary and Miocene rocks. At Tea-tree Point, eight or nine miles east of Weber, are one or more fairly vigorous escapes of gas, smelling of petroleum. The springs are situated on or near the crest of a north-and-south-trending anticline.

* See also " Mineral Prospects of the Maharahara District, Hawke's Bay," on later pages of this report.

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Near Waipatiki, on the Oparae Road, about a mile south of its junction with the Weber Road, a powerful gas spring, said to have been discovered about four years ago, occurs in the bed of a small stream. The gas has been piped to the Kotuku Oil Syndicate's No. 1 bore, and was there used to assist in raising steam. Near Pukehinau, a small settlement about half-way between Weber and Pongoroa, are several gas springs, one of which, on Mr. Frank Giddens's land (Section 24) smells strongly of oil. The other springs are on Mr. A. C. Bishop's land. A newspaper report of October, 1912, states that while borings in the bed of the Akitio River, near its mouth, were being made in order to ascertain the nature of the foundations for a proposed bridge, a strong flow of gas, which burnt for two or three hours, was struck. During the boring of the Kotuku Oil Syndicate's No. 1 bore near Waipatiki a good deal of gas was encountered in the upper part of the bore. Mr. H. Hill states that gas springs are fairly common southward of Cape Kidnappers, between Porangahau and Wainui. He also mentions gas springs between Waikopiro and Wallingford.* The following analysis of gas from Aohanga, forwarded to the Dominion Laboratory by Mr. D. Laing in 1910, may be quotedf : — Per Cent. Methane as marsh gas (CH 4 ) ... ... ... ... ... 353 Ethane(C 2 H 6 ) ... ... ... ... ... .. 176 Oxygen ... ... ... ... ... '.. ... 12-0 Nitrogen ... ... ..." ... ... . 35' 1 Carbon dioxide ... ... ... ... ... ... .. Nil. 100-0 The oxygen and nitrogen may be wholly or partly due to air having fouud its way into the rubber bladders used for transmitting the sample. (2.) Mineral Springs. Mineral springs are common in the east Wellington and southern Ilawke's Bay districts. Information has been obtained concerning the following occurrences : On Mr. Morrison's land (Blairlogie), close to Middle Division Creek, is a small spring which smells strongly of sulphuretted hydrogen, and deposits sulphur and other substances. At Langdale, on the eastern side of Morrison's and Elder's Taipos, are eight or ten similar springs, all in a small piece of ground on Mr. French's property. The water of these springs contains common salt, an iodine compound, and sulphuretted hydrogen. At Wnakataki Saddle is a small spring known as the "magnesia spring." which deposits a white substance, probably carbonate of lime. The water possesses a somewhat peculiar taste and smell, probably due mainly to carbon dioxide. About three miles and a half up the Okau Stream, which enters the sea three miles north of Whakataki, is a spring the water of which smells of sulphuretted hydrogen. On Mr. R. O. Smith's property, about two miles and a half from Bideford. a small settlement fifteen miles north-east of Masterton, is a strongly saline spring. In the Rongomai district (Mangaone Valley), near Tane, a few miles north-east of Eketahuna, are a number of small brine springs, which are frequented by cattle for the sake of the salt. Most of these are on land belonging to Mr. J. M. Davie. In one instance a few bubbles of inflammable gas issue with the water. Salt springs also occur on Mr. W. R. Godfrey's land, and elsewhere in the neighbourhood. Near Maktiri, east-south-east of Pahiatua, is a mineral spring concerning which the only information obtained is that it is situated on Section 7, Block XIII, Makuri Survey District, near the right bank of the Makuri River. By searching the annual reports of the Dominion Laboratory analyses of water from a number of mineral springs may be obtained. Nearly all these springs are decidedly saline, and contain appreciable amounts of iodine, together with, in a few cases, traces of bromine. In the following list the date refers to the year of publication in the Laboratory Report, and the numbers accompanying the abbreviation " Lab." in brackets refer to the number of the report and the page : — (1.) "Sulphur-wells," Masterton; 1907 (Lab. 40, p. 26). (2.) Section 7, Block XV, Mangapakeha Survey District; 1907 (Lab-. 40, p. 30). Two moderately saline springs exist here. (3.) Langdale Station, Whareama; 1889 (Lab. 23, p. 69). On Mr. French's property, as mentioned above. (4.) Pahaua (Pahaoa) district, Wairarapa East; 1878 (Lab. 12, pp. 45-46). The first water in which free iodine was found (Skey). See also "Transactions of New Zealand Institute," Vol. 10, 1878, pp. 444-46. (5.) Ihuraua, Masterton; 1911 (Lab. 44, p. 18). Probably in valley of Ihuraua River, a stream rising some distance north of Masterton and flowing towards and past Alfredton. (6.) Mangapuaka Creek, Dannevirke; 1909 (Lab. 42, p. 38). (7.) Patangata (forty-three miles south of Napier); 1902 (Lab. 35, pp. 15-16).

* " Oil-wells and Oil-prospects along the East Coast," Trans. N.Z. Inst,, Vol, 39, 1907, pp. 512, 519, t Forty fourth Annual Report of the Dominion Laboratory, 1911, p. 33.

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In Vol. 10 of the " Transactions of the New Zealand Institute," published in 1878, a paper by Skey mentions the following additional mineral springs : — (8.) Wallingford (p. 444). (9.) Northern boundary of Wellington Province, on Mr. Douglas McLean's run (pp. 446-47). (10.) Akitio (p. 447). A carbonated water with very little chlorine and no iodine. Lime is the principal base. Is probably similar to the "magnesia spring" on Whakataki Saddle. (3.) Petroleum-traces. No decided oil-seepage is known to occur in the district under consideration, but many of the gas springs smell more or less strongly of petroleum. Oil films have been reported to occur in a small creek east of the Blairlogie gas spring, but owing to the flooded condition of the stream could not be seen by the writer during his 1910 visit. At Mr. Maunsell's house near Tenui a smell oi petroleum was perceived for weeks after a flood caused by the damming and subsequent breaking away of the neighbouring creek. A seepage of petroleum has been reported from a gravel-pit in the bed of the Tiraumea River near Mr. Thomas Checkley's farm at Hinemoa, a few miles east or north-east of Tane. When the locality was visited by the writer the pit had been refilled with stream-gravel and no sign of oil was visible. Abundant deposits of iron-oxide on the river-bank justify the belief that films of that substance had been mistaken for oil. The traces of oil encountered in the various trial bores for oil are mentioned later. A very interesting occurrence is a glaticonitic sandstone near Aohanga, which smells strongly of petroleum, and has been shown by analysis to contain nearly \ per cent, of oil.* The rock retains the smell for months and even years. In Waipawa Creek, a tributary of the Mataikona River, it is said that a strong smell of petroleum has been frequently noticed. (4.) Ozokerite-like Mineral. On Mr. Frank Giddens's farm at Pukehinau, close to the gas spring already mentioned, the ground contains a peculiar substance resembling animal fat, which, however, burns only with difficulty. A similar material comes from the Lansdowne district, near Masterton, which, though identified as having the characters of an animal fat hy the Dominion Laboratory, is possibly a natural substance. A sample given to the writer has evidently been subjected to weathering. It is a very light substance, nearly white in colour, but with brownish streaks. It has a greasy feel, possesses a peculiar fatty smell which suggests animal origin, melts readily, and burns without difficulty. (5.) Mud Volcanoes. Near the mouth of the Kaiwhata River, on Messrs. Rummer's property, according to a newspaper report,! are three mud volcanoes which exude inflammable gas. They are situated at the corners of triangle with a base of about half a mile, and a perpendicular of one mile and a quarter. In July, 1911, two of them were nearly quiescent, but at the third were several active gas-vents. Probable Sources of Petroleum. The discovery or recognition of possible adequate sources of oil is an important matter, since it would to some extent indicate the probability of oil occurring in quantity, though in this matter the oil geologist is still greatly hampered by want of knowledge concerning the origin of petroleum. As possible sources of oil, bituminous shale, buried vegetable matter, and marine organisms may be mentioned. The dark shales of the East Coast Series as seen by the writer in various places hardly deserve to be termed bituminous, and are not promising as possible sources of liquid hydrocarbons. Thus in 1888 Professor Park wrote, with respect to Wairarapa North County, " There is an entire absence of shales containing such a proportion of hydrocarbons as to be capable of yielding mineial oil by slow distillation."J The rocks of the East Coast Series contain a good deal of vegetable matter, which in places forms small pockets of coal. The minute black grains that occur in some of the sandstones and claystones are frequently if not always "bituminous" (that is, they swell on being heated like bituminous coal), but their origin is obscure. Probably they are altered fragments of buried vegetation, or possibly are derived from eroded coal-seams. If bitumen, as is very unlikely, the occurrence recalls the "tar-sands" of Western Canada and Barbadoes. Mr. Henry Hill, who in a previously cited article makes reference to these black particles comes to the conclusion that they are probably not bitumen. § A sample of drillings from the Tane bore which was examined by the writer and found to contain a few black shining grains "was not sufficiently large to enable positive determination of their nature to be made with the facilities at hand. Ihe marine beds of the East Coast Series do not appear to be promising as possible oil-sources, but' they ought to be further investigated before being positively condemned as non-petroliferous. Although in the east Wellington and southern Hawke's Bay district the East Coast Series, as in the Gisborne - East Cape district, gives rise to more indications of petroleum than the

* C.-16, 1910, p. 3. t New Zealand Times, 15th July, 1911. J " On the Probable Discovery of Oil and Coal in Wairarapa North County," Rep. G.S. during 1887-88, No. 19, 1888, p. 23, §" Oil-wells and Oilprospects along the Bast Coast," Trans. N.Z, Inst., Vol. 39, 1907, p, 519.

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overlying Miocene rocks, and therefore appears to be the source of the gas and oil encountered, yet it is pertinent to ask whether, after all, the Miocene rocks are not the true source. If marine beds are the source of petroleum, then the Miocene beds are more competent than the underlying East Coast beds to supply oil in large quantity. It is well known that the downward migration of small amounts of petroleum and larger amounts of gas can, under certain conditions, take place. In Galicia, for example, oil has migrated from Miocene to Cretaceous rocks.* An argument tending the same way that will carry weight with many people, though its logical value is small, is that nowhere are Cretaceous rocks known to be abundantly oil-bearing, whereas in a majority of the world's oilfields Tertiary, and more particularly Miocene, rocks are eminently petroliferous. Detailed geological survey would go a long way towards solving the question raised, which has, of course, a most important bearing upon oil-prospecting methods. If a Miocene origin for the East Coast petroleum could be proved the probability of oil being found in profitable quantity would, in the writer's opinion, be appreciably enlarged. Prospecting Operations. During the past two years several bores have been drilled in the southern Hawke's Bay and east Wellington district in search of petroleum, but so far without success. Near Waipatiki the Kotuku Oil Syndicate has drilled two wells to depths of over 2,000 ft. No. 1, situated about three-quarters of a mile south of the junction of the Oparae and Weber roads, encountered a good deal of gas near the surface and a light show of oil at a depth of 1,680 ft. to 1,725 ft. f The site of this well was apparently chosen on account of its proximity to the large gas spring previously mentioned. It is some distance down the flank of an anticline, and therefore not in a good position for a trial bore. No. 2 bore is about a mile and a quarter to the south, and is situated on Mr. A. D. Herrick's land. It is considerably nearer an anticlinal crest than No. 1 well, and therefore in a more promising position, although the top of No. 2 ijore is about 180 ft. higher than the top of No. 1. Stratigraphically, however, it is probably quite 1,500 ft, lower. Nevertheless, so far as known to the writer, No. 2 bore met with no indication of petroleum beyond a barely perceptible show of oil in the material being brought up by the mud-pump at the time of the writer's visit from a depth of about 1,900 ft, The strata pierced by-,these two wells consists almost entirely of the one class of rock, a bluish claystone with occasional sandy bands. No. 1 well passed through a band of deep-green glauconitic sandstone at a depth of about 1,200 ft. What is piiobably the same band is exposed in Waipatiki Creek, about half a mile to the westward, where it shows a dip of 33° to the north-east, A company known as Mangaone Oilfields (Limited), financed mainly by Napier capital, has drilled a bore at Tane, about ten miles from Eketahuna, to a depth of some 3,000 ft. The only rocks penetrated were varieties of claystone, with occasional sandy layers. The oil indications encountered were light shows of gas, and possibly an occasional film of oil. The well has lately been abandoned, and it is understood that a second bore is to be drilled on Mr. Thomas Grove's land, near the junction of the Tawataia and Eketahuna-Alfredton roads. Conclusions. The various indications of petroleum noted on the foregoing pages —that is, gas and mineral springs, an ozokerite-like mineral, and traces of petroleum itself—are sufficient to prove that mineral oil occurs in the area under notice, but do not lead to any definite opinion either as to the existence of a profitable oilfield or as to where trial borings, if any, ought to be made. If any conclusion is to be drawn from the too-scanty data already collected it must be that the presence of petroleum in quantity is doubtful, and that, although natural gas exists in some abundance, the chances of oil-boring operations being successful are apparently not very great. On the other hand, so much is unknown and the possible prize is so great that further prospecting on careful and sane lines may well be warranted. More data concerning surface indications of petroleum ought to be collected, and in particular settlers ought carefully to note the localities where gas and brine springs occur. Above all, a geological survey of at least part of the district, sufficiently detailed to elucidate the structure, ought to be made before any more oil-boring is done. The area of most promise is perhaps that extending southward from Waipatiki and Weber towards Pongaroa, and thence eastward to the coast; but a careful reconnaissance survey of a much larger area is also advisable. Although a geological survey may not finally settle the question as to the existence of petroleum in quantity, it will decide some of the accessory problems, and will determine with a fair degree of accuracy the anticlines and domes that form the best sites for trial bores. To drill oil-wells in a new territory without the assistance of a careful geological survey is, in the light of presentday knowledge, sheer folly, yet this has been done in the past, and will doubtless be again done in the future.

* Cunningham Craig: "Oil-finding." Second impression, 1914, p. 41. fSee Auckland Weekly News, 2nd October 1913, p. 56.

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4. THE TARANAKI OILFIELD. (By P. G. Morgan, Director.) In accordance with instructions given by the Hon. the Minister of Mines on the 16th February, the writer left Wellington on the 18th for the purpose of investigating the present condition of the New Plymouth oilfield, more especially with regard to the occurrence of water in the oil-bearing strata. Besides repeatedly inspecting the oil-wells near New Plymouth, the writer visited the United Company's bore at Tikorangi, eleven or twelve miles east of New Plymouth, and the Consolidated Oilfields of Taranaki Company's bore near Huiroa, about thirteen miles by road north-east of Stratford. On the 27th February he returned to Wellington. Prospects of Oilfield. As yet the production of petroleum at New Plymouth has not been sufficiently large to enable any final opinion concerning the future of the oilfield to be formulated. Government bonuses have been paid to Taranaki (New Zealand) Oil-wells (Limited) on a certified production of 500,000 English gallons of petroleum. On a later page the total production of the Taranaki Oil-wells Nos. 2, 3, and 5 bores to the 25th February of this year is shown to be 733,972 gallons. If to this be added the oil produced by other wells, including the Taranaki Oil Lands Acquisition and Development Company's Blenheim bore, the total production of the field to date still falls far short of. 1,000,000 gallons. In 1911 Mr. E. de C. Clarke, discussing the prospects of the field, wrote: "The importance and extent of the Taranaki oilfield still remain to be proved. Considering the time and money which have been spent in oil-prospecting in the district, the amount of evidence for or against the existence, in the area under discussion, of the large oilfield in which so many people firmly believe is small."* From other portions of his report the impression is gained that Mr. Clarke was by no means a disbeliever in the future importance of the field, but was anxious to impress upon the people of Taranaki and others interested the slenderness and inconclusiveness of the positive evidence for the existence of a great oilfield, and the unwisdom of assuming that possibilities were certainties. The present writer must take a somewhat similar attitude, but since additional data of a favourable nature have been obtained since 1911, the opinion may be expressed that the prospects of the New Plymouth field at the present time are more promising than ever before in its history, and that, given proper development, the field will prove profitable. The discovery of considerable oil-pools in neighbouring districts is also by no means unlikely. Outline of Geology. The geology of the Paritutu and Waitara survey districts, which include the New Plymouth or Moturoa oilfield, has been described by Mr. E. de C. Clarke in Bulletin No. 14, and therefore needs but brief mention here. It may be as well to remind the reader that the oil-bearing rocks, called by Mr. Clarke the Onairo Series, are nowhere exposed near the proved petroliferous area, owing to their being covered by the rocks of the Pouakai Series, which are composed mainly of fragmental volcanic material usually more or less sorted by water, and near New Plymouth are about 200 ft. in thickness. The Onairo Series is of great but unknown thickness, and consists of a succession of claystones, sandy claystones, and sandstones, with occasional bands of conglomerate. On the whole, these rocks, as exposed east and south of Waitara, have a westerly dip at moderate angles, but in places—for example, near Tikorangi —there are decided evidences of an undulatory structure. Near New Plymouth the Onairo rocks, being masked by the Pouakai rocks, are necessarily known only from the logs of the various bores. The imperfect data so far obtained are not inconsistent with the hypothesis that a gentle anticline, or, at any rate, some structure favouring the accumulation of oil, extends in an easterly or east-south-east direction from the neighbourhood of Moturoa. The present producing wells are on or near the crest of this supposed anticline. Oil-bearing Horizons. Mr. Clarke states that "the oil horizons, as disclosed by boring near New Plymouth, lie at approximately 1,000 ft,, 2,000 ft., and 3,000 ft. below sea-level, but owing to the variable nature of the strata are ill-defined, and are at varying distances from the surface in neighbouring bores." He considers the 3,000 ft. horizon to be the most productive, and the 1,000 ft. horizon to be probably the least important. Recent boring shows clearly that the 1,000 ft. horizon is of no great importance, except perhaps near the Sugarloaves. Mr. Clarke's 2,000 ft. horizon is more correctly at 2,100 ft. to 2,300 ft. below sea-level,f and seems actually to consist of several oil-bearing beds, separated from one another by no great thickness of claystone. This horizon has been decidedly productive, and is worthy of careful development, Owing to the fewness of bores deeper than 2,300 ft. the lower oil horizons are not well known. There is oil at approximately 2,600 ft. below sea-level (Taranaki Oil-wells Nos. 3 and 5 bores), at 3,000 ft. (Taranaki Oil-wells Nos. 2 and 3 bores) and at 3,700 ft. (Taranaki Oil-wells No. 3 bore). Since the oil hitherto obtained is probably not indigenous to the strata in which it is found, but has migrated from greater depths, the opinion may be expressed that the main oil horizon of the New Plymouth field is at a greater depth than that to which any bore has yet penetrated. At Tikorangi oil, if present in quantity, will probably be found at somewhat smaller depths than

* " The Geology of the New Plymouth Subdivision," N.Z.G.S. Bull. No. 14, 1912, p. 37. f On later pages this horizon will be called the 2,200 ft. horizon. °

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at New Plymouth (Moturoa). This opinion is in accord with the views expressed by Hector, McKay, and other geologists. Present Conditions. Since Mr. E. de C. Clarke reported on the New Plymouth oilfield (in 1911) a considerable amount of drilling has been done. No. 3 well of the old Taranaki Petroleum Company (now incorporated in Taranaki (N.Z.) Oil-wells (Limited) has been deepened from 3,841 ft. to 4,015 ft., and is thus the deepest bore in New Zealand, whilst No. 5 well has been deepened from 1,745 ft. to 2,644 ft., with successful results. During the past year Taranaki Oil-wells has been drilling a well, commonly known as the " rotary bore," a few chains south-eastward from their Nos. 1 and 5 bores. This well was drilled by the rotary process to a depth of about 2,190 ft., and was then "cemented." At the time of the writer's last visit drilling was being continued by a percussion method, and the bore had reached a depth of approximately 2,220 ft, On the evening of the 26th February it was reported to be 2,250 ft. deep. During 1913 the Bonithon Company bored a second well a few chains east of their first well (No. 21 of Bulletin 14) to a depth of 2,505 ft., but was not successful in finding oil. Towards the end of December the boring tools were lost in the well, and fishing operations have appareutly been fruitless, for the casing is now being withdrawn. The Taranaki Oil Lands Acquisition and Development Company has drilled the Blenheim well, situated about 11 chains east of the Taranaki Oil-wells No. 5 bore, to a depth of 2,223 ft., and has struck a good flow of oil. The Phoenix Company is drilling a few chains southward from the Taranaki Oil-wells rotary bore, and at the time of the writer's visit had reached a depth of about 2,100 ft. A few miles east of New Plymouth, in the Bell Block district, Taranaki Oil-wells has drilled Nos. 1 and 2 bores to depths of 3,820 ft. and 2,710 ft. respectively, but so far without success, though considerable quantities of gas were encountered in both bores. Still farther eastward, near Tikorangi, the United Oil Company has recently commenced drilling. At the time of the writer's last visit the bore was approximately 500 ft. deep, and had met with favourable indications of oil The Consolidated Oilfields of Taranaki has been boring for some time near Htiiroa, thirteen miles north-east of Stratford. When visited by the writer on the 26th February the Bore was about 1,750 ft, deep, and a light show of petroleum was being obtained. Similar shows had been encountered from a depth of 1,000 ft. Ihe position with respect to oil-production at the end of February may be summed up as thus : Taranaki Oil-wells had two producing wells (Nos. 3 and 5), with a total daily production of a little over ten barrels, though in the past production had been at the rate of twenty, thirty, or more barrels per day over short; periods. The Taranaki Oil Lands Acquisition and Development Company had one productive well, the Blenheim, which for a few days during January yielded oil at the rate of fifty barrels per day. This production, however, for debatable reasons, has not been maintained. At the time of the writer's visit the well, at a guess, was producing twenty to twenty-five barrels per day. Quality of Oil. Few analyses of the Taranaki oil are at present available. Some of these were quoted by Mr. Clarke in Bulletin No. 14. It may suffice here to say that the oil is a valuable one with a paraffin base, and is worth at the well's mouth 10s. or more per barrel .of 42 gallons. For special purposes it has brought 15s. to 17s. 6d. per barrel. Gas. The gas that is produced in considerable quantity by some of the wells during several years has been used for steam-raising purposes. The analyses given in Bulletin No. 14 (p. 46) show that it is of peculiar composition, containing almost as much ethane as methane, and a very high proportion of carbon dioxide. On account of this latter constituent, which probably varies considerably in amount from time to time, the gas sometimes does not ignite very readily, and the flame is liable to be accidentally extinguished—for example, through the sudden admittance of a body of cold air into the firebox when the door is opened. Partly on this account a small auxiliary coal-fire has to be maintained when gas is being burnt tinder the steam boilers. The gas from Fetch's farm and other localities a few miles from New Plymouth consists mainly of methane, with no ethane, but with a small percentage of olefines. It corresponds very closely to gas from various oilfields in other parts of the world, and may therefore be regarded as derived from petroliferous strata. In the oilman's phrase it is " petroleum gas." The present writer therefore concurs with Mr. E. de C. Clarke's recommendation that the gas-producing belt of country extending for fifteen miles in an east-south-east direction from the Sugarloaves should be prospected by boring. In all oilfields with flowing wells the influence of gas-pressure in causing expulsion of the oil is believed to be paramount. Since in the course of a few years the gas-supply and its pressure may diminish almost to zero it is important to conserve gas as far as possible, and to allow no unnecessary waste. Reference may here be made to the great degree of cooling produced by the sudden expansion of gas which enters a well under pressure, This will cause the deposition of solid paraffin, and may lead to the blocking not only of the well, but also of the oil sand immediately surrounding it.* Water. Considerable quantities of water have been encountered at various depths in all the boreholes drilled, but, unfortunately, the details given in all the older bore-logs are extremely

* Cunningham Craig : "Oil-finding." Second impression, 1914, p. 53.

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imperfect, and few definite data concerning the water-bearing beds can be obtained. The volcanic beds (Pouakai Series) near the surface are water-logged from sea-level downwards until replaced at about 200 ft. by the claystones and sandstones of the Onairo or petroliferous series. This water is easily shut off, and need not be further considered. From 200 ft. to 1,500 ft. below sea-level fresh artesian or subartesian water is encountered at several horizons in the Onairo rocks, but apparently not in great quantity. One well (Booth's) at 800 ft. encountered a spring of "warm bitter water." The principal artesian-water horizon seems to be about 1,700 ft. below sea-level, at which depth the Onairo Series contains bands of sandstone and pebbly layers. The water is variously reported as fresh and as saline. It is probably everywhere slightly brackish, like the water now escaping outside the inner casings from Taranaki Oil-wells No. 3 bore and from the Blenheim bore. At approximately 2,050 ft. to 2,150 ft. below sea-level water with a salinity approaching that of sea-water is encountered. In Taranaki Oilwells No. 5 bore salt water is reported from a depth of 2,599 ft. In No. 3 well water more than twice as salt as sea-water reaches the surface with the oil being produced. This water probably comes from a depth of over 3,000 ft. It is remarkable as being highly alkaline, whilst the other salt waters of the field are nearly neutral. Salt water was encountered in Taranaki Oil-wells Bell Block No. 1 bore at a depth of 2,210 ft., and salt or brackish water also occurs in the United Company's bore at Tikorangi, and in the Consolidated Oilfields of Taranaki Company's bore at Huiroa. The occurrence of saline waters at various horizons in the Taranaki oilfields is an interesting and important fact, the full significance of which is not understood at the present time. It is to be hoped that the various oil companies will keep careful records of all water encountered in their bores, whether salt or fresh, and also that complete analyses of the water from each horizon below 1,600 ft. will be made for every bore. Salt Water produced with Oil. In past j'ears more or less salt water has been produced with the oil at every bore. It seems, however, that the present No. 3 bore of Taranaki Oil-wells, when being drilled by the Samuel Syndicate in 1896, for a short period yielded pure oil. Mr. E. de C. Clarke writes: " The water at 1,885 ft, having been shut off and a packer placed at 1,934 ft., oil unmixed with water began to flow at the rate of 270 gallons per twenty-four hours."* Recently the Blenheim well is stated to have produced pure oil when it first began to flow, and towards the end of February nearly pure petroleum was again being bailed. The amount of salt water ejected with the oil at Nos. 3 and 5 bores of the Taranaki Oil-wells varies, perhaps proportionately with the oil, perhaps not, no exact measurements having ever been made. Probably at least 60 parts of water are produced for every 40 parts of oil. It is possible that salt water occurs so close to the oil-bearing strata hitherto tapped that it cannot be excluded from the oil by cementing or other water-exclusion process. This is maintained by some of the persons interested in the Taranaki Oilfield, but the writer sees no reason for accepting such a statement without clear proof of its truth. Still less can the assertion that the presence of water is desirable, or at least no detriment, be considered a reason for complacently regarding any attempt to alter the present conditions as unnecessary. On the other hand, it is true, A. Beeby Thompson writes: "Many of the oldest'boring-masters in the oilfields [of Russia] emphatically insist that a proportion of water with the oil does improve the life and production of the well, and there is without doubt much truth in the assertion, for in most of the best Saboontchy, Romany, and Bibi-Eibat wells the percentage of water raised amounts in the aggregate to from 20 to 40 per cent, "t Boverton Redwood similarly, but much more cautiously, says : " The admixture of salt water with the oil in the more compact rocks seems to facilitate the flow of the more viscous varieties."! in a later work Beeb}' Thompson again refers to the supposed favourable influence of a limited quantity of water under the special conditions of compact strata and limited gas-pressure. He writes, " Deprived of gas, the flow in such compact strata is exceedingly slow, especially in the case of heavy viscous oils such as parts of California produce. A limited contamination with water is often the salvation of a field where such conditions pertain, and the productive life of wells is prolonged by the presence of salt water which mingles with the oil, rendering it more fluid and flowing with it towards the points of abstraction."§ Thompson also cites the 1904 report of the West Virginian Geological Survey in support of his views. Notwithstanding what has been quoted, it cannot be doubted that the presence of water with petroleum, is both objectionable and dangerous during the early development of an oilfield, though during the last stages it may become a necessary evil. Water produced with petroleum is objectionable because of the expense of separation and of the loss of volatile constituents during the separating process. This loss may doubtless be prevented, but at the present time a very large proportion of the benzene in the New Plymouth petroleum is wasted. Moreover, the passage of salt water up the well increases the liability of the casing to corrosion. The danger of admitting water to an oil-bearing stratum is now so well known that little need be said concerning the matter. One or two quotations from Beeby Thompson, which leave quite a different impression on the mind from the passages previously cited, may be made : " Time after time oilfields of great promise have been abandoned after the expenditure of fortunes on fruitless attempts to check the apparently almost limitless volumes of water which entered the wells and displaced the petroleum as soon as its extraction was commenced."|| Again :

* Bull. No. 14, 1912, p. 32. t " The Oilfields of Russia," 2nd cd., 1908, p. 55. t " Petroleum and its Products," 2nd cd., 1906, Vol. 1, p. 107. §" Petroleum-mining," 1910, p. 57. [| Op. cit., p. 260.

