C.—2.

Track, Jackson's Bay to Cascade and Gorge River. —This track is completed from the Cascade to the Duncan Biver, a distance of thirteen miles. There is still a connection to make from the Jackson to the Cascade Bivers, but a new survey will have to be made of this portion before any further expenditure is made. The county made a survey of a line of road up the Jackson Biver some years ago; but the line was laid off too near the river, and portions of it are now in the river-bed. It would be. useless to spend any money here until a fresh survey is made and the road laid off clear of the river-flats altogether. Authorities to the extent of £5,350 7s. 7d. have been given, out of which £4,574 16s. 9d. has been expended, leaving £775 10s. for the construction of the intervening portion. Road, Arthur's Point to Skipper's. —There is about four miles of this road under construction, which when completed will enable drays to be taken up to the bridge over the Shotover, a little below Skipper's Point. The contract for the completion was let in November last, and the time expires in July next. There is so much rock-cutting in the portion under contract that probably the work will not be done within the contract time. The contractor was, however, making fair progress with the work at the time of my visit of inspection in March last, and shews his intention of carrying out his contract satisfactorily. The work is carried out under the supervision of the County Engineer, who will see that the work is properly carried out. This road has cost up to the present time £8,306 19s. Id., and the liabilities on present contract amount to £3,733 6s. 7cL, of which £679 has been paid. Road, Grey Valley to Teremakau. —This is the construction of the intervening portion of the horsetrack between Bell Hill and the Teremakau, and, when completed, will allow horse-traffic and stock to be taken from the Christchurch-Hokifcika Boad, near Mr. Jackson's accommodation-house, to the Grey Valley, at Nelson Creek. The estimated cost of the portion to complete this road is £900. Road, Cedar Greek. —This is the continuation of the road that was constructed from the Woolhouse Boad up the west side of the Totara Biver, which cost £3,000. There is now two and a half miles under contract, which will complete the road to near Cedar Creek. An authority for £1,500 has been given for the completion of this road, and the county is to find the balance, which will be something like £250. The work is under the supervision of the County Engineer. At the time of my visit of inspection in April the contractors were making good progress with the work. The whole of the road is constructed with good grades, and will make a good dray-road when completed. WHARVES. Coromandel. —This is for repairing the wharf to allow vessels laden with coal for the mining companies to discharge. The estimated cost of the work is £300. Of this amount £150 has been authorised as a contribution. Queen Charlotte Sound. —A wharf was required at Anakiwa to land goods at the head of Queen Charlotte Sound for supplying the mining population on the Mahakipawa Diggings. The cost of this work has been £289 9s. Oct., of which £96 6s. has been paid. SCHOOLS OP MINES. It is satisfactory to note the progress made by the students who attend these schools, and also the good effect the schools have amongst a mining community. The dissemination of scientific knowledge in regard to the character and composition of ores, and the class of rocks in which certain metalliferous substances are likely to be found, and the instructions which miners are able to obtain in order to qualify themselves for managers df mining works, are bound to produce good fruits and insure the mining industry being carried on in future years on a more intelligent basis. These schools are drawing attention by practical demonstration to the great waste and loss of gold and silver there is now and has been in former years, and are causing mine-proprietors and crushingmill owners to turn their attention to different processes for saving the precious metals. This will have the effect of causing low-grade ores which have hitherto been passed over as worthless to be worked, and will open up a new field for the employment of labour. There are now two schools receiving Government aid—namely, one at the Thames, in the North Island, and one at Beefton, in the Middle Island, both in large centres of quartz-mining districts ; and every credit is due to the teachers who are employed in those schools for the progress they made last year with the limited appliances at their command. In addition to those two schools, the Government has been contributing £500 per annum for a School of Mines at the Dunedin University, which affords an opportunity to those residing in the south portion of the Middle Island of receiving a good sound technical education in mining in all its branches. Hitherto this has not been taken so much advantage of as it deserves, for the obvious reason that, although Dunedin may be termed a large centre of a mining country, it is not near any of the mining centres where actual operations are carried on, and there are many, especially those who are engaged in mining, who cannot afford to go to the University to receive instruction, nor send their children. For this reason alone the schools of mines in large quartz-reefing districts will always be better attended; besides, the students can go in and about the mines, and learn the practical working, and see the different classes of machinery employed in the reduction and treatment of ores, and by this means, together with a technical training at the school of mines, will be far better qualified to act as battery-managers and mine-managers than those who have been merely taught the theory at the University. Mr. Alexander Montgomery, M.A., who has been conducting the School of Mines at the Thames, has made a great many interesting experiments with the testing-plant erected at the school, and has shown conclusively that there are ores in the North Island district from which with the most careful treatment by the ordinary battery-process only 273 percent, of the gold is saved, and 6 per cent, of the silver. This was shown by his experiments Nos. 1, 2, and 3 from ore in the Karangahake district. He also shows that the loss of gold and silver in fine slimes, that are carried away with the water and do not settle for a long time, is something very considerable. From ore that assayed 2oz. Odwt. Bgr. of gold and 2oz. 6dwt. 4gr. of silver to the ton the fine slimes suspended in the water contained on assay loz. 15dwt. 7gr. of gold and the same amount of silver to the ton. 3—C. 2.

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