H.—s

30

Description and Value of each Class of Crushing and Mining Plant. Mokihinui Gold-Mining Company (Limited) : Ten-head stamper battery, driven by water-wheel; estimated value, £1,000. Golden Sign Quartz-Mining Company: General mining plant. United Alpine Quartz-Mining Company (Limited): Twenty-head 8-cwt. battery, four berdans; value, £5,284 10s. Bd.; general mining tools, £500. United Italy Gold-Mining Company (Limited) : Pivehead battery; value, £700; general mining tools, £100. Victor Emanuel Gold-Mining Company (Limited): General mining tools, £120. Cosmopolitan Gold Mining Company (Limited) : General mining tools, £20. Day-star Gold-Mining Company (Limited) : General mining tools, £30. Croesus Gold-Mining Company (Limited) : Ten-head battery, with two berdans in course of erection; value, £1,800; general mining took, £200. Time-will-Tell Gold-Mining Company (Limited): General miuing tools, £25. No. 1 South Croesus : General mining tools, £10. United Victory Quartz-Mining Company (Limited) : Ten-head battery of 8-cwt. stamps, driven by turbine; value, £2,000. Lyell Creek Extended Quartz-Mining Company (Limited) : Tunnel, 660 feet. The statistical returns show that there are 542 water-races, of an aggregate length of 465 miles, registered to carry 1,723 heads of water, valued at £45,099; 225 tail-races, at £14,268 ; 543 dams and reservoirs, at £13,582; and 170 ground-sluices, at £10,500. These, taken together with the mining plant and machinery, estimated at £17,000, show the total value of mining property in the district to be £100,449. I append herewith returns showing the total population, the cases disposed of in the Resident Magistrate's and Warden's Courts; the number of miners' rights, licenses, registrations, &c, issued ; the revenue collected at each office, and the estimated yield of gold.

The following is the return of revenue for the twelve months ending 31st March, 1883:—

The following is the return of miners' rights, licenses, registrations, &c., issued during the twelve months ending 31st March, 1883:—

The following is the return of cases in the Resident Magistrate's and Warden's Courts for the twelve months ending 31st March, 1883: —

The following is the estimated yield of gold : Westport, 4,780 oz.; Charleston, 5,520 oz. > Lyell, 7,000 oz. : total, 17,300 oz. The following is the estimated population: Westport, 2,329 Europeans; 11 Chinese: total 2,340. Charleston, 825 Europeans. Lyell, 1,060 Europeans; 11 Chinese: total, 1,071. Total population, "4,214 Europeans ;22 Chinese : total, 4,236. I have, &c, W. H. Revell, The Under-Secretary for Gold Fields, Wellington. Warden.

Westporfc. Charleston. Lyell. Totals. £ s. a. 1,118 13 5 837 3 10 183 19 6 £ b. a. 545 7 0 £ s. a. 698 9 5 £ a. d. Garden's Department, Gold Fields litto, Colliery Reserve Resident Magistrate's Department 25 10 0 61 6 0 2,362 9 10 837 1 10 270 15 6 Totals ... 2,139 16 9 570 17 0 759 15 5 3,470 7 2 •

Westport. Charleston. Lyell. Totals. liners' rights iusiness licenses, £5 business licenses, £3 P~ater-race licenses, 5s. fater-race licenses, 2s. 6d. Registrations, 10s. ... Registrations, Is. ... lining applications .pplications for gold-mining leases rold-mining leases granted 150 11 91 10 147 83 51 19 248 1 190 1 578 268 3 3 152 5 116 1 155 90 7 16 550 16 1 397 12 880 441 61 38

Resident Magistrate's Court. Warden's Court. Totals. Civil. Criminal. Westport Charleston Lyell Ham p den 181 22 36 14 97 7 31 1 8 14 7 286 43 74 15 Totals 136 1>9 418 253