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When an oil source is struck beneath a water-bearing stratum a moderate production of oil may be maintained for a while if the water is only imperfectly excluded by the casing, on account of «n s P b!o Ure tb b A 01 l', hU \ aS /°°\ as the diminishes and the natural level o-Toi alls below the hydrostatic head of the water the latter enters the well and mingles with the oil vim A T emulslfied r^T, 01 011 - and Water be raised > but as t»» water increases in volume and cuts a passage behind the casing the oil is steadily replaced, and an increasing volume of water at length totally excludes the oil from the well, although the gas may continue to eTcape A a rule the entrance of water has then proceeded too long to allow any effectual measures for its exclusion, such as might have been undertaken when the well was first completed."* It has been said that the New Plymouth petroleum occurs naturally, mingled with water do not mixT, ', ?W V/ Van f nCe Wlth the fund ™ tal known to all that oil and water do not mix,f and that oil (except m rare cases) is lighter than water (Taranaki petroleum has an average specific gravity of 0-845), needs no refutation. Certainly by violent chirrning a temporary mixture ot oil and water could be produced, and it is possible by the addition of clay to produce a more permanent emulsion. If the material from a so-called " mud vein " finds admittance to a producing oil-well, doubtless a mixture such as that recently encountered m the Blenheim well will be produced. Exceptionally "mud veins" containing petroleum in suspension may exist, but of this there is no definite proof. peuoieum in The orthodox and undoubtedly correct view with regard to petroleum and water is that they do not occur in the same stratum in the same place. J A water-bearing stratum may exisJ a short distance above petroliferous stratum, but in that case the water and the oil must nece sarily be separated by an impervious layer. Again, there may be water immediately below an 01-bearmg stratum, or in the latter at a lower level than the oil, for example, onthe flank" of an anticline. In the former case the oil may be regarded as floating on the water and it will be imposibe to exclude all water from the oil-wells. In the latter cfse there will be a narrow belt on each side of the anticlinal crest where the wells will produce both oil and water A the field becomes exhausted more and more wells will "turn to water." In the caL of thf New Plymoutll field there is no conclusive evidence that water occurs in such close proximity to the petroliferous strata that it cannot be excluded from them. The proper course to P pur ne toeiefore stratum totally t0 eX ° lude Water fr ° m the boreB before ta oil^-bearing Summary of Data relating to Principal Bores. The following particulars are' in part supplementary to the data given by Mr E de C Clarke in Bulletin No. 14, which should be consulted for further information — Taranaki Oil-wells No. 1 or Birthday Bore.-(No. 16 of Bulletin 14, pp 33-34 and in 2 340 ft Co °;P anS °f f,7T r t °i b ° re , S - } F ° kMWn " the Birthday well' Depth 2,340 ft This well, drilled m the first place by the late Mr. G C Fair struck oil or, rtJ oo J June 1905, at a depth of 2,230 ft. The original casing being very de'feSveand Lt troublesome, in 1906 the well was recased and deepened to 2 345 ft liflfT * T \ 7 V T 7 by the Taranaki Petroleum Company. Mr & cTs ng To^"f in aTeS bad state, being much bent -and having one or two holes punched right through Tt'"S In 1907 the we was cleaned out to a depth of 2,269 ft. In 1910 further efforts were made to clean out the well, and 6m. casing was inserted to a depth of 2,320 ft Since then so far*! \t ■* can learn, nothing has been done except to withdraw much of the castor Th 7**** prietary company, Taranaki (N.Z.) Oil-wells (Limited); hTnVer do ing InTi JST and all the machinery except the derrick has been removed It has not yielded Zl nil 7 ' sr 1 for all praotioal purposes is an " aband ° ned - 11 * - t?^ a atn Taranaki Oil-wells No 2or Boy's Well.-(N 0 . 17 of Bulletin 14, p. 34) Depth 3 030 ft f a T g ; « ol V nd l m -' UlSlde which is 2 ' lUft - of 6in - ™sing, with which water is stS to total production during the 1,032 days it flowed was 300,499 gallons of oil equal to 291 tallnn or about seven barrels per day. Since at the present time (February 1 ' LT- 8 ' on, though it is understood that the proprietary company 7J7ZZT J ' ' 7- 1S gom £ may be regarded as temporarily abandoned ' P 7 *° r6SUme °P eratlOM > *c well Taranaki Oil-wells No. 3or Samuel's Bare /sir. o»<n. n i' i a 4,015 ft. Casing: Sin. to 1,800 ft "* n. to 2MO ft sin to 2 ft W^ 8 , water is stated to be shut off with the 5 in. and 6in casino A fttl' V"' r , Th ° and probably derived from the 1 700 ft horivl \l' 7 H J . Water ' sllghtl y br ackish. It will be noted that water may not beetluZTomXA oV otrf 2nd March, 1910, the. well lis produced oill at the 'rat'o from etght't! thret'barrel'T except when temporarily blocked by the accumulation of solid paraffin n the Whin"

driven on page 34 of Bull. No. 14. On page 53 the date "sth & is evid'enS

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this occurs the well is capped for a day or more until a considerable amount of gas has collected in the casing under pressure. On the capping being removed it blows itself clear. Ihe well has produced about 1.66,855 gallons of petroleum, 49,277 gallons of which flowed m 1913 an average per day of 135 gallons. It may perhaps be as well to explain that the petroleum here and at No. 5 well is not pumped or bailed, but is forced (with salt water) to the top ot the casing mainly by gas-pressure, the action being more or less analogous to that of a geyser. Taranaki Oil-wells No. 4 Bore.—(So. 18, Bulletin 14, p. 35.) Depth, 1,678 ft. This well was drilled by the Taranaki Petroleum Company some distance to the eastward of its other bores, and was abandoned owing to difficulties with quicksand. The present company has not done any work at this bore. . Taranaki Oil-wells No. 5 sore.-(No. 25, Bulletin 14, p. 35.) Depth, 2,644 ft Casing :8 m to 1 858 ft 6A in. to 2,027 ft., 5 in. to 2,045 ft., 4 in. to 2,633 ft.* Water is stated to be shut off with the 5 in. casing. Fresh water occurred in this bore at 20 ft., 285 ft 390 ft., and 484 ft. Water at 1 700 ft to 1,800 ft. in sand was reported as fresh, but probably was very slightly brackish. Salt water was encountered at 2,187 ft. and 2,599 ft. It does not appear that the salt water is excluded from the oil-bearing strata., Gas was obtained at many points from 210 ft downwards, and oil at 2,187 ft., 2,443 ft., 2,582 ft., and 2,642 ft. Oil began to flow from the bore on the 11th February, 1912, and is still flowing, mixed with a more than equal bulk ot salt water. At first the daily flow was probably about thirty barrels, but is now only eight barrels or less.' During 1913 the well produced. 130,293 gallons of oil, or 35 1 gallons per day. Its total production (to February, 1914) is 266,618 gallons. Taranaki Oil-wells Botary Bore.-Devth (end of February), about 2,250 ft. Casing: 12 m. to 747 ft 10 in to 1,778 ft., 8 in. to 2,185 ft., 6 in. to 2,220 ft, This bore was drilled by the rotary system to a depth of about 2,190 ft. At 2,185 ft. water was shut off by cementing and tests made in the writer's presence on the 20th February showed that not more than two or three gallons of salt water was entering the bore per hour. This result, however proved little beyond the soundness of the casing, for so far as the writer knows the bottom of the bore had not then been disturbed by a renewal of the drilling. Boring by the percussion method having been resumed on the 25th February strong traces of gas and oil were encountered, and on the 28th February more oil and gas. On the 4th March, according to a newspaper report, a strong flow of oil, accompanied by great gas-pressure, was struck. Taranaki Oil Lands Acquisition and Development Company s Blenheim Well.— Present depth (end of February), 2,223 ft.; Casing: 12 in., cemented at 973 ft.; 10 m., cemented at 2 024 ft Artesian water, very slightly saline and with a temperature of 10QO F was encountered at 1,700 ft. Some of this water reaches the surface between the 10 m and 12 m. casings. Oil was struck in the bore on the 31st December, 1913, at a -depth of about 2,170 ft The flowincreased during January until by bailing as much as fifty barrels per day of pure oil are stated to have been obtained. After 19,000 gallons of oil had been won pumping was stopped for a few days on account of want of storage. On the 3rd February bailing was resumed but instead of petroleum the well was found to be nearly filled with a thick emulsion of oil, mud (day), and salt water, and it was found difficult to reduce the level of the liquid in the casing below 1 000 ft. It was asserted by the management that the influx of the mud and salt water was due to leakage from No 5 and, perhaps, other bores of the Taranaki Oil-wells. This matter is discussed elsewhere At the time of the writer's visits on the 21st and 23rd February the conditions had hanged tomewhat. The bore had been deepened from 2,180 ft to 2 223 ft., and a fresh flow of oil struck at 2,211 ft, Nearly pure petroleum at the rate of perhaps twenty to twenty-five barrels per day was being bailed from a depth of 400 ft., but at somewhat greater depth the well still contained oil-mud-salt-water emulsion, a little of which was being bailed with the purer oil. Phoenix Company's Bore.— This bore, situated 6or 7 chains south of the Taranaki Oil-wells rotary bore, at the end of February had attained a depth of about 2,100 ft It was lined with 14 in casing to 270 ft., and 10 in. casing to near the bottom. It was proposed to cement the well at about 2,200 ft., and then to continue boring. Oil is expected to be struck before the bore reaches 2,300 ft. , . Bonithon Freehold Petroleum Extended Company's No 1 Bore.- No. 21 Bulletin 14 pp 36-37.) Depth, 3,005 ft. Ihe log of this bore, as published in Bulletin Noll hardly mentions water. Traces of oil and gas were encountered at various depths from 1,480 ft. downwards At the present time water with a decided taste of carbon dioxide (soda) is issuing from holes bored in the wooden plug which closes the top of the casing. Nothing having been done at this bore for a considerable time, and all the machinery having been removed, it may be considered to be an abandoned well. Bonithon No 2 Bore.— This was drilled by the rotary system to a depth of 2,505 ft when as previously mentioned, the tools were lost in the well. Casing was inserted to a depth of 1 920 ft but this at the end of February was being withdrawn, and apparently the well was to be abandoned Water, seemingly fresh, but with a peculiar taste and smell, was issuing from the top of the bore. ' During boring a little gas and traces of oil are said to have been encountered. Other Bores.- -The other bores in the neighbourhood of New Plymouth over 2,000 ft. in depth are the New Zealand Standard Oil Company's Carrington Eoad or Hadley bore, reported to be over 3,200 ft, deep, and the Taranaki Oil-wells' two bores on Bell Block, mentioned on a previous page These three bores are all several miles from the proved portion of the oilfield.

*™ „„+,,,, l Uioth nf nine inserted was 2,662 ft., but 29 ft. of this represents the approximate overlap of the ioint In other ca'e no aeduoSon for overlap is known to have been made _ t Some little time after the writer's visit the sin! casing collapsed, and was withdrawn, together with the 4m casing, by the company The 6lfcasJg Is tlen carried to 2,110 ft., and cemented at that depth. % See tahular comparison of record of bores, in pocket at end of bulletin.

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The Water Danger. It is now recognized on every oilfield in the world that the entry of water in quantity into oil-bearing strata, if allowed to continue, results in irremediable damage, and that therefore it is necessary that the State should provide by law for the exclusion of water from bores which enter oil-bearing strata, and for the proper plugging of abandoned wells, which, even if watertight in the first place, will in a year or two became a source of danger through the corrosion or collapse of the casing. In order to determine what is now taking place in the New Plymouth oilfield it would be necessary to have a complete record made by independent persons of all that has been done or has happened since January, 1905, when the Birthday well (No. 1 of Taranaki Oilwells) reached a depth of 2,100 ft. In addition analyses of water, oil, and gas, as these were encountered in each well, ought to have been made. In the absence of full information it is now impossible, or at least extremely difficult, to arrive at definite conclusions. Hence the writer's opinions, as stated below, vary from possibilities to probabilities, but in no case except (5) represent a certainty. These opinions are— (1.) That some flooding of oil-bearing strata at New Plymouth has already occurred. (2.) That up to the present time the flooding is slight, and that no serious or irremediable damage has been done. Reasons for this view are that so far gas-pressure has counteracted waterpressure to a great extent; that the strata are mainly claystone, and therefore tend to close tightly against casing; and that not a great deal of water has been produced with the oil by the various bores. There is no evidence to show that this water, which is as salt as or Salter than sea-water, has been diluted by the fresh or nearly fresh water from horizons above 1,800 ft. (3.) Efforts to shut off water have not always been made, and when made have not, as a rule, been certainly successful. The watertight nature of the strata drilled through, and their packing against the casings, have, however, not improbably saved the situation. (4.) That the statements made by representatives of the Taranaki Oil Lands Acquisition and Development Company, the United Oil Company (Tikorangi), and the Phoenix Company on the one hand, and by persons interested in the Taranaki Oil-wells (Limited) on the other hand, are made in good faith, but neither side can absolutely prove its assertions. (5.) That the immediate issue of regulations to ensure the exclusion of water from the oilbearing strata is necessary. Discussion op Bores. The probability or otherwise qf water having entered the oil-bearing strata maj perhaps best be inferred by discussing a number of the bores separately. Taranaki Oil-wells No. 1 or Birthday Bore. —The history of this bore from 1905 to the present time shows that it is only too probable that water was allowed by it to enter the 2,200 ft. oil stratum, especially during 1905 and the early part of 1906. The fact that a good flow of oil was obtained in 1906 from this well after it had been deepened to 2,345 ft. indicates that probably not much water had then entered the oil stratum. If, as is likely, the lower part of the bore during recent years has been filled by silting and by the collapse of its walls, then the bore is doubtless safe at the present time. If, however, the collapse is not complete, and the bore is more or less open below 1,700 ft., it may be admitting water to the 2,200 ft. oil stratum. Taranaki Oil-wells No. 2 Bore. —Concerning this well Mr. E. de C. Clarke states, "According to local report No. 2 bore is not in a very satisfactory state, 250 ft. of casing being, it is asserted, adrift somewhere in the well."* As previously mentioned, this well ceased flowing on the 12th December, 1912. Probably up to this time the well had not admitted any great quantity of water, if any, to the oil-bearing strata. At the present time no definite opinion as to water conditions in the bore can be formed, but it is open to suspicion. In particular, any salt-water stratum there may be between 2,114 ft. and the well-bottom at 3,030 ft. must be in connection with the oil-bearing strata except in so far as silting and caving have caused the blockage of the well. Taranaki Oil-wells No. 3 Bore. —This well has a long history dating from November, 1895. Since then it has been repeatedly recased and deepened. There is uo evidence that water is shut off above 2,540 ft,, and therefore there is a possibility that the bore is admitting water to the 2,200 ft. oil stratum. On the other hand, not improbably claystone may be tightly packed against the 6 in. casing below 1,800 ft., and water thus excluded from the oil-bearing strata. Since oil (with salt water) reaches the surface, it is probable that gas-pressure is at present effective in preventing water from entering the oil-bearing strata below 2,500 ft., even if the casing is defective, of which, as a matter of fact, there is no evidence. Taranaki Oil-wells No. 5 Bore. —lt is admitted that at 2,045 ft. a good and probably successful attempt to exclude the water at higher horizons from this bore was made.t It does not appear, that the salt water encountered at 2,187 ft. and 2,599 ft. is shut off. There may not be a great quantity of salt water at either horizon, and packing of the claystone country against the casing may be effective in preventing any serious leakage. The production of salt water with the oil cannot, however, be regarded as a satisfactory feature. Taranaki Oil-wells Rotary Bore. —So far as the writer could judge, this well was satisfactorily cemented at 2,185 ft., but though the test made showed that the casing was tight and in good order, it could not be regarded as proving that all water behind the casing would be prevented from following down and entering the well as this was deepened. It is ju,-.t possible that while this well was being bored by the rotary system the pressure of the muddy water forced

* Bull. No. 14, p. 34. f See, however, footnote on p. 140,

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down the inside of the casing to the bottom of the bore acting along a plane of weakness caused the influx of oil-mud-salt-water emulsion into the Blenheim bore. There is now no means of testing this hypothesis. It is tolerably certain that there was no direct flow from the rotary bore to the Blenheim well, because the water that entered the latter was salt, and not fresh or merely brackish. Taranaki Oil Lands Acquisition and Development Company's Blenheim Well. —This is the bore supposed to have suffered by the operations of the Taranaki Oil-wells. Whether this was so or not cannot be conclusively proved. The mud-salt-water-oil emulsion which entered the well towards the end of January may have come from Taranaki Oil-wells No. 1 bore, or have been conditioned by the rotary bore, as mentioned above. More probably, the writer thinks, a so-called "mud-vein" or "fissure" broke into the bore. So far as could be ascertained mud-water-oil emulsion had ceased to enter the well before the 20th February. Bonithon No. 1 Bore. —There is no record of water having been shut off in this bore. Not improbably the soft claystone country has packed against the casing, or, if the deeper casing has been withdrawn, has filled the lower part of the bore by caving and silting. The bore is not far from the prolongation of the narrow belt on which the present producing wells are situated. It may actually have passed through an oil-bearing stratum without oil, owing to the pressure of the water in the bore, being detected. In that case this well is certainly a possible source of danger. Bonithon No. 2 Bore. —Since this well was not cased below 1,920 ft., and, moreover, the casing is being withdrawn, it is a possible source of danger. Suggestions. (1.) Keeping Bore-logs and other Records. —In the past, as is well known, very unsatisfactory bore-logs were kept. Much more careful records are now being made, but it may be suggested that the various companies should agree on a co-operative method of keeping the drilling-logs and other data of importance, and for the common benefit should freely communicate these to one another. Samples of the bore rocks should be methodically taken and preserved. Reference may here be made to the remarks of Mr. Clarke on pages 37 and 47 of Bulletin No. 14.' (2.) Temperature Observations. —Temperature observations of water and oil as struck in each bore, and also of the strata, are desirable. (3.) Analytical Work. —Complete analyses of water, oil, and gas from the different horizons would be of great value. (4.) Pumping Wells. —Bailing or pumping the wells may be recommended where there is not a good flow of oil. In the past considerable ingenuity has been displayed in inducing reluctant bores to flow freely at psychological moments, the modus operandi being to cap the casing until a considerable amount of gas under pressure had accumulated, when, on opening the stopcock, spectacular results could be obtained. The same method is now employed quite legitimately for cleaning out a well, &c. The writer is of opinion, however, that when the production of a well begins to fall materially pumping or bailing ought to be resorted to rather than attempts to coax a flow by means of gas-pressure. In this connection it may be again observed that the expansion of gas under pressure has a tremendous cooling effect, and this may be the real or main reason why wells become blocked by paraffin. Originally the oil in the 2,200 ft. stratum has a temperature almost certainly over 90° F., and probably over 100° F. It should therefore flow to the bore quite freely without assistance from water, and if cooling from gas-expansion be avoided, remain liquid in the bore. Recommenoations re Regulations. Whatever may be the actual facts concerning the question of damage done to any part of the oilfield, there can be no dispute regarding the danger of allowing bores to pass through a waterbearing stratum without the water being securely shut off, or of abandoning wells without properly plugging them. It is therefore imperative that regulations be introduced as soon as possible to deal with these and other matters requiring attention. Representatives of the companies interested in the field have concurred in the suggestion that regulations should be made. In order to frame these it is not necessary to ascertain the exact conditions at New Plymouth, or to await future developments, for the experience of foreign oilfields is a clear and sufficient guide. The writer recommends — (1.) That the oil-bores near New Plymouth be frequently inspected (at least once a quarter) by an Inspector of Mines or other competent person appointed by the Mines Department. As soon as the oil-production warrants it, a special Inspector resident on the field should be appointed. (2.) That regulations ensuring the proper shutting-off of water in wells now being bored or flowing oil, and the proper plugging of abandoned wells, be gazetted at the earliest possible date.* (3.) That further regulations be drawn up to provide, inter alia, that— (a.) No bore is to be commenced until the Inspector of Mines (or his deputy) be notified. (6.) Plans of the surrounding areas and sections of all bores, drawn to approved scales, are to be supplied periodically and upon request to the Inspector. The plans to show positions of all buildings, machinery, pipe-lines, storage-tanks, &c. The sections to show sizes and lengths of casing, points at which water or oil is encountered, nature of strata, &c.

* The reader may be referred to " Oil Production Methods," 1913, by Paul M. Paine and B. K. Stroud, for a description of modern methods of excluding water from oil-bearing strata (pp. 130-142).

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(c.) Careful and correct logs of all bores are to be kept, and copies forwarded regularly to the Inspector. (d.) Samples of rocks bored are to be taken regularly and kept in a suitable core-box at or near the bore. (c.) No casing is to be withdrawn without permission of the Mines Department (to be given through the Inspector). (/.) When a well is to be abandoned notice should be given to the Inspector, who will then order it to be plugged or filled by some approved method. (g.) No water-flush boring system of drilling is to be employed without the permission of the Inspector, and then only to such depth and under such conditions as he may approve. In all cases a non-flush system to be combined with the flush system permitted. (h.) All bores are to be situated approved distances from public roads, from buildings, from the boundaries of adjoining properties, &C. (»'.) No well is to be bored within a specified distance (say, 300 ft.) of any other well operating on adjoining property. (,?.) Boiler-houses are to be, say, 30 yards from bore, gas-tanks, or oil-storage tanks or reservoirs, and to be completely isolated from derrick, &c. (k.) Only electric lights, suitably protected from accidental breakage, are to be used in or about derrick, gas-tanks, oil-tanks, he. Wiring connections, switches, to be outside derrick, &c. (I.) Proper precautions against explosions or accidental fires are to be taken where gas or oil is used for firing boilers, &c. (m.) Penalties are to be enforced against smoking or other practices likely to lead to an explosion or fire near bores producing oil or inflammable gas, near oil-storage tanks, &c. («.) All drillers in charge (head drillers) are to be certificated. Literature. Reference may be made to the following literature dealing more or less with matters raised in this report: — (1.) " Preliminary Report No. I : Petroleum." By F. McN. Hamilton and R. P. McLaughlin, California State Mining Bureau, 1914. This report gives a vivid picture of the water menace and of problems that have to be solved. It states that "the gathering and patching together of evidence is the prime necessity." (2.) "The Prevention of Waste of Oil and Gas from Flowing Wells in California," By Ralph Arnold and V. R. Garfias. Technical Paper 42, U.S. Bureau of Mines, 1913. (3.) "Proposed Regulations for the Drilling of Gas and Oil Wells, with Comments thereon." By 0. P. Hood and A. G. Heggem. Technical Paper 53, U.S. Bureau of Mines, 1913. (4.) " Mining Laws." Bulletin No. 66, California State Mining Bureau, 1914. On page 33 are quoted the provisions of an Act designed to prevent waste of natural gas. On pages 33-35 are quoted the provisions of an Act intended to prevent injury to gas- or petroleum-bearing strata by the penetration of water therein. (5.) The following articles in the Petroleum Review deal with the water problem* :— "Water the Enemy of the Petroleum Industry." By Dorsey Hager. In issues of 15th and 29th September, 1911. " The Water Difficulty in the Californian Fields." 4th May, 1912. "The Menace of Water in the Oilfields." By W. H. Storm and Paul Prutzman. In issues of 7th and 21st September, 19th October, and 2nd November, 1912. " The Cementing Process of Excluding Water from Oil-wells as practised in California," By Ralph Arnold and V. R. Garfias. In issues of 22nd March and 12th April, 1913. " Exclusion of Water and the Isolation of Water in Oil-wells." By John Wells. In issue of 19th April, 1913. Appendices. (1.) Extract from'Galician Petroleum, Mining Regulations, f Section 7 — Shutting off and, extracting Water.— Par. 75 : In each borehole the subterranean water should be isolated by casing so that it cannot penetrate to the oil and wax strata. Without the authority of the Mining Department this casing cannot be removed. After each gravel formation encountered is passed the water coming therefrom must be isolated immediately. The art and manner of isolating the water should be shown in proper working plans. If, after shutting off the subterranean water, water is introduced into the borehole under pressure the neighbouring exploiters have the right to control the amount of water so introduced, and in the same way have the right after the shutting-off of the water to control the eventual loss of water by the use of water-flush-drilling systems. If the watering of a borehole is suspected the District Mining Officer (Inspector) should, upon being requested by the neighbouring exploiters, or obtaining the knowledge of it himself from other sources, immediately make a local inspection, accompanied hj experts, and should, using the result of this inspection as a basis, give the necessary instructions for dealing with the matter.

