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he will be rewarded for his enterprise. Kelly's Terrace, I regret to say, has been abandoned. The drainage-tunnel collapsed, and the company were unable to meet the large expense of bringing a new one in. This is much to be regretted, as, while it lasted, it gave employment to a large number of men, and there is still a portion of ground on the lease that would pay very good wages. Some very rich ground within the area was worked by tributers. During the past year an attempt has been made to dredge the Waimea Creek. A dredger was erected about two years ago at a large cost, and was at work for about four months, giving a good deal of employment, but, unfortunately, the results were not sufficient to pay even working-ex-penses, and the enterprise was discontinued. This was caused, in the opinion of some, by the goldsaving appliances not being good enough, while others think the bucket-ladder is too short, and therefore not able to go deep enough to reach the best ground. At the last meeting of the Westland County Council an application to go under Piper's Bridge was made by the present owners of the dredge, who are preparing to make a fresh start as soon as an application of theirs for a licensed holding is disposed of. The lower part of German and Sebastopol Gullies, Fourth Terrace, Kapitea Creek, Lamplough, and Auckland Beach are the only other places where mining is carried on, principally by Europeans, with a fair sprinkling of Chinese here and there in the gullies. The Europeans working thereabouts have been located there for a long time, have permanent houses, and are not likely to remove, as most of them have a water-supply of their own, and seem to be doing fairly well. Sebastopol Gully is the only place where any new work to open fresh ground has been undertaken here. Pearson and party have brought in a tunnel from German Gully, which bottoms the creek, and they are now sluicing wdth a fair prospect of success. About twelve months ago the Waimea Prospecting Association let a contract for sinking a shaft 120 ft. at Gillan's Gully, near Stafford, where good gold is supposed to be untouched, owing to the wet nature of the flat. The contractors have now sunk that depth, and have also driven a jump-up 20ft. high, and then continued driving straight ahead. They have struck gold, also a large quantity of water, and the flat promises to become a goldfield of considerable size. There is another industry which has been largely extended during the past year—namely, sawmilling. Four sawmill areas have been granted, and the Westland Sawmilling Company is erecting a large, effective, and powerful plant to cut the timber. The erection of the machinery is almost complete, and within another fortnight the mill will be in full work. Already the company has given employment to a number of hands, and will continue to do so, much to the benefit of the district. Kumara. —Five claims that have been sluiced for many years past have been worked out during the present year, and there has been an entire cessation of work because the ground is no longer payable. During the year the holders of four claims have started sluicing ; of these two are new claims. There are only a very few claims on the field really paying well, and the remainder are poor, paying small wages, and others, again, very poor. The general opinion is that the best part of the good ground on this field is nearly worked out; but there are large areas left that, with improved methods of working, will still pay and eventually be worked. Sluicing operations will continue for many years to come. The attempt to prospect the deep ground on Kumara has not yet been successful, and, although the Deep Levels shaft has been abandoned, a new attempt to prospect the deep levels is now being made by a low-level tunnel from the tailing-site on the Teremakau to Dunedin Flat, one of the richest pieces of ground worked in the Kumara. This lowlevel tunnel is now driven between 600 ft. and 700 ft., and is in the blue bottom up to the present. A distance of 1,200 ft. will be driven before a rise will be put up to prospect the washes lying on the blue bottom. That gold exists in the washes lying on the deep bottom is certain, and the question as to whether it is payable or not will be ascertained within the next three or four months. A new channel (No. 4) is now being constructed, which will open up a large area of ground. It is being put in by private enterprise, but the expenditure is to be subsidised by the Government. Its length will be about 3,000 ft., and its cost, when completed, about £2,500. Another channel (No. 5) is being arranged for, which will open up a large area of ground between the Long Tunnel Company's workings and the Hokitika Eoad, but the Government has as yet made no promise as to subsidy. The population appears to be about the same as for years past. The railway being now open from Greymouth to Hokitika has considerably reduced the cost of travelling and the freight of goods from these places to Kumara, and although the station is four miles from the town the general public find it a great benefit and convenience. There has been an ample supply of water for mining purposes all through the past year, thus enabling the claims to be worked continuously. In the Greenstone portion of the district matters seem to pass along as they have done for years, and, as far as can be ascertained, those few working there are doing fairly well. Eeturn of cases disposed of in the Besident Magistrate's and Warden's Courts, Kumara, for the year ending the 31st March, 1894 : Civil, 178 ; criminal, 65 ; Warden's, 24. The revenue for the year, amounting to £735 2s. 3d., collected in the Kumara Court, is made up as follows : Warden's Department, £601 18s. 3d.; Besident Magistrate's, £133 4s. : total, £735 2s. 3d. Particulars of revenue collected in the Warden's Court for year ending as above, as follows :— £ s. d. Miners'rights ... ... ... ... ... ... 312 0 0 Business licenses ... ... ... ... ... ... 600 Water-races ... ... ... ... ... ... 576 Begistrations ... ... ... ... ... ... 20 4 0 Bent and royalties ... ... ... ... ... ... 157 18 6 Fees and fines ... ... ... ... ... ... 17 12 0 Miscellaneous ... ... ... ... ... ... 82 16 3 £601 18 3

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