7

C.—s

constructed many years ago to work Black's Flat. The old channel has been deepened up from the Manuherikia Eiver to its terminating-point to as low a level as drainage would permit, and the new channel has been constructed further up the flat. The large amount of water in this ground could not be overcome with any ordinary appliances the miners had, and therefore could not be prospected. A lead of highly-auriferous washdrift was traced into the deep ground, and several attempts have been made to trace it higher up the flat without any success, owing to the large quantity of water met with in sinking. This channel will drain the whole of the ground, so that it can be easily prospected and worked. It is estimated to cost £2,300. Of this amount a subsidy of £1,150 was authorized, of which £1,099 Bs. 6d. has been paid. Pipeclay Sludge-channel, Bannockburn, Otago. —This is a tail-race from the Kawarau Eiver to the top of Pipeclay Gully, where there is a considerable area of payable auriferous ground that could not be sluiced for want of proper fall. This channel was commenced about eight years ago, and has lately been completed. A subsidy of £773 19s. has been paid towards the construction of this work. Long Gully Channel, Maereivhenua, Otago. —This is a tail-race to carry away the tailings from the sluicing-claims. It is 54f chains in length, 2ft. 6in. wide at the bottom, and sft. at the top, having a depth of 3ft. The bottom is all paved with stones, and the sides are partially lined with stones and partially with scrub. The cost of this work has been £150 : of this amount a subsidy of £100 has been paid. Repairs, Storm-water Channel, Boss, Westland. —This storm-water channel was constructed through Boss Flat in 1868 to prevent the water from Jones's Creek overflowing on to the Flat, as it did previous to its construction. In March, last year, during a heavy fall of rain, Jones's Creek became flooded to such an extent that the storm-water channel was not of sufficient capacity to convey the whole of the water. The ground being worked to a great depth close to the channel, as soon as the water overflowed, it washed away about 5 chains of the channel, besides tearing off portions of the lining of the channel lower down. The cost of effecting these repairs was £451 16s. 7d., of which amount a subsidy of £200 has been paid. Geants towaeds the Construction of Deainage, Stoem-watee, and Sludge-channels, and watee-supply. Storm-ioater Channel, Ross, Westland. —This is a storm-water channel constructed through Ross Flat to Donnelly's Creek, to prevent the water from Jones's Creek spreading over the flat amongst the workings. This is the same channel that a subsidy of £200 was given to repair the damage done by floods in March last year. The whole of the channel through the flat requires to be renewed, and the carrying-capacity made greater. An amount of £750 was authorized towards this work. Sludge-channel, Boss, Westland. —This is a channel to carry off the water and sludge from the flat which is between the ocean-beach and Eoss. There is a strip of land along the sea-beach that has been sold, and is now partially cultivated. The water and sludge from the claims between Eoss and Donaghue's has been allowed to spread over the flat until the surface of the ground is considerably raised, causing the water to flow over the freehold land. The state of the case is simply this : the freeholders threaten to stop mining operations unless something is done to prevent the water and sludge damaging their property. £750 was authorized towards the construction of this work, of which £1,360 6s. 9d. has been paid on this and on the construction of the storm-water channel. Drainage-channel, Latvrence, Otago. —This is a continuation of the channel that was constructed two years ago to prevent the tailings, sludge, and water from the workings at Wetherstone!s and Gabriel's Gully getting into the township and the lower streets of Lawrence ; and also for constructing a short channel through a spur, to allow the sludge and water from the lower end of Gabriel's Gully to be conveyed into the main channel at such an angle that the water and tailings from Gabriel's will not impede the flow of water in the main channel so as to cause a blockage with the tailings which are conveyed into it. £1,000 was authorized for this work, and £956 14s. has been paid. Water-supply, Maereivhenua, Otago. —This is to bring in a water-supply to the mining-claims in the Maerewhenua District; and also for the purchase of land to allow an cutlet for the tailings. £1,500 was authorized towards this work, of which £400 has been paid. AIDS TO DEEP-LEVEL TUNNELS. Tokatea Company, Coromandel. —This company constructed a low-level tunnel 800 ft. below the crown of the range at the saddle for a distance of 3,000 ft., for the purpose of cutting the reef they had worked in former years upon the upper levels. When the point was reached where the reef was supposed to be, a soft mullocky lode of schist was found between similar walls to that of the quartz lode on the upper level, but no defined quartz was found. A subsidy of pound for pound to the extent of £350 was authorized to prospect the ground in the low level; but, after doing a considerable amount of work, and being unsuccessful in finding any quartz of a payable character, the balance of the subsidy was authorized to test the reef on the third level. The amount of the subsidy paid on this work to date is £246 17s. 9d. Deep-level Tunnel, Manaia, Coromandel. —This is a district where gold was first discovered about two years ago ; but, being Native property, there has been some difficulty in getting a road completed to get the quartz taken to a crushing-battery to be properly tested. A subsidy was authorized to the extent of £250, on the pound-for-pound principle, to test the ground in this locality; of which £148 16s. has been paid. Deep-level Tunnel, Tapu, Auckland. —This tunnel is being constructed from the Tapu Creek, a short distance above Mr. Pepper's crushing-battery. It will, when completed, be about 1,500 ft. in length, and about 150 ft. below any of the present workings if taken to the point where the presentknown reefs are being worked. A quartz leader was cut about 200 ft. from the mouth of the tunnel,