* The writer is indebted to Mr. A. E. Watkins, New Plymouth, for the loan of copies of these articles. f Translated by Mr. J. R. yon Fedorowicz.

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Par. 76 : If it is a question of withdrawing the casing from the boreholes which are to be abandoned these boreholes should, as the casing is withdrawn, be filled with watertight material. Ihe District Mining Officer should be notified of the intention of blocking a borehole at least a fortnight before operations are started. The District Mining Officer receiving such notice should immediately make a local inspection, requesting the proprietors of the neighbouring exploiting rights to accompany him, in order to determine in what manner the blocking of the borehole shall be carried out so as to prevent the subterranean water from entering the oil and wax strata. The proprietors of the neighbouring boring rights have the right to control the manner of blocking the borehole. Par. 77 : In all producing boreholes where there is not a complete isolation of the water the water should be continually withdrawn in order that its own and neighbouring mining areas may not be flooded. If thi's is not done the mining authority, at the request of the proprietors of the neighbouring rights, will order the withdrawing of the water or the watertight blocking of this borehole, and if his orders are not carried out during the succeeding fortnight will undertake the work himself, but at the cost of the exploiter who was ordered to do it. _ . Par. 78 : In the event of a borehole being abandoned in which there is not a complete isolation of the water it should be at once filled with watertight material. (2.) Law in West Virginia regarding Abandoned Wells. The law in West Virginia regarding abandoned wells is shown by the following quotation from the Mining and Scientific Press (San Francisco), 29th November, 1913, page 872 : — "Abandoned Oil-well — Failure, to Plug. —A person who drills an oil-well and then abandons it without plugging it, so that water rises in the well, enters the oil- and gas-bearing sand, and causes the gas-flow from a well on adjacent land to cease, is liable to the owner of the land on which the adjacent well is situated for damages, both on the common-law theory that he has used his own property in such a negligent manner as to injure his neighbour, and upon the further grounds that he has violated a State statute requiring that abandoned wells be plugged. — Atkinson r. Virginia Oil and Gas Company (West Virginia): 79 South-eastern, 647, 23rd September, 1913." (3.) Extract from Roumanian Water-flush Drilling Law of 1906* " Every precaution is to be taken during water-flush drilling to note losses of water. If a loss of water is observed the water-flush drilling must be suspended until the borehole is protected from water-loss by the insertion of casing. Near the oil-bearing stratum water-flush drilling must be suspended. In exceptional cases the Government Engineer may permit the continuing of water-flush drilling into the oil-bearing stratum. In new territories water-flush drilling is prohibited. In exceptional cases it may be allowed where favourable geological and mining conditions exist, but in -all cases it must be combined with a non-water-flush system. This special permission can be given only after a commission appointed by the Minister has given its advice." (4.) Summary of Portions of Russian Law relating to Petroleum-mining . f There appears to be a Central Mining Board, and in addition on each field a District Mining Engineer, whose duties include supervision of the oil industry in order to see that the regulations re plans and safety of workers and of oil industry are observed, and the compilation of statistics. There is a small tax on oil produced. Owners of prospecting-bores have to notify the mining administration when work is ceased, and withdraw casing as directed. A similar rule applies to producing wells which cease production or are abandoned. There is a minimum area of about 5 acres (2 dessatines) for plots of land which can be bored. The erection of plant, buildings, he., is more or less subject to regulation. Owners of oil lands must, if compensated, allow neighbouring owners access for necessary purposes. Producers or oil-seekers must conform to regulations re prevention of fires and other matters; must keep plans of their plots, entering up on same all drilling-work done, buildings erected, &c.; must allow Government officials to inspect bores, plant, he.; and on request must supply exact statistics of production, &c. When drilling operations are started the producer (oil-seeker) must notify the local District Engineer and submit plan and explanation of nature of proposed operations. The producer must keep a bore-log of the proper description and a section of the formations drilled through. He (or the driller in charge) must supply a copy of the daily log to the Mining Engineer representing the Mines Department (p. 53). He must follow the instructions of the District Engineer with regard to safety of workmen and of bores, &c, and with regard to protection against fires, he. He must have in readiness protective devices for regulating the flow of oil, he.; must get these devices into position upon the first indication of a spouter; and must report appearance of a spouter without any delay to the District Engineer, who shall take an} 7 steps that may seem to him necessary. With the fiew of providing against damage being done to an oilfield in consequence of the influx into the oil-bearing formation of water and heavy oil from the upper levels, such wells as are not in exploitation must, after as much of the casing-tubes as possible has been extracted, be packed with clay right up to the top.

* Retranslated from Engler and Hoier's " Erdols," by Mr. J. R. yon Fedorowicz. J Abridged from "The Russian Oilfields and Petroleum Industry," by John Mitzakis, 1911.

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In the event of the producer failing to do as required, with a view to render working operations safe, to provide against fires, and to regulate the flow of oil, the District Engineer is to have the work done at the cost of the producer. Pipe-lines are not to be laid within 700 ft. (100 sagenes) of buildings without the owner's consent. Provision is made for the election of local technical councils or committees, which act in an advisory capacity only. (5.) Summary of Portions of Galician Petroleum-mining Begulations. The regulations in force include the following provisions : — Be excluding water : See Appendix I, pp. 143—4. If boring is being done by means of a water-flush system the water used must be measured, and the flush method, if there is serious loss, must be discontinued. Boring-managers must be certificated. Bores must be 10, or in most cases, 15 metres from roads, buildings, &c. So with pumping-stations, oil-tanks, &c. : these must be 15 metres from roads and buildings. Notice of installation of electrical machinery must be given to the mining office (Mines Department), and the installation must be approved by the electrical authority. Buildings, &c, must be approved by the Mines Department. Oil and gas firing are subject to regulations made with a view to prevention of accidental fires or explosions. Plans and sections of all bores are required on a scale of 1 : 720 for small plots, 1 : 1440 for large plots. The plans must show all topographical details, buildings, machinery, &c. The sections must be according to a prescribed scale and give prescribed details. Plan and section of each bore must be sent to Mines Department within four weeks after the bore is finished. Some exceptions to rules are permitted in special cases. Be examinations : There is a board of examiners, which has power to make allowances and exemptions. Certificates are given by the vote of a majority of the examiners. A candidate who has passed part of the examination may repeat examination in not less than six months in those subjects in which he has failed, but is not allowed a second chance. The examination is written, oral, and practical (in the field). Mechanical drawing may be a subject of the examination. (6.) Exclusion of Water from Oil Sands. The following notes form a summary of part of Chapter V of "Oil-production Methods" by Paul M. Paine and B. K. Stroud : — Where the strata are hard and cave but little, the casing may be set on the bottom of the bore below the lowest water-bearing stratum and above the productive measures. Boring may then be continued with a smaller-sized drill, thus leaving a shoulder upon which the casing may rest and effect a watertight bond with the wall of the bore. The method, however, is far from satisfactoiy in many cases, and is quite unreliable with soft, loosely cemented strata, and in general a cementing process is necessary. The simplest method of placing the cement is that known as " bailing " it in. The hole is first filled with water and the casing raised until the shoe is about 60 ft. off bottom. Three joints of casing are then unscrewed and placed to one side in the derrick. The cement, mixed to a thick grout, is then run into the hole in a specially constructed bailer that dumps its contents when it reaches the bottom. When 1 or 2 tons (dry weight) of cement have been inserted in this way the casing previously removed is screwed back into the top of the string, and filled with water.. A plug having been screwed into the top coupling, the casing is then lowered until the shoe strikes bottom. Since the casing is full of water which is prevented from escaping by the plug at the top, a large portion of the cement at the bottom is forced between the casing and the wall of the hole and into the adjoining strata. The casing is then driven, in order to seat the shoe into the bottom as far as possible. Some operators, instead of lowering the cement in a bailer, run it down in a series of long narrow bags tied to the end of the drilling-tools. When the bottom is reached a few strokes of the tool break the bags so that the cement is free to flow when the casing is lowered. In connection with the bailing-it-in method, the Baker " cement plug " is sometimes used instead of the plug screwed into the top of the casing before it is lowered. This plug is made of light cast iron, and is so constructed that it may be hung from the bailer with a piece of soft rope and lowered inside the casing below the shoe. It is then raised with a slight tension or pull, when a set of slips catches on the shoe, and thus the bottom opening of the casing is effectively closed. The casing is then lowered, and the cement is thus forced up on the outside. The bailer is freed by a strong pull that breaks the soft rope, leaving the plug in the hole. Being of cast iron it is easily drilled. The bailing-it-in methods are now largely replaced by processes in which the cement is pumped down .either through the casing or through an auxiliary smaller string of tubing lowered inside the casing for that purpose. With methods of this class a necessary preliminary step is to secure a "circulation" — i.e., the space between the casing and the wall of the hole must be sufficiently cleared of caved material to allow fluid pumped down inside the casing to come to the surface on the outside, thus ensuring that when cement is pumped to the bottom it will pass readily up on the outside of the casing if prevented from rising inside. In order to obtain proper circulation it may be necessary to raise the casing 100 ft. or more from the bottom, and

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to resort to a pump-pressure of several hundred pounds per square inch. The casing is then gradually lowered, and worked up and down until the water or mud circulates readily, when the shoe is only a few feet from the bottom of the bore. An apparent circulation may be secured by reason of a leak in the casing. The presence or absence of leakage is determined by continuing to pump in water, and at same time lowering the casing until the shoe strikes bottom. If the circulation continues after the shoe has reached bottom there must be leakage, but if instead the fluid is held and the pump-pressure increased until it stops the pump the absence of leakage may be assumed. The pump ordinarily used is the 10 in. by 5 in. by 12 in. duplex mud-pump used in the Californian oilfields for pumping mud in wells being drilled by the rotary or circulator methods. It is connected to the top of the casing by 2J in. or 3 in. pressure armoured hose. The Perkins method, said to be of particular value for very deep wells or for those in which the casing tends to " freeze," is also known as the disc or packer method, from the fact that the cement is inserted between two moving packers that have an outside diameter almost as great as the inside diameter of the casing. After a circulation has been obtained the casing is suspended so that the shoe is several feet from the bottom, and enough fresh water is then pumped in to clean the bottom of the hole thoroughly. The packers are made either of wood or of cast iron, with ends consisting of heavy canvas or rubber washers of just the proper size to pass down inside the casing. One packer is about 3 ft. in length, so that when passed down the casing it will fall entirely below the shoe, whilst the other is longer, so that when its lower end reaches the bottom of the hole the upper end still remains in the casing. The casing having been filled with water has the shorter packer inserted in it, and against this is pumped the cement, mixed to a grout just thin enough to be readily pumped. The required amount of cement having been pumped in, the longer packer is placed in the casing above the column of cement, and water is pumped in, pushing down the combination of lower packer, cement, and upper packer. When the lower packer passes the casing-shoe it falls to the bottom of the hole, thus allowing the cement to pass around the shoe and up on the outside of the casing. When the upper packer reaches the bottom it cannot, on account of its length, entirely leave the casing. It stops, therefore, the further flow of water and retards the pump, thus indicating that the cement is out of the pipe. The casing is then landed on the bottom, and after the cement has set the packers are drilled out. The main objections to the packer method are the danger of the packers sticking inside the casing and the fact that the lower packer may fall to the bottom in such a way as to prevent the casing-shoe from being squarely landed. This may cause the breaking of the cement bond when the packer is drilled. It is possible to dispense with the travelling packers by measuring into a tank connected with the pump the exact amount of water necessary to fill the casing. The cement is pushed ahead of the water, and is known to have passed out of the casing when the tank is drained. In the "bottom-packer" method cement is pumped down inside a smaller auxiliary string of tubing, to the lower end of which is attached a packer, which may be made from strips of belting confined between two metal plates, or may be of some special design, such as the Larkin wall packer. The function of the packer is to close the annular space between the smaller tubing and the casing, so that the cement pumped down inside the former is forced to pass around the casing-shoe and up on the outside of the casing. The cement having been inserted, the casing is landed squarely on the bottom, the tubing with its packer removed, and the cement remaining at the bottom of the well bailed before it has had time to set. In all tubing methods it is necessary that the precise instant at which pumping ought to cease (i.e., when all the cement has reached the bottom of the tubing) should be known, lest the cement be forced too far up on the outside of the casing. Provision for this may be made by measuring into a tank before pumping starts sufficient water to fill the tubing, as described above. Another plan is to contract the lower end of the tubing by means of a swage nipple or bushing, which then stops a wooden plug placed on top of the cement and below the water used for forcing the former down. In actual practice Messrs. Paine and Stroud remark, the " bottom-packer " method has not proved as successful as might be expected, because of various mechanical obstacles which they mention. They describe in detail a "top-packer" method, in which a packer is placed at the top of the casing around the 3 in. tubing which is to convey the cement. The casing being filled with water, the cement when pumped down the inner tubing is forced outside the casing at the bottom. The moment at which to stop pumping is determined by a wooden plug, 1 ft. to 3 ft. long, with canvas washer nailed to its top, placed between the top of the cement and the following water pumped in, and stopped at the bottom of the tubing by a bushing or nipple. It sometimes happens after a productive oil sand has been reached that if the well is drilled deeper so-called " bottom " water is encountered. The presence of oil and gas in the hole renders the exclusion of such water more difficult than that of the top water, especially when the lower water occurs only a few feet below the oil sand. Under such conditions particular care must be exercised in gauging the amount of cement injected, so that its level does not rise to the oil sand and so interfere with the oil-production. If a streak of hard ground intervenes between the oil sand and the water stratum below it may be possible to exclude water by plugging the bottom of the bore with pieces of stone and brick, together with a few sacks of cement. If a distance of 2 ft. or more intervenes between the oil sand and the water stratum a socalled "bridge" is formed by driving bricks, stones, &c, tightly into the bottom of the hole, so as to hold back the water temporarily and provide a landing-place for cement pumped down '■trough a string of tubing.

MAP OF NEW PLYMOUTH AND VICINITY Showing Oil Bores

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5. OIL OCCURRENCE NEAR PARAPARAUMU.* (By P. G. Morgan, Director.) On the 13th September, 1911, I visited a supposed occurrence of petroleum on Mr. Murdoch McLean's farm near Paraparaumu, thirty-two or thirty-three miles horn Wellington. The circumstances which led to my visit were as follows : — Some time previously when a ditch was being dug through a small peat bog a strong smell resembling that of kerosene or petroleum was observed. During the summer of 1910-11 the same smell was noticed in one or two places some distance from the drain. When a stick was pushed into the peat on the side of the ditch oily material was seen to rise after the withdrawal of the stick, and to form a film on the surface of the water. A sample of the peat when analysed at the Dominion Laboratory yielded o'6 per cent, of petroleum. The peat bog yielding these indications of petroleum is sitated west of Mr. McLean's house, which again is between Paraparaumu Railway-station and the sea. The bog in question and similar bogs in the district have been formed through drifting sand blocking the natural drainage, thus giving rise to swamps, in which peaty material has collected. The peat in the locality visited is reddish-brown in colour, and contains much woody matter. Its depth is about 6 ft. Below the peat is a soft brown sandstone, which is also seen on the surface at the margin of the bog. At the time of my visit the water-level was 15 in. to 18 in. below the bog-surface, which owing to the drainage operations is ordinarily quite dry, and now supports a grassy sward. On pushing a pole into the peat on the east side of the ditch previously mentioned I found that oily matter rose in very small quantity, together with bubbles of gas which burned with a pale-blue flame, and were doubtless marsh-gas or methane (CH 4 ). The oil formed irridescent films on the surface of the water in the ditch. These, however, were quickly absorbed bj' the mud and peaty matter also stirred up. The wet peat smelt distinctly of kerosene, and some dry peat had an even stronger smell. The most probable source of the petroleum and inflammable gas is the peat itself. Marshgas has long been known as produced by the decomposition of peaty material, and in a few cases oil has also Keen observed in peat bogs.f The marine or semi-marine (wind-blown) sand that underlies the peat is a possible though in this case not a likely source of the oil. lam inclined to think that the presence of common salt, derived from sea-water blown inland during heavy gales, has something to do with the production of the oil. Although at the present time no really satisfactory explanation of the occurrence can be given, yet the presence of undoubted petroleum in the Paraparaumu peat bogs tends to throw light on the important problem of petroleum-genesis, and is therefore well worth recording. From a strictly commercial point of view no value can be attached to the petroleum-content of the peat. It is, of course, within the bounds of possibility that it may possess some peculiar property which would render its extraction worth while, but this is a matter to be determined by scientific research.

6. PETROLEUM IN MURCHISON DISTRICT. During the early part of 1914 the occurrence of petroleum near the head of the Warwick, a tributary of the Maruia, was reported. The locality was visited last April by Dr. Henderson, who states that oil oozes in small quantity at two or more points from a series of Tertiary conglomerates, sandstones, and shales. Apparently the petroleum is associated with a fault plane. In the neighbourhood of the seepages the strata have an almost vertical attitude, owing to the influence of a great fault which runs through the Warwick and Warbeck valleys. Southward, in Station Creek and the Rappahannock Valley, the oil-bearing rocks are not so disturbed, and there is a possibility of an oil reservoir. To determine the structure, however, necessarily requires detailed field-work. A report upon the occurrence will be prepared at an early date, and published when opportunity offers.

7. THE WAIKAKA GOLD-MINING FIELD. (By P. G. Morgan, Director.) In accordance with instructions given by the Hon. the Minister of Mines, I left Wellington for Waikaka on the evening of the 10th April. After spending two days in Dunedin I arrived in Waikaka on the 14th. On the 17th I left for Wellington, which was reached on the morning of the 19th April. Nature op Country examined. The area examined lies in the vicinity of Waikaka Township, which is sixteen miles by rail north of Gore. It consists of gently rolling downs or ridges, separated by alluvial flats, through which flow the Waikaka Stream and its tributary, the Little Waikaka. The Waikaka River flat at its lower end near McNab Railway-station is 259 ft. above sea-level, whilst at Waikaka Railway-station the height is 457 ft. The ridges on an average are about 100 ft. higher. To the northward of Waikaka the country rises somewhat rapidly, the map showing heights of 1,907 ft. and 2,769 ft. (Mount Wendon). The land, except a few acres of old alluvial workings and recently dredged areas, is all being utilized for agricultural purposes.

* Written in 1911. t See Boverton Redwood ; " Petroleum and its Products," 2nd cd., 1906, pp. 33, 34, 121, xZS, C-C.

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General Geology. The rocks forming the rising country to the northward of Waikaka are mapped by Hutton as belonging to the Kaikoura formation, of late Palaeozoic age. McKay similarly regards them as Carboniferous or Devonian. According to the views held by Marshall, however, these rocks are not older than the Triassic. As judged by the stream detritus they appear to consist mainly of bluish greywacke (sandstone of McKay), with minor amounts of argillite (indurated shale of McKay), and other rocks. Highly folded greywacke, argillite, and chert, probably of TriasJura age, form some low hills just to the north-east of Gore, and similar rocks probably underlie the Waikaka Valley. Resting on the older rocks just mentioned is a series of clays, sands, gravels, and conglomerates, with one or more lignite-seams near the base. These rocks are mapped by McKay as Cretaceo-Tertiary, but as exposed in the Waikaka-Waikaia district are probably of Miocene age, as stated in an old geological report.* They are of great economic importance, both on account of the lignite and on account of their alluvial gold, which is contained in bands of quartzose gravel, hereafter generally referred to as the " older quartz drifts." Recent gravels and clays occupy the stream-valleys to a moderate depth, seldom exceeding 20 ft. The gravels, like the older quartz drifts, from which they are in great part derived, are auriferous. The rolling ridges and downs are usually covered by a fairly thick coating of clayey or loamy soil and subsoil, so that as a rule the underlying Miocene rocks are exposed only on steep slopes. Geological Structure. The supposed Mesozoic rocks near Gore strike north-west and dip at 70° to 80° to the southeast. Near the railway-bridge, however, a dip not exceeding 15° is shown. The period of folding was doubtless pre-Tertiary, but during the Tertiary era movements both of elevation and depression, accompanied by faulting and warping, have taken place. The Miocene rocks in general maintain a nearly horizontal attitude, but close to Waikaka Township are involved in a considerable fault, with approximately east and west strike. As a result the older quartz drifts are here nearly vertical. To the southward the Miocene rocks are seen to be nearly horizontal, but incline to dip northward, so that in the neighbourhood of Willowbank the lignite is at or near the surface. It thus appears that in the Waikaka district the Tertiary rocks lie in a shallow basin, which towards the northern boundary is crossed by the fault just mentioned. The structure, very roughly, may be represented in cross-section as in diagram, which shows an unsymmetrical synclinal fold, broken by a fault with upthrow to the south. Owing to the steep dip of the beds on the northern disturbed limb of the syncline the final result of the various movements is equivalent to a downthrow towards the south, and thus the southward continuation of the vertically dipping quartz drifts will be found by sinking.

Diagrammatic Section showing Geological Structure, Waikaka.

Economic Geology. History of Waikaha Gold field. Gold is said to have been found at Waikaka in 1865. During the next twenty or thirty years the modern gravels and the older quartz drifts were extensively worked in various ways by small parties of Europeans and Chinese. The first workings were probably upon the modern stream-gravels near the township. Immediately north of the township a rich layer in the faultinvolved older quartz drifts, perhaps 10 ft. or more in width, was worked from the surface downwards until water became too troublesome. This layer is locally known as the " back lead." On or near it a shaft was sunk many years ago to a depth of 90 ft., but was not utilized for driving-out on account of the water trouble. Somewhere about 1880, Smith, Barberry, and others drove an inclined drift from a point to the southward of the back lead for a distance of 254 ft. They then drove horizontally for a short distance, and intersected an auriferous layer of quartz wash, about 10ft. wide, known as the "front lead." The party worked this

* Appendix to Rep. G.S, during 1890-91, No, 21, 1892, p. 164,

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iwL tnTffl Ty .* Bt °P m ? and filhn g meth °d, and also drove towards the back lead- but owing to difficulties with running sand, and the death of Mr. Barberry, an experienced and capable miner, who acted as manager, work in this direction was discontinued The drift which had passed through 300 ft. or thereabouts of alternating bands of more or less auriferous quartz gravel and of clay, was then very near the back lead. The quartz drifts were worked by WaTknlf/v 11 7 dr ! Vln S; out S ° meWhat t0 the n °rth-east of the township, and -again Tn theTittle Waikaka Valley, at and near a spot called the Sandy Knowes, where they show a gentlesmith ward dip. Some of the early tailings at Sandy Knowes have been reJrkTald still give i, good prospect so that the ground here must have been very rich. The older quartz drfft7of the Waikaka Valley have also been worked by sluicing some distance below the townshto of thl w A «? J mentloned > was stained by the early miners from the modern gravels hoiirhoJ * S f/T Mar i the toTOshi P> and ako from numerous small gullies in the neigh bourhood. Some of these are known to have been very rich g For some years prior to 1896 very little mining was done near Waikaka, but in that year 1 * I dr , dg6 ' and b ? the end of 1897 anoth er dredge was at work From 1900 onwards dredging has been a prominent and successful industry in the valley the be? rears time^bout 1 l 3 to } 9 A 7 > When . from twent y t0 twenty-eight dredges were at 3' At the pre en time about a dozen dredges are in commission i-iestut Vallevs^hut 0 dred f S W ° rked 0I A lj u he r6Cent grayels of the Waikaka and Little Waikaka Valleys, but in that year deeper ground about two miles and a half from Waikaka was tested with satisfactory results Owing to most of the dredges being privately owned DartSSs are riot easily ascertained, but it is understood that some very rich wash, belong ™t" th elder quartz drifts, has since been worked. s g t0 me ud€l The Older Quartz Drifts- and Associated Beds. ] The older quartz drifts and the associated beds are of a considerable thickness not d P W oi quartz pebbles and quartz grit, with a few water-worn fragments of other rocks The Quartz pebbles are usually imperfectly rounded, much honeycombed, and for the most part pure white m colour, but some are stained greenish by a chloritic mineral. They "c probably aeHved mam y from quartz lenticles in mica-schist country, as has been suggested for othelocal tTes by McKay. The non-honeycombed quartz pebbles are either very gfassy 0 are L y The minor constituents-of the quartz drifts are greywacke and argillite o/bluishand greenish colours, together with a little mica-schist. greenish Where McGeorge Bros.' No. 3 dredge is now working, south-east of Pullar Railway-station £ tofeTt'o3 ft t0 f ft i th ; Ck ' Y f S ° n a hard Mue washes loose; out is oveiiam by 2 ft. to 3 ft. of cemented quartz gravel or conglomerate, which naturally is very troublesome to dredge. The conglomerate is succeeded by 10 ft. to 15 ftof dark clay or pug, containing much partly carbonized wood and other vegetable matter. Although similar materia occurs to a small extent in the neighbouring terraces, this pug is probably no part in, tL m r d qUartZ " drl , ft S Tf ° f oCene ag6 ' but a SWam P or iake 4ofit immediately precedsufface cl"y &c n g * PUg " "" '° W * ° f UartZoSe (modern Vash), The deep dredging in the Little Waikaka Valley shows a very similar section to that iust wShtTcement *"" * °' *"* ° arb " ** <fy »~ The Becent Auriferous Deposits. ■ No information of any consequence concerning the early alluvial workings is available The shallow ground worked by dredges between Waikaka and McNab is usually from 12 ft to The bottom oo which most of the dredges work is n, yeU„„ e1.,, pa>!i „ 6 into th<s d „ k . MS,r" ,0 " d ' "°" Wm< ""* U " t *" d '" Jr d "» — Character of Gold. It is said that atdwt. speck was found on the terraces near Waikaka Township but the great bulk of the gold is fine, and much of it is scaly as well. That now being obtained by the dredges, after being retorted has a fineness varying from 0-9810 to 0-9835, aid sells for about £4 Is. per ounce. It is therefore obvious that the alluvial gold is of great purity. Minerals associated with Gold. The concentrates from the sluice-boxes of the dredges consist largely of a heavy grey sand probably zircon, and to a smaller extent of blacksand, which, as a rule, is not An appreciable amount of cinnabar is present in the form of small red grains, and a li le ' platinum also occurs. The concentrates from the deeper ground (older quartz drifts) con am also a moderate amount of pyrite in the form of small irregular concretions. } Origin of Gold. The gold in the younger deposits at Waikaka is clearly derived from the older ouart7 drift* As McKay says, " All the gold found in the Waikaka has been directly derived from'aLLt beds

