7

H.—l9.

APPENDIX.

AUCKLAND GOLD FIELDS. No. 1. Mr. "Warden Keneick to the Undee-Seceetaey for Gold Fields. Sib, — Warden's Office, Coromandel, Ist May, 1882. The chief feature of the past year's operations is the favourable testing of an entirely new portion of the district—the Tiki. The opening of Mcintosh's Block (Tiki) was a work of considerable difficulty for the prospectors, owing to the absence of tracks and the rugged nature of the country; but the result of the construction of a road to this portion of the field has proved the wisdom of the Government in giving aid to works of this nature. It has enabled miners to get machinery on to ground where before it was impossible to take a pack-horse. The local governing body had not funds to make a road to connect the township with the claims; but in order to take advantage of a promised subsidy of pound for pound from the Gold Field vote, the County Council obtained an overdraft from the bank. On completion of the road, a ten-stamper battery was immediately erected by the Blackmore and Home Bule Companies conjointly. An engine was transported to the site under extraordinary difficulties, and, since completion, has been constantly at work, having treated over 2,000 tons of quartz, for a yield of 3,194 oz. of gold. Before giving details of work accomplished by the leading mines in this locality, reference should be made to a great obstacle to the speedy and complete development of this portion of the district —namely, the fact of the richest mines being situated on private property. This so militated against the opening of the block that, for some months after the first discoveries were made, prospectors were afraid to continue operations owing to an impression that no title could be given by the proprietors of the land for a longer period than two years. When this question was settled another sprang up, involving the title to the most valuable part of the block, and many miners left the field in consequence. There is no doubt but that the fact of the land being private property retarded its earlier development; nevertheless the output of gold from the two mines (Blackmore's and Home Bule), which have been thoroughly worked, has satisfactorily proved the rich character of the numerous lodes found on this (Moore's or Mcintosh's) Block, at Tiki. Plackmore's. —This mine is a network of reefs near the surface, most of them auriferous; several of them have yielded rich stone. In the low levels, several well-defined lodes have been worked with fair success; chief among them is the No. 4or Home Eule Beef, which has been sunk on by a winze a distance of 115 feet from the surface, carrying good gold the whole way. A level has been driven 300 feet connecting with this winze; and a block of ground, 110 feet deep by 300 feet in length, along the course of the reef, is now ready to be stoped out. A very substantial self-acting tramway, with hopper, &c, has been constructed at considerable outlay. Some Pule. —In this mine operations have been confined to one reef, which has proved of great value, over 1,300 ozs. of gold having already been obtained from less than 400 tons of dirt, enabling the company to pay their share of the cost of the battery, all working expenses, and a first dividend of Is. per share. A low level is now being driven from the reserve ground adjoining, at a point near the battery. Between thirty-five and forty men are constantly employed at this and Blackmore's. The works in hand are estimated to provide payable crushing material for the battery for the next two years. Several other mines are working in this locality, and give promise of payable returns, especially the Berseverance. At Matawai, to the west of Castle Bock, on Crown land, a new line of reef has recently been opened up by two prospectors —Vizard and Vaughan. Gold of a very rich coarse character, showing freely in the stone, has been obtained from a reef varying from 4 to 5 feet across ; also, in a shaft commenced 30 feet from where the reef was first cut, there is upwards of 1 cwt. of stone on hand, which will go above half an ounce to the pound. There has not yet been sufficient work done on the reef to enable any one to speak as to its permanent richness; but, as regards the prospect of this find, they excel anything the claims on the adjoining private land, at the Tiki, had to show in their earlier days. Vizard the prospector has been for years prospecting and working about this portion of the district. A battery is in course of erection in the vicinity of this mine, which will be of easy access to miners, situated on the slopes of the ranges bordering on the Matawai Creek, and which, it is hoped, will increase the output of gold for the coming year. Tokatea District. —An improvement is noticeable in this old-established portion of the district; more miners are at work, and several during the year have sent payable stuff to the batteries. Tokatea Mine. —This mine has a reef of great reputation, having for ten consecutive years provided crushing stuff which enabled the company to pay handsome sums in dividends, gold to the value of £132,000 being extracted before a single call was made upon the capital of the company, when, having worked the block out down to the 650-feet level, it became necessary to put in a lower one, which was done at the joint expense of the Tokatea and Bismarck Companies, as far as tho Bismarck boundary. It is now nearly three years since this great work was started. It was carried on for a distance of 400 feet by hand labour through basaltic rock, costing £6 10s. per foot, and where only from 3 to 4 feet a week could be driven. In order to cheapen the work and increase the speed, the company imported from America two rock-drills and an air-compressor. The latter was erected at the mouth of the adit, driving the drills at a pressure of 65 lbs. to the square inch, giving 300 blows per jninute, and making as much headway iu twenty-four hours as hand labour had done in a week, in