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of quartz wash and cement which underlie the recent accumulations of the river-valley. The source of the gold in the older quartz grits of Otago has also been carefully discussed by McKay, who comes to the conclusion that the gold has come chiefly from quartz folia in the mica-schists and only in a minor measure from regular quartz lodes, t Though his views have been opposed by some who believe that the alluvial gold of Otago has been derived wholly from auriferous lodes, his main thesis, that the gold has its origin mainly in the schists, remains unaffected. _ It has been suggested that the alluvial gold has been derived chiefly from the ancient formations which once overlay the schist, but have been very largely destroyed by denudation. This hypothesis may contain some truth, but its proof has yet to be found. Origin and Mode of Formation of Older Quartz Drifts. The source of the materials forming the older quartz gritz and the associated sands, clays, &c, has been sufficiently indicated above. It is of some importance to determine whether the quartzose gravels are river or beach deposits, and in the latter case whether they are marine or lacustrine. If they are of fluviatile origin, then they would mark the course of some ancient river, and occur along a continuous but serpentine line.' Beach deposits, on the other hand, would indicate the shore of the sea or of some ancient lake, and would lie not on a serpentine or meandering but on a straight or gently curving line or belt. Other differences will suggest themselves, but it is on the present occasion necessary merely to refer the reader to McKay, who has shown that the quartz drifts represent beach deposits, from which soft rocks have been almost completely eliminated by wave-action. That at Waikaka and most other places in Otago they are lacustrine is shown by the complete absence of marine fossils not only from the gravels themselves, but also from the interbedded clays, which would certainly have preserved traces of shells if these had been entombed. Apart from this feature, in most places the physical characters of the beds themselves practically prove their fresh-water origin. It is not intended to maintain that the whole of the Miocene beds are of lacustrine origin. The lignite towards the base may have been a swamp deposit, though it is to be noted that "mussel" shells (probably the fresh-water Unio) are stated to occur in the immediately overlying beds. Near Waikaia marine shells of Miocene facies occur in a horizon not yet determined. The upper layers of quartzose gravel seen in the Waikaka Valley below the township appear to be of fluviatile rather than lacustrine origin. These gravels contain gold, and in places would pay for sluicing if a sufficiently supply of water were available, but are not nearly so rich as the undoubted lacustrine deposits in a somewhat lower horizon. The tracing of the shore-lines of the ancient lakes of Central Otago is an important problem, which could be partly, but probably not completely, solved by a careful and detailed geological survey of the whole area over which the quartz grits occur. Isolated and incomplete surveys of small areas are likely to lead only to inconclusive or misleading results. Deep Leads. Although the examination of the district was far from complete in itself, and needs to be supplemented by work in neighbouring localities, the data obtained are sufficient to prove the existence of moderately deep auriferous leads in the neighbourhood of Waikaka. From the section shown in the diagram on page 148 it follows that the older quartz drifts containing auriferous layers extend southward from the east-and-west fault for several miles. Boring, followed if the results are sufficiently promising by shaft-sinking and driving, is necessary in order to ascertain the number, depth, extent, and value of the auriferous layers. Detailed geological survey is also necessary in order to assist in the interpretation of the data obtained by boring. It has to be remembered that beach deposits of gold occur in a lenticular manner along the shore-lines, and that the lenses will have much greater length than breadth. For instance, the auriferous blacksands of the Charleston and other districts on the west coast of the South Island thus occur. At present, as previously mentioned, there are no data which would enable the ancient lake-margins to be mapped. Such mapping, if possible, would give the approximate direction or trend of the " runs " of gold. Depth of Deep Leads. —The only data from which the depth of the leads can be ascertained are those afforded by the dredges now at work on the deeper ground of the flats. From the evidence thus obtained it would seem that south-east of Pullar Railway-station the deep lead is about 50 ft. below the surface of the flats. Eastward, in the Little Waikaka Valley, a corresponding but not so rich lead occurs at about the same depth. If the two occurrences are assumed to belong to the same lead, then this lead underlies the intervening higher ground at a depth of, say, 150 ft. Southward the depth will be less, and ultimately the lead, if it continues as such, must reach the surface, though the outcrop will be obscured by the soil and subsoil on the higher ground, and by recent gravels on the river-flats. Northward the depth of the lead will increase to an unknown maximum" near Waikaka Township. By deep boring other auriferous leads will probably be found to underlie that outlined above. Working Deep Ground. —If sufficiently rich ground has been proved by boring, the working of the ground by driving-out will present no great difficulties. Probably water will have to be pumped in fairly large quantity. This will be useful for washing purposes. The lignite of the district furnishes a cheap fuel for steam-raising purposes. If profitable wash should be found to extend over a large area the most economical plan would be to have an electrical power-station near one of the coal-pits, and thence transmit electrical energy to the pumping and other machinery at the various shafts.

* " Gold Deposits of New Zealand," 1903, pp. 59-60. | Op. cit., p. 68.

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Recommendations . A few trial bores from one to two and a half miles south of Waikaka Township may be recommended as advisable. The selection of the sites may be left to those persons or companies who are prepared to find money for boring. All that is necessary for the first few bores from a geological point of view is that very careful logs be kept and placed on record. When some data have accumulated, plans for systematic boring may be evolved, and ultimately, if the results are favourable, sites for shafts from which the leads will be driven out may be selected. Only over a comparatively small area is it likely that dredging can be employed as a means of recovering the gold now buried in the older quartz drifts. As regards the nearly vertical leads near Waikaka Township, these may be prospected by sinking vertical or inclined shafts. LITERATUKE. The following list of references to the Waikaka district may be useful. Unfortunately, few publications prior to 1887 are available for consultation : — 1872. Hutton, F. W. :" On the Geology of the District of Southland." Rep. G.S. during 1871-72, No. 7, pp. 96-112. Has no special reference- to the geology of the Waikaka district. The lignite of the Mataura district is placed in the alluvial formation (Quaternary). The occurrence of resin in it is mentioned as a noteworthy feature (p. 96). 1875. Hutton, F. W., and Ulrich, G. H. F. : " Report on the Geology and Goldfields of Otago." The only reference to the Waikaka district is on p. 34, where the Te Anau Series is stated to occur in the Upper Waikaka district (which apparently means the Upper Waikaia of present-day maps). Much of the Waikaka district is mapped as Pleistocene. 1887. Galvin, P. : " The Handbook of New Zealand Mines." On p. 28 is a reference to the discovery of gold at Waikaka in 1865 and the decadent state of mining in that locality during 1887. 1892. Rep. G.S. during 1890-91, No. 21. On p. lxviii of the Progress Report, and on pp. 22, 63-64, and 164, Waikaka is mentioned, but the Waikaia or Switzers district is meant. 1.897. McKay, Alexander : " Report on the Older Auriferous Drifts of Central Otago." A reprint of C.-4, 1894. Waikaka auriferous drifts are briefly described on pp. 81-82, and again mentioned on p. 99. 1903. McKay, Alexander : " Gold Deposits of New Zealand." (Reprinted from Mines Becord). On pp. 59-60 is reference to Waikaka diggings. 1906. Galvin, P., and others: "The New Zealand Mining Handbook." On pp. 198, 277-278. 320, and 321 will be found references to dredging and the utilization of dredged land in the Waikaka Valley. 1888-1913. Mines Reports. The following references have been noted : — 1888. C.-6, p. 31. Mention of deep leads is made. 1893. C.-3, Appendix 111, p. xii. Reference to lignite. 1894. C.-3a, p. 35. Alluvial gold. C.-4: "Older Auriferous Drifts of Central Otago," by Alex. McKay Waikaka mentioned on pp. 32, 40. Report reprinted in 1897. 1895. C.-3a, p. 36. Alluvial gold. C.-3b, p. 15. Lignite-pit mentioned. 1896. C.-3b, p. 15. Lignite-pit mentioned. 1897. C.-3a, p. 21. A dredge has been built at Waikaka by J. R. Perry. C.-3b, p. 15. Lignite-pits mentioned. 1898. C.-3a, pp. 25, 66. References to dredging. C—3b, p. 11. Lignite-pits mentioned. 1899. C.-3, p. 147, and C.-3a, p. 31. References to dredging. Two diedges at work near Waikaka. 1900. C.-3, p. 145. Five dredges at work in Waikaka district. 1901. C-3, pp. 24, 70, 118. References to dredging. Eleven dredges at work in Waikaka district. C.-3a, p. 18. Lignite. 1902. C-3, pp. 76, 120. Dredging. C.-3a, p. 22. Lignite. 1903. C-3, p. 168. Sixteen dredges at work. C.-3a, p. 25. Lignite. 1904. C-3, pp. 83, 119. Twenty dredges at work. C.-3A, p. 19. Lignite. 1905. C-3, pp. 71, 106. Dredging. Twenty-five dredges at work. 1906. C-3, pp. 77, 114. Dredging. Twenty-five to twenty-eight dredges at work. 1907. C-3, pp. 44, 57. Dredging. Twenty-four dredges at work. 1908. C-3, pp. 42, 51. Twenty to twenty-two dredges at work. 1909. C-3. On p. 39 is reference to proposed working of deep lead near township of Waikaka. P. 52, nineteen dredges at work. 1910. C-3, p. 54. Twenty-two dredges in Gore-Waikaka district. Good results are being obtained from the deeper ground. 1911. C—3, p. 49. Fourteen dredges in Waikaka district. 1912. C-2, pp. 3, 23, 58-59, 66. A revival of dredging at Waikaka, owing to discovery of gold in deep ground. Seventeen dredges in all; fourteen at work. 1913. C-3, p. 47. Dredging. Thirteen dredges at work in district,

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1897-1909. Mines Becord, Vols. 1 to 12. The following citations nearly all have reference to dredging or allied topics : — 1897-98. Vol. 1, pp. 31, 109, 503. 1899-1901. Vol. 3, pp. 69, 181-182 (Waikaka Sludge-channel), 273-275 (Waikaka Sludgechannel). 1900-1. Vol. 4, pp. 422-423. 1902-3. Vol. 6, pp. 305, 325, 417 et seq. 1903-4. Vol. 7, pp. 2-4, 143-144, 507-509. 1904-5. Vol. 8, pp. 461-464. 1906-7. Vol. 10, pp. 9-11 (blacksand, platinum), 76 (blacksand), 357 (restoring dredged land). 1907-8, Vol. 11, pp. 35, 73 (auriferous terraces at Waikaka), 176. 1908-9, Vol. 12, pp. 2, 50, 315 (McGeorge Bros.' No. 3 dredge). Analyses. The following results obtained in the Dominion Laboratory upon dredge concentrates from Waikaka are of interest :— (1.) Concentrates from McGeorge Bros.' No. 3 dredge, Waikaka (per Mr. Aikman). Silica (Sio 2 ) .. .. .. .. .. .. .. 84-38 Alumina (A 1 2 03 .. .. .. .. .. .. 2-03 Iron oxide (Fe 2 o 3 ) .. .. .. .. .. . . 5-36 Titanium oxide (Tio 2 ) .. .. .. .. .. o'B7 Lime (CaO) .. .. .. .. .. .. .. POB Magnesia (MgO) .. .. .. .. .. .. 0-46 Alkalies (K 2 O and Na 2 0) .. _... .. .. .. P56 Zirconium dioxide (Zro 2 ) .. .. .. .. .. P2O Sulphur (S) .. _ .. .. .. .. .. .. 0-83 Water and organic matter .. .. .. .. .. 1-43 Undetermined .. .. .. .. .. .. 0-80 100-00 Some metallic particles of iron were separated before the analysis was made. The sample also contained o'os per cent, of cinnabar, 5 oz. 4 dwt. 13 gr. of gold, 6 dwt. 7 gr. of silver, and 8 dwt. 4gr. of platinum per ton. No copper, lead, rare earths, or tungstic acid could be detected. (2.) Concentrates from a dredge at Waikaka (per Mr. James Paterson). This sample contained many metallic particles of iron and lead, which were separated. The residue contained : Cinnabar, 2675 per cent., equivalent to 2306 per cent, of metallic mercury; rare earths other than zirconia, o'o7 per cent. Zircons were abundant, and a large percentage of platinum was present, also some gold and magnetite. No tungstic acid could be detected.

8. THE WAIKAIA DISTRICT, SOUTHLAND. (By P. G. Morgan, Director.) Acting under instructions given by the Hon. the Minister of Mines, I left Wellington on the 29th June for Dunedin, whence on the Ist July I proceeded to Waikaia. Two days and a half were spent in inspecting the district adjoining the township, and on the 4th July I left for Lawrence. Situation. The township of Waikaia, the chief centre of population in the district drained by the Waikaia River, is situated fourteen miles north of Riversdale, whence it is reached by means of a branch railway opened a|few years ago. The railway-station, 522 ft. above sea-level, is known as Switzers, but this name is much more correctly applied to the old mining settlement (now abandoned) two miles or more to the eastward, and will be so used in this report. Topographic Features. The principal drainage-channel, the Waikaia River, a tributary of the Mataura, runs southward through a broad flat valley, which towards Riversdale merges into the Waimea Plains. From the west the Waikaia is joined by the Garvie Burn (Boundary Creek), Dome Burn, Steeple Burn, Gow Burn, and other streams, whilst its principal affluent from the east is the Argyle Burn. Northward of Waipounamu Railway-station the Waikaia Valley is bordered by terraces of considerable height. As Waikaia Township is approached the country to the eastward rises, the highest point being Round Down, 2,030 ft. in height. To the north-east, north, and west are seen the Umbrella Range, Old Man Range, and Garvie Mountains, which reach heights well over 5,000 ft., and are snowclad throughout the winter and early spring.

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General Geology. spending dips were from 10° to 50° to the northward or westward ' Overlying the Pala3ozoic rocks, naturally with a high degree of unconformity fl ™ i The gravels and clays which form the terraces of the Waikaia Valley and flank th« M„i,« v,-n be considered to range in age from Pliocene to Pleistocene. They va thiSnes from a few /77 Economic Geology. Alluvial Gold. population! eSS the SersT "*?* * and sought other fields or occupations. There T e S^^^^^ d^ Bed , U \ gravels, which are being worked by hydraulic sluicing of supply of high-pressure water, as in many other goldfields prevents ihTZf , ? suffic i en t ground from being worked to advantage. During the past oWt ? deep an important industry in the district, lit the oT a few dredges are now at work. The land dredo-ed was all ri™■ flt+ ™- + li 7 J extiausted > and on ly and it is to be regretted that reselling, which SufdTav hy been carrielut Xt™ P^ 6B ' not made a condition of the leases. As it is hundreds of acres ofTnLTTi, f expense, was useless for at least a century to come. The suggestLn ha beenmade t ,af th TA™ ™ dered alm with profit, and in that case the buried soil Kme potSTSttKS -dredged and the land thus greatly improved. biought to the surface again, Lignite. Lignite has been worked at several places in the Waikaia district Ki,+ +»,„ j • ..i of working dredges has lessened the demand tTmCJ* indicates the composition of the lignite at the Landslip MineT- ? following analysis Fixed carbon .. ~ 21 -Ofi Volatile matter .. '' q _ K1 Water .. .. .." 37-51 Ash • ' '" "■ •*' J-l ABh 4-32 lotal sulphur .. noo r ■ • • • • • 0-23 per cent. Oil-shale. At a point about a mile west of north from Freshford Railway station ~ »w • *■ , of hydrocarbons was worked opencast for some time in oilf toSkh fuel L S SB* mg analysis of material from « Goldie's shale-pit" probably represents thestale'££& locality -" Fixed carbon .. .. _ , „„„ Volatile matter .. „„„. Water ■" '" '• 60 2 5 ish " "■ 18 " 25 Mh 9-50 T, , . , 100-00 lotal sulphur .. o -i^ riu, i i . -i , , '' '" • • I 0 P er cent. Ihe shale extends under the Waikaia River flat towards the Landslin Cn»l ™i™ a •-, h, belongs to the same horizon. Notwithstanding the somewhat high sulphur tW '& X 7 butthat^dep^tjia^^^

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following extract from the Mines Report of 1912 (C.-2, p. 118) indicates that prospecting the flat to the eastward of the shale-pit has received attention : — " Muddy Terrace Coal-mine, Waikaia. — This property is being prospected by an Invercargill syndicate to prove the shale. Six bores have been put through the shale, and 35 acres proved. The deepest hole, 62 ft., contained 14 ft. of shale ; other holes have proved seams of from 9 ft. to 19 ft. of shale." Further prospecting by boring, and a series of careful analyses of the shale, together with working tests upon large samples, ought to be undertaken. If the results are satisfactory, the working of the deposit on a large scale will naturally follow. Clay. Interbedded with the auriferous gravels east of Waikaia are bands of light-coloured clay. These at some future time may be found useful for the manufacture of various classes of pottery-ware.

9. THE LAWRENCE-WAIPORI DISTRICT. (By P. G Morgan, Director.) On the 4-th July I proceeded from Waikaia to Lawrence, and remained there until the Bth, when I left in order to go to Macrae's. During this brief visit I examined most of the mining claims at work near Lawrence and Waitahuna. A day was spent in visiting Waipori, where the O.P.Q. lode and other points of interest were inspected. In the present report justice cannot be done to the geology and mineral resources of the Lawrence district. A moderately detailed survey occupying at least some months is needed before any description of permanent value can be written. Topography. The district between Lawrence and Waipori is a hilly unforested country rising to heights of over 2,000 ft. North-west of Waipori is the Lammerlaw Range, over 3,000 ft. high ; and to the eastward is Maungatua, 2,944 ft., which overlooks the low-lying Taieri Plain. The country near Lawrence has been deeply dissected by the Tuapeka and Waitahuna streams, which flow southward to join the Molyneux. The other principal drainage-channel of the district, the Waipori, in its upper course flows through a broad upland valley, which at Waipori Township is nearly 1,300 ft. above the sea. In passing through the Waipori Gorge, a few miles to the eastward, the stream falls almost to sea-level, and thus has afforded the Dunedin City Corporation opportunity for establishing hydro-electric-power works. A few river-flats, all covered by more or less auriferous gravels, occur in the stream-valleys. Among these may be mentioned Evans and Wetherstones Flats, near Lawrence, Waitahuna Flat, and the high-level Waipori Flat. General Geology. The prevailing rock of the Lawrence district is mica-schist, of probable Palseozoic age. In some places this rock is almost free from quartz lamina?, and therefore could be termed phyllite, whilst in others it contains numerous interbedded folia of that mineral, the largest reaching 4 in. or 5 in. in thickness and many feet in length and breadth. As shown by these quartz folia, the bedding of the schists is usually not far from horizontal, but in a few localities fairly steep dips are seen. In the southern part of the Lawrence Borough, especially near the main road to Dunedin, a fine-grained greywacke, only slightly schistose, outcrops in several places. It would therefore appear that the boundary-line between the schists and the less-altered rocks supposed by McKay to be of probable Devonian age ought to be drawn through the town of Lawrence, and not some miles to the westward, as in his map published in 1894 and again in 1897.* It ought to be mentioned that the ancient bed-rock on which the alluvial gold-bearing beds rest — that is, mica-schist, greywacke, or argillite —is known throughout Otago by the inappropriate names of " the reef " or " the high reef." The Palaeozoic rocks are capped in places by outliers of Tertiary and Quaternary rocks. These in general are conglomerates or gravels containing more or less detrital gold. Of great economic importance is the so-called " cement " —really conglomerate—which occurs at Bluespur, Wetherstones, Forsyth, Waitahuna Gully, and perhaps elsewhere. This conglomerate is interbedded with and overlain by sands and clays, which in places contain layers of lignite. These beds, regarded by McKay as belonging to Hector's Cretaceo-Tertiary system, are probably of Miocene age, but the absence of fossils and of detailed stratigraphic work prevents a definite statement from being made. The " cements " show moderate dips of from 10° to 20° in the various places where they are exposed. In places there may be patches of Pliocene or " Old Man " gravels. The so-called " granite " bottom of the district —an unfortunate term, for no granite is present —is presumably a bed of quartzose pebbles, on which rest gold-bearing gravels, and may possibly represent a Pliocene horizon. The various stream-flats have a covering of Recent auriferous gravels, which have been extensively worked for their gold-contents. Finally, in many places near Lawrence a somewhat thick coating of clay masks the underlying rocks, both on the flats and on the slopes, thus rendering surface prospecting somewhat difficult.

* See ''Older Auriferous Drifts of Central Otago," C.-4, 1894, opposite page 48, and the 2nd edition, 1897, opposite page 86.

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A remarkable fault, called the Tuapeka fault by McKay,* traverses the Lawrence district from north-west to south-east. It is of great economic importance, for it has been the chief agent in preserving from erosion the auriferous conglomerate worked at Bluespur and elsewhere. Economic Geology. (1.) Metalliferous Lodes. In all probability much of the alluvial gold of the Tuapeka district originated from definite auriferous veins, and not from the quartz folia of the mica-schists as McKay has very ingeniously argued.| Hence search for such lodes near Lawrence and elsewhere is abundantly justified. As a matter of fact, several quartz lodes are known to exist near Lawrence ; and one of these, on the spur between Gabriel's Gully and Wetherstones, was worked for a short period many years ago.J Near Waipori the well-known O.P.Q. lode has had a long and chequered career, and still offers considerable possibilities to the miner, for no portion of this well-defined and strong lode has been tested to a greater depth than 280 ft. Other gold-bearing lodes in the same locality are the Canton, Nuggety, Nuggety Gully, Cox's, and the Bella, all of which have been but imperfectly prospected. In addition to the gold-bearing veins just mentioned, lodes carrying copper-ore, antimony-ore, cinnabar, and scheelite have been found within a few miles of Waipori. The district as a whole therefore seems worthy of the prospector's attention. (2.) Alluvial Gold. Since 1861 the Tuapeka district has been famous for its rich alluvial deposits, the presence of which was first announced by the public-spirited Gabriel Read, with whose name that of Edward Peters (" Black Peter ") ought also to be associated as one of the early discoverers of gold in Otago. At the present time the chief source of the gold being won in the district is the auriferous conglomerate or " cement" being worked at Bluespur, Wetherstones, and Waitahuna Gully. This conglomerate has been fully described by McKay and others, and therefore little need be said about it on the present occasion. It rests on an uneven floor of mica-schist, whilst at Bluespur and Waitahuna Gully it is also seen to be bounded on the north-east side by a smooth wall of rock having a slope to the south-west of from 35° to 40°. This smooth slope does not represent the actual surface on which the conglomerate (cement) was deposited, but is the exposed face of the Tuapeka fault, which originally cut through a more or less continuous sheet of the Bluespur beds, as well as the underlying mica-schist (so-called " high reef"). The conglomerate on the north-east or upthrow side of the fault has long since been entirely removed by erosion, whilst on the south-west or downthrow side patches of considerable size still remain. Between these patches the " cement," like that on the north-east side of the fault, has been denuded. At Bluespur, though millions of tons of the cement have been sluiced into Munro and Gabriel's gullies, a considerable quantity still remains. At Wetherstones, besides the cement in sight, now being sluiced by the Golden Crescent Sluicing Company, an immense amount lies beneath the Wetherstones Flat. Though unable to speak definitely, I may at least say that there is a probability of the deep ground in this locality containing one or more rich layers, and therefore a vigorous prospecting policy seems warranted. The beds near Forsyth Railway-station lie between the two productive areas of Wetherstones and Waitahuna, and therefore are perhaps worth prospecting, especially in their deeper portions. At Waitahuna Gully the " cement " in sight will probably furnish good returns for many years to come, provided the various companies are not hampered by an insufficient supply of water. The modern gravels of the various valleys and stream-flats now appear to be almost exhausted. In places they have been worked twice and even three times over, first by cradling and ground-sluicing, then by dredging or by hydraulic sluicing and elevating. In the Tuapeka Valley above Evans Flat the Tuapeka Sluicing Company is following an old gravel-filled channel of the Tuapeka Stream, which is only a few yards wide, and excavated to a depth of 4 ft. or 5 ft. in quartz-mica schist. Above the gutter is about 6 ft. of quartz and schist gravel, overlain by a similar or greater thickness of clay. This material is being elevated to about 25 ft. above the bottom of the gutter, and profitable returns are apparently being obtained. (3.) Lignite. Layers of lignite occur in the upper part of the Bluespur cement, and at Wetherstones in a horizon above the cement, but these occurrences are of little value. Near the Lawrence Racecourse lignite was worked many years ago for local consumption, but on the coming of the railway a better class of coal was introduced and the local fuel ceased to be in demand. Lignite occurs also at Evans Flat. So far as can be judged from the scanty data now available, the horizon of the Lawrence and Evans Flat lignite is above that of the Bluespur cement, and therefore may correspond to the lignite at Wetherstones, as seen in the Golden Rise Sluicing Claim. (4.) Clay. Extensive clay-deposits occur between Lawrence and Beaumont, and in the future will probably be found to be of value for the manufacture of bricks, tiles, drainpipes, and possibly some classes of pottery-ware. The superficial clays of other localities may also prove of some economic importance, especially for brickmaking.

* " Older Auriferous Drifts of Central Otago," 2nd edition, 1897, p. 110. t Op. cit., 2nd edition, p. 20. See also " Gold Deposits of New Zealand." 1903, p. 68. J: See Hutton and Ulrich's " Geology of Otago," 1875, pp. 158, 195,

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Conclusion. Owing to the brevity of my visit, this report cannot be expected to cover all points of interest in the Lawrence-Waipori district, and is likely to contain one or two small errors at least. As already stated, the metalliferous lodes of the district deserve to be prospected afresh, whilst its clays and lignites are not without value. The auriferous " cements " of Wetherstones, Waitahuna, and perhaps other localities possibilities, and ought to be_ carefully prospected at those points where they are not already being worked. Literature. The principal accessible references to the Tuapeka district are as follows :— 1875. Hutton, F. W., and Ulrich, G. H. F. : " Geology of Otago." This work contains much valuable information relating to the Tuapeka and Waipori districts. See especially pp. 93 (Bluespur), 158-159.;( Gabriel's Gully Reef, O.P.Q. Reef), 181-183 (Older Drift of Bluespur, &c), 184 (Waipori Copper Lode), 185 (Waipori Antimony Lode), 189 (Brown-coal Mine, near Lawrence), 195-197 (Gabriel's Gully Reef), and 197-199 (O.P.Q. Reef). 1879. Cox, S. H. : " The Tuapeka Cements." Rep. G.S. during 1878-79, No. 12, pp. 42-53. 1881. Rowe, W. E. :" On the Stony Creek Antimony-mine, Waipori, Tuapeka County." Rep. G.S. during 1879-80, No. 13, pp. 155-156. 1881. Rowe, W. E. :" On the Waitahuna Copper Lode, near Waipori, Tuapeka County." Rep. G.S. during 1879-80, No. 13, pp. 156-158. 1892. Hector, James : " Blue Spur, Tuapeka." Part of Progress Report in Rep. G.S. during 1890-91, No. 21, pp. xxii-xxvi. 1893. Rickard, T. A. : " The Goldfields of Otago." Trans. Am. Inst. Mm. Eng., Vol. xxi, pp- 411--442. A portion is reprinted in the Mines Report (C-3), 1893, pp. 109-111. Mr. Rickard's article deals very largely with the Lawrence and Waipori districts. 1893. Rickard, T. A. : " Alluvial Mining in Otago." Trans. Am. Inst. Mm. Eng., Vol. xxi, pp. 442--473. 1894. Hector, James : " Blue Spur, Tuapeka." Part of Progress Report in Rep. G.S. during 1892-93, pp. xxxv-xxxix. 1894. McKay, Alexander: " Older Auriferous Drifts of Central Otago." Mines Report, C.-4. Reprinted in 1897. 1903. McKay, Alexander : " Gold Deposits of New Zealand." Reprinted from New Zealand Mines Record. 1906. Loughnan, R. A. : " The First Gold Discoveries in New Zealand." Reprinted from New Zealand Mines Record.

10. GOLD-MINING POSSIBILITIES OF THE HUNUA DISTRICT, AUCKLAND.* (By J. Henderson, Mining Geologist.) The township of Hunua lies in the basin of Hunua Stream, some thirty miles by rail and road from Auckland. Attention has lately been directed to a number of quartz lodes which are exposed at various points on the farms of Messrs. Wilson, Morrison, and Price, from three to six miles from the township. Mr. D. E. Morrison has driven two crosscuts about 50 ft. apart vertically, and has intersected a lode over 10 ft. wide in both drifts. Dish prospects may be obtained from portions of the lode. Three small veins have also been exposed by trenching on the same farm. Close to Morrison's boundary Mr. F. Price has proved by trenching that numerous boulders of quartz occur in the surface clays. A large barren-looking body of quartz outcrops for many chains on his leasehold. Other quartz lodes occur on Mr. Wilson's farm and in the low range between the Hunua Valley and Hauraki Gulf. The stream alluvia yield at many points dish prospects of an encouraging nature. The whole district is of low relief, the hills seldom exceeding 1,200 ft., and in general are about 1,000 ft. above sea-level, or approximately 300 ft. above the valley-floor. The land surface is old, and as a consequence surface accumulations are heavy, rock-weathering has proceeded to considerable depths, and outcrops are poor. Little can be said_ of the geology of the district. Fresh andesite overlies the lode-containing rock in several localities. The precise nature of the lode country is difficult to determine, as it is little better than a clay, but probably consists of greywacke and argillite of Juro-Triassic age. The lodes themselves consist of rusty quartz, indicating that iron sulphide was once abundant, and some of the quartz still carries a little pyrite. Manganese oxide is also present. Eight samples of quartz were taken and assayed at the Dominion Laboratory, but in none of these was gold or silver found to be present.

*,Written in October, A 911.

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11. COAL POSSIBILITIES OF THE WARKWORTH DISTRICT. (By -J. Henderson, Mining Geologist.) Introduction. The present writer spent only ten days in the Warkworth district, so that the followingaccount of its geology is of necessity mainly compiled from the reports of previous observers. The chief papers dealing with the Warkworth and neighbouring districts are as under : — 1869. Hector, James: "Memorandum to accompany Geological Sketch-map of Kawau." Geological Reports, Vol. 5, pp. 45-48. 1881. Cox, S. H. : ''Geology of the Marsden and Rodney Counties." Geol. Rep., Vol. 13, pp. 13-39. 1882. Cox, S. II.: " North Auckland District." Geol. Rep., Vol. 14, pp. 18-32. 1884. McKay, A. : " On the Occurrence of Serpentinous Rocks as Dykes in the CretaceoTertiary Strata near the Wade, Auckland." Geol. Rep., Vol. 16, pp. 99-101. McKay, A: "On the Relations of the Tertiary and Cretaceo-Tertiary Strata on the Coastline between Auckland and Mahurangi." Ibid, pp. 101-106. 1886. Park, James: "On the Kaipara District." Geol. Rep., Vol. 17, pp. 164-170. 1887. Park, James: "Kaipara and Wade Districts, Auckland." Geol. Rep., Vol. 18, pp. 219-229. Physiography. The most remarkable physiographic feature of the district is the wide maturely sculptured depression stretching from Kaipara Flats Station to Warkworth, and known as the Kaipara Flats. North and south the land rises abruptly into extensive assemblages of hills, the remains of deeply dissected plateaux of soft sandstone. Eastward this depression is drained by the Mahurangi and westward by the Kourawhero, a branch of the Kaitoto. The Kaitoto escapes from the depression by a short gorge and joins its parent stream, the Hoteo, itself entangled in a narrow valley. It has been suggested that at one time the Hoteo found its way to the sea through "the valleys of the Kourawhero and Mahurangi. On this supposition the Kaipara Flats would be the wide floor of the ancient Hoteo. The topography of the depression, however, is decidedly against this view. All the streams show entrenchment below their main valley-floors, a fact implying a recent elevation of the land. On the other hand, as pointed out by Hector long ago, the manner in which the sea penetrates into the land by winding estuaries and intricate embayments points to a drowning of former stream-yalleys by a recent depression. Possibly the most feasible explanation of the facts is that after considerable depression of the land a relatively slight elevation took place. Stratigraphy. Three unconformable sedimentary formations outcrop within the district. Of these the oldest, probably of Juro-Triassic age, is represented by the slates of Kawau Island, Matakana Point, and Cape Rodney. The rocks have been much folded and contorted, and usually have a north-easterly strike and a steep westerly dip. Rocks of probable Cretaceous age overlie the last-mentioned strata with great unconformity. Only one member of these beds —the hydraulic limestone—outcrops in the Warkworth district, but a full sequence is developed farther north at Whangarei. According to McKay greensands and black grits with coal-seams underlie the hydraulic limestone in that locality. Several bores, put down to prove the amount of limestone in connection with the cement-works, penetrated a greensandstone, which probably corresponds to the greensands below the limestone at Whangarei. The chalk with flints which Cox maps as covering a large area of country to the west of Wellsford and the flinty rocks exposed at Snell's Beach are part, of the same formation. Inconsiderable outcrops of hydraulic limestone occur near Warkworth, and at various places upon the floor of the Kaipara Flats depression. The next series of beds, called by Cox the "concretionary sandstones," is correlated by him with the Waitemata Series of Auckland Harbour. Where this formatiou rests on the slates, as at Kawau Island and Cape Rodney, the beds are generally calcareous breccia-conglomerates; but, as a whole, the lower beds are marly sandstones. The upper beds consist of thick greensandstones with occasional marly bands often containing coaly matter. Sometimes also volcanic breccias are interbedded, and to the west of Ahuroa the sandstones are capped by a breccia which may mark the close of the series. Although the relationships of the hydraulic limestone and the greensandstones are nowhere within the district shown clearly in section, the discordance of the formations is proved by the numerous coarser bands which occur in the sandstones containing water-worn pebbles of hydraulic limestone, calcareous marl, and rarely carbonaceous shah derived from the denudation of the hydraulic limestone and associated beds. Readily accessible localities where these pebble-bands may be observed are the railway-cuttings about half-way between Hoteo and Tatihoa, and in a quarry a little off the main road from Warkworth to Kaipara Flats Station, about two miles and a half from Warkworth. Hector long ago noted similar pebbles in the breccia conglomerate of Matakana North Head.* Structure. Numerous minor faults occur in the greensandstones, while the outcrops of hydraulic limestone nearly all show signs of severe fracturing. Thus in the railway cutting about 20 chains north of Kaipara Flats Station marly limestone dipping south at an angle of 75° is immediately

*S. H. Cox: " Geography of the Rodney and Marsden Counties," Rep. G.S. No. 13, 1881, p. 29.

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succeeded on the north by a zone, several chains in width, of intensely crushed and pugged limestone. Some 15 chains to the east of this occurrence a mineral spring is reported to issue in low-lying ground. Again in a well about three miles west of the railway-station slickenslided marls were reached after pasing through 45 ft. of shattered limestone. At Wilson's cement-works, near Warkworth, the limestone is greatly disturbed and full of slickenslided joints, &c. At Bailey's quarry, about a mile and a half north-west of Warkworth, a serpentine, altered from a basic rock, outcropping in connection with the hydraulic limestone, shows crushing due to earthmovements. At Snell's Beach the flinty " firestones " stand at high angles. These disturbed areas all occur in the wide low-lying depression already described, and their distribution suggests that a broad east-and-west fracture-zone underlies it. Kawau Island is in the direct line of the depression, and Hector in his map shows several east-and-west faults disturbing the strata there. The dyke of basic rock outcropping on the east of the island is also, according to Cox, much crushed. That the whole district has been subjected to forces tending to produce east-and-west fracturing is also suggested by the latitudinal distribution of the volcanic bosses as mapped by Cox. Coal Possibilities. In estimating the possibility of finding coal in the Warkworth district by boring, attention should be given not only to the local geology, but also to that of the New Zealand coalfields generally. So far no detailed examination has ever been made of the Warkworth district, and until this has been done any opinion cannot be regarded as more than tentative. In other parts of New Zealand it is known that coal-seams are found in connection with both the Miocene and Cretaceous rocks. The soft greensandstones of the district, which are probably of Miocene age, stretch as far south as Auckland, and throughout this area coal-seams are unknown, although at many localities thin lenses of coaly matter occur. The foldings and dislocations affecting these rocks expose the full sequence at many points, and it is exceedingly unlikely that workable seams will be found anywhere within them. In regard to the Cretaceous rocks of the district it is known that .workable seams occur beneath similar rocks in the Whangarei district. On the other hand, in East Auckland and North Canterbury, where large areas of similar rocks are found, no workable seams are known. Indeed, it may be said that in New Zealand even in well-known productive areas the greater proportion of the coal-bearing horizon is usually destitute of workable seams. It has already been noted that pebbles of hydraulic limestone and carbonaceous shale occur in the Miocene sandstone. This implies that after the deposition of the Cretaceous rocks the land was elevated and subject to denudation. The distribution of the various formations suggests that the greater area of Cretaceous rocks removed lay to the eastward of the Warkworth district. Still, the possibility that the greensandstones rest upon the basal slates at points other than at Kawau Island, Matakana Point, and Cape Rodney must not be forgotten. Bore-sites. In determining the most suitable sites for bores the following points must be kept in view : — (1.) The Miocene sandstones as a possible source of coal must be entirely disregarded. (2.) The only possible coal horizon lies at the base of the series containing the hydraulic limestone. (3.) This coal horizon may be entirely destitute of coal. (4.) Denudation has removed at least a portion of this horizon in the Warkworth district. If coal-seams occur below the hydraulic limestone, to prove their existence may require the drilling of a considerable number of bores. Bores to reach the coal horizon will be the least depth if drilled somewhere within the Kaipara Flats depression. Several known faults, however, traverse this valley and would tend to render boring difficult and the results obtained unreliable. Even if coal were found the faults would greatly add to the cost of mining, and cause the coal to be crushed and of low commercial value. Again, it would be inadvisable to bore eastward of the Warkworth meridian, because in that direction it is known that the limestones have been largely removed by denudation. The data for the selection of bore-sites are so meagre that any drilling must be regarded as a purely speculative venture. Perhaps the most suitable place for the first bore would be in the Kaitoto Valley, about a mile north of the Woodcocks Railway-station. This position is low-lying, is fairly close to an area of hydraulic limestone, and is at the same time sufficiently far from the known faults. The bore should be drilled until the basal slates are attained. A careful log should be kept, and in addition frequent samples of the strata traversed taken and examined by a competent geologist. No reliable estimate of the depth required to be bored can be given, but the lowest member of the Cretaceous rocks will at this place be probably not more than 500 ft. below the surface. The data given by this bore should be of great value in elucidating the structure of the district and in indicating the position of_ later bores.

12. COAL PROSPECTS OF THE WAIMATE DISTRICT, SOUTH CANTERBURY. (By J. Allan Thomson, Palaeontologist.) (1.) Narrative. The present report was ordered in response to representations made by a deputation of residents of the Waimate district to the Hon. the Prime Minister. In accordance with my instructions, I proceeded to Waimate on the 21st May, 1913, and communicated with Mr. W. G.

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Paul of that town, who explained to me more exactly the nature of the report desired Waimate Sleh^d erlen T d " C ° al famm , e dU r g the previoUS winter so far as Kaitangata or sSar !?. h , COa r + Wer " COnCei ; n \ d ' and consequently it was felt that the discovery, in an eTsily accessible locality ot a workable seam of coal would be a great boon to residents of that town even if it were of no better quality than the coal previously mined from the Waihao district Coal had long been known m the Waihao area, and had been worked from time to time but all the mines lay too far from the Waihao Downs Railway to allow it to be worked at a profit A resurvey of the Waihao district was therefore desired. Mr. G. Pitcaithley, headmaster of the Waimate High School kindly gave me information about previous mining and borin* oration! near Waihao Forks. I then proceeded to Waihao Downs, and was engaged in o Mr - **»*" ° f Waiha ° D ™ at kin n dly f (2.) Topography and Physiography. In the south of Canterbury a strong range diverges from the Southern Alps and extends in a nearly south direction towards the coast near Waimate, thus gradually restricting in thia direction the breadth of the area occupied by the coastal downs which replace the Canterbury R™. It T l ' n S ° Uh Z ds '- *hu ran 8' e ' which near th « A IP« i« known as the Two-Thumb ?562 ft" nMo t f V D , he f ht ' BTaduall y leSB6nS in elevation awards the coast, Eg SV , Moun ' Studholme.the highest point of the Hunters Hills between the upper water! of the Waihao and Pareora Rivers, and 1,275 ft. in the hills two miles west of Wa?mate It urns more to the south-east a few miles to the north-west of Waimate, and presents Straight steep front of about six miles m length facing that town, being broken through only by an old gorge of the Waihao River, through which the railway runs from Waimate to Waihao Downs These hills extend beyond Waimate nearly to the Waihao River; and, since they hie apparently received no name, 1 propose to designate them in this report the Waimate Hills From their base to the sea there is an area of low-lying country, practically a coastal plain, throuT which the Waimate, Hook, and other smaller streams wander in nearly graded channels to the sea Waimate lies at the foot of the hills, at a height of 175 ft. above sea-level " Ihe Waihao River rises on the western side of the Hunters Hills, receiving a strong branch at the Forks from a western watershed of over 2,000 ft. in height separating it! valley ffom that of the Hakataramea River and flows past the south end of the Waimate Hills through the °™ rrow coastal plain to the sea. It is separated from the Waitaki Valley in its lower part by the Waf Sf - rivers, and risJto beiges end DoS. £?M£S regulanty is disturbed only by prominent escarpments of linLtone The Wis bordering" part of the valley-™ the Waimate Hills on the east, the Hunters Hills on the north-east the Hakataramea watershed on the west, Elephant Hill on the south-west, and the north end of the Waikakahi Downs on the south-though deeply scored by narrow ravines, present on the whole very gentle s opes towards the high-level terraces of the Waihao River. The major outlines o? this part of the valley were developed at a time when the river flowed through the rock bound Waimate Gorge. The cutting of this gorge in such hard rocks must have been a Sativel slow process, during the progress of which the upper part of tho ™1W ,7 a lelatl 7 el > topography. A broad floodVin was cut across theKr "rocksof ZSe the surrounding hills were smoothed and rounded. Meanwhile a smaller stream ™„ 7 ; •! valley back in the softer rocks to the south of the Waimate Hills and fin alt T + Was , w ° rkln g lts of the Waihao a little below the Forks, and on y sot rocks in its lower courses, the new river thus formed was'abk to deepen its be UntlZ r sr high tf i- z :ftffi -dify the ohl^s^ The very markedly straight front of the north-east side of the Waimate Hill., i* ai ™ ion " the !o,t ""* "" rf ™ ki -° r - -'"'^w (3.) General Account of the Geology between them and the overlying Tertiary rocks The ',™ f M & w" 7 Stl '° ng break Hunters Hills, and thence tho^g^oU^ T — HilL g pK£iW££S

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Lying with strong unconformity on the older rocks is the younger group of Tertiary (probably Lower Tertiary) age. It consists of softer and more incoherent rocks, and may be subdivided as follows: (1) Coal-measures (at the base); (2) greensands; (3) limestone; (4) Mount Harris-beds.* The coal-measures are reddish-brown in colour, and consist of fine conglomerates, sands,, shales with much carbonaceous matter, and seams of coal occupying various horizons. Sandy beds predominate in most exposures, and in consequence of their excessive permeability to water, and of the oxidation to sulphuric acid of the large amount of iron sulphides they contain, the greywacke series immediately underlying the coal-measures is deeply rotted and strongly bleached, as may be well seen in the bed of the Waihao River half a mile above the bridge on the road between Waihao Forks and Waihaorunga. The coal-measures vary in thickness from place to place, and pass gradually by the increase of glauconite into the overlying greensands, but there are from 50 ft. to 150 ft. of non-glauconitic beds which may be claimed as coal-measures. They outcrop in an irregular broad curve on the north side of the area occupied by the Tertiary rocks,, but are absent at the surface along certain lines where the younger rocks, greensands or limestones, have been let down by faults against the greywacke series. The coal-measures dip everywhere below the greensands, and thus underlie the area south of their outcrop towards the Waitaki River, at an increasing distance from the surface in this direction. The greensands are deep-green rocks formed mainly of quartz grains and glauconite, and contain many marine shells which prove their age to be Lower Tertiary. An interesting mineral occasionally found in these rocks is retinite or fossil resin, derived no doubt from the resin of coniferous trees which were growing on the adjacent land. The greensands appear to be upwards of 200 ft. thick. Unlike the coal-measures they are very impervious rocks, as is proved by the numerous springs which issue from under the terrace gravels at the top of the cliffs of greensand in both branches of the Waihao River. The result of this impermeability is that the underlying coal-measures are water-logged, and hold the water under pressure. The limestone is a highly glauconitic variety, and consists in its lower part of thin beds of hard limestone separating thicker bands of calcareous greensand, which exhibit current bedding in an extremely well-marked degree. A marl rock is stated to underlie the limestone near McCullough's Bridge, a section which the writer did not have the opportunity of examining, but opposite Waihao Downs Station the limestone appears to pass gradually down into the greensand. The Waihao limestone is believed to be strongly phosphatic, but a search for bands of rock phosphate proved unsuccessful. It is quite likely, however, that both the greensand and thelimestone everywhere carry a small percentage of phosphorus, which may account for the fertility of the soils lying on them. The beds immediately succeeding the limestone were not seen in any of the exposures visited, but a higher series of loose sands and shell-beds is exposed in Mount Harris. Time did not permit of an examination of the country around Waimate on the northeast side of the Waimate Hills, but it is probable that the Mount Harris beds underlie the gravel plains of this area. Witli the exception of McKay, all previous writers on the geology of the Waihao and Waitaki valleys have explained the fact that the Tertiary beds extend into basin-like areas among the mountains by postulating that in these situations inlets of the Tertiary sea indented the coastline. McKay, however, held that over the whole of the eastern side of the South Island the Tertiary beds occupied a much greater area at the time of their deposition, extending further towards the axis of the island, and that, in consequence of differential uplift or approximately uniform uplift and subsequent down-faulting of certain areas, the more elevated parts were removed by erosion, while those parts lying below the general level of the greywacke floor were preserved from this denudation, and now appear to occupy interior basins. The disposition of the Tertiary beds at Waihao favours McKay's view, for the basal surface of the coal-measures is not plane but gently curved, so that their outcrop is roughly semicircular between Elephant Hill and the Waimate Hills, while a minor basin occurs north of Tussock Hill in such a manner that it cannot be explained by original deposition. Further, the great fault along the north-east side of the Waimate Hills is evidence of differential movement since the deposition of the Tertiary beds. It is probable that the old mature surface exhibited by the hills surrounding the Waihaobasin lies only a little distance below the original base of the Tertiary rocks which once covered these hills, for it is only slightly below the projection of base of the existing Tertiary beds. Apparently- the Tertiary floor was warped into a gently curved surface, and the river eroded easily those parts of the Tertiary rocks lying above its flood-plain when it flowed through the Waimate Gorge, and also the decomposed greywacke immediately underlying them, but was able to carry out little effective work on the harder undecomposed greywackes at a greater depth. A. confirmation of this view of the structure will ensue if outlying patches of the Tertiary rocks are subsequently discovered on portions of this old mature surface. Geological'Map. —The geological sketch-map accompanying this report is the first that has been made of the area, and, being hurriedly made, can only be taken as a first approximation. It has most claim to accuracy in the area west of the north branch of the Waihao River, with the exception of the limestone outcrop between Waihao Downs and Elephant Hill Creek. The outcrop of coal-measures on the south-west side of the Waimate Hills was not examined by the writer, and has been inserted on the strength of McKay's descriptions. Alluvial formations are not shown. (1.) Coal Prospects in the Waihao Area. Coal has been mined intermittently in the Waihao area for about forty years. The reasons that have prevented a permanent industry being established are —(i) The poor quality of thr coal; (ii) the distance from a market; (iii) the nature of the coal-measures.

* Mr. Marwick, in a written communication, states that there is a bed of greensand between the limestone and the Mount Harris beds, occupying thus a position similar to the Hutchinson Quarry beds in the Oamaru district.

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GEOLOGICAL SKETCH MAP OF WAIHAO COALFIELD

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(i.) The Quality of the Goal. A large number of analyses of coal from Waihao have been published from time to time, and are collected in the following table, with a new analysis made by the Dominion Analyst of a specimen collected by the writer from the face of the drive in the Elephant Hill Coal-mine. >

1. Waihao. Coal water-logged, but dried as powder for forty-eight hours. Average of four samples, 20th Ann. Rep. Col. Lab. (1886), p. 39. 2. Waihao. Ash contains alkaline carbonates. 21st Ann. Rep. Col. Lab. (1887), p. 35. 3-7. Waihao. 27th Ann. Rep. Col. Lab. (1893), pp. 21-22. 8, 9. Waihao Forks. 30th Ann. Rep. Col. Lab. (1897), p. 4. 10. Shale, Waihao Forks Coal-mine. 39th Ann. Rep. Col. Lab. (1906), p. 5. 11. Waihao Coal-mine. Rep. Analyses N.Z. Coal, &c, Mines Dept. (1907), p. 9. 12. Waihao Forks. 44th Ann. Rep. Dom. Lab. (1911), p. 9. 13. Elephant Hill Coal-mine. 1913. The average composition of Waihao coals calculated from the above table is as follows :— Fixed carbon ... ... ... ... ... 2992 Hydrocarbons ... ... ... ... ... 38-92 Water ... ... ... ... ... 2398 Ash ... ... ... ... ... ... 7-18 It will be seen, therefore, that the Elephant Hill coal corresponds very nearly to the average of all Waihao coals, and is not as good as the best of these. These analyses show that the Waihao coals are of poor quality, being too low in fixed carbon, rather high in ash, and exceedingly high in water. In burning them a great part of the heat must be consumed in evaporating this water. They cannot, therefore, compete successfully with a high-class brown coal such as Kaitangata. Nevertheless, the fact remains that they have found a ready sale in Waimate at a price of about 17s. 6d. per ton. It will perhaps be as well to correct certain misapprehensions that exist in the district in regard to the quality of the coal in depth. In the first place, the coal-measures do not extend under the higher hills bounding the basin, such as Elephant Hill and Tussock Hill, but rest along their edges. Where the coal-measures are deeply buried they are almost certainly water-logged, and thus no improvement in the percentage of water in the coal is likely to be found. In any case, so far as pressure of overlying rocks is concerned, the coal at the outcrop has once experienced the same pressure as that still covered by the greensand and limestone, and no improvement from pressure is to be expected in depth. Should the coal be found, however, in more impervious measures, there would be some reason to expect an improvement in quality. (ii.) The Distance from a Market. Coal has been mined chiefly from an inclined drive near the south branch of the Waihao River at the crossing of the road from Waihao Forks to Waihaorunga — i.e., two miles from the AVaihao Forks Railway-station, and from an adit on the south-east side of Elephant Hill, distant by road about six miles and a half from Waihao Downs Railway-station. In each case the coal was carted from the mine to the railway-station, and in the case of the Elephant Hill mine the cost of carting prevented the coal being sold at a profit in Waimate. Attempts have been made to discover coal near the south-west end of the Waimate Gorge, where it would be very convenient to the railway and to Waimate, but no good seam was found here. The thickest known seam is that at Elephant Hill (12 ft. or more), that on the South Waihao being 5 ft., and a seam discovered by boring near Waihao Forks being 9 ft. Should the railway be extended from Waihao Downs in the direction of Waihaorunga, as settlers hope will be the case, it will shorten the distance that coal would have to be carted from Elephant Hill, and will render the south-east side of Tussock Hill very acccessible. A suggestion has been made that a deviation towards Elephant Hill of the proposed railway extension would allow the coal there to be used, but in view of the poor quality of the coal a deviation can hardly be recommended on this ground alone. At present the best area for mining, from the point of view of accessibility, appears to be two miles to the north-east of Waihao Forks. The coal is of too poor a quality and the quantity too small to justify the laying of a tramway. (iii.) The Nature of the Coal-measures. From what has been said above of the permeability of the coal-measures and the impervious character of the greensands, it will be readily understood that the coal-measures in depth must be heavily saturated with water. This was proved by the experience in shaft-sinking and boring near Waihao Forks. In 1886, A. B. Lindop, a mining engineer temporarily engaged by the Geological Survey, recommended that a bore should be put down at this point to cut the coal at

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l. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. i 10. 11. 12. 13. Fixed carbon Hydrocarbon Water Ash .. Calculated evaporative power (lb.) Sulphur 34-72 22-83 28-01 14-44 4.5 27-77 31-06 36-18 4-99 3-6 35-85 4302 15-01 6-12 4-30 32-83 24-81 47-24 54-41 16-32 17-58 3-61 3-20 3-90 27-78 49-84 18-19 4-19 27-97 31-06 36-18 4-79 3-6 39-41 28.40 23-96 8-23 38-24 29-53 24-21 8-02 22-0 52-8 15-9 9-3 24-95 36-41 26-09 12-55 24-28 36-16 30-59 8 : 97 28-37 43-22 23-49 4-92 1-62 1-78 2-98

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150 ft., in the mistaken hope that the quality of the coal would be improved in depth. Apart from the question of water in the coal-measures this would have been a suitable site for a mine, as it is immediately adjacent to the railway. No action was taken at the time, but a few years ago a shaft was sunk to a depth of 180 ft., when it filled up one night between shifts with water. Presumably the shaft had nearlj- reached the bottom of the greensands, and the pressure of water in the underlying loose sands broke the remaining band of impervious rock at the bottom of the shaft. The fact that they were sinking into an artesian system did not seem to strike the prospectors, for they then put down a bore of 460 ft. to the greywacke floor, cutting 9 ft. of coal at 380 ft. This bore also gave a flow of water. It follows, therefore, that although coal underlies a large area of country it cannot be profitably mined because of the water difficulty, and only a comparatively small amount of coal can be obtained from those parts of the measures relatively free of water near the outcrop. Even then the nature of the enclosing beds may cause some difficulties in mining. The Elephant Hill coal has a fairly good roof of shale, but in the mine on the South Waihao a fall or flow of loose sand filled the workings and put an end to mining operations. It follows, therefore, from the poor quality of the coal, its hydrous nature, and the difficulties of mining, that the Waihao area is never likely to become an important coalfield, although a small amount of coal may be mined around the outcrop for household use in Waimate and the surrounding district. When the high-grade coals of New Zealand are becoming exhausted there will probably be a system perfected of burning the poorer coals at the pit-mouth and transforming their heat into electricity, which can be conducted to the adjacent towns by wire. When that time comes the Waihao coalfield will be a valuable asset to the district. (5.) Coal Prospects in the Waimate District. Time did not permit of an examination of the geological structure of the country to the north of Waimate. Coals of inferior quality are known from various points between Waimate and the Pareora River, and it appears probable that they underlie Waimate. Before any boring operations to test this hypothesis can be recommended, a geological reconnaissance of the country between Timaru and Waimate will be necessary to ascertain the succession of the beds, their thickness at Waimate, the probable quality of the coal, if any, and whether an artesian system is also likely to occur in this area. Such an examination will necessitate at least a month's field-work. (6.) Bibliography. 1877. McKay, A.: "Oamaru and Waitaki Districts." Rep. Geol. Explor., Vol. 10 (1876-77), pp. 41-66. 1879. Haast, J. yon : " Geology of the Provinces of Canterbury and Westland," pp. 310, 315. 1882. McKay, A. : " Geology of the Waitaki Valley and Parts of Vincent and Lake Counties." Rep. Geol. Explor., Vol. 14 (1881), pp. 56-92. 1886. Lindop, A. B. :" On the Waihao Coalfield." Rep. Geol. Explor., Vol. 17 (1885), pp. 21-2. 1887. Hutton, F. W. : " Note on the Geology of the Valley of the Waihao in South Canterbury." Trans. N.Z. Inst., Vol. 19, pp. 430-3. 1887. McKay, A. : " The Waihao Greensands, and their Relation to the Ototara. Limestone." Ibid., pp. 434-440. 1887. McKay, A. : " On the Identity and Geological Position of the Greensands of the Waihao Forks, Waihao Valley, South Canterbury." Rep. Geol. Explor., Vol. 18 (1836-7), pp. 91-119. 1888. Hutton, F. W. :" On the Greensands of the Waihao Forks." Trans. N.Z. Inst., Vol. 20, pp. 264-7. 1905. Park, J. : " On the Marine Tertiaries of Otago and Canterbury, with Special Reference to the Relations existing between the Pareora and Oamaru Series." Trans. N.Z. Inst., Vol. 37, pp. 489-551 (especially pp. 527-530).

13. MINERAL PROSPECTS OF THE MAHARAHARA DISTRICT, HAWKE'S BAY. (By J. Allan Thomson, Palaeontologist.) Narrative. The present examination of the Maharahara district was made in response to representations made by the Woodville Chamber of Commerce. I therefore made it my first business, after arriving in Woodville on the 20th June to ascertain from Mr. Home, President of the Chamber, the nature of the report desired. Mr. Home explained that, owing to the nearness of the

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mountains, the amount of farming land around Woodville was necessarily restricted, and that the business men of that town therefore hoped to provide for expansion by opening up mineral industries in the mountains, and were prepared to form companies for that purpose, provided that the indications were sufficiently favourable. The minerals supposed to exist were coal on Mr. Johnson s farm at Maharahara, oil near Te Rehunga, copper in the ranges behind Maharahara, and gold m the Manawatu Gorge. ~ n/u 0111 ! 1116 20th t0 the 24th June l was en & a g ed in examining the coal and copper prospects at Maharahara. During this work I was accompanied by Mr. F. Johnson, who kindly acted as guide. _ On the 2oth and 26th June, in company with Messrs. Murray and Foley, of Te Rehunga 1 examined the oil indications near Te Rehunga, and also some supposed silver prospects in the ranges behind. On the morning of the 27th I visited the gold lease in the Manawatu Gorge, and in the afternoon of the same day returned to Wellington. The actual country examined was small in extent, but, owing to the uniformity of geological plan ot east Wellington and south Hawke's Bay, a sufficient amount of observation was made to give a general account of the mineral prospects of the whole area. Topography. The whole of the country examined lies on the western side of the Manawatu River above the gorge. The dominant topographical feature is the Ruahine Range, which extends from the Manawatu Gorge in a north-north-east direction for sixty miles to the gorge of the Ngaruroro River, beyond which its continuation is known as the Kaweka Range. These ranges form the structural backbone of the North Island, and are the northerly continuation of the Rimutaka and lararua Ranges. Opposite Maharahara the Ruahines rise to peaks of nearly 3 500 ft ami descend in long steep spurs to the high-level terraces of the tributaries of the Upper Manawatu River. The chief streams draining the mountains are, in order north-east from the Gorge to Dannevirke, the Mangaatua, the Raparapawai, the Orouakeretahi with its tributaries the Otamarahu and the Mangapukakakahu, the Otamaraho, the Tamaki, and the Tapuata streams. Next in importance to the Ruahine Range comes the Puketoi Range, which bounds the Manawatu River on the south-east side. This range rises to heights of 2,600 ft, behind Kumeroa but presents a more gradual descent towards the river. Like the Ruahine Range it is only a part of an elevated mass of country extending for a great distance in a north-north-west to south-south-east direction, m this case from Cape Kidnappers to Cape Palliser. Between the Ruahine and the Puketoi ranges, the highest points of which are eighteen miles apart on a south-east line drawn through Maharahara, lies the basin-shaped valley of the Upper Manawatu River, through which the Dannevirke-AVoodvilh section of the Napier-Wellino-ton Railway runs at heights between 700 ft, and 300 ft. above sea-level. In a distant aspect" the valley seems to slope gently from the foot of the ranges on each side to the river, but actually the Manawatu is incised over 100 ft. below the general level of the plain, while the numerous tributaries have revived their courses through the old flood-plain right back to the ranges and their valley-sides are submature in development, so that in traversing the valley along its margin from south-west to north-east a constant repetition of flat hill and rounded valley is met with The basin of the Upper Manawatu extends south-south-west from Woodville between the eastern and western mountains nearly to Mauriceville, where a low watershed separates it from the valley of the Ruamahanga River, which flows south-south-west through Wairarapa Lake to Palliser Bay, occupying a similar position with regard to the Rimutaka and Tararua Mountains on the west and the Cape Palliser Range and its northerly continuation on the east There is thus a great longitudinal depression between the eastern and western mountains running practically from Palliser Bay to Hawke's Bay. Nearly the whole of the country above described was at one time heavily wooded, as the names forty-mile Bush, Seventy-mile Bush, &c, indicate, but now the forests are practically confined to the mountains and their edges, the better parts of the valleys being at least burned if not cleared and grassed. A great deal of the burning is of very recent date. Gkneral Account of the Geology For the purpose of comparing mineral prospects the rocks of New Zealand, with the exception of those of the Otago Sounds region, may be conveniently divided into five °reat urouns these are — . a t> r ■ (1.) Old more or less metamorphosed, and now mainly schistose or crystalline sediments occurring chiefly on the west coast of the South Island and in Otago. To'these rocks all the productive gold-reefs of the South Island are restricted, and from them all the rich alluvial ex Id has been derived. These rocks do not occur in the North Island. (2.) A central group of steeply dipping conglomerates, hard impure sandstones (greywackes) slaty indurated mudstones and shales (argillites), red jasperoid rocks and crystalline limestones' these rocks form the greater part of the high mountains of North Otago,* Canterbury Marlborough, _ and Wellington. Their age and subdivision is still a matter of controversy but they are certainly intermediate in age between the rocks of groups one and four. Taken as a whole they are almost devoid of valuable minerals, the only deposit of any importance now worked in them being the marble of the Blue Mountains. Shag Valley, Otago. which is burned for lime

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As the rocks of the Ruahine and Puketoi ranges belong to this group, their mineral prospects will be reviewed in greater detail below. (3.) A series of granites, serpefitines, and related igneous rocks intruded as bosses and dykes into the rocks of groups 1 and 2. According to modern views of ore-genesis, most ore-deposits owe their introduction into the places they now occupy to solutions given off by igneous intrusions during or after their cooling. Serpentines form the country of copper near Nelson, of nickel-iron in north-west Otago, and probably form the matrix of the semi-precious greenstone of the South Island. Moreover, platinum is found in the neighbourhood of serpentines in Westland. No intrusive rocks have been yet described by geologists from the Tararua-Ruahine ranges, but it is said that a large mass of serpentine occurs in the Ruahines north of Norsewood, while boulders of basic rocks have been found in streams draining the east side of the Tararuas. (4.) A marginal group of marine sediments occurring on both sides of the central chains in each island. These rocks, which are but little altered from their original composition as gravels, sands, mud, and shell-beds on the sea-bottom, now form conglomerates, sandstones, mudstones (papa), greensands, marls, and limestones usually dipping at quite low angles. In general the series begins with conglomerates and sandstones, followed by greensands or mudstones, on which rest limestones, corresponding to the period of maximum depression; then as the sea shallowed again the order of the beds is reversed, and greensands or mudstones again appear, followed by gravels. By means of the fossils contained in the rocks it is possible to determine that the beds belong to various ages in different parts of the country, ranging from Upper Cretaceous through Lower Tertiary to Upper Tertiary. It, is in this marginal group of rocks that all the workable seams of coal in the Dominion occur, and also most of the limestones suitable for building, cement-making, or burning for lime. Experience has shown that the Cretaceous coals are seldom extensive or of very high grade, while nearly all the good coals occur in the Lower Tertiary. The Upper Tertiary rocks often contain seams of lignite, but never of good brown coal. Further, it is in these marginal rocks that all the oil indications in New Zealand have been obtained, the oil being presumably formed from the immense amount of organic matter in the form of shells and smaller forms of life deposited with the marine sediments. The oil indications are most abundant in the Upper Cretaceous rocks, but the only producing wells as yet lie in the Lower Tertiary mudstones of New Plymouth. (5.) Finally, there are the extensive fields of lava and volcanic ash (including pumice) of Recent and Tertiary date, which are best developed in the centre of the North Island. In these rocks occur the andesitic goldfields of the Hauraki Peninsula, Waihi, and Karangahake. These rocks, with the exception of beds of transported pumice, do not occur on the east side of the Ruahine Range and its continuations. Turning now to the district around Maharahara, and, indeed, to the whole of the east coast of the North Island, we find that only the second and fourth of these groups of rocks are represented. The core of the Ruahine Mountains and its northerly and southerly continuations is formed of the central group of greywackes and argillites, with reddish jaspers, which appear at numerous points between Wellington and Norsewood, and may be clearly seen in the Manawatu Gorge. According to McKay, crystalline limestones belonging to this series occur near Eketahuna, and are of sufficiently good quality and colour for architectural marbles if they could be obtained in blocks of sufficient size. The possibility of discovering marbles of similar nature in other parts of the ranges should not be lost sight of. These rocks strike for the most part north-north-east to south-south-west, with steep dips to the west-north-west and east-south-east, but local divergences from these directions are formed by smaller folds, and by faults. Similar rocks have been described in the eastern mountains only at Cape Palliser and for a short distance to the northwards, to the north-east of Alfredton, and on the northern continuation of the Puketoi Range. Between Kumeroa and the Cape Palliser Peninsula the older rocks, which presumably form the core of the eastern mountains, appear, according to earlier reports, to be covered by a mantle of Lower Tertiary rocks, which hardly form a definite range, but in places rise to the semi-isolated peaks known as the Taipos.* The Upper Manawatu Valley is floored by Upper Tertiary (Pliocene) conglomerates, sandstones, mudstones (papa), and limestones, tying between the ranges and on their margins, and covered in most places by the high-level terrace gravels of the Manawatu River and its tributaries. Limestones or calcareous sandstones are well represented in the top end of the Manawatu Gorge, but are not developed along the front of the Ruahines near Maharahara. Characteristic Pliocene fossils were obtained by the writer in the mudstones of the Mangaatua River close to the range, and nearer the Manawatu River on the saddle of Harding's Road, between Kumeroa and Woodville. Along the edge of the Ruahine Range the basal Pliocene beds are steeply folded against the mountains, being practically vertical in the Mangaatua River. McKay has observed that on the edges of the Wakarara Range, far to the north, the Upper Tertiary (presumably Pliocene) rocks are overfolded, so that the order of succession is reversed, and the beds dip towards instead of away from the ranges. Similarly along the western side of the Puketoi Range, as far as can be judged from distant views, the Pliocene rocks are also folded against the range, but in the centre of the valley the dip is quite small, and the beds are in some places flat. Structurally, therefore, they form a broad syncline, bounded on each side by the ranges, and resting on a floor of the older greywacke-argillite series. A local modification of this structure is found on the right bank of the Manawatu River opposite Kumeroa, where a small island, as it were,, of the older rocks appears in the midst of the Tertiary rocks, forming Morgan's Hill above

* Subsequent observations on the Taipos east of Masterton have oast doubt on the Tertiary age of the rocks forming them.

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the Hopeland School. It is a part of the old floor, which has been elevated relatively to the surrounding country along fault lines. From the disposition of the rocks above described it is obvious that earth-faults of some magnitude have affected the district since the Pliocene period. From what we know of similar structures in the Kaikoura Ranges, it may be asserted that the central group of rocks was folded and elevated, and in places completely planed off by processes of erosion before the latter part of the Cretaceous period. Large parts were once more depressed below sea-level, but at different times, for the base of the marginal rocks now covering them is Cretaceous in some places (e.g., East Marlborough and east side' of the Puketoi Range), Lower Tertiary in others (e.g., South Canterbury), and Upper Tertiary in others (e.g., Hawke's Bay). After the deposition of the Pliocene a second period of compression was instituted, the pressures coming from the east-south-east, with the result that parallel mountain chains, with intervening structural valleys, were formed in north-east to south-west or north-north-east to south-south-west directions. The rocks of the central group, being already tightly folded, appear to have moved up and down, or to have been tilted, as blocks, while the softer and more pliable marginal rocks were folded into broad anticlines over the lower ranges facing the pressure, and synclines between the ranges, while along the edges of the stronger blocks of older rocks on their eastern sides facing the pressure they have been so squeezed as to be steeply folded, and even overfolded in places. The long depression running from Palliser Bay, through the valleys of the Ruamahanga, the Upper Manawatu, and the Tukituki rivers, to Hawke Bay is thus a structural valley, and has not been excavated by these rivers, but only slightly modified by them. The apparently abnormal courses of the Manawatu and Ngaruroro rivers in cutting boldly through the Ruahine Mountains is not due to damming back into lakes, with subsequent escape over low passes in the ranges, as is commonly supposed, but to the fact that these rivers were antecedent — i.e., they were there in those courses before the mountains reached their present elevations, and were able to cut down their gorges as the mountains rose. The state of our knowledge of the rocks and fossils of east Wellington is not sufficiently advanced to permit of a clear statement of the relationships of the Pliocene rocks of the Upper Manawatu basin to the Older Tertiary rocks of the Ruamahanga and the Taipos and the Cretaceous rocks of the East Coast. Possibly -a bar of the older rocks separates the Upper and Lower Tertiaries of the Manawatu and Ruamahanga valleys. In general structure, however, it may be anticipated that little difference will be found between different parts of the great structural valley. Should oil be found in the Wairarapa Valley the determination of the exact relationships of the older Tertiary rocks there to the Younger Tertiaries farther north will become a pressing economic problem. Mineral Prospects in the Ruahine Ranges. From what has been said above it will be gathered that the mineral prospects of the grey-wacke-argillite series of rocks are not very bright. Gold, if it occurred in any quantity, would have long ago revealed its presence to prospectors in the gravels of the streams draining the range. The Hon. J. C. Crawford, at one time Provincial Geologist of Wellington, made a systematic search for gold and other minerals through the Tararua Range, with most unpromising results. A little gold, however, has been found in the Terawhiti and Karori districts, near Wellington, the earliest recorded discovery (alluvial gold) being as far back, as 1861,* and mines were started in 1881, but without success. The most promising mineral discovery yet made in these rocks in the Dominion is that of copper at Maharahara, while another small copper lode has been described by W. A. McKay from the head of the right-hand branch of the Makaretu River, near Norsewood. All the minerals that have been found are restricted to the belts of red jaspers and associated rocks, as has been clearly indicated by A. McKay in the following sentences: "Apart from the grey indurated sandstones, slaty shales, and mudstones that form the greater part of the Rimutaka, Tararua, and Ruahine Mountains, there are frequent outcrops of grey and red or greenish chertose rocks (often strongly charged with pyrites, and not infrequently mistaken for quartz reefs), red jasperoid slates, brecciated green diabasic tuffs (always more or less calcareous), and thick bands of green siliceous slates. These together form a belt of strata of considerable thickness; their characteristics are constant, and their continuity is but rarely interrupted between the shores of Cook Strait and the northern part of the Ruahine Mountains; and, forming part of the great backbone and main watershed of the North Tsland, they can be followed north-east until, with the other strata belonging to the same system, they terminate on the south and east shores of the Bay of Plenty. . . . Among these chertose, jasperoid, and diabasic rocks or m their close vicinity, have been found all the indications of mineral wealth vet discovered in connection with the older rocks of the Wellington District."f The true nature of the red jasperoid rocks and the green rocks accompanying them has uever been determined by chemical and penological study, and it is therefore difficult to "ive any explanation of why they are at times mineral-bearing. On account of the frequent occii'-rence ot manganese with the red rocks Hutton considered that they were of deep-sea origin for the red oozes of the ocean-bottoms contain many nodules of manganese oxide. The greywackes and argilhtes that enclose the reds rocks are essentially terrigenous deposits, formed in no great

d v*u S i eeJ ,P' Cra * Wf ° r j : "0n the Geology of the Province of Wellington," Trans. N.Z. Inst., Vol II 1870 n -!7() Exploit JZ 19 (ii™) p? 1* 2 * ** **"'* ° f Stream - f L UoK^: *£<**.

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depth of water, so that Hutton's explanation is improbable. It is more probable that McKay is correct in considering the green rocks as of volcanic origin, in which case the source of the precious metals may be looked for in the igneous magma. Since the red and green rocks are cupriferous only in places, it is possible that the copper has been introduced subsequently to their formation by later intrusives in the ranges. However, the matter is obscure at present, and all that can be asserted is that the red and green rocks are mineral-bearing, and are the only rocks in the ranges that have proved so up to the present. The Maharahara Copper-mine. In spite of the fact that this mine has been worked by three companies at different times, and has been the subject of five published and several other manuscript reports, little is yet known about the true nature of the deposit. This is partly due to the fact that on three occasions when it was visited by Hector and McKay the mine-workings were blocked by falls of stone, and partly also to the fact that the workings do not reveal much of the supposed reef. The copper indications which led to the discovery consisted of blocks of red jasper, with green stains, found in the Mangaatua River, and a further find of a mass of sulphide farther up the stream. Finally, in the steep bush-clad ranges above, three outcrops of strong bands of jasper were discovered, of which one contained abundant green stains and small amounts of copper sulphides. The prospecting operations have consisted of blasting away part of this outcrop, sinking an irregular shaft 80 ft. deep at this point, driving an adit crosscut (the intermediate drift or drive) for 350 ft. from a point on the hill slope perhaps 150 ft. lower, and another adit crosscut (the lowlevel drive) just above the creek-level, 290 ft. lower. At the time of the writer's visit the shaft liad been filled, the adits were both blocked by slips, and all that could be seen were the dumps and the outcrops. The whole neighbourhood is heavily wooded, and such clearings as were formerly made had become re-forested with dense undergrowth, so in the short time available little could be seen of the relationships of the rocks. The lease is now held by Mr. Norman Gurr, of Dannevirke, whose operations have apparently been confined to clearing the track from the road in the valley below through the bush up to the low-level drive. The outcrops examined by the writer consist of strong bands of red hematitic jasper, containing abundant green stains along the joint-planes, and occasional small masses of chalcopyrite embedded in the jasper near the joint-planes, and apparently occurring along a cross-vein. The rock is very hard to break with the hammer, -and will be costly to drive on. Except for the presence of the copper minerals rand the large percentage of haematite, the jasper does not differ materially from other specimens of similar rock from Sinclair Head, near Wellington, the Kaikoura Mountains, he. Hector, however, considered that a distinction could be made between the light-brown or red more siliceous specimens from the creek-bed, which he regarded as derived from a stratified rock, and the dark-brown or purple more hsematitic specimens from the outcrop, which he considered the proper gangue of a true lode or mineral vein, ami of the nature of gossan; for he stated later that in the low-level drive the lode was 7ft. wide, carrying about 4 ft. of clean copper-ore, with the haematite showing signs of disappearing. however, considered the jasper as a bedded rock in which the copper had been enriched along certain fissures. Since the jasper, taken as a whole, is much too low-grade to be mined in bulk, the question of whether it is a true lode or not can be left open for the present. What is of importance is the manner of the occurrence within or alongside the jasper. The previous reports are not very clear on this point. Hector considered that the lode was not continuous, but consisted of lenses occupying cavities formed by an oblique movement along the line of fissure, meaning apparently a relative displacement of two walls that were not plane, but presented small rolls. There can be no doubt, from the analyses published by Hector and McKay, that small lenses of rich ore do occur, but the explorations made do not appear sufficient to allow a definite statement of their frequency to be made, and this in spite of an expenditure of something like £30,000 in developing the property. The great fault of former mining was that all the capital was expended on crosscuts, and no driving of any extent along the line of lode was attempted. The opinion which the writer has formed after inspection of the outcrop, conversations with two men who have worked in the adits at different times, and study of the former reports, is as follows :— (1.) The mode of occurrence of the copper is unusual, and consequently it would be unwise to condemn the mine without giving it a fair trial. Experience of copper-mines elsewhere does not help much in estimating the probabilities. (2.) Copper is widespread in the jasper as stains or small masses of chalcopyrite, but the rock as exposed in the outcrop is very low-grade. (3.) Rich lenses of bornite and other sulphides have been found, and there is a possibility of obtaining larger bonanzas. (4.) The value of the ore will probably be considerably enhanced by the gold and silver content of the copper-ores. (5.) To test the property thoroughly by legitimate mining no more crosscuts are necessary, but levels should be driven on each side from the low-level crosscut along the jasper as long as copper indications are found. If the results are satisfactory rises should be made to connect with similar drifts on the intermediate level. The ore blocked off should be thoroughly sampled by modern methods, and no assays of picked samples should be published to mislead the public. (6.) For such a testing of the property a prospecting syndicate with a working capital of £10,000 is necessary. A small part of the money expended will certainly be recovered from ore won in driving, but the syndicate should be prepared to risk the loss of the greater part cf their money.

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(7.) More favourable mining ventures demanding the expenditure of £10,000 could be found in New Zealand. In view of the benefits that would accrue to the district, however, the expendiSJLITX.SV* , gltlmate r entUre fol ' / esidente of th e district,;.since, if successful, it would probably lead to other mines being opened up in the ranges. : Gold in the Manawatu Gorge. A gold claim near the Woodville end of the Manawatu Gorge has been held by a prospector for some time, and a small amount of auriferous pyrite has been discovered, on the strength of which most of the. storekeepers m Woodville and neighbouring towns have been invited to invest money m part shares in the claim. The pyrite occurs in a thin leader traversing a red jasperoid band, but there is no indication of a solid reef. No serious work has been done on the claim nor are there any indications that warrant the expenditure of any further money in prospecting it! Silver in the Ruahine Ranges. From time to time, during shooting expeditions or other excursions in the ranges, settlers light on specimens of stone or minerals which they consider of value as mineral indications, but when afterwards asked to find or describe the spot they are unable to do so owing to the similarity aWelhT ttf the , ° reSt - u M I- F ° ley ' ° f Te ReW S a ' ' ,Ins carefull y Fleeted aTculy above that settlement from which some galena shown to him, and found to be argentiferous was stated to come, but beyond finding a few barren quartz leaders traversing the greywacke he discovered no indications of minerals. It is important that any one finding a supposed valuable mineral on the bush-clad spurs should either blaze the trees" around, or erect a small ft in ° a later e vis°it er " ° therwise there is little Probability that he will be -able to lccate Mineral Prospects in the Pliocene Rocks. Coal at Maharahara. . The coal indications on Mr Johnson's farm at Maharahara are found in a small tributary of the most easterly branch of the Mangaatua River, and lie close up to the ranges The rocks in which the coal occurs-are near the base of the Pliocene sequence, and strike at this point north north-east to south-south-we-st, with a dip of 45° to the east-south-east. They consist manly of conglomerates, with numerous intercalations of mudstones and shales, which contain pantimpressions and small masses of coaly matter ranging up to 4 in. in their greatest diameters A small seam of coal has been found in the highest exposed part of this conglomerate-mudstone series, and it is on this that the hopes of the coal-prospectors have been built ThT coal s lustrous and black, and apparently of good quality, but it passes gradually into black carbon aceous shale Between two strong beds of conglomerate there is a space 0f 7 3 ft. occupied by a bed of mudstone and the coal-seam. The latter averages 6 in. in thickness, but in places thins ou almost to nothing, though it is said to have swelled to as much as 18 in. in a small drift put mon it It is thusrquite lenticular in character, and even if, as hoped by the prospectors it were found to exceed this thickness, there is no likelihood that it would maintain the increased size or more than a few feet. The seam in itself is, therefore, of no value as a source of coal From the point where it occurs an almost continuous section exhibiting similar conglomerates and mudstones can be traced up the stream (but down the sequence of beds) to the undoing greywacke rocks, so that them is no hope of discovering a thicker seam at a lower horizon Farther down the stream the rocks overlying the conglomerate immediately above the coal are not exposed, but there is reason to believe that after a short interval of similar conglomerate there is a soft sandstone. The east branch of the Mangaatua River has excavated a broad rounded valley at this point, and along a line fronting the hills just below the last outcrops of conglomerates there is a succession of low passes connecting the various streams flowing from the mountains for a distance of two miles to the north-east, a fact that points to the occurence o a fairly thick bed of soft rock succeeding the conglomerates. Some light is thrown on this point by a section a mile and a half to the south-west, exposed in the cuttings of the road Twine branch-o the Mangaatua leading to the copper-mine, and in the cliffs of the left "of this river farther down In a smal cutting on the road there is a thin seam of coal enclosed in mudstone, lying between beds of sandstone and sandy conglomerate, all striking north north east to south-south-west, and dipping very steeply (over 70°) to the east-south-east Forty feet higher m the sequence an exposure of a few feet of calcareous sandstone, with marine sheh fossils occurs by the road, and is succeeded, after another obscure interval of about 40 ft., by a Sick band of conglomerate. Above his follows hundreds of feet of sands and sandy mudstones with numerous Pliocene fossils m a horizon commencing about 100 ft. above the conglomerate This sec ion shows that marine conditions existed .during the deposition of at feast the upper par of the conglomerates, and makes it probable that the soft rocks overlying the conglomerates in the east branch of the river are sands and sandy mudstones. ' meiatesmtne While, therefore, it cannot be definitely stated that there are no thicker seam* n t ™„i lying that found on Mr. Johnson's farm,' the geological evidence is aga iZTu poSbillT Further, the general experience of the whole of the Upper Manawatu basin and also oi'the Wairarapa, goes to show that if thicker seams of coal should be found they are likely to be of inferior The known coal-seams lie either near the base of the Pliocene rocks like the two described above, or near the top, in what is known as the pumice sand and lignite Sri« he coal in the latter being of very poor quality indeed. The following tables bring Tgetht all the published analyses of coals from the Upper Manawatu and Wairarapa basins •- g

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Analyses of Coal from Upper Manawatu and Ruamahanga Valleys. UPPER MANAWATU VALLEY.

RUAMAHUNGA VALLEY.

1. 2. 3. I 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10. 11. 12. 13. Fixed carbon Hydrocarbons Water Ash Sum Evaporative power (lb.) Locality 45-01 24-75 . 25-12 5-12 100-00 29-20 25-00 19-30 26-50 100-00 3-8 39-90 29-70 24-20 6-20 100-00 5-19 34-14 32-24 29-20 4-42 100-00 4-4 MauricevilL 39-39 33-98 24-02 2-61 100-00 5-10 29-89 27-53 26-18 16-40 100-00 44-82 23-79 1-20 30-19 100-00 40-80 26-60 17-40 15-20 100-00 5-2 Near Masterton 40-18 33-15 22-46 4-21 100-00 5-2 Opaki, near 35-40 22-57 23-21 18-82 100-00 4-6 Fernridge, S.W. of Masterton 10-50 6-70 0-80 82-00 100-00 45-15 30-99 17-09 6-77 100-00 34-78 16-00 20-03 29-19 100-00 4-5 Morrison's Run, Wairarapa. Matarawa, Carterton E. side of Rimutaka Mountains, Wairarapa Masterton

1. 2. I 3. 4. 5. I I 6. 7. 8. 9. 10. II. 12. 13. Fixed carbon Hydrocarbons Water Ash Sum Evaporative power (lb.) Locality 40-32 42-69 14-28 2-71 100-00 5-2 Ruahine Mountains, Wellington 27-9 28-6 37-7 5-8 100-0 9-04 7-81 12-40 18-06 33-98 19-69 44-58 54-44 100-00 100-00 35-91 22-83 11-14 30-12 100-00 4-6 31-4 33-4 26-6 8-6 100-0 10-20 9-53 20-23 60-04 100-00. 42-21 29-52 20-04 8-23 100-00 5-5 Makuri 37-82 33-87 1411 14-20 100-00 4-90 17-51 45-58 30-52 6-39 100-00 5-7 39-13 22-82 20-41 17-64 100-00 51 50-78 26-81 14-21 8-20 100-00 7-5 23-20 23-17 10-79 42-84 100-00 Norsewood Mangatewainui Stream, near Norsewood Jet coal, Maharahara Eketahuna Mangahao Tiraumea.

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References. In the following list of references to the analyses the abbreviation " Lab." indicates Colonial Museum and Laboratory, or Colonial Laboratory, or Dominion Laboratory Report. The numbers following indicate the number of the report and. the page of that report on which the reference will be found. " Rep. U.S." stands for " lieports of Geological Explorations." UPPEE MANAWATU. 1. Lab. 23/47, 1889. 2. Lab. 15/30, 1880. 3-4. S. H. Cox: "The District around Norsewood." Rep. G.S., No. 15, 1883," p. 3. 5. A. McKay: "Deposit of Jet Coal at Maharahara, near Woodville." Pari. Paper C—ll, 1896, p. 47. 6. Lab. 37/6, 1904. 7. A. McKay: "On the Prospects of Coal within the Mangahao Block, Pahiatua County." Rep. G.S., No. 21, 1892, p. 30. 8. Lab. 28/9, 1894. 9. Lab. 27/17, 1893. 10. Lab. 9/13, 1874. 11-12. Lab. 30/5 and 6, 1897. For 11 see also Pari. Paper C.-11, 1896, p. 50. 13. Lab. 18/41, 1883. RUAMAHANGA VALLEY. I. A. McKay: "Deposit of Lignite at Mauriceville, Wairarapa North." Pari. Paper C.-11, 1896, p. 51. 2-3. Lab. 35/5 and 6, 1902. 4-6. Lab. 30/4 and 5, 1897. 7. Lab. 32/3, 1899. 8-9. Lab. 23/43, 1889. 10. Lab. 23/52, 1889. 11. Lab. 35/6, 1902. 12. Lab. 10/10, 1875. See also S. H. Cox: "Report on Coal at Wairarapa," Rep. G.S. No. 9, 1877, p. I. 13. Lab. 19/24, 1890. Oil at Te Rehunga. The supposed indications of oil at Te Rehunga all centre around a gravel-pit near the ranges in which a very strong smell of oil was observed last summer. A hole was sunk at that time, and a small amount of oil was found making a pug of the gravel. The pit has since been extended and deepened, and at the time of the writer's visit, contained a large pool of water a few yards from the original hole, and at a lower level than its bottom, but no trace of oil occurred on the surface of the water. The original hole was therefore re-excavated until water rose in it, and some doubtful traces of oil were observed. Before the pit was started a steam log-hauler stood on this site for about six months, and it is practically certain that the small amount of oil found was derived from the oil used for lubricating the steam-engine. The other indications in the neighbourhood consisted of scum on the surface of standing water in the partially cleared bush near by, and of brown slime of vegetable origin on the clay banks of a small stream. Such indications are of no value. With regard to the general question of the occurrence of oil in the Manawatu basin, it may be said that a suitable cover exists in the impervious mudstones of the Pliocene rocks, and that the structure is not unfavourable. The only things that are lacking are definite indications in the form of oil-seepages, gas springs, salt springs, or sulphur springs. Until these are found any expenditure in the way of boring would be quite unjustified. In any case the district will be partly tested by the bore now being put down near Eketahuna. Should this yield oil the prospects further north are quite good. It may be pointed out, however, that the only producing wells in New Zealand at the present are in Miocene rocks, and that the majority of the oil indications on the east coast of the North Island lie in Upper Cretaceous rocks. Even in these rocks it is far from being proved that oil is of general occurrence, while there is nothing known at present to suggest that it will be found in the Pliocene rocks. Bibliography. For further details of the district under consideration the reader may be referred to the following papers and reports, the titles of which are in most cases self-explanatory: — 1869. Crawford, J. C. : "Essay on the Geology of the North Island of New Zealand." Trans. N.Z. Inst., Vol. 1, pp. 305-28. (Contains a very good account of the Tararua and Ruahine Mountains.) 1870. Crawford, J. C. : "On the Geology of the Province of Wellington." Trans. N.Z. Inst., Vol. 2, pp. 343-60. (Contains an account of the search for gold in the Tararuas.) 1877. Hector, J. : " Masterton and Napier Districts." Rep. Geol. Explor. during 1876-7, pp. x-xi. 1877. McKay, A. : " Report on the Country between Masterton and Napier." Ibid., pp. 67-94. (With maps and sections.) 1877. Cox, S. H. : " Report on Coal at Wairarapa." Rep. Geol. Explor. during 1874-6, p. i. 1883. Cox, S. H. : " The District around Norsewood." Rep. Geol. Explor. during 1882, pp. 1-4.

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1887. Park, J. : " On the Geology of the Western Part of Wellington Provincial District, and Part of Taranaki." Rep. Geol. Explor., Vol. 18, pp. 24-73. (An account of the Manawatu Gorge is given on pp. 33-34.) 1888. McKay, A. :" On Mineral Deposits in the Tararua and Ruahine Mountains." Rep. Geol. Explor., Vol. 19, pp. 1-6. 1888. McKay, A. :" On the Copper-ore at Maharahara, near Woodville." Ibid., pp. 6-8, Appendix, by W. Skey, pp. 8-9. 1888. McKay, A. : "On Certain Calcareous Rocks occurring near Eketahuna, County of Wairarapa North." Ibid, pp. 18-20. 1888. McKav, A. : "On the Tauherenikau and Waiohine Valleys, Tararua Range." Ibid., pp. 58-67. 1890. Hector, J. : " Maharahara Copper-mine." Rep. Geol. Explor., Vol. 20, pp. xxiv-xxvii. (With plan and sections.) 1892. Hector, J. : "Maharahara Copper." Rep. Geol. Explor., Vol. 21, pp. xxvi-xxviii. 1892. McKay, A. : " On the Prospects of Coal within the Mangahao Block, Pahiatua County." Ibid., pp. 28-30. 1894. Hector, J. : " Maharahara Copper-lode." Rep. Geol. Explor., Vol. 22, pp. xxxiv-xxxv. 1894. Hector, J. : " Lignites in Wellington District." Ibid., pp. xxxiii-xxxiv. 1894. McKay, A. : "On the Maharahara Copper-mine, Woodville, Hawke's Bay." Ibid., pp. 2-6. T894. Hill, H. : " Notes on the Geology of the Country between Dannevirke and Wainui, Hawke's Bay." Trans. N.Z. Inst., Vol. 26, pp. 392-6. 1896. McKay, A. : "Deposit of Jet Coal at Maharahara, near Woodville." Pari. Paper C.-11. pp. 47-49. 1896. McKay, A. : " Prospect of finding Coal on the Tiraumea Estate, Upper Tiraumea Valley." Ibid., pp. 49-51. (With map.) 1896. McKay, A. : " Deposit of Lignite at Mauriceville, Wairarapa North." Ibid., p. 51. 1901. McKay, A.: "Copper at Maharahara. near Woodville, Hawke's Bay." Pari. Paper C.-10, p. 3. 1901. McKay, W. A. : " Report on a Copper Lode in the Ruahine Range, near Norsewood." Ibid., pp. 26-28. 1901. McKay, W. A.: "Report on the Geology of Cook Strait from Pencarrow Head to the Ruamahanga River and of the Eastern Slopes of the Ruahine Mountains between the Tamaki and Makaretu Rivers." Ibid., pp. 28-36. 1909. Hill, H. : "The Great Wairarapa: A Lost River." Trans. N.Z. Inst., Vol. 41, pp. 429-37.

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APPENDIX D.

STATE COAL-MINES (REPORT ON THE WORKING OE) FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31st MARCH, 1914.

Prepared in accordance with the requirements of Section 118 of the Coal-mines Act, 1908. The General Manager, State Coal-mines, to the Under-Secretary, Mines Department, Wellington. Sir, — New Zealand State Coal-mines Office, Wellington, 12th June, 1914. I beg to submit the annual report and balance-sheet of the New Zealand State Coalmines for the year ended 31st March, 1914. The gross output of the mines was 198,279 tons, which, after allowing for mine consumption and waste, left 177,816 tons for disposal, and when compared with the figures of last year shows a decrease of 49,218 tons. The Point Elizabeth Mine produced 110,401 tons of marketable coal of the following grades : Screened, 32,834 tons; unscreened, 37,776 tons; bunker, 13,950 tons; small, 25,841 tons. The following table shows the quantity disposed of, after allowing for stocks on hand and afloat :—

The sales of coal from this mine are therefore 50,498 tons less than last year. Ihis reduction in the output is due partly to the ''thinning-out" of the seams, but mainly to the cessation of work on account of the strike of miners and others employed in and about the mine. The demand for coal from Point Elizabeth has for years exceeded the output, and the position has become so acute that it will be necessary to mix it with Liverpool coal for household purposes. This mixture should make a really good and economical fuel. The Liverpool Mine turned out up to the 31st March of this year 22,170 tons of marketable coal of the following grades: Screened, 3,832 tons; unscreened, 7,102 tons; bunker, 979 tons; small, 10,257 tons. The following table shows the quantity disposed of, after allowing for stocks on hand and afloat: —

Owing to the strike above referred to the development of this colliery has been hampered, and will not reach a regular stage of production until June of this year. The coal does not burn so freely as Point Elizabeth, but is denser and consequently more economical; it is a firstclass steam and gas article, and the demand is already nearly equal to the estimated output ol the mine. The Seddonville Mine produced 45,245 tons of marketable coal of the following grades : Screened, 17,100 tons; unscreened, 2,409 tons; nuts, 1,526 tons; small, 24,026 tons; bunker, 184 tons.

To whom. Screened. Unscreened. Bunker. Small. Totals. Depots Railways Other Government Departments .. Private consumers Tons. 24,296 '1,688 663 6,115 Tons. 20,641 5,746 1,598 9,863 Tons. 821 13,043 Tons. Tons. 5,576 50,513 7,434 340 3,422 20,456 49,477 Totals 32,762 37,848 13,864 26,372 110,846

To whom. Screened. Unscreened. Bunker. Small. Totals. Depots Railways Other Government Departments Private consumers Tons. 2,182 986 100 152 Tons. 2,182 986 100 152 Tons. 1,254 159 75 5,084 Tons. Tons. 472 Tons. 3,908 1,145 568 11,294 217 762 176 5,296 Totals 3,420 3,420 6,572 979 5,944 16,915

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The following table shows the quantity disposed of, after allowing for coal on hand and afloat: —

The sales from this mine are less than those of last year by 21,020 tons, which is accounted for by the marketable coal being exhausted and in consequence necessitating the closing of the mine. It is to be regretted that this course was found necessary, but after careful exploration it was found that a sufficiency of hard coal could not be found to justify the expenditure on further operations. The ways, working plant, &c, in and about all the mines have been maintained in good order. It gives me pleasure to be able to state that the officers and men connected with the various blanches of the State coal-mines have worked well and with the welfare of the Department at heart. In conclusion, I may say that it is expected, when the labour agreements are finally settled and the conditions become normal, the outlook for the future should be very satisfactory. Attached are the reports of the Mine-managers, giving detailed information in reference to the working at each mine. I have, &c, W. C. Gasquoine, General Manager.

The Manager, Point Elizabeth State Coal-mine, to the General Manager, State Coal-mines Department. Sir,— Greymouth, 6th May, 1914. I have the honour to submit my annual report on the State collieries under my charge for the year ended 31st March, 1914. Point Elizabeth Colliery. Coal-winning. The gross total output for the year amounted to 124,803 tons 12cwt., of which the No. 1 Section of the colliery produced 41,248 tons 17cwt., and from No. 2 there was obtained 83,554 tons 15cwt., and after deducting mine consumption there remained for disposal 110,401 tons. The colliery worked 216 days 6 hours, an average of four days 1 hour per week; the balance of the possible working-time —viz., 313 days—being accounted for by time lost on account of the watersiders' strike, fifty-three days; fortnightly pay Saturday, twenty-six days; and by other union holidays and minoi stoppages, seventeen days and a quarter. The average daily output for the days worked was 577 tons 6cwt., and the gross output since the sales of coal began in 1904 amounts to 1,817,702 tons. The average numbers of employees during the year were —coal-miners, 82; other adult underground labour, 66, and 2 boys; on the surface there were employed 48 men and 16 boys; the surface labour embraced haulage-road workers, engine-drivers, firemen, and mechanics : in all, underground and overground, 196 men and 18 boys. The disbursements on wages account were £42,419 18s. lOd.; and the coal-hewers' average daily earnings were, in No. 1 Section, 17s. 4'53d.; and in No. 2, 19s. 3'58d.; or a general average of the two sections of 18s. 7d. per day. Underground Exploration. The work done by way of exploration underground has been confined to the workings in the bottom seam of coal, which is separated from the main seam by about 20 ft. of sandstone. In No. 2 Section, where this seam is most extensive, the main headings have been driven across the line of fault (which in the lower levels had cut off the coal and limited the workings), with the result that the workings for an increased area may be extended to the south-west, and, as the coal has thickened considerably, it will provide output from this section of the field for a longer period than was anticipated. Surface Exploration. The work under this head has been confined to the putting-down of bores to the south and east of the dip workings in the No. 1 Section, and on the western side of the Seven-mile Creek, but so far nothing of a favourable character has been encountered.

To whom. Screened. Unscreened. Bunker. Nuts. Small. Totals. )epots Railways .. ' •ther Government Departments 'rivate consumers Tons. 4,287 11,772 624 525 Tons. 95 95 Tons.. Tons. 1,140 693 Tons. 1,104 21 628 22,107 Tons. 5,486 13,028 1,287 25,849 2,375 35 149 Totals .. 17,208 1,833 23,860 2,565 184 45,650

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At the date of last annual report (1913), boring done amounted to 8,921 ft.; the additions S this" wort itT 8 ' W ****** *° T l ' 10 '°° 0ft - In """q™™ of the unsatisfactory result buffs XL+ H ee « SUSpenced ' and attention is being directed to further examination of the bluffs adjacent to the Seven-mile and Spring Creeks, the object being to trace, if possible an extension of the present seams capable of being mined and handledVofitably by Ye present Additions to Plant. In the last annual report reference was made to the addition to pumping plant then in course of being installed to enable the then flooded portion of the workings in No 1 Section to be unwatereoL This plant, consisting of 200 kw. electric generator (Westinghouse Company makers), direct-coupled to Bellis-Morcom compound non-condensing engine, and liees-Itoturto pump capable of raising 600 gallons per minute to a vertical height of 600 ft., the pump being direct-coupled to a 160 h.p Westinghouse motor, speed 1,450 revolutions per minute, was completed on the 26th August, 1913, with the result that the accumulated water was speedily reduced tSS m T* COnsui 7 tion of coal has b een effected, and very considerable reduction m tlie maintenance and running charges in connection with this branch of the mine plant. Accidents. There have been no fatal accidents in connection with the operation of this colliery during the year, although there have been a number of minor and some of a more serious character* there is, however, a tendency towards greater care in connection with all branches of the work. ' General. _ In concluding the report on this colliery it is to be regretted that the workable area of coal m present workings is fast being diminished, and unless some other area is capable of being operated by the present plant the life of the workings is limited. 8 Liverpool Colliery. The general description of this colliery, together with the topographical features of the field and character of the development-works, were fully dealt with in last annual report (1913) The works then referred to as nearing completion, including coal-storage bins, screens, coal-tubs hydraulic brakes, and other accessories, are now in complete working-order. Coal-winning. The colliery reached the output stage in April, 1913, and first shipment of coal was made during that month, to the 31st March, 1914, the gross quantity raised amounted to 15 690 tons and after deducting mine consumption there remained for disposal 15,510 tons * The disbursements for wages on account of coal-winning were £6,061 12s 4d The miners so far employed have been paid on a day-wages rate of 12s. per day of eight hours from time of entering until their return to the tunnel-entrance. Underground De velopment. The colliery is being developed at three points. No. 1 tunnel-entrance is at the upper end of endless-rope-haulage line, at 1,750 ft. above sea-level, and is two miles distant from the railway and coal-bins Ihe seam being worked in this section varies from 5 ft. to as much as 30 ft in thickness, and the inclination is from 1 in 5 to 1 in 2. No. 2 tunnel is 1 mile 40 chains from the railway. The seam is about 14 ft. in thickness and the inclination from 300 to 7&0 from the horizontal, and is about 1,550 ft above sea ±n f°ai tUn 5 1S 1D °!° Se .P 1 ' o*™0*™ t0 the raihva y and stora ge bins. The seam ranges from 4 ft. to 8 ft. and over, inclination 1 m 5 or 6, and is about 800 ft. above sea-level In all cases the workings are producing high-grade bituminous coal, light in ash sulnlmr very low, and suitable for producing coke of exceptional quality for smelting purposes.' Additions to Plant. In order to cope with the output from the several sections of the mine, and deal effectively with the winning of coal from a field where the inclination of the seams is liable to change in direction and degree of dip and rise, it will be necessary to add to the electric-power plant which has already been installed for working the ventilating-fans. Electricity offers the most con vement and economical means of dealing with the varying conditions likely to be met with in the course of the development of this coalfield. Accommodation for Workmen. i•ln 01 *° "Wet * h ? demand soon likel >' t0 a « s e> huts and cottages are now in course of being erected—the huts for single men and cottages for families—and means of transport for those whose homes are established at Runanga, and who may require to travel to work at the 1 and 2 Sections of the new colliery, are now in course of construction. -

*In addition to the above, prospecting-tunnels and development-work produced 6,980 tons 18 cwt.

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Baths. The establishment of baths to permit of men, when leaving their work at the mine, to wash and change their clothes is being considered, and plans have been prepared. Before proceeding with any such erection the matter of position and water-supply has to be very carefully considered, and, as there are three separate sections of the mine, only two of which can be accommodated at one bath establishment, two installations of the kind will eventually be necessary. As regards the benefits to the men there can be no two opinions. Cottage Hospital. Plans for provision of this kind have also been prepared. Accidents are inseparable from mining, and in the case of this mine the long distance to be traversed before a patient can be properly attended to, the erection of a building near the mine such as has been projected is a necessity. General. As already indicated, the coal-mining work so far done at this colliery has been paid for at day-wages rates; but the Court of Arbitration having been approached to fix an award whereunder contract rates will come into force, it is hoped that the present system will soon be abolished. Accompanying are plans of the workings of the Point Elizabeth and Liverpool Collieries, and photos of the points of interest at the mines; also table showing the hewers' average daily earnings for the year. Permit me to add that the officers in all branches of the works have carried out their duties to my satisfaction, and the Inspecting Engineer has rendered valuable assistance. I have, &c, James Bishop, Manager.

Hewers' Average Daily Earnings for Year ended 31st March, 1914.

The Manager, Seddonville State Coal-mine, to the General Manager, State Coal-mines. g __ Seddonville, 10th April, 1914. I have the honour to submit my annual report on the Seddonville State Colliery for the year ending 31st March, 1914. Output. The total output won from the mine for the year was 50,705 tons 11 cwt., and after deducting mine consumption and waste there remained for disposal 45,245 tons. Ihe gross output from the mine since its inception amounts to 537,960 tons.

Pay ending. * Days. Amount. Average. 1913. 12th April 26th April 10th May 24th May 7th June 21st June 5th July 19th July 2nd August 16th August 30th August 13th September 27th September 11th October 25th October 8th November 882 982 906 987 938 913 924 839 753 895 901 856 874 783 835 188 £ s. d. 836 11 2 957 16 11 917 6 7 857 7 2 394 4 5 896 19 7 878 4 9 850 15 9 750 10 9 808 5 1 821 7 0 779 5 0 796 18 2 726 11 5 787 19 7 213 4 7 s. d. 19 4-72 19 4-54 20 3-00 17 4-31 19 11-03 19 7-56 19 0-11 20 3-26 19 11-21 18 0-73 18 2-60 18 2-41 18 2-67 18 6-70 18 10-45 22 8-20 1914. 31st January 14th February 28th February 14th March 31st March 801 798 857 840 856 600 0 11 684 6 9 730 10 11 768 19 0 777 4 5 14 11-78 17 1-73 18 3-59 18 3-59 18 1-72 Totals 17,614 16,368 9 1 18 7-02

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The mine worked 187* days, making an average of 36 days per week, which is a great reduc Z fff „ C Tf ared + Wl l h i the P revious This reduction in the number of working days s of which the mine was rendered idie *» * x averaged ° f """ bOyS em P in and ab ° ut the mine throughout the year nf o7 he 6 °tVj} ewers ' average daily earnings works out to 19s. 6|d. per shift, which is an increase of 9d. per shift over the previous year. increase Accidents, There were a few minor accidents occurred during the year, but not any of a serious nature. Plant. and Jonditron. in and about the m ine h ave been maintained in good working order Underground Exploration. l • W - th iU exce P tion of a small ar ea in the. West Section, which required developing at th P beginning of the year practically the whole of the output was maintained from pl Sexfraction he greater part of which was won from the West Section It may be stated tw i-L i■ ' in this section are all to the rise, and, as mentioned in my last Annual report tttL I aT be exercised to avoid damaging the surface over a large port onT which is or UZI SW tT PJ ; natU L 6 ' and n if ° nCe br ° ken and allo^d *o °™ in would have had aisLti on nd mb + where Pl ars could not be taken out entirely the system adopted was to pH to Jii^surtace 0 a C6rtam 6Xtent ' Md kWe StUmpS » - a " P jlla - 0f «>- -ffioieTtly strtg eSX^Xr^TrTSj.^ arS thUS f ° Und ™ aband °- d and a ttent?onn h rparto Prospecting. General . time there are t0 *" W ' " «* P ™* the mme > a Sanation is not been worked In (TKI LT?V accompanying tracing of the mine-plan have I have, &c, I. A. James, Manager.

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Balance-sheet of the New Zealand State Coal-mines. Statement of Liabilities and Assets at 31st March, 1914. Liabilities. Assets. £ s. d. £ s. d. £ s. d. £ s. d. £ s. d. Point Elizabeth Colliery and Development Property Account .. 511 7 1 Debenture loan .. .. .. .. 175,000 0 0 Depreciation .. .. .. .. .. 511 7 1 Loan under Appropriation Act, 1912 .. .. 50,000 0 0 225,000 0 0 Machinery, plant, ropes, and rolling-stock— Debenture sinking fund .. .. .. 13,200 0 0 Cost at 31st March, 1913 .. .. .. .. 25,245 0 2 Reserve fund .. .. .. .. 5,884 11 2 Additional outlay during year .. .. .. 189 11 7 19,084 11 2 Aoorued interest ........ 5,564 16 8 25,434 11 9 Sundry creditors .. .. .. .. 16,747 17 6 Depreciation .. .. .. .. .. 8,365 18 5 22,312 14 2 17,068 13 4 Buildings at mme— Cost at 31st March, 1913 .. .. .. .. 2,348 14 7 Additions during the year .. .. .. .. 10 18 1 2,359 12 8 Depreciation .. .. .. .. .. 476 10 0 1,883 2 8 Cottages— Cost at 31st March, 1913 .. .. .. .. 2,196 010 Depreciation .. .. .. .. .. 340 11 3 1,855 9 7 Stores (stook on hand) .. .. .. .. .. 2,012 15 11 Timber (stock on hand).. .. .. .. .. 61 8 4 Coal (stock on hand at mine and wharf) .. .. .. 896 12 8 Coal (stock on hand, afloat) .. .. .. .. 622 6 0 3,593 2 11 24,400 8 6 Point Elizabeth (Liverpool) Colliery and Development Property Account— Cost at 31st March, 1913 .. .. .. .. 86,695 19 4 Additions during the year .. .. .. .. 9,753 10 2 96,449 9 6 Depreciation .. .. .. .. .. 1,205 12 4 95,243 17 2 Machinery, plant, ropes, and rolling-stock— Cost at 31st March, 1913 .. .. .. .. 39,753 13 2 Additions during the year .. .. .. .. 6,998 510 46,751 19 0 Depreciation .. .. .. .. .. 584 8 0 46,167 11 0 Buildings at mme— Cost at 31st March, 1913 .. .. .. .. 1,523 16 0 Additions during the year .. .. .. .. 980 15 5 2,504 11 5 Depreciation .. .. .. .. .. 31 6 2 2,473 5 3 Cottages at mine .. .. .. .. .. 175 4 11 Depreciation .. .. .. .. .. 23 10 173 1 1 Timber Account .. .. .. .. .. .. 165 6 5 Coal (stock on hand at mine and wharf) .. .. .. 1,733 1 5 Coal (stock on hand, afloat) .. .. .. .. 63 17 3 ■ 1,796 18 8 146,019 19

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Balance-sheet of the New Zealand State Coal-mines— continued. Statement of Liabilities and Assets at 31st March, 1914 —continued. Liabilities. Assets. £ s. d, £ s. d. £ s. d. Seddonville Colliery— Machinery, plant, ropes, and rolling-stock— Cost at 31st March, 1913 .. .. .. .. 7,403 4 3 Depreciation .. .. .. .. .. 3,718 18 9 3,684 5 6 Buildings at mme— Cost at 31st March, 1913 .. .. .. .. 297 0 9 Depreciation .. .. .. .. .. 63 15 11 233 4 10 Cottages— Cost at 31st March, 1913 .. .. .. .. 155 16 11 Depreciation .. .. .. .. .. 36 0 0 119 16 11 Scores (stock on hand) .. .. .. .. .. 149 4 10 Coal (stock on hand at mine and wharf) .. .. .. 286 4 9 Coal (stock on hand, afloat) .. .. .. .. 253 17 6 689 7 1 4,726 14 4 Briquette plant— Cost at 31st March, 1913 .. .. .. .. 3,630 15 5 Less plant sold .. .. .. .. .. 14 11 6 3,616 3 11 Depreciation .. .. .. .. .. .. 1,613 10 3 2,002 13 8 Hulks Property Account— Cost at 31st March, 1913 .. .. .. .. 1,255 11 8 Additions during the year .. .. .. .. 1,433 15 5 2,689 7 1 Depreciation .. .. .. .. .. .. yoi 13 9 2,487 13 4 4,490 7 0 Wellington Depot Property Account— Cost at 31st March, 1913 .. .. .. .. 1,875 4 9 Additions during the year ... .. .. .. 13 15 6 1,889 0 3 Depreciation .. .. .. .. .. 175 1 5 1,713 18 10 Stocks on hand .. .. .. .. .. .. 3,291 10 2 5,005 9 0

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Balance-sheet of the New Zealand State Goal-mines— -continued. Statement of Liabilities and Assets at 31st March, 1914 — continued. Liabilities. Assets. £ s. d. £ s. d. £ s. d. £ s d Ohristchurch Depot Property Account— Cost at 31st March, 1913.. . .. .. .. .. "4,949 17 8 Additions during the year .... ... ... ... 120 13 3 5,070 10 11 Depreciation .. .. .. .. •- .. 348 7 8 4,722 3 3 Stock on hand .. .. .. .. .. .. •• 1,920 2 4 6,642 5 7 Wanganui Depot Property Account— Cost at 31st March, 1913 .. .. .. .. •• 1,413 13 1 Additions during the year .. -.. .. .. 257 6 6 1,670 19 7 Depreciation .. .. .. ... . • . ■ 106 17 11 1,564 1 8 Stock on hand .. .. .. .. .. .. .. 1,685 8 2 3,249 9 10 Dunedin Depot Properly Account— Cost at 31st March, 1913 .. .. .. .. •• 1,300 0 6 Depreciation .. .. .. .. ■ •• • 100 710 1,199 12 8 Stock on hand .... .. ".. "'.. .. •• 919 4 9 - • 2,118 17 5 Wellington Office Furniture Account— Cost at 31st March, 1913 .. .. .. .. .. 68 12 9 Additions during the year .. .. .. .. 15 00 i 83 12 9 Depreciation .... .. .. .. .. 998 .. 74 3 1 Sundry debtors .. .. .. .. .. .. .. 15,641 311 Suspense Account, cremiums, deposits, &c. ~ .. .. .. 469 11 9 * 16,184 18 9 Cash in hand and in Public Account on 31st March, 1914 .. ..' 31,217 0 3 Less vouchers outstanding .. .. .. .. .. 966 3 8 30,250 16 7 General Profit and Loss Account— Loss for the year.. .. .. .. .. .. •• ■• 23,307 18 & £2667397 5 4 £266,397 5 4 State Coal-mines Office, Wellington, 12th June, 1914. W. Eraser, Louis H. Eilers, F.E.A., N.Z., Accountant. r Minister of Mines. Examined and found correct. Bobert J. Collins, Controller and Auditor-General.

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Statement of General Profit and Loss Account for the Year ended 31st March, 1914. Dr - £ s. d. £ s. d. Gr. b . „ To T ™ dfl Bx P BnBM A 0 0*""' ■• 84,436 14 1 By Point Elizabeth Colliery Working Account-Gross profit .. 44,526 12 2 " ipiverpoo uomery „ .. 14,868 1 A Liverpool Colliery „ 7 q ™ d n Seddonville Colliery ~ „.. 22,655 18 1 Seddonville Colliery " "' ~ So , Wellington Depot „.. 9,897 14 9 Wellington Depot Trading Account-Gross profit " " 9 685 6 8 Chr.stchurch Depot . „ 6,245 16 3 Christchurch Depot , P sWfi n \ Wanganui Depot . „ 2,794 7 3 Wanganui Depot „ " 2864 10 fi Dunedm Depot . .. 2,212 18 10 Dunedin Depot ~ " ] 1528 4 8 113,111 10 6 ' n . Wellington office furniture depreciation 9 9 8 Seddonville Colliery recovery \ r7~r\ yl ' do ' lo 8 Briquette-works depreciation .. 1,613 10 3 Point Elizabeth Colliery rents .. .. .. \\ 10 i 14 0 1,622 19 11 Liverpool „ „ 12 7 0 Balance: Loss for year .. .. .. . 2a 307 ih q Balance down .. .. .. .. .. .. £23,307 18 9 . Statement of Point Elizabeth Colliery Working Account for the Year ended 31st March, 1914. Dr - £ s. d. £ s. d. Gr. n -, To Stock of coal on hand at 31st March, 1913 .. .. 1.876 61 Rv Snips nf ™<,l „„ s ' '*s- d. Stock of timber on hand at 31st March, 1913 .. .. '21112 " Sats of tTmber """ ." " l 0 J „, . . 1,897 17 3 Sales of stores .. .. qqc ,c c Uoal-wmning— " ■• • aao - LO ° a §' es ,•• 40,084 2 1 Stock of coal on hand at 31st March, 1914- ~' 94,27115 11 Materials used 3,614 4 2 At mine and wharf .... 896 12 8 Stores used.. .. 1,909 18 1 Afloat .. " " hto t n 45,608 4 4 •■•...... sm b 0 Timber out .. 200 0 8 Stock of timber on hand at 31st March, 1914 M « *2 ? Stores sold .. .. .. .. .. gOO 96•'■••• 61 8 4 1,100 10 2 Special rate .. .. .. .. .. .. 1,006 8 6 Royalty .. .. .. .. .. .. 1,712 10 6 2,718 19 0 Balance : Gross profit at mine . . .. .. .. .. 44 526 12 2 £95,852 211 ~ ■ £95,852 2 11

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Statement of Point Elizabeth Colliery Profit and Loss Account for the Year ended 31st March, 1914. n r £ s. d. £ s. d. n £ s. d. £ s. d. C»"- -_ „, j «= i -• 1 974 16 5 By Balance of Working Account— ToManagementandofficesalar.es 2 816 18 10 Gross profits at mine 12 2 Interest and exchange .. .. ■■ •■ •• ',tV !„ n -Rent* •• •• •• 10114 0 Travelling-expenses Jsf J ? ,n 44 6 28 6 7 Printing and stationery.. .. - 108 010 Balance: Loss .. 9,808 711 Repairs and maintenance .. •■ •• •• ' <,„ ,n \ Telegrams and postages .. ■ • • ■ • •J° ± Railway haulage .. .. ■■ •■ •• 9 ' ?I * I Insurances .. .. • ■ ■ ■ ■ • • • ij Compensation for accidents and fund .. . • ■ • 9°° - 1 - 1 * Railway freights .. •• •• -• •• tm q General expenses M J« 5 i Marine freights .. ... 6 , * * Hulks Working Account (proportion) .. • • ■ ■ a,wz all Wharfages, &c 1> * 2 Auditfees ■■ •°. Bad debts .. .. •■ •• ■• •• Sat Depreciation : Mine, buildings, plant, and machinery .. 9,0J4 b a . 4gg 14 1 £54,436 14 1 £54,436 14 1 ■ - Statement of Point Elizabeth (Liverpool) Colliery Working Account for the Year ended 31st March, 1914. Dr. ***.*' «■ d - pql G V ~ * ,. S - d ' 14, m _„,.•■ By Sales ol coal CO wZZ nmg ~ - • 8,049 10 2 Stock of coal on hand at 31st March, 1914Mahals used" !! " ." •• ■■ 121 9} At mine and wharf •■ Mg * * Storesused .. .. .. •■ ■• •• 2 13 3 " 8384 g g Afloat " " 1,796 18 8 o • i ,„ 164 19 9 Special rate .. ... ■•-•• ■ • • _ . . Balance: Gross profit at mine .. .. •■ •• •■ '> aoa £16,508 6 11 £16,508 6 11 '

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Statement of Point Elizabeth (Liverpool) Colliery Profit and Loss Account for the Year ended 31st March, 1914. To Management and office salaries .. .. .. 4qo fin ' ti„ n~„„ ci. £s.d.£ s. d. Interest and exchange .. .. 4 123 98 By Gross profits at mine 7,959 4 0 Travelling-expenses ff ' 12 s 6 Bents 12 7 0 Printing and stationery .... 16 12 11 r; i t 7,971 11 0 Repairs and maintenance .. .. .. .'. 17 0 0 balance: Loss .. .. .. .. .. .. 6,896 10 3 Telegrams and postages .. .. .. .. .. •1310 8 Railway haulage .. .. .. .. 2 131 4 l Compensation for aocidents and fund .. .. .. 146 15 11 Railway freights .. .. .. 715 g 2 General expenses .. .. .. .. .. 29 8 8 Marine freights .. .. .. 4 645 17 8 Hulks Working Account (proportion) .. . .. '502 0 1 Wharfages, &c. .. .. .. .. .. .. 197 15 1 Audit fees .. .. .. .. .. 218 8 Depreciation: Mine, buildings, plant, and machinery .. 1,823 10 4 14,868 1 3 Statement of Seddonville Colliery Working Account for the Year ended 31st J March, 1914. To Stock of coal on hand at 31st March, 1913 ... 7 qt; S * R * T,„o, Cr '. ,£s.d.£ s. d. Coal-winning- '" " 795 5 6 By Sales of coal __ 33,399 13 1 Wages ' 10 030. ia a Stock of coal on hand at 31st March, 1914— Materials used '.'. '.'. '. 550 15 9 At mine and wharf 286 4 9 Storesused .'.' " 595 12 ? Afloat 253 17 6 „ . _ ct 13,987 6 7 54 ° 2 3 rsalance : uross profits at mine.. .. .. .. 29 157 3 3 £33,939 15 4

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Statement of Seddonville Colliery Profit and Loss Account for the Year ended 31st March, 1914. Dr. £ s. d. £ s. d. Gr. & s - d - To Management and office salaries.. .. .. .. 840 43 By Balance of Working Acccant - 101*7 q q Rents .. .. .. .. .. .. 38 13 0 Gross profits at mine. .. ■• •■ ■- ■ •• •■ l»,io' o a Interest and exchange .. .. .. .. .. 1,093 15 8 Recovery .. .. .. •- •■ •• •• •• ~i.V .„ Travelling-expenses .. .. .. .. .. 82 8 6 Balance : Loss for year .. .. ■- •• •• •• 3 '™ Printing and stationery ... .. .. .. 22 8 6 Telegrams and postages •.. .. .. •. 48 6 0 Repairs and maintenance ~ .. .. .. 107 12 11 Railway haulage .. .. .. .. .. 7,284 4 4 Insurances .. ~ .. .. .. .•5 0 6 Compensation for accidents and fund .. .. .. 148 8 1 General expenses .. .. .. .. ■ ■9517 3 Marine freights .. .. .. .. .. 8,307 12 10 Hulks Working Account (proportion) .. .. .. 533 7 7 Wharfages, &c. .. .. .. .. .. 170 14 9 Railway freights .. .. .. .. .. 41 16 3 Audit fees .. .. .. .. .. .. 16 13 0 Depreciation: Mine, buildings, plant, and machinery .. 3,818 14 8 ■ ' '" ' * ' ' 22,655 18 1 £22,655 18 1 £22,655 18 1 Wellington Depot Trading Account for the Year ended 31st March, 1914. £ s d £ s d Cr £ s. d. £ s. d. To Stockfon banc i at 31st March, 1913 .. *>*»" *> KSSL*. coke, fte. .. "" V. "KS 17 X Purchases of coal .. •• •• •• •■ ai,mz, 11 o 33,488 6 3 Purchases of firewood, coke, &c 86S 24,87113 9 Stocks on hand at 31st March, 1914--943 9 3 Coal ■• •• •• •• •• 3,211 16 3 Cartage to depot .. ■• •• •• •• Firewood" &c .. .. ■• •• 79 13 11 Balance: Gross profits .. .. •• 9 > 685 6 8 firewood, &c 3,29110 2

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Wellington Depot Profit and Loss Account for the Year ended 31st March, 1914. - w Dr - £s.d.£ s. d. Or. £s. d. T ° Wages 3,025 2 8 By Balance of Trading Account 9,685 6 8 paries .'.' 894 11 10 Balance: Loss 212 8 1 Rents .. .. .. .. . .. 852 0 0 Rates .. . . .. .. .. .. .. 139 10 8 Interest ..' .. .'..'' .. .. .. .. 98 17 5 Travelling-expenses .. . . ... .. .. 24 15 2 Repairs and maintenance .. .. .. .. .. 344 15 5 Telegrams and postages .. ... .. .. .. 20 310 Printing and stationery .. .. .. .. .. 124 9 7 Insurances .. .. .. .. .. .. 85 5 10 Cartage .. .. .. . .. '. 3,564 n 5 Sacks .. .. .. .. .. .. .. 161 14 2 Freights, &c. .. .. .. .. .. .. 72 13 1 General expenses .. .. .. .. .. 145 13 9 Alterations .. .. .. .. .. .. 45 0 0 Audit fees .. .. .. .. .. .. 47 10 0 Bad debts written off .. .. .. ...72 12 6 Compensation .. .. .. .. .. .. 360 Depreciation .. .. .. .. .. 175 1 5 9,897 14 9 £9,897 14 9 £9,897 14 9 Christchurch Depot Trading Account for the Year ended 31st March, 1914. _ „. . Dr - -, . .„ v ' „,£s.d. £ s. d. Cr. £s.d.£ s. d To Stocks on hand, 31st March, 1913 1,292 4 2 By Sales of coal 29,626 4 3 Purchases of coal . 22,652 11 0 Sales of firewood, coke, &c. 757 1 8 Purchases of firewood, coke, &c. .. .. .. .. 522 14 10 30 383 5 11 TT , L . 23,175 5 10 Stocks on hand. 31st March, 1914— Haulage to depot 2,249 17 10 Coal .. 1,669 16 5 bross profit .. .. .. .. .. .. 5 , 586 0 5 Firewood, coke, &o. .. .. .. .. .. 250 511 : 1,920 2 4 £32,303 S3 . ' £32,303 8 3

C.—ii

184

Christchurch Depot Profit and Loss Account for the Year ended 31st March, 1914. Dt. £ s. d. £ s. d. | Gr. S, s. d. To Wages ... .. .. .■ •• ■• •• 1,667 19'■ By Balance of Trading Account .. .. .. .. .. .. 5,586 0 5 Salaries .•• • • ••• • • 844 11 8 Balance: Loss for year .. .. .. .. .. .. .. 659 15 10 Rents !....; 64 0 0 Interest and exchange .. .. .. .. -. 197 2 7 Repairs and maintenance. .. .. .. .. .. 282 19 5 Telegrams and postages .. .. .. .. .. 115 0 Printing and stationery .. .. .. •. .. 33 4 0 Insurances .. .. .. ■■ ....... .. 10 S 2 Travelling-expenses .. .. .. ■• -. 18 7 8 Cartage 1,767 18 11 Sacks .. .. .. .. .. • • • -6614 11 Freights .. .. .. .. •. 835 11 1 General expenses .. .. .. .. . - . •51 2 4 Audit fees .. .. .. .. •• .. 39 6 8 Bad debts .. .. .. .. • • .. 714 5 Depreciation .. .. .. ■ ■ 348 7 8 6,245 16 3 £6,245 16 3 £6,245 16 3 Wanganui Depot Trading Account for the Year ended 31st March, 1914. Dr., £ s. d. £ s. d. Gr. £ s. d. £ s. d. To Stocks on hand, 31st March, 1913 .. .. .. .. 1,702 410 By Sales of coal .. .. .. .. .. .. 12,467 17 5 Purchases of coal .. .. .. .. .. 9,259 8 6 Sales of firewood, coke, &c. .. .. .. .. 1,112 14 11 Purchases of firewood, coke, &c. .. .. .. 597 18 9 13,580 12 4 9,857 7 3 Stocks on hand, 31st March, 1914— Haulage to depot .. .. . .. .. .. 841 811 Coal .. .. .. .. .. .. 1,436 4 0 Gross profit .. .. .. .. .. .. .. 2,864 19 6 Firewood, coke, &c. .. .. .. .. .. 249 4 2 1,685 8 2 £15,266 0 6 £15,266 0 6

185

C.-—2

Wanganui Depot Profit and Loss Account for the Year ended 31st March, 1914. Dr . £ s. d. £ s. d. i Gr. £ s. d. To Wages .. .. .. .. .. .. 730 13 1] By Balance of Trading Account .. .. .. .. .. .. 2,864 19 6 Salaries .. .. .. .■. .. .. 445 0 0 Rents .. .. .. .. .. .. 110 13 4 Interest and exchange .. .. .. .. .. 60 14 10 Repairs and maintenance .. .. .. .. 62 611 Telegrams and postages .. .. .. .. 13 16 2 Printing and stationery .. .. .. .. 43 15 11 Travelling-expenses .. .. .. .. .. 7 18 1 Insurance .. .. .. .. .. .. 650 Cartage .. .. .. .. .. .. 925 13 , 2 Sacks ............ 81 8 7 Freights, &c. .. .. .. .. .. .. 137 5 7 General expenses .. .. .. .. .. 45 18 8 Audit fees .. .. .. .. .. .. 16 0 0 Depredation .. .. .. .. .. .. 106 17 11 2,794 7 3 Balance: Net profit .. .. .. .. .. .. 70 12 3 £2,864 19 6 j £2,864 19 6 Dunedin Depot Trading Account for the Year ended 31st March, 1914. Dr - £ s. d. £ s. d. Gr. £ s. d. £ s. d. To Stocks on hand, 31st March, 1913 .. .. .. .. .. 1,565 16 6\ By Sales of coal .. .. .. .. .. .. 8,756 13 2 Purchases of coal.. .. .. .. .. .. 5,919 6 6 Sales of firewood, coke, &c. .. .. .. .. 85 16 0 Purchases of firewood, coke, &c. .. .. .. .. 68 10 8 8 842 9 2 5,987 17 2 ' Stocks on hand, 31st March, 1914— Wharfages, &c. .. .. .. .. .. .. 469 13 11 Coal .. .. .. .. .. .. 888 15 7 Cartage to depot .. .. .. .. .. .. 210 1 8 Firewood, coke, &o. .. .. .. .. .. 30 9 2 679 15 7 j - ■ 919 4 9 Balance : Gross profit .. .. .. .. .. .. 1 528 4 8 £9,761 13 11 j ' £9,761 13 11 Dunedin Depot Profit and Loss Account for the Year ended 31st March, 1914. Dr - £ s. d. £ s. d. I Gr. £ s. d. To Wages .. .. .. .. .. .. .. 505 16 oBy Balance of Trading Account .. .. .. .. .. .. 1,528 4 8 Salaries .. .. .. .. .. .. .. 405 0 0 Balance: Loss .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. 684 14 2 Rents .. .. .. .. .. .. .. 200 0 0 Rates .. .. .. .. .. .. .. 25 16 9 Interest .. .. .. .. .. .. .. 56 18 8 Repairs and maintenance .. .. .. .. .. 163 7 3 Telegrams and postages .. .. .. .. .. 704 Printing and stationery .. .. .. .. .. 21 2 4 Insurances .. .. .. .. .. .. 650 Travelling-expenses ..•■......288 Cartage .. .. .. .. .. .. .. 625 4 8 Freights, &c. .. .. .. .. .. .. 5 15 1 General expenses .. .. ... .. .. .. 40 11 8 Sacks .. .. .. .. .. .. .. 40 4 7 Audit fees .. .. .. .. .. .. 700 Depreciation .. .. .. .. .. .. 100 710 2,212 18 10 £2,212 18 10 £2,212 18 10

C.—2.

186

Statement of the Receipts and Expenditure of the N.Z. State Coal-mines for the Year ended 31st March, 1914.

Authority : John Maokay, Government Printer, Wellington.—l9l4.

Receipts. £ s. d. £ s. d. Expenditure. s s. d. £ s. To Cash in hand and in Public Account at 31st By Point Elizabeth Colliery— March, 1913 .. .. .. .. 45,561 10 10 Property and development .. .. .. .. .. .. 331 7 4 Loan under Appropriation Act (instalment) 15,596 0 0 Machinery, plant, and rolling-stock .. .. .. .. .. 1,304 10 8 Interest on overdue instalment .. .. 018 Buildings .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. 10 18 1 Inscribed Stock .. .. .. 2,601 0 7 Stores and materials .. .*, .. .. .. .. .. 7,922 8 0 18,197 2 3 Wages .. .. .* .. .. .. .. .. 40,089 9 5 Proceeds sale of coal .. .. .. .. 161,842 13 4 Timber .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. 395 16 7 Recoveries .. .. .. .. 5,622 16 1 Special rate .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. 1,446 3 0 Refunds, &c. .. .. .. .. 22 10 7 Royalty .. .. .. .. .. . .. .. 1,320 0 0 5 - 645 6 8 Liverpool Colliery- 52,920 13 1 Property and development .. .. .. .. .. .. 11,652 411 Machinery, plant, and rolling-stock .. .. .. .. .. 11,901 19 0 Buildings .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. 936 7 7 Stores and materials .. .. .. .. .. .. .. 95 19 7 Wages .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. 5,165 111 Timber .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. 225 0 0 Seddonville Colliery— 29 • c ls ° Stores and materials .. .. .. .. .. .. .. 1,067 18 6 Wages .. .. > .. .. .. .. .. .. 12,676 9 2 Briquette-works sundries ' .. .. .. .. 56 14 0 13,801 1 8 Hulks, property ... .. .. .. .. :. .. 1,305 5 9 working .. .. .. .. .. .. .. 2,881 7 5 Wellington Depot, property .. .. .. .. .. .. 142 15 6 working .. .. .. .. .. .. 9,005 811 Gbristchureh Depot, property .. .. .. .. ' .. .. 125 0 0 working .. .. .. .. .. .. 4,673 18 3 Wanganui Depot, property .. .. .. .. .. .. 257 6 6 working .. .. .. .. .. .. 2,321 5 5 Dunedin Depot „.. .. .. .. .. .. 1,415 8 5 22,127 16 2 Management and office salaries .. .. .. .. .. .. 6,093 0 3 Rents .. .. .. .. .. .. ... .. .. 1,430 16 8 Rates .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. 165 7 5 Interest and exchange .. .. .. .. .. .. .. 6,226 6 8 Marine freights .. .. .. .. .. .. ..36,11113 10 Travelling-expenses .. .. .. .. .. .. .. 310 1 6 Printing and stationery .. .. .. .. .. .. .. 369 13 7 Telegrams and postages .. .. .. .. .. .. .. 211 16 9 Repairs and maintenance .. .. .. .. .. .. 2,161 8 2 Railway haulage .. .. .. .. .. .. .. 21,326 16 3 Insurances .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. 129 9 8 Compensation for accidents and fund .. .. .. .. .'. 1,265 13 0 General expenses .. .. .. .. .. .. .. 515 8 1 Wharfages, &c. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. 2,008 14 2 Railway freights .. .. .. .. .. .. .. 1 > 174 1 4 Refunds .. .. .. .. .. .. .. ~ 264 Audit fees .. .. .. .. .. .. .. 130 16 8 Loan charges .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. 2,601 2 3 Deposit Contract Account .. .. .. .. .. .. 20 0 0 Wellington Office furniture .. .. .. .. .. .. 15 0 0 82,269 12 7 Cash m hand and in Public Account at 31st Maroh, 1914 .. .. .. 31,217 0 3 Less vouchers passed .. .. .. .. .. .. .. 966 3 8 30,250 16 7 £231,246 13 1 £231,246 13 1 State Coal-mines Office, Wellington, 12th June, 1914. W. Fbasbe, Louis H. Eilees, P.E.A., N.Z., Accountant. Minister of Mines.

NEW ZEALAND STATE COLLIERIES Plan of the POINT ELIZABETH No I COLLIERY

C-2

NEW ZEALAND STATE COLLIERIES Plan of the SEDDONVILLE STATE COLLIERY

C-2

NEW ZEALAND STATE COLLIERIES Plan of the LIVERPOOL COLLIERY

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MINES STATEMENT, BY THE HON. W. FRASER, MINISTER OF MINES., Appendix to the Journals of the House of Representatives, 1914 Session I, C-02

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MINES STATEMENT, BY THE HON. W. FRASER, MINISTER OF MINES. Appendix to the Journals of the House of Representatives, 1914 Session I, C-02

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MINES STATEMENT, BY THE HON. W. FRASER, MINISTER OF MINES. Appendix to the Journals of the House of Representatives, 1914 Session I, C-02

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Bibliographic details

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MINES STATEMENT, BY THE HON. W. FRASER, MINISTER OF MINES. Appendix to the Journals of the House of Representatives, 1914 Session I, C-02

Using This Item

No known copyright (New Zealand)

MINES STATEMENT, BY THE HON. W. FRASER, MINISTER OF MINES. Appendix to the Journals of the House of Representatives, 1914 Session I, C-02

Using This Item

No known copyright (New Zealand)